travel prejudices
Oct 12th, 2018, 01:35 PM
#21
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I don’t think I am on my own in having travel prejudice. I have been on this Forum for years and yet the same prospective itineraries are regurgitated by fellow travellers hell bent on avoiding the risk of visiting somewhere off the beaten track or rarely recommended and possible disappointment. Any views on this?
Oct 12th, 2018, 02:24 PM
#24
Thank you kindly, AJP.
What travel prejudices dare others mention
How about that "off the beaten path" is not necessarily a superior place to be.
How about that popular places are popular because there is something amazing about them, not that people lack imagination to go elsewhere.
What travel prejudices dare others mention
How about that "off the beaten path" is not necessarily a superior place to be.
How about that popular places are popular because there is something amazing about them, not that people lack imagination to go elsewhere.
Oct 12th, 2018, 02:52 PM
#25
Why does it have to be one or the other? Any reason for making a choice, it seems to me, is just as legitimate as any other. And do we really know why people make the choices they do? I was questioned once on my choice to return to places I liked by a woman who apparently didn't have the imagination to know it was possible to like a place that much. Her only criteria seemed to be to see new places. But, of course, I don't really know that, do I .
Oct 12th, 2018, 03:54 PM
#27
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Isn't prejudice simply the other side of preference? I cannot imagine a person who has no preferences whatever and therefore no prejudice.
My preferences for destinations have changed radically over the years for a variety of reasons so I've visited a huge variety of places. But it would never occur to me that I was expressing prejudice against those I haven't yet chosen.
As mentioned above, our vistas may simply widen with experience. Or don't widen in some cases but one might call that lack of imagination rather than prejudice. Or maybe having just found a happy place or 2. All are, I think, perfectly legitimate.
My preferences for destinations have changed radically over the years for a variety of reasons so I've visited a huge variety of places. But it would never occur to me that I was expressing prejudice against those I haven't yet chosen.
As mentioned above, our vistas may simply widen with experience. Or don't widen in some cases but one might call that lack of imagination rather than prejudice. Or maybe having just found a happy place or 2. All are, I think, perfectly legitimate.
Oct 12th, 2018, 04:00 PM
#28
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If I lived in Europe I would explore the lesser known and harder to access places more. As for peoples opinion on places to visit, you need to consider when someones giving their opinion, their own experience and how long they were travelling for and the season as well as their personality. So far, I have never travelled to any destination and said I hated it completely. Sure, aspects may not live up to expectations, but everywhere has something interesting. The places you keep returning too are the ones that you tend to love
I went to Venice in September and the place did not smell. I heard things such as, it smells, its boring, its expensive. Florence smelled worse than Venice. Venice was beautiful, the weather was perfect and it was very easy to get from the airport to Venice island (I stayed on the main island). I never got ripped off by over priced food, actually the food in Venice wasn't any more expensive comparatively to other Italian cities. I did avoid eating/drinking near the main square though. I actually learned to row a gondola which was a great experience. I was there for 3 nights and thought it was a great experience. Would I return to Venice? Probably not, but you definitely need to see Venice once.
I went to Italy - Capri island, AC and positano and Sorrento expecting great beaches and stunning surroundings. However, as I am from Australia, I found the beaches hmmm very disappointing, surroundings were pretty from the water or when at a viewing point, but nothing special. However, if my travel experience was a lot less rounded then yes, my opinion of the area would have been a lot better. Would I go back again? No. But I did it, I enjoyed my time there.
I went to Venice in September and the place did not smell. I heard things such as, it smells, its boring, its expensive. Florence smelled worse than Venice. Venice was beautiful, the weather was perfect and it was very easy to get from the airport to Venice island (I stayed on the main island). I never got ripped off by over priced food, actually the food in Venice wasn't any more expensive comparatively to other Italian cities. I did avoid eating/drinking near the main square though. I actually learned to row a gondola which was a great experience. I was there for 3 nights and thought it was a great experience. Would I return to Venice? Probably not, but you definitely need to see Venice once.
I went to Italy - Capri island, AC and positano and Sorrento expecting great beaches and stunning surroundings. However, as I am from Australia, I found the beaches hmmm very disappointing, surroundings were pretty from the water or when at a viewing point, but nothing special. However, if my travel experience was a lot less rounded then yes, my opinion of the area would have been a lot better. Would I go back again? No. But I did it, I enjoyed my time there.
Oct 12th, 2018, 04:48 PM
#29
My choice of travel destinations is based on how I want to spend my travel money. If anyone wants to tell me where I "should" go, presumably for my own good, they should pay for my trip. It will make them a better person.
Oct 12th, 2018, 06:14 PM
#30
I don't care where anyone wants to travel. It is your trip. If I can get a good deal I buy a ticket. I just bought a rt ticket from Orlando to Paris for under 300.00. I went to Paris in Feb but who cares. We just fly in and spend a week exploring a region, this time Lille and Brussels and then head to Paris for a week. I know my husband wants me to go to Vietnam but it isn't in my comfort zone. I love Europe.
Oct 12th, 2018, 07:17 PM
#31
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Thanks for raising this tricky and sensitive issue, stevelyon!
While I believe – without evidence – that the decisions made by many travelers (and probably me, too) reflect preconceptions of what they will experience, I think there’s an important difference between being drawn TO something because of preference and being without interest in traveling somewhere because of a lack of an identified draw (even if because of an unacknowledged prejudice). My guess – again, without evidence – is that many people select from those places that appeal to them, without ever considering why some other locations aren’t on their wish list. While that may reflect a form of prejudice (by some, but not necessarily all, definitions of prejudice), it’s not necessarily based on anything conscious or intentional, and these travelers might make very different choices if they became aware that they had been limiting their options unnecessarily.
I must admit that I see reasons for the OP’s generalization that some travellers avoid going off the beaten track, but I’m not sure that even those travellers would recognize that image in themselves, and I would be reluctant to assign motive to such decisions absent a clear statement of intent. I’ve certainly read numerous posts from people who, intentionally or not, make sure they don’t do anything other than pound the beaten tourist trails. That can include refusing to take public transportation or planning their entire trips based on other travelers’ trip reports or thinking that they are “experiencing the culture” of place X when all they do is sip some beverage at a place that only tourists patronize. I'm not criticizing any of these choices -- there are good reasons for them, and they suit many travelers very well. But I’m not sure that all of these travelers realize that they are potentially avoiding going off the beaten track; I think many simply see themselves as enjoying the things that made them want to go in the first place, or taking advantage of the hard-won lessons learned by those who preceded them, or maximizing the efficiency of their planning. And as others have noted, many of the things on the beaten track are there for a reason!
Nonetheless, I think it is worthy of this forum to take a question about prejudices, and how they play into travelers’ decisions, seriously. Evidence on stereotypes suggests that some of the most insidious prejudices are ones that people hold without ever knowing it. So I applaud stevelyon for raising the question, even if we can all recognize ways in which prejudice is not necessarily involved in any choice a traveler makes. And I offer personal thanks -- the only way I'll learn about my own blind spots is if someone shines a light on them; I know I'll be thinking about my travel decisions and the potential prejudices behind them after reading this thread. JMO.
While I believe – without evidence – that the decisions made by many travelers (and probably me, too) reflect preconceptions of what they will experience, I think there’s an important difference between being drawn TO something because of preference and being without interest in traveling somewhere because of a lack of an identified draw (even if because of an unacknowledged prejudice). My guess – again, without evidence – is that many people select from those places that appeal to them, without ever considering why some other locations aren’t on their wish list. While that may reflect a form of prejudice (by some, but not necessarily all, definitions of prejudice), it’s not necessarily based on anything conscious or intentional, and these travelers might make very different choices if they became aware that they had been limiting their options unnecessarily.
I must admit that I see reasons for the OP’s generalization that some travellers avoid going off the beaten track, but I’m not sure that even those travellers would recognize that image in themselves, and I would be reluctant to assign motive to such decisions absent a clear statement of intent. I’ve certainly read numerous posts from people who, intentionally or not, make sure they don’t do anything other than pound the beaten tourist trails. That can include refusing to take public transportation or planning their entire trips based on other travelers’ trip reports or thinking that they are “experiencing the culture” of place X when all they do is sip some beverage at a place that only tourists patronize. I'm not criticizing any of these choices -- there are good reasons for them, and they suit many travelers very well. But I’m not sure that all of these travelers realize that they are potentially avoiding going off the beaten track; I think many simply see themselves as enjoying the things that made them want to go in the first place, or taking advantage of the hard-won lessons learned by those who preceded them, or maximizing the efficiency of their planning. And as others have noted, many of the things on the beaten track are there for a reason!
Nonetheless, I think it is worthy of this forum to take a question about prejudices, and how they play into travelers’ decisions, seriously. Evidence on stereotypes suggests that some of the most insidious prejudices are ones that people hold without ever knowing it. So I applaud stevelyon for raising the question, even if we can all recognize ways in which prejudice is not necessarily involved in any choice a traveler makes. And I offer personal thanks -- the only way I'll learn about my own blind spots is if someone shines a light on them; I know I'll be thinking about my travel decisions and the potential prejudices behind them after reading this thread. JMO.
Oct 12th, 2018, 09:31 PM
#32
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Who decides the Biggies? The point I was making about regurgitating the same itineraries is that the same old places seem to be repeated like a mantra. People seem to follow the same routes as others regardless of their merits. Perhaps, as pointed out, people have very little time and maybe that extends to finding time to question whether the commonly suggested routes are the best use of their time.
Oct 12th, 2018, 09:42 PM
#33
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I tend to be more confused by the people so committed to going off the beaten path. Especially when they often don't have a real reason to do it.
On one of the Italian FB groups plenty of conversations of driving route 66. Or going to western US national parks. Mostly from people who would never go to a nearby national park
But TV/movies do influence people.
On one of the Italian FB groups plenty of conversations of driving route 66. Or going to western US national parks. Mostly from people who would never go to a nearby national park
But TV/movies do influence people.
Oct 13th, 2018, 06:44 AM
#34
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In regard to those "cold" Germans. My sister and I were in Munich, at the train station, warily eyeing the long flight of stairs we would have to take to get to the street level, when one of those "cold" German men grabbed my sister's suitcase, and without saying word, took it to the street level and plopped it down, whereupon a young woman in a business suit grabbed my suitcase and did the same thing. Without saying a word.
Shortly thereafter, a young guy went to a lot of trouble trying to help us with some kind of public phone problem we were having.
I much prefer those kinds of "cold" people to the 5 warm and noisy guys behind the counter at an Italian restaurant who were too busy arguing at top volume to notice that I needed a waiter.
Shortly thereafter, a young guy went to a lot of trouble trying to help us with some kind of public phone problem we were having.
I much prefer those kinds of "cold" people to the 5 warm and noisy guys behind the counter at an Italian restaurant who were too busy arguing at top volume to notice that I needed a waiter.
Oct 13th, 2018, 07:40 AM
#35
if I read this correctly, a REAL reason isn't what the traveler is feeling but, rather, what this observer judges it to be. I find this astonishing and think we may have finally hit on a case of REAL prejudice, judging another's motivation through one's own filter to decide what is REAL enough to satisfy this observer.
Oct 13th, 2018, 08:16 AM
#36
I tend to be more confused by the people so committed to going off the beaten path. Especially when they often don't have a real reason to do it.
As one who is committed to going off the beaten path, I too find this comment interesting. I'm curious how you define a real reason? And why your definition of a real reason is somehow superior to that of the actual traveler?
As one who is committed to going off the beaten path, I too find this comment interesting. I'm curious how you define a real reason? And why your definition of a real reason is somehow superior to that of the actual traveler?
Last edited by Melnq8; Oct 13th, 2018 at 08:20 AM.
Oct 13th, 2018, 08:34 AM
#38
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How about that "off the beaten path" is not necessarily a superior place to be.>
Agree and you can get off the beaten path even in heavily touristed places like Venice - combining joys of both on and off the beaten path.
Agree and you can get off the beaten path even in heavily touristed places like Venice - combining joys of both on and off the beaten path.
Oct 13th, 2018, 09:13 AM
#39
I agree with menachem: "traveling to The Netherlands, can be summarized as "visiting Amsterdam", and within that "visiting the Red Light District and Coffeeshops and the Anne Frank House"".
We visited Amsterdam for 5 nights with our teenagers, and we all LOVED it. It felt charming and safe and had great food and it's beautiful. We did not once visit the Red Light District or a coffeeshop. Not interested. Amsterdam is much more than those cliches.
I don't think it's prejudice per se, but cities and areas do take on a certain image which we view through our own lens-- right or wrong.
Travelers need to study their prospective destinations, and decide for themselves. We tend to like places that others don't rave about, but that's probably because we are obstinate.
We visited Amsterdam for 5 nights with our teenagers, and we all LOVED it. It felt charming and safe and had great food and it's beautiful. We did not once visit the Red Light District or a coffeeshop. Not interested. Amsterdam is much more than those cliches.
I don't think it's prejudice per se, but cities and areas do take on a certain image which we view through our own lens-- right or wrong.
Travelers need to study their prospective destinations, and decide for themselves. We tend to like places that others don't rave about, but that's probably because we are obstinate.
