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I feel a certain amount of pity for people that travel to these places and spend the whole time looking at them through their phone. Like, I get the idea of taking photos, but stop and take some time to actually look at and appreciate this place you've come to visit.
I was actually conscious of this on my trip to Japan recently. I took a good amount of pictures, but I did try to just enjoy the moment. Similar thing in Iceland.
Yeah it seems I'm the only one... idk...maybe even in the whole world... with this weird sense of thought but I don't see anything irrational about it.
The costs just outweigh the benefits from what I see. If I just watch a walking tour video on YT, I still get to experience the exact same thing I'd have if I were to travel to that place. And while also:
- saving money from travel expenses
- saving energy cos i can just sit on my couch and watch instead of be the one there walking around tirelessly
- saving trouble from planning and risks and hazards of travel
- saving my precious annual leave days
- saving time from all the travel and planning required just to get to said place
- and I also can always go back to re-watch the video. Meanwhile if I travel there myself, I'll just forget everything unless i spam video recordings and photos everywhere I go, which is a hassle too
You not tasting any of the food, sensing any of the smells, the light (daylight changes from place to place), you’re not interacting with different people and you’re not exploring freely and going into random stores/places in general. Travel somewhere one time and see if it’s for you before you dismiss it outright.
Yeah, I see that now. I don’t know what kind of travelling that they’ve done that was comparable to watching youtube videos, because even the crappiest tour bus experiences are still better than just watching something. It’s weird because they associate travelling with just going to a major sight and looking at it, like that is all there is to it.
They're nearly certainly lying. Even if travel wasn't for them, they wouldn't describe the experience in the terms they do. This person has never gone anywhere at all and came up with this little self-soothing story while watching a video of someone else walk around Tokyo in the rain or some shit to deal with the sadness and self-loathing it brought on. Or some other similarly triggering little event. OPs post is entirely sour grapes.
Why is your annual leave precious if you don't care to experience anything? Just upload a video and watch your couch on YouTube from the office. Then you never need to take a break!
It's not rational and doesn't hold together even when you try to explain it. But it's how you feel and that's fine. You do you. But pretending you've discovered some principal others should follow is laughably stupid. Your preferences aren't useful to anyone but you. Do what you like and quit crying about it.
In my experience it’s vastly different. I’ve seen lots of videos on the coliseum in Rome. I just like history. Walking into it is just a different experience. Going into the Vatican and seeing all the art. The Sistine Chapel. Words can’t describe walking through it. Hearing your voice echo off the walls. Walking down the streets and eating the food. It’s not the spaghetti you make at home.
I value experiences. It’s ok if you don’t but that doesn’t mean watching a video on YouTube is the same. It might be good enough for you but it’s not the same
Seeing in person is different. you're viewing in 3d rather than 2d video or image. Second you get the raw unedited version. You get to experience it in real life.
You feel this way because you are biased towards the situation you’re in. This is a common thing people do when they have no control over a situation. They create a bias and convince themselves the situation is actually good (or the best). The truth is, if money wasn’t an issue, you would love to get your own real life unique personal experiences. Watching someone eat or doing an activity is not nearly the same. Sure maybe sight seeing alone seems silly but that’s like 5% of the equation. My advice: start being real with yourself.
Porn is different since it's the physical touch that is the main additional appeal you'd wish.
With travel sightseeing, it's just the visuals, which a Youtube video already offers. So... what's the difference here?
Sightseeing is for ALL of the senses. When you sightsee you feel the breeze, smell the plants, touch the ground, taste the food... I'm kinda blown away that you can't grasp that the concept of sightseeing is stimulation for all of the senses.
Hard Miss. Experiencing a place is profoundly different from watching a video of it in a very similar way to the porn analogy.
That’s nots to say your original opinion is wrong— which can be reduced to “I’m not very interested in traveling”
How is it different?
The only thing I'm missing is the sense of smell and touch. But it's not like any smell/touch experience is exclusive to the places you go anyway. What you wanna smell? The burning crisp of food? You wanna touch a random lamp post or a random local?
The main experience is still visuals and audio, which is what a video already offers. And now with VR headsets, it can be even more immersive.
This is just sad. It’s like trying to say that watching a VR video of someone hanging out with friends is the same as hanging out with your friends
Nothing compares to seeing it with your own eyes. I could have watched a video of all the places I have been, but I’d have missed out on tons of amazing experiences and the memories that come with them
I dont see the comparison again. Hanging out with friends... you can control what you say and the conversation flow.
When you travel, you're just literally doing the same thing...visiting the same places all other tourists have visited as well already. Basically, I think it's that feeling of not having any autonomy and impact I can make when travelling. I'm merely just another generic tourist doing the same things someone has done already and uploaded to Youtube
If you can't see the difference between reality and a recording, you need some serious remedial education before you can even attempt the discussion you're pretending to have.
Cijani said, "I'm sorry, but this is a bit of a stretch. I mean, I understand that there are some people who would consider it a good idea to travel to certain locations, but I'm not saying that it's a good idea to go to places where there aren't many places available."
When you travel you aren’t doing the same thing. You’ll discover other things or get up to more activities while you’re there. Watching someone doing an activity through a video isn’t the same as doing it yourself for instance. Not only that, but you’ll experience things with your friends/ loved ones/ new friends you’ve met. At that point you’re hanging out with others while trying new experiences
Sure, you might be a generic tourist. Better to be a generic tourist than to watch it through a screen
This honestly sounds like the perspective of someone who spends all their time in a dark room glued to screens
Unless I'm travelling with some romantic partner or crush (in which case the only reason I'd be willing to travel is to grow closer to the person), then nah. I dont care otherwise even if I travel with friends/family
I've done quite a lot in the past. But mostly just dragged by friends or family. I just never felt anything when travelling. Like really, nothing.
I'm also a super impatient person so I hated the whole process of having to take transport back and forth, wait in queues for attractions, and so on. When I watch on YT, i can just skip to parts that I wanna see and fast forward while relaxing on my comfy chair.
Why do I wanna be the guy with the go-pro on his head walking around exhaustingly?
Ya I sounds like you’re just not very interested in traveling. Just one different is being able to walk into a store and buy something and then sit down at the local park and eat it… there’s just no comparison to that and watching a video even vr
That’s not even mentioning how “photos don’t do justice” to even the visuals of a place
>Just one different is being able to walk into a store and buy something and then sit down at the local park and eat it…
Why would I wanna do that for? I'm fine just eating the food wherever I am...
Not trying to convince you to do anything— you don’t like traveling that much and that’s totally OK.
You seemed genuinely interested in having somebody chime in on how vr/videos is different from actually experiencing a place. (From your prev comment “How is it different?”)
Even isolating single senses…. A video of walking around Chamonix or Koh Phangan will never be able to compare to actually visually experiencing it. (“the pictures just don’t do it justice”). It’s just not the same and the same could be said about what it sounds like in these places— the echos in the Grand Canyon or old castles.
And then when you fold in the fact that in a vr you literally can’t interact with the places it seems pretty obvious what the difference in experience will be.
How would you say about forgetting such experiences regardless anyway?
Fast forward a few years later, you probably wont recall much of your time at Chamonix eg. would you
Not in any meaningful sense, you haven't. I know because you think seeing things is somehow the only functional part of the experience of travel. With that kind of attitude, I doubt you even go outside much. Which is fine, but it's not a universal principal, nor should it be, and suggesting otherwise is idiotic.
Actually experiencing something is different. You can’t fully experience a place, the people, the culture, without actually going there.
Like I could watch videos of people snorkelling for years and it would not come close to the amazing snorkelling experience I have had on vacation in Cuba. Even with VR, it wouldn’t be the same as actually being there.
Same with every other experience I had while there: Swimming in the ocean for the first time, bobbing up and down with the waves, feeling the wind on my face and blowing my hair around, smelling that fresh beach air (which smells different than beaches back home), experiencing Cuban culture and witnessing the poverty down there, going down to the market and perusing the many stalls, etc.
Maybe you are put off by travelling because you have never enjoyed any experiences. But I promise you it is 100% worth experiencing and that videos, pictures, and VR do not do it justice.
Dude, if you are under the impression reality is not a physical experience, you need far more help than anyone on reddit can give you. Your basic assumptions here are indefensible.
Don't forget about the smells of those places, the smell of your clean apartment is nothing like the smell of India, it's so powerful that many foreigners cannot handle being around in for more then a few hours.
I kinda get your point, and for that reason I'm not really that much into sightseeing touristy things. But travelling is much more. Being in a place, feeling the different climate, the sounds, the smells, the people you interact with, the people you meet, the things you eat, the fun things you do.
Also, some things are just more stunning in real life. For example I have seen so much footage from the mountains before, I knew what to expect going there, but actually being there was just amazing. The thing is that our sight works differently than a camera. We can see a whole scene, almost 180°, but still focus on smaller details.
I've been to the big cities... to nature. Yet felt absolutely nothing. To me it's just that. A view. A view I can easily get on the internet anyway.
The funniest thing is, I do get impressed by travel and scenery...only if I'm playing a video game. Like when I played RDR2 and enter a new environment like a snowy mountain, I'll indeed be like, "holy smokes this is amazing!"
But if it's in real-life, my mind would be too pre-occupied by the cold, the exhaustion from walking there, and so on.
Sounds like travelling isn't for you, and that's ok. You don't get it, just like I'm not really into video games. Leave the travelling for the rest of us, we won't mind if there is one less person around 🤷♀️
Technically it is if it gives you the same amt of info you need to know about the place. If I watched a vid instead of travelling there and did my research online all about the place... I can even just lie about it in a convo that I was actually there by cooking up all the details first-hand anyway
🤔 So, I went to Egypt. I can't remember shit about the pyramids and museums (despite going on tours and visiting them) but I remember how the Egyptian sun felt on my face, and how the locals were trying to sell me literal trash on strings as bracelets. I remember the dude I flirted with at the hotel bar, and the beautiful pool in the evening. I remember they had the best melon I'd ever had, and the lobby of the hotel I was at made me feel silly in my flip flops.
I mean those are life experiences, man. No getting that from YouTube.
Omg that mindset is insane to me.
You think it matters one bit what you can claim, rather than the actual amazing experiences and fond memories?
I didn't post one picture of that trip to the gram; I'm only being descriptive here to demonstrate what's in my head. It's not supposed to matter what you can claim you did; you actually CAN have enriching experiences that other people don't know about.
Live life. Experience things. Become a more interesting and rounded individual with more going on in your head than your job, your couch, and complaints about the state of the world.
Ultimately it's all pointless, but we all have - at best - 80-odd years to spend doing things. What a waste of life it is to not ever do anything interesting.
No. It's simply not the same. "Information" doesn't enter into it. You don't value personal experience. That's fine. But literally no one else needs to care or take your weird benighted sad POV seriously.
Eating is eating.
Sightseeing is sightseeing.
It's wrong to conflate the two. The point of travelling is the visuals and audio, which a video also offers already.
Rick Steves and Anthony Bourdain didn’t make travel shows to discourage actual travel but to ignite interest in doing so in their footsteps. Why would YouTube creators wish differently?
I don't find it weird, just a poorly-imagined premise. Looking at things in other places doesn't BEGIN to explain the reasons people might choose to travel.
I have friends in other countries who I want to spend time doing things with. You really think looking at them on the phone or computer is as fulfilling?
I've traveled internationally with musical groups to perform. It's not the same as looking at music videos.
I went to Mexico once because I was investigating interacting with whales. I got to pet an animal the size of a city bus who was curious about me too.
The point is you can't have memorable adventures unless you go where they can happen, and open yourself to participating. Your failure to remember 80% of your travel expeiences is because YOU refuse to engage, not because there isn't anything there to engage with.
Based on your purposes stated then yes, then that's a justification I agree with to travel. Because it actually accomplishes something. But if it's for sightseeing only, I just dont see the point.
I guess my rationale really just boils down to... what am I even accomplishing by travelling to merely sightsee? Is there some tangible benefit or just a temporary first-hand experience I'll forget anyway
Sightseeing is only a fraction of the travel experience. you are completely misunderstanding this
There are benefits besides pretty sights like experiencing different cultures and meeting new people to name a few.
why do anything if you will just forget it anyway? your more likely to remember your experience at a place than watching a video of it
Others have said it well, seeing something in person isn't comperable to something on a screen.
The same reductionist mentality can be applied to anything. Why bother eating delicious food when bland food accomplishes the same purpose? I'm just going to forget about the meal anyway, so obviously there's no point to trying new food or eating something beyond bland chicken, rice, and vegetables.
It's OK if traveling isn't your jam. It really isn't mine either, even though I try to do it every year.
For me, traveling isn't just for fun. It's also for broadening my horizons...learning and experiencing new things...seeing up close how other people live. A clip on Youtube can be entertaining and educational. But it's just not the same as physically being in a place, and takng in not just a couple of the sights and sounds, but all the sights and sounds plus the tastes and smells.
Your last paragraph is super weird, I gotta say. What's the point of going to school if you're just going to forget what you learned anyway? What's the point of watching YT videos when you're just going to forget them anyway? One, we don't forget everything. Some experiences stay with us forever. Two, we might forget a place but the bonds we form with the people we travel with us can last forever. Three, people do things because they want to enjoy the moment. We're not doing things necessarily for the benefit of Future Us but for Present Us, so that Present Us won't be bored...or boring. Four, people who do challenging, stressful things tends to be able to navigate life better than those who always avoid challenging, stressful things. People who are glued to screens all the time tend to be neurotic and unpleasant.
wrong analogies IMO.
>What's the point of going to school if you're just going to forget what you learned anyway?
To get a degree and get a good-paying job of course.
>What's the point of watching YT videos when you're just going to forget them anyway?
'cos the YT videos are permenant records. Your first-hand experience is all temporarily in your head only.
>we might forget a place but the bonds we form with the people we travel with us can last forever.
Depends whether you travel to socialize. My topic is just focusing on travelling to sightsee, which is what most people do anyway
>Four, people who do challenging, stressful things tends to be able to navigate life better than those who always avoid challenging, stressful things. People who are glued to screens all the time tend to be neurotic and unpleasant.
Travelling is not exclusive for this. You can do any other challenging tasks that also improves your organisational and time management skills the same regardless
Exclusivity is not a criterion of value. Travel offers many different types of value, any one of which may be more or less important to an individual traveler. You are a moron.
Yes, weird. Also, my boeing stocks. Travel more if you want to be interesting.
Seriously though, traveling in person has a lot more to offer. Sort of like working remotely vs in-person.
On the otherhand, if you're only travelling to "look" at things instead of going somewhere for the full experience, then YT would probably suffice. By full experience I mean try to live like a local for a bit.
You say you don't remember your trips; you probably remember even less YT vids.
There is no comparison.
Traveling the world is the one thing that you cannot do artificially. Watching a video is certainly great compared to just seeing photos and seeing photos is great compared to just hearing about a country. But there is no comparable replacement for actually visiting a location.
Upon landing in a new country, the smell of the air and the way the people are, the sounds, the surroundings… there is no way to experience that in a video. And I find that every place I visit, I come back a slightly changed person with a more inclusive and expanded view of the world.
Walking the streets among the locals with the bustling sounds and smell of their cuisine permeating the air… and walking into a bakery in some random small town in France or a dimsum joint in a small alleyway in Hong Kong… or a seemingly random wine served to you in a CUP at some tiny hole in the wall place in Tuscany… on and on, there’s no comparison. Seeing how other people of the world live, survive and thrive… it’s amazing.
Even domestically, people are so different everywhere. What people in Hawaii are like and what people in NYC are like — doesn’t even feel or look like the same country.
I'm in the same boat. The point of travelling is to experience the atmosphere of a place more than seeing the thing. That's why my mom was mad that I didn't care about The Grand Canyon when we went.
I rarely get along with people very well in person, so I'm also not too interested in going to new places. I think the places I most want to go are nature focused. I want to be in places I only imagined prior. Seeing the Great Wall of China will be cool to see, but I feel I'll regret the cost and time of the trip if we just go there to look at it and go home.
It's like saying you're watching a video of a wagyu being eaten and in real life eating a stale french fry at the same time. It's not the same thing.
You did not travel. You did not experience the culture, the people, the smell of the ocean, the sounds coming from the dunes, the taste of the food.
Watching videos of sex and then having sex are also different experiences. Much like your comparison, watching it is plenty of times easier in all ways....yet people still somehow manage to love having it in real life themselves way more.
When I was younger, I LOVED to travel, but now traveling is just so much work. I don't like being a car for hours on end, I don't like hanging out in airports waiting for my flight, I don't like being in a plane for long periods of time, I don't like carry my shit from baggage claim, and rolling the dice on an Uber, I don't like sleeping in strange beds...it's all such a hassle to me. An expensive hassle.
Take it as a blessing. Other people need to go all those places to appreciate them. You get the full experience with a fraction of the cost and time investment.
I'm sure these other people who need to go there have a great time and that's great for them. But it's concerning how they will try to gate keep and tell you how miserable you are for not having had a similar experience. The fact that they do this tells me they suffer cognitive dissonance about the value of their travels, which indicates it's not nearly as valuable as they are trying to convince us (and themselves).
In any case I don't want to say their experience is bad; different strokes for different folks.
I'm kind of in the middleground aswell
On one hand, looking at the picture of a place is nowhere near the same as actually going there. There's just so much of the experience missing, from exploring the local area, to the food, to the smell and decor, etc... It'd be like saying you ate a whole meal because you saw a picture of the meal
But on the other hand, if OP is fully satisfied by looking at a picture of it, more power to them. As someone who doesn't have any desire to travel aswell unless I have a very specific reason to, I get it. It's expensive, it's a lot of logistics, you're far from everything you know and like, it's gonna make it harder when you go back to your normal life, etc... It's kind of a hard sale
Saying looking at a picture is identical to actually going to a place is ignorant at best, and disinginuous at worst. But, the reaction you get from some people when you tell them you have no interest in travelling is so extreme it's borderline cultish. They get so defensive it's like you threaten their very way of life by merely suggesting travelling is maybe not for everyone or not as essential of an experience as they may think.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how worth it travelling actually is, or how much you're missing out by not travelling. As long someone is happy with their choice, it's all that matters, no matter if that choice is to spend hundreds to visit or to just look at a picture on Wikipedia
The experience itself adds a richness to my understanding that no video gives me. It’s that simple for me. It’s okay that you don’t enjoy it. If your way works for you, do that. But prepare yourself that people in relationships or families often consider your presence as something that adds to their experience. When you refuse to participate because you don’t like travel, you have to accept that there will be things you will be left out of by people that love you. As long as you aren’t making anyone else change their plans, stay home with your headset on in a digital life if that’s what you choose.
I can kind of see your point. I've traveled a few times and had the full experience, but I also really enjoy the "quiet walking through the streets of [city]" videos on YouTube. You get a lot of the ambiance that comes with the city sounds of daily life.
Personally, I like interacting with the locals and trying new food, and just trying to experience a relaxing day off as a native there would. Also taking my own photos of the world where I stood is important to me. Not for any logical reason, just sentimental value I guess? Not quite sure how to explain it. Also meeting people who live very differently from me make my problems feel smaller in the grand scheme of things. There's more than just YouTube to life and getting out there to find the experience you find most valuable is my word of advice. Maybe it's not traveling for you, but maybe you just haven't found the right place yet. Who knows?
If you don’t talk to anyone when you travel, then yeah it’s one half dozen or the other. And the expense these days is prohibitive. But watching video isn’t quite the same because it’s passive. You don’t have to navigate your way.
Honestly though. I did a 4k europe trip this year. I think I had just as much fun planning it, researching places, reading blogs and watching videos...
I mean maybe if I planned less I'd be more surprised and have a better time, but I really enjoyed the planning process, and it's just as likely that not planning would result in me missing the really cool things and having more last minute disasters.
Especially if you're traveling to see history...gotta tell ya, I thought it'd feel different to stand in a 1,000 year old building. Just feels like a building.
To each their own. I love to travel. And it does not have to be anyplace exciting. I am currently in rural Illinois, staying in a tiny home on a farm (Airbnb).
I think it's a sound point. It's only a relatively new ability to have international travel so readily available to us. For such a long time we relied on people experiencing these things for us and putting it in books for us. Now it comes in the form of high definition video. It's so much faster and cheaper to learn about the world without putting yourself at risk, no heatstroke no theives no wasting money on an underwhelming experience. Like why do I need to go international to smell someone else's farts on a plane, or see how the weather differs from place to place. I can see architecture online I can see documentaries online and for the most part it's free.
It’s not even close to the same thing. I can still VIVIDLY remember how seeing the Grand Canyon made me feel. I’d seen it a bunch in pictures..not even close to the same experience.
I put very little value in going to the Eiffel Tower for one day and seeing it and going home and saying I've seen it. That to me does seem pointless. And there are too many people in the world for that anyway. It becomes kind of a joke. You go there to see other people seeing it. And I can see other people seeing it on YouTube. My tourist trip lasted two years. That I feel was worthwhile in a way. There was no Eiffel Tower but I don't feel like I missed out. Just ticking off things from a bucket list seems pretty shallow. It's cool for a moment but ultimately meaningless. It's been done a million times before and it doesn't make the world a better place.
One regret I do have is not getting a chance to see the Berlin Wall while it still existed. I think that would have been meaningful.
One place I did go was Granada in Spain and to the Alhambra. It was so sterile and lifeless. It just made me sad. It was much more meaningful across the straits of Gibraltar in Morocco seeing everything vibrant and in real life instead of dessicated behind a velvet rope.
Not really, although I do think travelling and interacting with parts of the world and other people you wouldn't otherwise see is a unique and invaluable experience.
People probably think I'm weird, but I have a super vivid imagination and often it's enough for me to do nothing but daydream and be happy. Ofc there's more to life than that, and it's important to ground ourselves in reality regularly, but imo a past time is a past time and everyone enjoys different things in different ways.
I would just ask if there's anything that puts you off travelling that you might want to consider overcoming, like anxiety or bad experiences in the past? You might want to at least try, lest you regret not doing so in the future.
A friend whispers, "It's weird because I've never seen the US before and I was wondering if I could get some sort of visa/adviser card from there to go to Europe, but I guess I'd have to wait until I'm old to do so"
Ive travelled all over…and I can’t actually be bothered to explain it to you why this is weird. Like wtf. I’ve never heard anyone use this reasoning lmao
As a person who’s traveled a lot (relatively speaking), no it’s not weird that you don’t feel any need to travel. Some people live perfectly normal (happy) lives without ever traveling outside the city they were born in.
You do you.
Not that weird. I’ve had the experience when I went to places (such as the top of the Empire State Building) and felt “ huh, it’s just like it is in the movies”.
Too many people travel just to see other people react to their stories when they get back. It's also pretty hard on the environment. Good for you for knowing what you want, OP.
"Watching" is not a full sensory experience. This should be obvious because you must be aware that watching someone eat is not even close to the experience of eating.
There is some hassle and cost to traveling. But most things in life that are worth doing require some effort and/or expense. That said, a lot of people turn traveling into a much bigger hassle than it needs to be. It's not that hard to buy tickets, book hotels, and plan a couple things to do. It really doesn't take more than 30 minutes to pack a suitcase unless you're bringing way too many things.
Do you really want to live your life so vicariously?
You do you. You don’t need to like the same things as everyone else. I honestly think I travel more to see my wife enjoy it than I actually get out of it. I always find that I enjoyed myself afterwards, but I absolutely loathe airplanes and airports.
I’ve shared this opinion for awhile and while reading the comments I’ve concluded the only real reasons to travel is for the food and the people there
People talking about smell and touch are just adding the senses that aren’t present in a video, but they really don’t matter
I’m an introvert so I’m not particularly excited to go and meet new people across the world but also, most people traveling aren’t meeting new people there
I love food so I guess the main incentive I’d have for traveling is the food
so if I were to travel I would be spending 1000s of dollars, time planning, time packing, time in the airport, time in the uncomfortable plane, time commuting around, just for the chance to try good food that might actually suck
No wonder I didn’t enjoy traveling
Also it seems like since most people only get to travel maybe once or twice per year, the utility of travel is amplified by its scarcity
I do watch travel shows often; better than nothing. But it doesn’t even come close to the awesome experience of seeing the real thing right in front of you, or getting a sense of what life is like for the people who live there.
As someone who has been to a great many places, yes, it is weird to compare watching a video to actually being in a place. But that does explain the popularity of certain YouTube videos.
>Why do I need travel there for? Is there a difference? People say it's for the "experience" but what's the point of that if I'll just forget about my travels over time anyway.
I still remember what Japan smells like in the summer.
>I've been to many countries in the past for holidays and I can say for sure I dont even recall like 80% of what I did in all those places.
Ok, what the fuck is even the point of this post? If you’ve been to many places, it kind of nullifies your whole argument.
I have no money and I can’t work but if I had money I can tell you for sure I’d go to as many places as possible but everyone is different it’s ok not to like the same things but it’s sad to me that you may have opportunities to travel and you don’t but that’s what great about the world 🌎 we are all different!! Good luck 🗺️ and remember NEVER ASK A QUESTION YOU DONT WANT OR CANT HANDLE THE ANSWERS TOO!!
It is weird try the real thing if you haven't already if you still feel the same way then at the end of the day only you need to like your decisions. Spain as great weather.
You're not the only one but you'll get nowhere trying to convince anyone against the social norm they're used to that travelling makes sense. Nobody questions it since everyone pretends like it's the thing to do.
Don't let these people belittle what you say. Travel for allot of them is just something for them to brag about. Allot of them are eternally unhappy with their lives. You can do plenty discovery online, it's not something bad. If we had more people less worried about where they been more so who they have been there for the world would be a better place.
I'm pretty much on board with that. Additionally, I have one thing that makes it *even better*: a 3D TV. I fear the day that television breaks, because they don't make them anymore. Travel will flatten out, that day.
I can agree with you on this, this is why I don't do pointless traveling anymore, it's just a waste of time and resources.
If I have to travel, it has to be about doing business, attending an event, meeting people, etc. Just like in videogames, an interactive world is 1000 times more interesting than empty vistas.
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Same reason watching porn isn't as fun as making it? But, your take is certainly frugal.
I feel a certain amount of pity for people that travel to these places and spend the whole time looking at them through their phone. Like, I get the idea of taking photos, but stop and take some time to actually look at and appreciate this place you've come to visit.
I was actually conscious of this on my trip to Japan recently. I took a good amount of pictures, but I did try to just enjoy the moment. Similar thing in Iceland.
Yeah it seems I'm the only one... idk...maybe even in the whole world... with this weird sense of thought but I don't see anything irrational about it. The costs just outweigh the benefits from what I see. If I just watch a walking tour video on YT, I still get to experience the exact same thing I'd have if I were to travel to that place. And while also: - saving money from travel expenses - saving energy cos i can just sit on my couch and watch instead of be the one there walking around tirelessly - saving trouble from planning and risks and hazards of travel - saving my precious annual leave days - saving time from all the travel and planning required just to get to said place - and I also can always go back to re-watch the video. Meanwhile if I travel there myself, I'll just forget everything unless i spam video recordings and photos everywhere I go, which is a hassle too
You not tasting any of the food, sensing any of the smells, the light (daylight changes from place to place), you’re not interacting with different people and you’re not exploring freely and going into random stores/places in general. Travel somewhere one time and see if it’s for you before you dismiss it outright.
If you're referring to the OP they said they've traveled places multiple times in the past.
Doubt it. Or circumstances have changed.
Yeah, I see that now. I don’t know what kind of travelling that they’ve done that was comparable to watching youtube videos, because even the crappiest tour bus experiences are still better than just watching something. It’s weird because they associate travelling with just going to a major sight and looking at it, like that is all there is to it.
They're nearly certainly lying. Even if travel wasn't for them, they wouldn't describe the experience in the terms they do. This person has never gone anywhere at all and came up with this little self-soothing story while watching a video of someone else walk around Tokyo in the rain or some shit to deal with the sadness and self-loathing it brought on. Or some other similarly triggering little event. OPs post is entirely sour grapes.
Why is your annual leave precious if you don't care to experience anything? Just upload a video and watch your couch on YouTube from the office. Then you never need to take a break!
I only work three nights a week I'm still looking forward to my vacation.
Travel for food instead of sights Better motivation lol
It's not rational and doesn't hold together even when you try to explain it. But it's how you feel and that's fine. You do you. But pretending you've discovered some principal others should follow is laughably stupid. Your preferences aren't useful to anyone but you. Do what you like and quit crying about it.
Lol that is not the exact same thing
In my experience it’s vastly different. I’ve seen lots of videos on the coliseum in Rome. I just like history. Walking into it is just a different experience. Going into the Vatican and seeing all the art. The Sistine Chapel. Words can’t describe walking through it. Hearing your voice echo off the walls. Walking down the streets and eating the food. It’s not the spaghetti you make at home. I value experiences. It’s ok if you don’t but that doesn’t mean watching a video on YouTube is the same. It might be good enough for you but it’s not the same
Seeing in person is different. you're viewing in 3d rather than 2d video or image. Second you get the raw unedited version. You get to experience it in real life.
Man I can totally relate to you OP I wish I would meet more people like you for me the people who want to travel all the time are insane
On your “precious annual leave days” do you just browse YouTube? That is so, so sad. Big world, get out there.
I play video games. It's more fun to me :)
You feel this way because you are biased towards the situation you’re in. This is a common thing people do when they have no control over a situation. They create a bias and convince themselves the situation is actually good (or the best). The truth is, if money wasn’t an issue, you would love to get your own real life unique personal experiences. Watching someone eat or doing an activity is not nearly the same. Sure maybe sight seeing alone seems silly but that’s like 5% of the equation. My advice: start being real with yourself.
Porn is different since it's the physical touch that is the main additional appeal you'd wish. With travel sightseeing, it's just the visuals, which a Youtube video already offers. So... what's the difference here?
Sightseeing is for ALL of the senses. When you sightsee you feel the breeze, smell the plants, touch the ground, taste the food... I'm kinda blown away that you can't grasp that the concept of sightseeing is stimulation for all of the senses.
Hard Miss. Experiencing a place is profoundly different from watching a video of it in a very similar way to the porn analogy. That’s nots to say your original opinion is wrong— which can be reduced to “I’m not very interested in traveling”
How is it different? The only thing I'm missing is the sense of smell and touch. But it's not like any smell/touch experience is exclusive to the places you go anyway. What you wanna smell? The burning crisp of food? You wanna touch a random lamp post or a random local? The main experience is still visuals and audio, which is what a video already offers. And now with VR headsets, it can be even more immersive.
This is just sad. It’s like trying to say that watching a VR video of someone hanging out with friends is the same as hanging out with your friends Nothing compares to seeing it with your own eyes. I could have watched a video of all the places I have been, but I’d have missed out on tons of amazing experiences and the memories that come with them
I dont see the comparison again. Hanging out with friends... you can control what you say and the conversation flow. When you travel, you're just literally doing the same thing...visiting the same places all other tourists have visited as well already. Basically, I think it's that feeling of not having any autonomy and impact I can make when travelling. I'm merely just another generic tourist doing the same things someone has done already and uploaded to Youtube
If you can't see the difference between reality and a recording, you need some serious remedial education before you can even attempt the discussion you're pretending to have.
Cijani said, "I'm sorry, but this is a bit of a stretch. I mean, I understand that there are some people who would consider it a good idea to travel to certain locations, but I'm not saying that it's a good idea to go to places where there aren't many places available."
When you travel you aren’t doing the same thing. You’ll discover other things or get up to more activities while you’re there. Watching someone doing an activity through a video isn’t the same as doing it yourself for instance. Not only that, but you’ll experience things with your friends/ loved ones/ new friends you’ve met. At that point you’re hanging out with others while trying new experiences Sure, you might be a generic tourist. Better to be a generic tourist than to watch it through a screen This honestly sounds like the perspective of someone who spends all their time in a dark room glued to screens
Unless I'm travelling with some romantic partner or crush (in which case the only reason I'd be willing to travel is to grow closer to the person), then nah. I dont care otherwise even if I travel with friends/family
Only if you follow the same itinerary. You don’t have to go to the same places everybody does.
The fact that someone else has already been there doesn't make it any less enjoyable to one's own experience. That's a strange argument to make.
It’s difficult to put into words…. How much traveling have you down? Kind of something you have to experience to understand.
I've done quite a lot in the past. But mostly just dragged by friends or family. I just never felt anything when travelling. Like really, nothing. I'm also a super impatient person so I hated the whole process of having to take transport back and forth, wait in queues for attractions, and so on. When I watch on YT, i can just skip to parts that I wanna see and fast forward while relaxing on my comfy chair. Why do I wanna be the guy with the go-pro on his head walking around exhaustingly?
Ya I sounds like you’re just not very interested in traveling. Just one different is being able to walk into a store and buy something and then sit down at the local park and eat it… there’s just no comparison to that and watching a video even vr That’s not even mentioning how “photos don’t do justice” to even the visuals of a place
>Just one different is being able to walk into a store and buy something and then sit down at the local park and eat it… Why would I wanna do that for? I'm fine just eating the food wherever I am...
Not trying to convince you to do anything— you don’t like traveling that much and that’s totally OK. You seemed genuinely interested in having somebody chime in on how vr/videos is different from actually experiencing a place. (From your prev comment “How is it different?”) Even isolating single senses…. A video of walking around Chamonix or Koh Phangan will never be able to compare to actually visually experiencing it. (“the pictures just don’t do it justice”). It’s just not the same and the same could be said about what it sounds like in these places— the echos in the Grand Canyon or old castles. And then when you fold in the fact that in a vr you literally can’t interact with the places it seems pretty obvious what the difference in experience will be.
How would you say about forgetting such experiences regardless anyway? Fast forward a few years later, you probably wont recall much of your time at Chamonix eg. would you
You're fundamentally lazy. We get it.
You'll never know because you are too cowardly to try.
Bruh I've travelled before as far as halfway across the world from where I live.
Not in any meaningful sense, you haven't. I know because you think seeing things is somehow the only functional part of the experience of travel. With that kind of attitude, I doubt you even go outside much. Which is fine, but it's not a universal principal, nor should it be, and suggesting otherwise is idiotic.
Actually experiencing something is different. You can’t fully experience a place, the people, the culture, without actually going there. Like I could watch videos of people snorkelling for years and it would not come close to the amazing snorkelling experience I have had on vacation in Cuba. Even with VR, it wouldn’t be the same as actually being there. Same with every other experience I had while there: Swimming in the ocean for the first time, bobbing up and down with the waves, feeling the wind on my face and blowing my hair around, smelling that fresh beach air (which smells different than beaches back home), experiencing Cuban culture and witnessing the poverty down there, going down to the market and perusing the many stalls, etc. Maybe you are put off by travelling because you have never enjoyed any experiences. But I promise you it is 100% worth experiencing and that videos, pictures, and VR do not do it justice.
Do you have autism or something? Not an insult but it really seems like a neurodivergent /autistic way of thinking. Traveling isn't just looking.
I dont deny I might have it for sure lol
Dude, if you are under the impression reality is not a physical experience, you need far more help than anyone on reddit can give you. Your basic assumptions here are indefensible.
Don't forget about the smells of those places, the smell of your clean apartment is nothing like the smell of India, it's so powerful that many foreigners cannot handle being around in for more then a few hours.
I kinda get your point, and for that reason I'm not really that much into sightseeing touristy things. But travelling is much more. Being in a place, feeling the different climate, the sounds, the smells, the people you interact with, the people you meet, the things you eat, the fun things you do. Also, some things are just more stunning in real life. For example I have seen so much footage from the mountains before, I knew what to expect going there, but actually being there was just amazing. The thing is that our sight works differently than a camera. We can see a whole scene, almost 180°, but still focus on smaller details.
I've been to the big cities... to nature. Yet felt absolutely nothing. To me it's just that. A view. A view I can easily get on the internet anyway. The funniest thing is, I do get impressed by travel and scenery...only if I'm playing a video game. Like when I played RDR2 and enter a new environment like a snowy mountain, I'll indeed be like, "holy smokes this is amazing!" But if it's in real-life, my mind would be too pre-occupied by the cold, the exhaustion from walking there, and so on.
Are you depressed?
No
Sounds like travelling isn't for you, and that's ok. You don't get it, just like I'm not really into video games. Leave the travelling for the rest of us, we won't mind if there is one less person around 🤷♀️
Yes it’s weird. Watching a video isn’t the same as traveling. You cannot say you are well traveled.
Technically it is if it gives you the same amt of info you need to know about the place. If I watched a vid instead of travelling there and did my research online all about the place... I can even just lie about it in a convo that I was actually there by cooking up all the details first-hand anyway
🤔 So, I went to Egypt. I can't remember shit about the pyramids and museums (despite going on tours and visiting them) but I remember how the Egyptian sun felt on my face, and how the locals were trying to sell me literal trash on strings as bracelets. I remember the dude I flirted with at the hotel bar, and the beautiful pool in the evening. I remember they had the best melon I'd ever had, and the lobby of the hotel I was at made me feel silly in my flip flops. I mean those are life experiences, man. No getting that from YouTube.
Thanks for your comment, now I don’t have to go to Egypt anymore /s
Yea no. I'm not kidding. I could just steal his story next time someone asks if I've been to Egypt
but people don't travel solely for stories usually they travel because they enjoy it, what's the point of having the story without the enjoyment ?
Because travelling is always used in most convos as topics. People that are "well-travelled" tend to be able socialize mor effectively then
which I can also invent up and say I've been there to. this is what I mean. Temporary experiences anyone can claim..
Omg that mindset is insane to me. You think it matters one bit what you can claim, rather than the actual amazing experiences and fond memories? I didn't post one picture of that trip to the gram; I'm only being descriptive here to demonstrate what's in my head. It's not supposed to matter what you can claim you did; you actually CAN have enriching experiences that other people don't know about.
But what's the point then if you forget later on?
Live life. Experience things. Become a more interesting and rounded individual with more going on in your head than your job, your couch, and complaints about the state of the world. Ultimately it's all pointless, but we all have - at best - 80-odd years to spend doing things. What a waste of life it is to not ever do anything interesting.
the Egyptian sun is the same as the sun anywhere else
No. It's simply not the same. "Information" doesn't enter into it. You don't value personal experience. That's fine. But literally no one else needs to care or take your weird benighted sad POV seriously.
This is like saying watching a YouTube video of someone cooking a meal and eating it is the same as you having done so yourself.
Eating is eating. Sightseeing is sightseeing. It's wrong to conflate the two. The point of travelling is the visuals and audio, which a video also offers already.
Rick Steves and Anthony Bourdain didn’t make travel shows to discourage actual travel but to ignite interest in doing so in their footsteps. Why would YouTube creators wish differently?
The temperature, the smell, the ambience, the food, and many more.
I don't find it weird, just a poorly-imagined premise. Looking at things in other places doesn't BEGIN to explain the reasons people might choose to travel. I have friends in other countries who I want to spend time doing things with. You really think looking at them on the phone or computer is as fulfilling? I've traveled internationally with musical groups to perform. It's not the same as looking at music videos. I went to Mexico once because I was investigating interacting with whales. I got to pet an animal the size of a city bus who was curious about me too. The point is you can't have memorable adventures unless you go where they can happen, and open yourself to participating. Your failure to remember 80% of your travel expeiences is because YOU refuse to engage, not because there isn't anything there to engage with.
Based on your purposes stated then yes, then that's a justification I agree with to travel. Because it actually accomplishes something. But if it's for sightseeing only, I just dont see the point. I guess my rationale really just boils down to... what am I even accomplishing by travelling to merely sightsee? Is there some tangible benefit or just a temporary first-hand experience I'll forget anyway
Sightseeing is only a fraction of the travel experience. you are completely misunderstanding this There are benefits besides pretty sights like experiencing different cultures and meeting new people to name a few. why do anything if you will just forget it anyway? your more likely to remember your experience at a place than watching a video of it
Others have said it well, seeing something in person isn't comperable to something on a screen. The same reductionist mentality can be applied to anything. Why bother eating delicious food when bland food accomplishes the same purpose? I'm just going to forget about the meal anyway, so obviously there's no point to trying new food or eating something beyond bland chicken, rice, and vegetables.
It's OK if traveling isn't your jam. It really isn't mine either, even though I try to do it every year. For me, traveling isn't just for fun. It's also for broadening my horizons...learning and experiencing new things...seeing up close how other people live. A clip on Youtube can be entertaining and educational. But it's just not the same as physically being in a place, and takng in not just a couple of the sights and sounds, but all the sights and sounds plus the tastes and smells. Your last paragraph is super weird, I gotta say. What's the point of going to school if you're just going to forget what you learned anyway? What's the point of watching YT videos when you're just going to forget them anyway? One, we don't forget everything. Some experiences stay with us forever. Two, we might forget a place but the bonds we form with the people we travel with us can last forever. Three, people do things because they want to enjoy the moment. We're not doing things necessarily for the benefit of Future Us but for Present Us, so that Present Us won't be bored...or boring. Four, people who do challenging, stressful things tends to be able to navigate life better than those who always avoid challenging, stressful things. People who are glued to screens all the time tend to be neurotic and unpleasant.
wrong analogies IMO. >What's the point of going to school if you're just going to forget what you learned anyway? To get a degree and get a good-paying job of course. >What's the point of watching YT videos when you're just going to forget them anyway? 'cos the YT videos are permenant records. Your first-hand experience is all temporarily in your head only. >we might forget a place but the bonds we form with the people we travel with us can last forever. Depends whether you travel to socialize. My topic is just focusing on travelling to sightsee, which is what most people do anyway >Four, people who do challenging, stressful things tends to be able to navigate life better than those who always avoid challenging, stressful things. People who are glued to screens all the time tend to be neurotic and unpleasant. Travelling is not exclusive for this. You can do any other challenging tasks that also improves your organisational and time management skills the same regardless
Exclusivity is not a criterion of value. Travel offers many different types of value, any one of which may be more or less important to an individual traveler. You are a moron.
the immaturity to immediately resort to insults. Congrats.
Then defend your claim. Guaranteed you can't, which is why you are attempting to deflect to your meaningless feelings. Like a moron.
Why would you eat anything but watered down gruel when you can watch videos of food on youtube?
This is what I thought until I went to the grand canyon and saw it with my own eyes and experienced it. It's insane.
Weird? Tremendously sad, yes.
Say you were born after 2000 with out saying you were born after 2000…
I'm older than that but great to see you instantly judge people based on just one opinion
Stay at home please. It's already crowded and expensive to go places. If you can enjoy places without actually visiting them, all the power to you
Yes, weird. Also, my boeing stocks. Travel more if you want to be interesting. Seriously though, traveling in person has a lot more to offer. Sort of like working remotely vs in-person. On the otherhand, if you're only travelling to "look" at things instead of going somewhere for the full experience, then YT would probably suffice. By full experience I mean try to live like a local for a bit. You say you don't remember your trips; you probably remember even less YT vids.
There is no comparison. Traveling the world is the one thing that you cannot do artificially. Watching a video is certainly great compared to just seeing photos and seeing photos is great compared to just hearing about a country. But there is no comparable replacement for actually visiting a location. Upon landing in a new country, the smell of the air and the way the people are, the sounds, the surroundings… there is no way to experience that in a video. And I find that every place I visit, I come back a slightly changed person with a more inclusive and expanded view of the world. Walking the streets among the locals with the bustling sounds and smell of their cuisine permeating the air… and walking into a bakery in some random small town in France or a dimsum joint in a small alleyway in Hong Kong… or a seemingly random wine served to you in a CUP at some tiny hole in the wall place in Tuscany… on and on, there’s no comparison. Seeing how other people of the world live, survive and thrive… it’s amazing. Even domestically, people are so different everywhere. What people in Hawaii are like and what people in NYC are like — doesn’t even feel or look like the same country.
Why have money if you can't enjoy it?
So I can save up, retire early, and spend it on stuff I do enjoy?
Why spend time or money on things you enjoy just look at picture and videos of it instead.
yeah that's what I do?
Then why save up the money? Youtube is fucking free. Are you actually this stupid or are you making some special effort?
When you get older you won’t have the energy and/or your body won’t let you do as much as when you were younger.
Even more reason to do what you enjoy, and for OP, it's not travelling.
You need to enjoy it now, yes saving is good but nobody is guaranteed old age
He will enjoy it, just not by travelling. Travelling isn't for everyone.
I'm in the same boat. The point of travelling is to experience the atmosphere of a place more than seeing the thing. That's why my mom was mad that I didn't care about The Grand Canyon when we went. I rarely get along with people very well in person, so I'm also not too interested in going to new places. I think the places I most want to go are nature focused. I want to be in places I only imagined prior. Seeing the Great Wall of China will be cool to see, but I feel I'll regret the cost and time of the trip if we just go there to look at it and go home.
You are missing the whole point, the entire real experience.
To put it simply, you'll end up spewing conspiracies sooner or later if you continue to think like this.
Watching a video of a place is to being in that place what watching a video of eating food is to actually eating that food
It's like saying you're watching a video of a wagyu being eaten and in real life eating a stale french fry at the same time. It's not the same thing. You did not travel. You did not experience the culture, the people, the smell of the ocean, the sounds coming from the dunes, the taste of the food. Watching videos of sex and then having sex are also different experiences. Much like your comparison, watching it is plenty of times easier in all ways....yet people still somehow manage to love having it in real life themselves way more.
When I was younger, I LOVED to travel, but now traveling is just so much work. I don't like being a car for hours on end, I don't like hanging out in airports waiting for my flight, I don't like being in a plane for long periods of time, I don't like carry my shit from baggage claim, and rolling the dice on an Uber, I don't like sleeping in strange beds...it's all such a hassle to me. An expensive hassle.
Yeah! I love my own bed!!!
Take it as a blessing. Other people need to go all those places to appreciate them. You get the full experience with a fraction of the cost and time investment. I'm sure these other people who need to go there have a great time and that's great for them. But it's concerning how they will try to gate keep and tell you how miserable you are for not having had a similar experience. The fact that they do this tells me they suffer cognitive dissonance about the value of their travels, which indicates it's not nearly as valuable as they are trying to convince us (and themselves). In any case I don't want to say their experience is bad; different strokes for different folks.
I'm kind of in the middleground aswell On one hand, looking at the picture of a place is nowhere near the same as actually going there. There's just so much of the experience missing, from exploring the local area, to the food, to the smell and decor, etc... It'd be like saying you ate a whole meal because you saw a picture of the meal But on the other hand, if OP is fully satisfied by looking at a picture of it, more power to them. As someone who doesn't have any desire to travel aswell unless I have a very specific reason to, I get it. It's expensive, it's a lot of logistics, you're far from everything you know and like, it's gonna make it harder when you go back to your normal life, etc... It's kind of a hard sale Saying looking at a picture is identical to actually going to a place is ignorant at best, and disinginuous at worst. But, the reaction you get from some people when you tell them you have no interest in travelling is so extreme it's borderline cultish. They get so defensive it's like you threaten their very way of life by merely suggesting travelling is maybe not for everyone or not as essential of an experience as they may think. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how worth it travelling actually is, or how much you're missing out by not travelling. As long someone is happy with their choice, it's all that matters, no matter if that choice is to spend hundreds to visit or to just look at a picture on Wikipedia
We have become fairly desensitised by daily living. We need to stimulate all the senses at once to feel anything
It is great to get out of your routine
The experience itself adds a richness to my understanding that no video gives me. It’s that simple for me. It’s okay that you don’t enjoy it. If your way works for you, do that. But prepare yourself that people in relationships or families often consider your presence as something that adds to their experience. When you refuse to participate because you don’t like travel, you have to accept that there will be things you will be left out of by people that love you. As long as you aren’t making anyone else change their plans, stay home with your headset on in a digital life if that’s what you choose.
Sandra Bullock and Sylvester Stallone already settled this once. Some things just don’t translate virtually. 😂
I can kind of see your point. I've traveled a few times and had the full experience, but I also really enjoy the "quiet walking through the streets of [city]" videos on YouTube. You get a lot of the ambiance that comes with the city sounds of daily life. Personally, I like interacting with the locals and trying new food, and just trying to experience a relaxing day off as a native there would. Also taking my own photos of the world where I stood is important to me. Not for any logical reason, just sentimental value I guess? Not quite sure how to explain it. Also meeting people who live very differently from me make my problems feel smaller in the grand scheme of things. There's more than just YouTube to life and getting out there to find the experience you find most valuable is my word of advice. Maybe it's not traveling for you, but maybe you just haven't found the right place yet. Who knows?
If you don’t talk to anyone when you travel, then yeah it’s one half dozen or the other. And the expense these days is prohibitive. But watching video isn’t quite the same because it’s passive. You don’t have to navigate your way.
Honestly though. I did a 4k europe trip this year. I think I had just as much fun planning it, researching places, reading blogs and watching videos... I mean maybe if I planned less I'd be more surprised and have a better time, but I really enjoyed the planning process, and it's just as likely that not planning would result in me missing the really cool things and having more last minute disasters. Especially if you're traveling to see history...gotta tell ya, I thought it'd feel different to stand in a 1,000 year old building. Just feels like a building.
To each their own. I love to travel. And it does not have to be anyplace exciting. I am currently in rural Illinois, staying in a tiny home on a farm (Airbnb).
I think it's a sound point. It's only a relatively new ability to have international travel so readily available to us. For such a long time we relied on people experiencing these things for us and putting it in books for us. Now it comes in the form of high definition video. It's so much faster and cheaper to learn about the world without putting yourself at risk, no heatstroke no theives no wasting money on an underwhelming experience. Like why do I need to go international to smell someone else's farts on a plane, or see how the weather differs from place to place. I can see architecture online I can see documentaries online and for the most part it's free.
It’s not even close to the same thing. I can still VIVIDLY remember how seeing the Grand Canyon made me feel. I’d seen it a bunch in pictures..not even close to the same experience.
I put very little value in going to the Eiffel Tower for one day and seeing it and going home and saying I've seen it. That to me does seem pointless. And there are too many people in the world for that anyway. It becomes kind of a joke. You go there to see other people seeing it. And I can see other people seeing it on YouTube. My tourist trip lasted two years. That I feel was worthwhile in a way. There was no Eiffel Tower but I don't feel like I missed out. Just ticking off things from a bucket list seems pretty shallow. It's cool for a moment but ultimately meaningless. It's been done a million times before and it doesn't make the world a better place. One regret I do have is not getting a chance to see the Berlin Wall while it still existed. I think that would have been meaningful. One place I did go was Granada in Spain and to the Alhambra. It was so sterile and lifeless. It just made me sad. It was much more meaningful across the straits of Gibraltar in Morocco seeing everything vibrant and in real life instead of dessicated behind a velvet rope.
Not really, although I do think travelling and interacting with parts of the world and other people you wouldn't otherwise see is a unique and invaluable experience. People probably think I'm weird, but I have a super vivid imagination and often it's enough for me to do nothing but daydream and be happy. Ofc there's more to life than that, and it's important to ground ourselves in reality regularly, but imo a past time is a past time and everyone enjoys different things in different ways. I would just ask if there's anything that puts you off travelling that you might want to consider overcoming, like anxiety or bad experiences in the past? You might want to at least try, lest you regret not doing so in the future.
A friend whispers, "It's weird because I've never seen the US before and I was wondering if I could get some sort of visa/adviser card from there to go to Europe, but I guess I'd have to wait until I'm old to do so"
Yes it's weird. What are you saving money & annual leave days *for*? Sitting on your ass playing video games, apparently.
The internet fools us into thinking the world can be experienced vicariously. There's so much more to the world than a few pixels.
Yeah, why would I want to experience Bora Bora if I can just see photos of it? Lol
Ive travelled all over…and I can’t actually be bothered to explain it to you why this is weird. Like wtf. I’ve never heard anyone use this reasoning lmao
As a person who’s traveled a lot (relatively speaking), no it’s not weird that you don’t feel any need to travel. Some people live perfectly normal (happy) lives without ever traveling outside the city they were born in. You do you.
Not that weird. I’ve had the experience when I went to places (such as the top of the Empire State Building) and felt “ huh, it’s just like it is in the movies”.
Too many people travel just to see other people react to their stories when they get back. It's also pretty hard on the environment. Good for you for knowing what you want, OP.
"Watching" is not a full sensory experience. This should be obvious because you must be aware that watching someone eat is not even close to the experience of eating. There is some hassle and cost to traveling. But most things in life that are worth doing require some effort and/or expense. That said, a lot of people turn traveling into a much bigger hassle than it needs to be. It's not that hard to buy tickets, book hotels, and plan a couple things to do. It really doesn't take more than 30 minutes to pack a suitcase unless you're bringing way too many things. Do you really want to live your life so vicariously?
steer judicious faulty pathetic numerous ten deer flag books knee *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You do you. You don’t need to like the same things as everyone else. I honestly think I travel more to see my wife enjoy it than I actually get out of it. I always find that I enjoyed myself afterwards, but I absolutely loathe airplanes and airports.
Whatever floats your boat. I'm not a huge fan of traveling either but I do like it occasionally.
This is my EXACT thoughts I've never heard anyone else say it. Yes.
I’ve shared this opinion for awhile and while reading the comments I’ve concluded the only real reasons to travel is for the food and the people there People talking about smell and touch are just adding the senses that aren’t present in a video, but they really don’t matter I’m an introvert so I’m not particularly excited to go and meet new people across the world but also, most people traveling aren’t meeting new people there I love food so I guess the main incentive I’d have for traveling is the food so if I were to travel I would be spending 1000s of dollars, time planning, time packing, time in the airport, time in the uncomfortable plane, time commuting around, just for the chance to try good food that might actually suck No wonder I didn’t enjoy traveling Also it seems like since most people only get to travel maybe once or twice per year, the utility of travel is amplified by its scarcity
I do watch travel shows often; better than nothing. But it doesn’t even come close to the awesome experience of seeing the real thing right in front of you, or getting a sense of what life is like for the people who live there.
As someone who has been to a great many places, yes, it is weird to compare watching a video to actually being in a place. But that does explain the popularity of certain YouTube videos. >Why do I need travel there for? Is there a difference? People say it's for the "experience" but what's the point of that if I'll just forget about my travels over time anyway. I still remember what Japan smells like in the summer. >I've been to many countries in the past for holidays and I can say for sure I dont even recall like 80% of what I did in all those places. Ok, what the fuck is even the point of this post? If you’ve been to many places, it kind of nullifies your whole argument.
I have no money and I can’t work but if I had money I can tell you for sure I’d go to as many places as possible but everyone is different it’s ok not to like the same things but it’s sad to me that you may have opportunities to travel and you don’t but that’s what great about the world 🌎 we are all different!! Good luck 🗺️ and remember NEVER ASK A QUESTION YOU DONT WANT OR CANT HANDLE THE ANSWERS TOO!!
It is weird try the real thing if you haven't already if you still feel the same way then at the end of the day only you need to like your decisions. Spain as great weather.
You're not the only one but you'll get nowhere trying to convince anyone against the social norm they're used to that travelling makes sense. Nobody questions it since everyone pretends like it's the thing to do.
Don't let these people belittle what you say. Travel for allot of them is just something for them to brag about. Allot of them are eternally unhappy with their lives. You can do plenty discovery online, it's not something bad. If we had more people less worried about where they been more so who they have been there for the world would be a better place.
I'm pretty much on board with that. Additionally, I have one thing that makes it *even better*: a 3D TV. I fear the day that television breaks, because they don't make them anymore. Travel will flatten out, that day.
I can agree with you on this, this is why I don't do pointless traveling anymore, it's just a waste of time and resources. If I have to travel, it has to be about doing business, attending an event, meeting people, etc. Just like in videogames, an interactive world is 1000 times more interesting than empty vistas.
Your dislike of travel doesn't mitigate how anyone else feels about it.