Is "travel" over rated?

[Buster]

Travel has always been an aspirational thing: people travel to see stuff, sure. But they also travel as a flex, and to brag about their travel. That's cool, nothing against any of it.

But I'm wondering if the appeal is going to decline, if it hasn't already.

A friend of mine suggested he might take his family to Chile over christmas. My first (and internal response) was..."why"? Fifty years ago, I could maybe see a couple of pictures of Chile in a library or something. Today, I can see almost every square inch of Chile with youtube and google image search. I can find a Chilean restaurant in Calgary probably to experience at least an approximation of the food.

None of this is the same as going to see these places and experience them of course, but the delta between the in-person experience and what you can attain through technology is relatively small, and will be getting smaller every day. So it seems to me that the real cost of the price of the vacation and the immense wasted time in the process of moving your meat popsicle halfway around the world might not be worth the end result. The end result being: "looks like the pictures on the internet'.

I think the mystery and romance of travel is drying up.

So what are we left with? Flexing on facebook? Using it as a form of escapism?

The climate change savages are coming after air travel next. I predict that travel and the car market are going to follow a similar trend: they are both going to be genericized by technology. Buying an aspirational car and going on an aspirational trip will be the same: the juice won't be worth the squeeze.

[vengie]

Different strokes for different folks.
I love travelling and always will.

[bjstare]

Personally, I think it's overrated. I have for a long time.

Experiencing new things with family and friends is the biggest benefit of travel for me; travelling is one way to do this, but it's a means to an end.

[Buster]

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Personally, I think it's overrated. I have for a long time.

Experiencing new things with family and friends is the biggest benefit of travel for me; travelling is one way to do this, but it's a means to an end.

bingo.

There are better way to experience new things with family than travel now.

[max_boost]

It’s a combo of everything. Desire to see/do something different whether alone or with a partner. Sometimes it’s marketing, sometimes it’s your friends, sometimes it’s to brag. We travel for all reasons.

Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere and sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself

I’ve been to 20+ countries and thinking of doing some ww2 stuff in Eastern Europe sometime in the next couple years

[Xtrema]

I travel for food. That's something you can't get from a youtube video.

Sight seeing is overrated.

[Buster]

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I travel for food. That's something you can't get from a youtube video.

this is a legitimate reason. But you can also find pretty diverse foods in most major cities now, and you can often find all of the ingredients you need to try cooking you own versions.

there are still some benefits to travel, food being one, but those benefits are constantly being squeezed.

[benyl]

I've never travelled to "go see" something. I've always travelled to "go do" something.

We go to Hawaii year after year because we like playing on the beach and in the ocean. We like eating the food. If I could get that in Calgary, I wouldn't leave.

Sandy Beach in January isn't awesome and the food I like to eat is mediocre at best here.

[bjstare]

Who doesn't love shrimp that have sat in the heat for 7h, then cooked in an old oil drum bbq on the beach in Mexico?

Actually though, those were some of the best shrimp I've had. And would be tough to re-create at home, as I can't afford to import a Mexican to do it for me.

[max_boost]

You get some great memories for sure.

Riding a camel in the Merzouga desert
Seeing Messi and Ronaldo live
Running around an empty Disney in Tokyo
Matthew mcconaughey sitting table behind you at nobu in Malibu
Late nights LKF in HK
Etc.

Just things you don’t do in Calgary lol

[Xtrema]

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this is a legitimate reason. But you can also find pretty diverse foods in most major cities now, and you can often find all of the ingredients you need to try cooking you own versions.

there are still some benefits to travel, food being one, but those benefits are constantly being squeezed.

At least for now there is a skill and supply chain differences around the world. You can never get top notch sushi grade like that do in Japan. Chicken and eggs also hits different there. Authentic Chinese food is better in Vancouver than Calgary as better chef can make bank there. As with all things, follow the money.

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Who doesn't love shrimp that have sat in the heat for 7h, then cooked in an old oil drum bbq on the beach in Mexico?

Actually though, those were some of the best shrimp I've had. And would be tough to re-create at home, as I can't afford to import a Mexican to do it for me.

And that's the other thing, seeing and experiencing developing countries has a time limit. Once they are developed, and a Starbucks shows up, you start to lose some of the street food culture. Vietnam is a good example. The Vietnam in that Top Gear 2008 special no longer exists. Now it's starting to look like everywhere else.

[DonJuan]

As an island boy, I have fond memories growing up of a warm beach, soft sand, snorkeling, fresh seafood and tropical fruits and foods. And all the sounds and smells that go with it. All of which I can't get here.

When I watch youtube vids it make it worse. There's also intangibles that are ingrained into us here like being on time, and timeframes. Island time is a real thing that takes getting used to. Nobody is in a rush to do anything, which can be infuriating for some.

I def don't travel for the gram, its for me and the fam.

[suntan]

I like to travel to lesser countries so that I can teach them a better way of life.

[brucebanner]

Something something, create a life you don't need to travel or vacation from something something..

Experiencing something via YouTube etc is not the same as in person. It's why people go to concerts, sporting events, travel to other places etc. Yeah you can see it but it's different in person.

Are you becoming a hermit Buster?

[max_boost]

Boys night out with buster

[vengie]

In fairness if I had a backyard like Buster I probably wouldn't leave either!

[Buster]

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I've never travelled to "go see" something. I've always travelled to "go do" something.

We go to Hawaii year after year because we like playing on the beach and in the ocean. We like eating the food. If I could get that in Calgary, I wouldn't leave.

Sandy Beach in January isn't awesome and the food I like to eat is mediocre at best here.

it might be worth distinguishing between what me mean by "travel", and a "vacation".

In this context, Hawaii isn't travelling, per se. It's a vacation.

[killramos]

To me travel is 100% escapism, with the ultimate goal of escaping permanently.

[ExtraSlow]

People travel for a lot of different reasons, and yeah, not all apply to each of us.

Reasons:
- Flex on facebook or insta or whatever kids use these days
- Learn about local culture or history
- Relax / disconnect from work
- See famous sights
- Eat local food
- Social Pressure to do so

Honestly, I overall LIKE travel, but I also kinda hate it at the same time. Just back from a 16 night family trip in the Maritime Provinces, and the downsides are still pretty fresh in my mind. We spent a lot of money, and a lot of time in cars and planes, and didn't really "relax" much at all. I also haven't posted any pics to social media, aside from my beers in the drinking thread on beyond, lol.

Speaking of different reasons, I'm working on scheduling a Mexico trip with the family, which WOULD be relaxing, and potentially a Vegas trip with some buddies, which is a social bonding kind of thing, and mentally relaxing even if it end up being physically demanding.

So yeah, I think travel is appropriately "rated" overall.

[DonJuan]

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To me travel is 100% escapism, with the ultimate goal of escaping permanently.

+100

I'm always looking at retirement properties as a goal. The carrot at the end of the stick if you will.