Hi, this is my first topic, and hence, i shall start easy with a more Casual Conversation style question which i hope most of you will contribute to. This is soley based upon my own opinion and views of the world, and i am wondering if you are the opposite, moderated or equal. So here goes:



I love to travel the world. I feel the need to see and experience other cultures, countries and people. I consider it to be one of the most vital things you need to do as a human being to be, stay and consist an intelligent and well functional human being.


I travel quite a deal. Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Travel Travel Travel. I lived in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand (Southeast Asia), i lived in Europe (Scandinavia, Germany, United Kingdom), as well as United States (west and east coast), Canada and travelled extensively in South America. (My home country is excluded for obvious reason).

This is important for me. Not doing it, is for me equal to stop evolving, to stay in our ancestral monkey form and refuse to "change". We need (everyone) to experience other people from all over the world, its getting smaller and easier everyday.


Is this just me?

What is your thought/opinion about this?

Do you care about the world around you, or only the sphere you live in?



-JE

Coelum non animum mutant, qui trans mare currunt.
- Horace, Epistles, I. xi: 27

There are as many forms of travel as there are ways and means of conveyance; however, all travel can be classified under two general categories: purposeful and peripatetic. The first is objective, defined by destination (i.e., leaving one place and going to another), which encompasses most travel. The second is described more in terms of the journey than the destination, which is merely some incidental point, or points, along the way. In this mode of travel, it is possible to go around the world without going anywhere in particular, or even coming back. Indeed, some of the world’s greatest travelers have been just such desultory wanderers. But whether you are going places, or just going, some advice for the road: Take care that you are not running away from yourself, for “those who run across the sea, change their sky not their heart.”

Is this just me?

Nope.

What is your thought/opinion about this?

It makes sense that the more you get to know the diverse people on this planet, the more enlightened you become.

Do you care about the world around you, or only the sphere you live in?

I care in a detached way, which is as much as I am able, only having traveled to one other country, Canada. I cannot afford to travel as you have, but I would really like to.

Surely if the opportunity and the wherewithal are available, I would encourage everyone to travel.

By the way, welcome to the forum!

What is your thought/opinion about this?

I think that travelling the world is one way to open your eyes to other cultures and can end up being a fascinating look at yourself. I'd encourage people to travel.

I've lived all over the United States and made many road trips with my family when I was a kid. Apart from a brief stint as a 3 year old in Okinawa and a couple small vacations to Canada, my exposure to the world in this regard was fairly limited.

In the last decade, I've made a few trips to Europe (and almost made a trip to Benin.) I enjoy spending my time in places and taking the time to explore. I spent six months in England, roughly two months in Ireland (on separate trips... one of which was a 350 mile walk from Dublin to Glenbeigh in 23 days), and a few weeks in France. I spent a couple of years acting in Ontario, Canada. I loved every minute of it.

Do you care about the world around you, or only the sphere you live in?

I don't think you necessarily need to travel in order to care about the world around you. It is easier to get stuck in an egocentric view of the world if you don't travel, but that's not necessarily inevitable. I have my views of the world and of the sphere in which I live.

Is this just me?

It sounds like you're more likely to travel than most. I enjoy traveling, and enjoyed living in other countries too, but after the kids were born there are more pressing things to consider (their educations, their experiences, traveling with a baby or toddler generally SUCKS).

What is your thought/opinion about this?

I think travel is nice. Not the be-all-end-all. Wherever a person is happy is the best place to be. I enjoy living in a home, not living out of a suitcase. Probably because I've spent so very much time moving and living out of suitcases.

Do you care about the world around you, or only the sphere you live in?

Mostly my home sphere, honestly.

I do enjoy traveling and have lived in other countries, but for me the convenience of America is pretty hard to beat....of course, it depends on where I'm living. I like the east coast better than the west. I'd rather live in northern Italy than Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, or Nevada. I'm not sure I'd rather live in southern Italy than those places. South Korea was an interesting place to visit, but I would never want to live there again. I've been to England, France, Italy, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Slavenia, Austria. I think that's it. Every place has its ups and downs, but America is so vast it's a world in itself to travel. It's hard to really know what a place is like until you live there for a while. Travel doesn't usually offer as honest a view of a place...especially if there is a language barrier.

Seems to be the extremes, huh? Either globe trot or stay in one place. I think most people do some of both, and with most of the travel either in youth or retirement. Between there's family, and that works out better in one place, or so it's been my experience. Not that it worked out, but that it would have been easier without the moves. I can see the advantage of stability while kids grow.

The open road used to draw me quite a bit. Now it's hard to get me off this mountain at all.

But when I did travel, the getting there was way more important than the destination. I traveled slow, often spending days in one spot to walk around and really get to know the place. Motorcycle was my preferred means. I hate flying and won't even consider a boat. Hate getting wet.

There are certain advantages to travel and coming to know something about different cultures. Yes, and there are also advantages to staying in one place and becoming a part of a particular culture. I don't think one is superior to the other, just different.

I do think that following your heart is the wise thing to do.

Oh, here are your stars * * * * *

Is this just me?

No it certainly isn't. It also isn't everybody though.

What is your thought/opinion about this?

Sounds like it could be wonderful. I had a roommate in college who loved to travel and spoke often of the exotic places he would like to go. It sounded intriguing. It did not pique my interest though in the way it did for him.

There is a universe to explore in your own community. People you would normally never meet are there waiting to be known with their own "foreign" world waiting to be explored. There is so much to learn of people within this much smaller radius. Don't think that just because one has walked the streets of Calcutta or has collected spoons from around the globe that this person understands any better humanity than the simple man who has spent his life in his neighborhood serving those in need.

Do you care about the world around you, or only the sphere you live in?

I care about the world I live in. My view of the world is not defined though simply by geopgraphic parameters. I care about the world that is found in the human psyche infinitely more.

Is this just me? No, you are not alone. I've known people that haven't left their state in a lifetime and simply can't imagine it.

What is your thought/opinion about this?I traveled quite a lot in America and have lived in Europe and Southeast Asia. There is much of Europe and Southeast Asia I would still like to visit. When I lived in Germany the East was still behind the wall and I'd love to visit the former East block. I traveled from Italy to Holland but didn't have the time to explore most of the countries for long.

Do you care about the world around you, or only the sphere you live in?Traveling for an American to Europe and Asia is a wake-up call to history that you just don't get by watching the Travel Chanel. Seeing the old cities with walls and castles reminds one of how young America is and from where we come. And, of course the differences in the cultures to include thinking, food and drink is just something that can't be gained by reading or watching a video. You have to smell it and walk it but most of all absorb it.

Is this just me?

No. There are many people like you. More power to you!

What is your thought/opinion about this?

I admire you for your willingness to open yourself to new experiences.

Do you care about the world around you, or only the sphere you live in?

This is a profound question. I suppose we all "care," in an abstract way, about the world and its people and the other living things that dwell in it. Yet it seems difficult for us to feel the same concern for someone who is on the other side of the planet as for someone physically near us. This is unavoidable, I suppose, and we deal with it as best as we can.

I lack the desire for adventure. The very few trips I have taken outside the United States (Mexico, the UK, France), now more than thirty years ago, were always in the company of at least one of my parents, and were strictly designed for the comfort and safety of tourists. In more recent years I have seen more of the USA, but always in ways which minimized any discomfort and inconvenience. I am a timid creature, and I venture outside my comfort zone only when I feel secure in doing so.