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View Full Version : Traveling - And those that aren't really into it that much, or even hate it.



Halo Infinity
02-15-2014, 03:49 AM
I've thought about this for quite a while, and always thought that one of the main goals in life was to make the house the most pleasurable place to be, while making it the ultimate source of paradise and joy so you wouldn't want to leave it at all. I've also thought that traveling was also about luxury and comfort, but I learned very late in life that sometimes traveling would have to be the complete opposite of luxury and comfort. Now, as I've mentioned in other parts of ETS, there can be things about traveling that I like, but I'm mostly out for comfort and luxury, because to me, an ideal vacation is where you live it up, not where you have to put up with nuisances and setbacks.

Anyway, I was just curious if there's an off-chance of anybody here that actually hates traveling, or anybody that's just a very selective traveler out for comfort, convenience, familiarity, stability, predictability, and luxury out there that would actually contribute to this thread. (I've also learned that those descriptions sometimes completely contradict the very nature of travel.)

As you can also imagine, this was very hard for me to discuss in real life, considering how most people love traveling. And well, there are still places I'd like to see in my lifetime, absolutely, but I noticed that I'd always like to be in areas where I can mostly shop and eat. Shopping and eating are also my main interests and concerns when it comes to traveling.

Oh, and even if I had the means for it, I can't fathom traveling every single year, or even every few years per voyage. A few times per decade or two decades seems to be just about right to me. I'm also not convinced that everything about travel is positive, joyous, and humorous.

-Edit-

I just had these questions come to mind. Some of these questions could probably even apply to people that like or even love to travel as everything has a downside anyway. I've always wondered if the ups and downs of traveling could be discussed the same way as entertainment, such as music, movies, TV shows, video games, sports, and books. I just don't see it discussed very often. It has also ultimately occurred to me that my ideal vacation is to live like hedonist, as I often seek comfort and pleasure. I also asked these questions, because there also has to be bad places to go to, as well as bad commutes. I'm also mostly a big city kind of person.

1. For those that might actually hate/dislike traveling altogether, what is it exactly that you completely hate/dislike about it?

2. Even if you love/like traveling, what are the things that you'd rather not put up with ever again?

3. What were the worst places you've ever been to, and will most likely never ever return to?

4. What were the worst car/van/bus/plane/train/boat rides that you have ever experienced?

5. What were the worst hotels/houses/apartments you've stayed at?

6. What kind of weather, climate, and overall environments are the most undesirable, insufferable, and unpleasant to you?

7. What is your least favorite form/method of travel, or form/method of travel that you absolutely hate/dislike?

8. How do you cope with bad experiences while traveling?

9. What kinds of places/things should/do you avoid?

Timinator
02-18-2014, 05:04 AM
Sorry, is this thread meant to be for people who hate traveling, or who only like to travel well within their comfort zone?

If that's so it's the saddest reason for a thread I've ever seen.

miss k bee
02-18-2014, 05:40 PM
Well I don't really like flying even though I have been flying to visit family in the Caribbean every two or three years since I was four. I go every year now my Mum and Sister live over there, but my fear of flying has got worse over the past few years, even making me feel physically sick when I have to fly back.

cahernandez
02-18-2014, 06:16 PM
You should pick up the book "The Art of Travel" by Alain de Botton, it talks about the psychology behind traveling, great read. I love traveling, and from that point of view I can tell you that I won't be able to answer any of your seven questions, I'm sorry. If you're looking for comfort when you travel...maybe you shouldn't travel at all?

Kind of an answer to your second question: I was stopped and interrogated many many times by the IDF during my trip to Israel and the West Bank/Palestine (my somewhat Arab look did not help). Not that I hated it, I thought it was interesting and added some tension to the trip (and made for a great blog post).

3. Places I will never go back to? Although I have the "never say never" philosophy, I don't think I would go back to Vegas.

7. Best way of traveling? Train, hands down.

A trip memory that many here could relate to: spending my first night (ever) in the Southern Hemisphere at a Nine Inch Nails concert. Arrived at Melbourne from LAX that morning, was jetlagged out of my mind after an afternoon of walking around Melbourne with my friend, and then NIN destroyed the Metro, a small club there. Oh man.

This Friday I'm going to Hong Kong for a wedding, never been in that part of the world before, so I'm super excited about it. It'll be four days in HK, and then flying to Seoul, already booked a tour to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), it'll be interesting to see N. Korea from afar, considering the recent UN report on the precarious state of civil rights there.

mooney138
02-21-2014, 10:49 PM
You don't want the positive things?

1. For those that might actually hate/dislike traveling altogether, what is it exactly that you completely hate/dislike about it?
I have panic attacks when flying due to lack of control. Thus, I have to take meds on the day I fly; the older I get, the worse it gets. It doesn't help that I am hyper-aware of what is taking place around me and can never sit back and just relax. I feel less panicked if I am sitting in the front of coach, business, or first class.

2. Even if you love/like traveling, what are the things that you'd rather not put up with ever again?
A select few airline passengers really suck and should never be permitted to board a plane again. See below.

3. What were the worst places you've ever been to, and will most likely never ever return to?
Ocho Rios, Jamaica due to the incessant hounding by the locals for tours to earn money.

4. What were the worst car/van/bus/plane/train/boat rides that you have ever experienced?
All planes:
I've been stuck overnight in Minneapolis several times due to bad weather.
I did a dumb thing when I flew back from Australia: Brisbane to Sydney to Los Angeles to Memphis to Houston all in one shot. I should have stayed overnight in Los Angeles.
Two aborted take offs on American Airlines from Miami to Orlando in a severe thunderstorm. The Wx radar had failed in the plane.
An Allegiant Air tech stop in Ft. Wayne, IN on a flight from Orland-Sanford, FL to Duluth, MN to take on more fuel due to a 100 mph headwind. It was better than running out and crashing.
Hard landing in the United 777 from Denver to Chicago O'Hare within the first 30 days the 777 was put in service. Several of the overhead bins unlatched because we hit the runway so hard.
Las Vegas to Atlanta on AirTran where the pink spoiled princess tried to get her way and bitched the entire flight and into the underground train to switch terminals.
Las Vegas to Atlanta on AirTran where Mr. Testosterone in his early 20s tried to pick a fight with me over nothing and his girlfriend told him to shut up.
Minneapolis to Orlando on Northwest where a mother who should have never had kids. The kid was kicking the seat in front of her that was occupied by a passenger and the mother did nothing.
Orange County to Atlanta on Delta where a flight attendant spilt hot coffee on a man in the aisle seat about 1/2 way through the flight and the woman next to him pitched a fit to the point of becoming belligerent.
An Orlando to St. Louis scheduled Southwest flight never showed up for us to board. We had to get on the next flight and I was late for work.
I was on a flight with a kid who had a blow out on his diaper - I couldn't see it, but we sure could smell it.
Another flight with a guy in front of me who kept farting.
Another guy who I swear hadn't taken a shower in a week - man was he ripe with B.O.
The young guy who cleared his throat all the way from London Heathrow to Boston on Delta - no sleep for me.
A flight from Houston to Memphis on Northwest was so rough with turbulence, I felt sick. I never get airsick.
There are probably a few more I can think of to add to this list.
Boats are good vomit generators.

5. What were the worst hotels/houses/apartments you've stayed at?
Ocala, FL Quality Inn - the sheets were not changed and the room a dirty. I literally felt dirtier after having taken a shower in that room.

6. What kind of weather, climate, and overall environments are the most undesirable, insufferable, and unpleasant to you?
Heat and humidity. I can deal with -40, but I cannot deal with 110 or above.

7. What is your least favorite form/method of travel, or form/method of travel that you absolutely hate/dislike?
I've been on 2-seat planes up to the 747, 777, 767, and A330; cruise ships; high-speed trains; taxis; light rail; subway; bus; car. Long-haul bus/coach would be the worst.

mooney138
02-22-2014, 06:47 PM
Places I have been:
Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, England, Grand Cayman, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, United States

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Places I want to go:
Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Aruba, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Scotland, Finland, Norway, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, South America, Africa, Japan
There is a 2015 Euro trip in the works.

Halo Infinity
02-27-2014, 01:16 PM
You don't want the positive things?
For this thread, yes. I've noticed that most people don't discuss the negative things about traveling, as I've always thought that not every single journey and location is a good one. That's just flat-out impossible. I'm also sure I've covered it in some of my edits, but I've also thought that perhaps traveling experiences could and should be ranked and rated the same way somebody would judge entertainment and food. And thank you for your reply as that's exactly what I was looking for.

As for the positive things, and things that you generally like and love about traveling, they seem like they'd just fit into the regular traveling thread anyway. Perhaps this thread could very well be the catch-all specific thread for "Little to big things that piss you off about traveling.", "Shitty places and rides that suck.", and/or "What would you want out of traveling experiences as a hedonist?"

-Edit-

I think this can also help people cope with the bullshit and prepare for it while lowering their expectations if and whenever necessary so that the disappointment doesn't suck as a hard as it would've with higher expectations or obliviousness to the said bullshit.

I also find some things about travel to be depressing as I sometimes get homesick very easily, especially as somebody that's mostly a homebody. This isn't to say that I don't think there is such a thing as joy or fun during traveling, but it can get pretty lonely and empty for me when I'm away from home for a very long period of time.

Aladdinsanity
02-27-2014, 05:11 PM
I'm certain this would fall entirely into the "Little Things That Piss You Off" thread.

mooney138
02-27-2014, 08:03 PM
In Mexico, I ate an enchilada that had lettuce on it in a nice restaurant and didn't leave my hotel room for two days due to being very ill.

The boat trip out to the Great Barrier Reef (three hours to get there, three hours there, and three hours back to shore) was so rough that just about everyone got sick. If you ever get sea sick, lay down on your side.

Was on a flight that announced that one of the passengers had a peanut allergy and they asked everyone to not open anything with peanuts in it while in the plane. What did they give us on the flight? Peanuts.

Also been on a few planes that were not maintained as well as they should have been - the seat backs would not lock, the seat padding was worn (very uncomfortable), and the restrooms were not serviced very well.

Drunk passengers also suck.

Going through customs and immigration can take a long ass time if there are several flights that have arrived within a short period of time of each other. Give yourself plenty of time (minimum of two hours) between flights if you have to change planes when coming back into the US. I've missed several flights due to this slow ass process and a long distance to travel between international and domestic terminals.

Be careful what you take on the plane with you as far as food if you are leaving the US. Some food products, even commercially packaged ones, cannot be brought into some countries. You never know if you will get a random inspection.

UK Immigration likes to play 200 questions. Be prepared.

We went through US Customs while in Bermuda vs. once back on the USA mainland. We also went though agricultural inspection in Puerto Rico before flying back to the US. It was kind of odd.

Halo Infinity
09-18-2014, 08:45 AM
Looking back at this, I probably could've worded it a lot better. I was a bad mood when I wrote this because I've ended up feeling out of place on family gatherings and family vacations, but that reflects more on me as a person and how out of place I feel around my family, along with the fact that I have a hard time understanding them.

With that being said and for the record, I definitely don't hate everything about traveling, as I'm sure it's fun when you're doing what you want to do as opposed to social obligations like family reunions, weddings and funerals. I'll also admit that I can't blame all traveling based on my loneliness from a lack of a social life and homesickness either. It also didn't help that I still have a fear of flying. I somehow get over it, but flying has always scared me on some level.

I also know it's not the same thing, but I wanted to see people critique and express their ideas and opinions about journeys and locations the same way they'd do those things for food and entertainment, as I'm still sure that some experiences, journeys and locations have to be much better than others anyway.

It's as if any negative opinions on travel could count as a "Controversial Travel Opinions" thread or a "Travel Confessions" thread. And well, this all still boils down to the hedonist in me. I also didn't mean to offend anybody that loves to travel, but my curiosity got the best of me again. :p

Sarah K
09-18-2014, 08:53 AM
This Friday I'm going to Hong Kong for a wedding, never been in that part of the world before, so I'm super excited about it.

What did you think of Hong Kong? My goal for next year is to leave the country for the first time. My brother has a three bedroom condo in Hong Kong, so I could stay there for free, AND bring a friend along. My brother says it's basically hot as balls except for like January and February. So that sucks, because I'd probably be going in the summer sometime.

aggroculture
09-18-2014, 09:02 AM
I went there in 2000 and it was awesome, had a great time. After a month near Shanghai which was super-humid, the climate in Hong Kong was a breath of fresh air, and it was August (but I don't know if that's normal).

Sarah K
09-18-2014, 09:09 AM
I went there in 2000 and it was awesome, had a great time. After a month near Shanghai which was super-humid, the climate in Hong Kong was a breath of fresh air, and it was August (but I don't know if that's normal).

I AM nervous about flying for that long. Not like, being scared or anything. But just imagining being on a plane for that long. I've been looking, and there are direct flights from NYC to HK. The flight is 16 hours. Like, I can't even begin to imagine what the fuck I would do on a plane for 16 hours straight. I might die of boredom. I'll have to drug myself up or something. Because it sounds fucking terrible.

aggroculture
09-18-2014, 09:11 AM
My favorite thing to do on a long haul flight, if I can manage it, is read a whole novel. Then I feel I actually accomplished something instead of wasting a day getting angry with people bumping into me. One time I read Solaris and I was chuffed.

Timinator
09-19-2014, 06:16 PM
I've done the Sydney-LA flight, which is about 15.5 hours going east, many times. It can be very long if you're sick so take care of yourself before your trip. Mostly I just watch a lot of movies. Most long-haul planes have a big selection of entertainment these days. This also provides built-in breaks for walking around and rehydrating every couple of hours.

Marie
09-20-2014, 02:19 AM
Just started to face my phobia of flying, as it's about time I dealt with it. A few months ago I went from the UK to Belfast which was about 35 minutes in total, it's not a big deal for others but it was the first flight I have taken in 17 years. I would like to travel more so I am planning to visit relatives abroad, each time it'll be a longer journey. I don't think I will ever like it, but I think I worked myself up so much about being scared of flying that I missed opportunities to enjoy going places and seeing things.

miss k bee
09-20-2014, 11:18 AM
Going to Berlin again in about two weeks time and already worrying slightly about the flight even though it is only about 1 hour 30 mins . Been flying since I was four but my fear of flying seems to be getting worse. Have to fly as have family in the Caribbean. Coming back from there this year had to go through what felt like 4 hours of turbulence. Possible I might have to make an emergency flight there by end of year as well due to uncle being ill.

Marie
09-21-2014, 06:39 AM
I hope that your flights are ok, from a fellow flight-phobic person. The amount of people who have told me 'it's the safest form of travel' is quite high, it's not even that that bothers me. I don't even know what it is that makes me so scared. I find the waiting around makes me more nervous. Once am up there am usually alright, provided there's no turbulence, I don't know how I'd cope with 4 hours of it. There was about 10 minutes of it on the short flight I took so I shut my eyes and pretended I wasn't on an aeroplane. I don't know if it worked.