The No-Travel thread

[Baz Faz]

I came across this, written by a 33 year old man.

I’ve never left the UK. Never. I’ve never even had a passport. I’ve not even travelled much inside the UK – many, many years ago we went to Wales when I was a teenager, but I haven’t been on holiday since. In my adult life I haven’t done any travelling at all.

The main reason is because I don’t have anyone to go with – I don’t have a wife or kids or anything like that. If you’ve never travelled before, it’s quite a big thing to do on your own. I don’t feel as if I can just hop on to a plane to the Middle East, because I’ve never done it before. And as I’ve never done it, it’s not something I’ve ever really missed. In my mid-20s I started to realise I was unusual, because that’s when people were going on gap years. I’ve worked since the age of 16 and never went to uni, so I’ve never had that “me time” to go and travel.

I work in the civil service and don’t do a lot with my annual leave – in the past, I’ve not taken some of my holiday days and I’ve just let them expire. It’s probably not the healthiest way of doing things, but I’ve gone to work because I haven’t had anything else to do or anywhere else to be.

[shrjeff]

i don't think this is unusual in the States, either... most native born americans have never been more than aa few dozen miles from where they were born! One of my fellow masters students in upstate new york was born and raised in albany, the state capital. he had never been to new york city except when he was drafted and taken by bus to the airport to fly to germany... after his release from the army he went home and didn't travel... we took him to montreal, etc...

[OnlyMark]

When I was a kid I remember quite a few older people who would come into our pub who mentioned at one time or another that they'd hardly ever been out of the village (more just a suburb of a larger town) and several had never seen the sea. The furthest they had been was Nottingham, about fifteen miles away. One day we took and old man, Elija was is name and in his eighties in about 1968, to the coast. He spent ages just staring at the sea. He was amazed you couldn't see the other side.
My father was deemed to be exotic because he was born in Africa.

Less and less common it becomes nowadays I expect but yet, there are still those I went to school with who have never been out of England, and I mean England, not GB or UK.
And they often just go to the same seaside resort their parents took them to as a child.
I've asked them about it and they often say there is nothing abroad that appeals to them, so why go?
I have little in common with them now and their attitudes are very parochial. If I ever mention my travels they cannot relate to and stare blankly at me.
I posted on Facebook a load of photos of my time in Africa and Asia and I think only one old school friend commented, and in a bland way.
It means nothing to them.
Horses for courses I suppose and I can understand not wanting to go anywhere or go anywhere alone, yet I am the complete opposite.

Also you often get the tourists who do go abroad, but just to one resort and stay there, or stay in the one town, and once they find a bar/restaurant they like, they spend the next two weeks going every day/night to it.
Can't understand that. They must just feel uncomfortable exploring or lack in self-confidence. Whereas they seek out the familiar and stick to it, I feel again the opposite and are most comfortable the more 'foreign' or 'different' and non-understandable the society, system, routine, food etc is. Once it becomes familiar and I understand the place, like with us living in different countries, I get itchy feet.

[Voy]

I agree with you guys - here , near my cabin at the lake, I know quite a few who have never been out o Maine..

And, still, almost 60 years later, when someone hears I emigrated to Oz ( English speaking etc etc Oz) they say "oh you were brave." Then I get it again if they ever hear some of the places I've been - alone. The only times I've taken tours ( three times) were because it was "hard" ( the first time I went to Russia and the trip to Central Asia), or because
it was basically the only way ( Mongolia in the early 80s).

But I think Mark hits on it - lack of self-confidence, and probably a non=outgoing personality. Also , I'm sure, a lack of reading/watching to spike curiosity .

All of which is a shame !

[auntieannie]

the beginning of the hobbit springs to mind.

Also that so many people are lonely and live small lives.

[Baz Faz]

We were living in a French village when the euro was launched. There was a meeting in the Salle des Fetes (sounds much nicer than village hall) to explain what this meant. People were genuinely confused. Mainly there were old people at the meeting and it became apparent that most of them had never left France. The Spanish border was 90 minutes drive away...

[wikki]

I met quite few people that never left Austria and didn't get around Austria much. But mostly this people are farmers, or growing up on a farm.
I had a colleauge (during my apprenticeship, I was 19 a that time), he only went as far as North Italy ( 4hrs drive). But then he and his gf decided to go on vacation to Tunesia. He came back early with an ear infection. His words: I never leave Austria again.
And for some reason it was all my fault..... At that time I barely had left Austria.

[Netsuke]

Aug 9, 2020 13:03:39 GMT 2 OnlyMark said:

My father was deemed to be exotic because he was born in Africa.

I had an exotic disease, it was called German measles!

As an adult, I didn't travel until I was 50+! I went to Tassie with my two youngest boys, then the same year we went to Surfers Paradise.

Next trip was two years later, I went to Ayers Rock. I apologised to the boys saying I couldn't take them with me as I couldn't afford to. They told me, "That's alright mum, we don't want to go anyway. It's boring!" They were bored stiff in Tasmania, when I asked why they didn't tell me they said they couldn't because I had spent a lot of money and they didn't want to make me feel bad!

The first time I went on a plane was going to Tassie and I was petrified, I was scared stiff, I was terrified! I decided I wanted to visit all the Australian states and territories and Arnhem Land, which I did.

After that came overseas. The number of countries I have visited is controlled only by my limited finances, else I would have travelled far greater and longer. Money wise, it is not feasible but I am fortunate to have had the experiences I've had and have seen the world through their eyes.

This has given me a better understanding of why people choose to migrate, why we have refugees, different culture, a way of life, above all, I learned the meaning of poverty.
Having seen poverty and poverty-stricken places, I realised my fellow countrymen and women have no idea what it is to be poor, to be really poor - they just don't have much money. I've done it myself, complained oh I couldn't afford such-and-such, but then I remember the people in Cambodia and I am ashamed.

[kuskiwi]

My brother and I are opposites. I'm my dad. Go anywhere at the drop of a hat.. but now go slowly. He. Our mum who hated going far from home. It took him until he was 50 to leave the north island and then it was the love of rugby not of travel.

[Baz Faz]

My cousin John was born in what was then Rhodesia. When he was 18 he was called up for military service. Objecting strongly to this he managed to join the Rhodesian Foreign Service. He was appointed to their only foreign embassy - Pretoria in South Africa. After several months it was discovered he had made African friends and he was recalled. He realised he would be called up to the army and made an instant decision to flee before his diplomatic passport was cancelled. That afternoon he caught a plane to London.

I got a phone call from my mother saying that my cousin John whom I had never met would be arriving in the morning and would be coming to stay. And he stayed. And stayed. After three months I suggested he should find a flat in London and get a job.

He had a checkered career which included a year at Moscow university and jobs at the European Space Agency, Radio Liberty and BMW in Munich.

I told him about our travels in India and Sri Lanka and Thailand and Laos and Ecuador etc etc. I asked why he never went to Asia or South America. He said it was because Europe had everything he wanted to see.

[rikita]

i don't think it necessarily has to do with lack of self confidence or not being outgoing. some people just don't find it as interesting, they have other things they prefer to do with their free time. i know several people who travelled a bit, enjoyed it, but still don't do much of it, because they have other things that are more important to them. that's fine. or people who do have one country they really enjoy, so they go there every vacation.

what annoys me is when some people assume that because they don't like travel it is unecessary for everyone (but that's not the ones from my family or friends mentioned above, but i have met a few).

[auntieannie]

Thinking about my way of travelling, I wonder... see, I usually travel to meet friends and colleagues. To do something, but I have travelled very little to « just visit » some place. I do not mind the lack of current travel opportunities. Maybe the latter has a little bit to do with my place of work. People visit here to travel in their minds.

[sophie]

I guess I am serious about no travel as I am almost ready to sell our camper van. Sigh.

[auntieannie]

Oh, Sophie! That is being serious. Friend of mine just got one. Second hand. She’s using it at the mo to attend a course just too far for her to go home from every night. She’s planning to use it to do short trips. And planning to make it useable by her newly disabled husband.

[sophie]

I also think it may be that most of our camping trips have been heading down to the States and I don’t think that border will reopen soon. And even if the border reopens, it will be quite a while before we will feel safe (Covid wise) heading south.

[slowcoach]

Right now, the camper has a lot of social distancing plus points, provided it doesn't have to undergo border/checkpoint searches.

[sophie]

We decided to just put storage insurance on it until next April and see how we feel about using it then.

[Netsuke]

I am very glad I have a very different life to the man in the OP. He sounds such a small little person.

[tzarine]

when we were living in texas, we met so many people who had never been to mexico

there's this yank attitude of "we have everything here. why do i need to travel?"

some people dont like change. they expect everyplace to be like home.
some people like to go to one place every year & love their timeshares.
some people travel bc they think it's some sort of competition to check off on their list.

[Netsuke]

Nov 30, 2020 6:28:34 GMT 2 tzarine said:

when we were living in texas, we met so many people who had never been to mexico

there's this yank attitude of "we have everything here. why do i need to travel?"

some people dont like change. they expect everyplace to be like home.
some people like to go to one place every year & love their timeshares.
some people travel bc they think it's some sort of competition to check off on their list.

Tzarine, have you seen Shirley Valentine? Remember Jeannette and Dougie? Complaining about the food and Shirley thinking,”They’re the type you know, if they’d been at the Last Supper they’d have asked for fish and chips!”
And then when Shirley says, “It’s quite nice you know, the calamari. The 🦑 squid.” And Jeannette slowly faints and falls down the 🪑 chair!

[Baz Faz]

Today we are waling to our Siamese-twin town Yate. It will take us 25 minutes, centre to centre. I count that as No travel.