Why we travel?


Outline

  1. Your travels
  2. Why travel?
  3. Why travel top 10
  4. Why should young people travel?
  5. Why don't Americans travel?
  6. Self-imposed Isolation
  7. Long way Round / Long Way Down review
  8. A geographer's perspective

Your travels

I like many Americans have really only traveled within the United States, I have only traveled out of the country once to Costa Rica.

Why travel?

Huberman tells her friends in Maine that by travelling "[She'll] be exposed to new ways of doing and seeing things" and that it will be good for her. She ultimately does expereince new ways of doing and seeing things. She first discusses her time in Indian and how people simply through trash on the ground. There were no trashbins for her to through things away, and so she had to become comfortable throwing items on the ground.

She was also unfortunately molested while in India, and found out how differently they handled criminals. She discussed how they did not get the police involved until he refused to come forward to the school. Once the police got involved they beat the molester to get him to confess, they did not allow him to stay silent.

While in China she also had another eye opening expierence. She had discussed how there were "Windows to the World" theme parks, and while discussing it with a friend they had pointed out that for Chinese these were the closest they were going to get to traveling, while Americans had the chance to travel if they wanted to. She mentioned how these words really stuck with her, and how she thought about them once she got back to Maine.

When she gets back to Maine she realizes the ultimate reason for travel, which happened to echo her answer before she left. She pointed out that she was able to look at old things with new eyes. Throughout her travels she tried very hard to become Indian or Chinese, but she ultimately became a wiser American.

Why travel top ten

The first reason I would pick is number 7, which is that traveling gives you useful knowledge. For me I have always learned a lot when I traveled and I learned the most when I traveled outside of the country. The most important things I learned were abouth how we from the United States could be better at making changes to help the environment, and how active our government really could be in making laws and changes to combat climate change. However, the most important lesson I learned is that people from the United States are not the only Americans, people from other countries within South and Central America view themselves as Americans as well since they are in the Americas.

The second reason I would pick is number 2, which is that traveling teachs you about your homeland. When one travels abroad they can see all of the cultural differences between the country they are visiting and their homeland. There are a lot of countries and cultures throughout the whole world that can see and experience for themselves. As Huberman pointed out in her article it can be very difficult to let go of one's culture, but it can be very eye opening and teach one about their own culture and maybe make them question why it is the way it is.

The thired reason I would pick is number 3, which is that traveling can teach you about yourself. While I have only traveled to one country I feel this is really true. I learned a lot about myself, such as how much Spanish I actually remembered and how I was able to read and hear things in Spanish and understand what was being said. I also learned how I really didn't feel that far from home, and I rarely felt homesick. I also learned more about my loe for nature and being in nature. Seeing different species of both plants and animals made me appreciate nature so much more and really changed how I see nature back in the United States.

Why should young people travel?

Comment on Peterson's arguments for why young people should travel. What are the six reasons and can you think of more?

Peterson's arguments are very well thought out. Networking, and putting traveling on one's resume can be a pretty big reason most college students would consider traveling. However, there are other much more personal reasons that people travel as well. She points out being adaptable and more sensitive to other's cultures. These reasons can make one a better person and, as she points out, a more confident person. These can help in many aspects of life and not just in the working sector.

The six reasons that Peterson lists are: getting out of one's comfort zone, building confidence, develop cultural sensitivity, adaptability to globalization, being immersed in another language, and opportunities to network. This is a great list, however I would also add learning more about oneself. Although she points out increased confidence, I don't know that this is true for everyone, however the expereince of getting to travel abroad can teach one about themselves and maybe question how they live.

Why don't Americans travel?

One of the reasons listed in the article are geographic size of the United States, and the fact that many don't people don't feel the need to travel abroad in order to see and experience different things (such as mountains or an ocean). Another factor listed in the article is skepticism of other countries and cultures. For example many people think that places like India and China wouldn't be ideal destinations for a vacation, given their perception of these places. Another reason is simply American work culture; for instance in other countries taking a gap year to travel is rather normal and maybe even expected, but that's not the case in the United States. It's not seen as a great thing to take a gap year and travel before going to work for a company, and many people fear that it might cost them the job. The last item listed in this article is simply cost, and that many people view traveling as much more expensive than it actually is.

Self-imposed Isolation?

Many of the people I know who are self-isolated tend to not travel for quite a few reasons. To be frank, some of them are very racist and not culturaly sensitive, and therefore don't view traveling as a good or helpful experience. Another big reason is money, as pointed out in the article many people view traveling as much more expensive as it is, and it can still be too expensive for some once they find out the price. People can isolate themselves for many reasons, and for some they simply don't see the worth in traveling.

Passports

What does passport ownership indicate?

Coastal states, such as California have a lot more passport ownership than those in the middle of the U.S. Also those with the lowest passport ownership are in the very deep south. Also states not attached to the mainland, Alaska and Hawaii, both have rather high rates of ownership. Something else that might be worth pointing out is the different viewpoints associated with the different states. Those with the lowest passport ownership we tend to see as less welcoming or tolerant of other cultures, while those with higher passport ownership we tend to associate with much higher tolerance. This may or may not be due to having higher passport ownership, and there may also be higher tolerance to those willing to travel outside the United States.


Submitted by Whitney Beets on January 24th, 2020.