We have no history of travel.So many people out there say they love traveling and will happily tell you about all the places they been to and sights they’ve seen and where they want to go to next. It’s also one of the first things people say they would do if they had more time and money.
But traveling sucks. It’s expensive and tedious. You have to pack, organise a passport, deal with airports, security and there’s just so much waiting! And that’s if everything goes to plan and to schedule. Things can easily get canceled or postponed. Then you’ve got jet lag to deal with, different currencies, language barriers, etc.
Even if you’re not going overseas/flying it’s not like road tripping is any better. Sitting in a car for hours on end just plain sucks.
And don’t think I’m only hating on the actual transport, being away from home sucks too. Whether you’re staying in a hotel or an Airbnb or camping or whatever, you’re away from home and all your things; you’re own bed, your own room, your pets, all your other bits and pieces that make your home your own.
Autist thread.
Mass tourism and "seeing sites" as a thing for itself are certainly meaningless consumer bullshit. Tourism proper began in early modernity, when princely or bourgeois youths would travel to italy and bring back entire roman pillars as souvenirs. Prior to that traveling was more often than not a religious undertaking or a maturing ritual
https://urbigenous.net/library/overcoming_tourism.htmlWhile i think we as a society are past the point where traveling can be a spiritual experience, there is still the potential for it to be a transformative experience in terms of culture and education. Under this aspect the US has a painful dearth of genuine cultural sites (they literally call a wall full of gum a "tourist attraction". wtf is a space needle???). In yurop you can't drive anywhere for long without seeing at least a pre-modern church and there are like dozens of musea in every capital city.
>>44630>While i think we as a society are past the point where traveling can be a spiritual experience, there is still the potential for it to be a transformative experience in terms of culture and education. Under this aspect the US has a painful dearth of genuine cultural sites (they literally call a wall full of gum a "tourist attraction". wtf is a space needle???). In yurop you can't drive anywhere for long without seeing at least a pre-modern church and there are like dozens of musea in every capital city.<OOOOHHH I AMM YUROPEAN! WE ARE SO KULTURE!Yurop has a painful dearth of genuine cultural sites (they literally call a bridge full of litter a "tourist attraction". wtf is a Eiffel tower??? They made a literal radio antenna a tourist attraction?).
Euros are pathetic with how chip on their shoulder they are to not be number 1 anymore. We have a bunch of churches from the 1700s in California(in TX the oldest are from 1600s). In elementary school we have to do a report on one and make a diorama and of course we take a field trip to the local one. Other than that, like no one gives a fuck about that gay shit.
<OH MY GAWD LOOK HOW OLD THIS BUILDING IS WOWOOOOWWFucking stupid because all these old buildings are either Ship Of Theseus or their half destroyed like the coliseum.
>>44631Not trying to make this a pissing contest about kkkulture. Novelty tourism isn't a uniquely american phenomenon, the problem seems to be they don't have much else and as OP alluded going to literally any place worth of interest requires long road trips. Historic churches are the bare minimum you will find literally anywhere in yurop, there's still a lot of small to medium towns with medieval buildings or industrial history. If the US has a number of similar sites outside maybe New-England i stand corrected, but i'm under the impression this is one of the problems with travelling in the US.
>Fucking stupid because all these old buildings are either Ship Of TheseusStructurally no. Most larger churches had multiple historical building phases, where in many cases you can still see parts of a romanistic building in the ground plan or it has been preserved under the cathedral. Except for a number of churches with architectural deficiencies or the ones completely rebuild after WWII (a deeply reactionary practice), changes only concern interior decoration: Baroque altars, neo-gothic murals, the absence of a rood screen.
>>44633>Structurally no. Most larger churches had multiple historical building phases, where in many cases you can still see parts of a romanistic building in the ground plan or it has been preserved under the cathedral. Except for a number of churches with architectural deficiencies or the ones completely rebuild after WWII (a deeply reactionary practice), changes only concern interior decoration: Baroque altars, neo-gothic murals, the absence of a rood screen.I remember reading when the Notre Dame cathedral roof burned down, it was like the 5th or 6th time they've rebuilt that damn thing.
>Not trying to make this a pissing contest about kkkulture. Novelty tourism isn't a uniquely american phenomenon, the problem seems to be they don't have much else and as OP alluded going to literally any place worth of interest requires long road trips.Bro we have Museums too. My local tiny ass Museum has several Van Goghs. You might've heard of the Getty Center before.
>there's still a lot of small to medium towns with medieval buildings or industrial history. I've seen a lot of that shit and it's usually dumb. Obviously America has more industrial history than all of Europe combined. Medieval shit is so whatever. Most of the time you know what it feels like, I mentioned the small museum with the Van Gogh but in my city was known as like the top place for 1800s Robber Barons to live. So they all made like mansions in this town and now most of them have been turned into museums. I was training to be a docent for the Proctor and Gamble mansion when I was in middle school. Bro touring a rich person's house is one of the most least interesting things you can do. I've been on a number of tours of medieval castles in Europe and it's almost 100% as boring as touring 1800s mansions. The only cool thing is when you're in the courtyard or the ramparts.
>>44634>I remember reading when the Notre Dame cathedral roof burned down, it was like the 5th or 6th time they've rebuilt that damn thing.Notre Dame and other cathedrals that literally hire masons are the exception, most don't have the funding for constant building restaurations, most is spent on interior restauration or cleaning facades and windows.
>Bro we have Museums too. My local tiny ass Museum has several Van Goghs. You might've heard of the Getty Center before.Isn't that near Los Angeles? I doubt similar places are in reasonable proximity of the average dispersed midwestern settlement.
>I've been on a number of tours of medieval castles in Europe and it's almost 100% as boring as touring 1800s mansions.Churches are really one of the few places i can observe on the basis of their aesthetic (even though many also have a lot of history and symbolic language). Of course "sightseeing" castles becomes uninteresting fast, because these places are mostly given meaning through their history, the informational material can make or break this. Pick some major battle that took place at the castle, explain the political background, the stages of the battle, the wider outcome, and suddenly you have something to think about in association with the place beyond "cool courtyard or ramparts".
Why was the linked article removed? I liked it, it was a good post.
>>44635>Isn't that near Los Angeles? I doubt similar places are in reasonable proximity of the average dispersed midwestern settlement.You guys really have a warped perspective of population distribution in the US.
>>44627Solo travel is meh, but travelling with mates or gf is kino.
>>44637Idk, many posters on this site talk about growing up in small towns or suburbs without much infrastructure to speak of.
>>44632Holy shit is this video infuriating. It's like whoever filmed this was a 10 year old mesmerized by light, glitter and anything that moves, exactly the same as those kids holding up their parents in front of the display windows. You see the sign for the Paris metro and think to yourself, doesn't Paris have beautifully designed metro stations from the 1900s? No, let's fucking stand in front of a bunch of led screens and product displays!
I agree that the process of traveling itself sucks, but there is a freedom and excitement that comes with being a stranger in a new city. I like discovering local night scene, and checking out clothing stores. Sightseeing and visiting tourist attractions is so boring thought, like you waste entire days just so you can glance on a some old caste for a minute.
>>44643>checking out clothing storesdont feed the bourgeois
>there is a freedom and excitement that comes with being a stranger in a new cityfor a price
> local night scenedont feed the bourgeois
>>44643>Sightseeing and visiting tourist attractions is so boring thought, like you waste entire days just so you can glance on a some old caste for a minute.i like exploring and vandalizing abandoned monuments and buildings
>>44627>traveling is LE BADYoure so unique.
>>44632I went to paris and saw like 8-9 big tourist things and not one was the mall
>>44647>I went to parisdid you get raped by a pack of lumpens?
Traveling for 1st world proles who can afford it is going to some place no one knows you and LARPing as a rich person for like a week.
>>44648no
>>44649>i specifically looked up videos of people that want to travel to malls and now im mad >>44651No one cares about your trip to Paris yuh idiot.
>>44652i do
>>44651i did u get any pussy?
>>44652rude
>>44653I got my bfs boipucci <3
>>44647aren't the arcades like THE Paris thing
>>44658no? 'the paris things' at least in most popular conception, is the eiffel tower, arc d triomphe, catacombs, the louvre, and versailles
I guarantee those are the things in Paris most people will be able to identify if you asked them
>>44659Most of those are keychains, not attractions.
>>44660just because they're famous doesn't make them bad, though yeah arc d triomphe is not gonna keep you occupied long
>>44664>>44663boring and gay
>>44664>>44663Check this shit out. From just a few months ago up in Washington. We were walking through this wetlands preserve on the boardwalk and there was just this bald eagle chilling and taking selfies with people. Can't pay for experiences like that.
>>44665I thought you said you were literally gay? It probably explains why you can't into something besides warehouse parties and poppers and MDMA. You can do that shit anywhere. What do you need to travel for?
>>44666>>44667<masterbaitingeasy there bud
>>44668I have no Instagram, I feel no need to rub my privilege in people's faces. I feel I was baited into proving my travel credentials. But don't talk shit about America. You sound really juvenile. I've seen much of Europe. I do have more I want to see. The only thing I am historically interested in is real authentic Greco-Roman culture. I have no care for the Arc de Triumph or whatever fake ass Victorian Greco Roman shit.
Italy was pretty cool. Rome is a must see. The Vatican is a must see. Palantino and the Colliseum that's a must see. Venice is cool but I didn't really like it. It feels like it's Disneyland but some people are trying to be like they live at Disneyland and they're in conflict with the visitors. A very stupid Disneyland.
>>44671>Once you know the Mall, you know all of DC really. The rest is just Black ghettos. It's crazy tho the amount of homeless all through The Mall.And Pentagon City and etc. I've also been to The Pentagon and stayed out of Arlington blah blahh, it ain't shit.
>>44671Pop quizWhere's the White House in this photo?
>>44675Arc de triumph of what?
>When you got conquered by the Italians?>When you got conquered by the Germans?What a sad country.
>>44675>>44676Tear shit that down to the ground and start over with something a little more triumphant.
>>44663by traveling to these places you contribute to their destruction
I want to take a long scenic train ride but not actually get off. I just want to lay around in nice looking areas but still just read or play games
So you don't like to travel. No big deal.
I traveled for about 6 months straight. The novelty wears off real fast when you switch countries. Packing, moving, sightseeing become the new norm. All the tourist sites meld together. Its always some variation of malls, architecture, nature, food etc. At the end I just wanted a stable place to be home and rot. There is no escape from ennui and the boredom of life. The best way to travel is if you really have a reason to go there, not to be some aimless bum trying to find meaning or something. Do the same shit you would do at home in a new place and just try living like a local, its better than instatourism or whatever social media bs.
>>44675>>44676>>44678You had your meltdown in the /usa/pol thread already, let it go bud
>>44675they won in the end tho? like yeah the fall of france in ww2 is kinda embarassing but being nazi germany is even more embarassing
<but they punched so far above their weight!who cares, they still lost, if you start a war which you're bound to lose you get no credit for temporary victories during it
I went on a pilgrimage to all socialist countries (except north Korea) and all the former socialist countries in the eastern bloc. Well worth it IMO though if I were to do it again I'd spend more time in Cuba and china and less in eastern Europe which frankly sucks.
>>44627based OP, fuck the travel-normies
test
At this point in my life I would only travel to get my dick wet. I'm too afraid to do it but it seems like the only reason for me to travel
>>44630I've never actually read up on any of this but my gut feeling has always been similar, that the institution of modern tourism (at least in America, and especially as exemplified by the stereotypical midcentury American suburbanite vacation) grew out of aping the British gentry's Grand Tour tradition the same way modern suburban lawns grew out of aping the gentry's manorial landscaping. It's all just degenerated emulation of the aristocracy.
>>46447If I recall correctly from some Graeber article or book I read once, there are artifacts in the north American northern coast that are from south/central America. Like some guy went all the way up the California coast, traded some beads, probably got drunk and hung out with people, and then went back home with the shit he traded them. 'Travel' is the human urge to explore and be exposed to new stimuli.
I just got back from my first trip to Europe. I went to Switzerland. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Every place I visited looked like a fucking bob ross painting. Taking pictures there was basically cheating. The people were kind. The quality of everything I ate was better than anything I've eaten state side. I spoke languages other than English and Spanish unironically. The weather was perfect. They used the metric system and had round abouts with no traffic. I saw a cop ONCE helping someone after an accident. They all vote directly on issues effecting their community by mail. The trains and busses were pristine. The airport had smoking sections. I feel my ego shattered, my life has been a lie, and I live in an absolute shithole fascist third world desert. I fucking hate it here even more than I used to. Travel has opened my eyes. The places I used to dream of escaping to are shitholes in comparison to Switzerland. I've spent years trying to fix where I live, and this city has done nothing but steal my youth. Its dirty, everyone is so loud and stupid and monolingual. Who the fuck would build a city in a desert (oh wait cotton grows good here, durrhurr slave owners!). How can people have pride in this capitalist nightmare. I have left the cave and I just want to go back. OP was right, travel sucks, just like heroin sucks.
>>46463Switzerland is basically social chauvinism: the country, like "nordic socialism" but with an even higher trade surplus, an astronomic cost of living and politically existing as little more than a stooge of global finance. Reminder helveticoids didn't have universal women's suffrage until the 90s.
it is okay to not like travelling, OP. i think a lot of people who say they enjoy it are actually in denial. personally i deeply enjoy it and i am happiest when i am travelling, even including the tedious aspects. i also really do not enjoy tourism in the sense of making an itinerary of attractions to tour. i like to find a few things i am personally interested in of cultural or historical significance, and a few places that seem like a good way to meet some locals and make friends, and take my time with those.
but again, its okay if you just dont like it. idk why us politically minded people tend so strongly towards needing to sort every single preference or difference in personality as if it needs to be evaluated along political lines. sure cultural analysis and considering where different preferences come from and the from and the forms they take is all worthwhile, but at a certain point it actually becomes ridiculous if you cant acknowledge that a large factor is just variety in personalities and preferences that cant be attributed to simply being "tricked"
>>44628OP is right though. autistic or not.
The whole world is pretty much the same. People all do the same things, live in cities and drive cars to their boring regular jobs, everyone in the world eats Big Macs and watches Family Guy. The only escape you will ever find from this homogenous cultural wasteland is the sweet release of death. But feel free to piss away all of your savings on your cliche whitebread bourgeois journey for a feeling of catharsis that you will never find.
>>46616>take psychedelicsRemember Lenin was a mushroom and Stalin is godHave a nice trip 🙂
>>46463I've been to Switzerland too. It's not that good uygha damn.
>Every place I visited looked like a fucking bob ross painting.We got mountains all over America too if that's your thing. Switzerland was my favorite country I've been to in Europe, but like have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? Utah? Sedona? Yosemite? Colorado? C'mon.
> The people were kind.I didn't really talk to them but I got more weird vibes from them. Whole place has Disneyland kind of vibes. I'll take your word for it.
> The people were kind. The quality of everything I ate was better than anything I've eaten state side.The food in Europe is better on average because they have regulations and sheeit, but that's a ridiculous statement.
>The airport had smoking sections. Vegas airport has smoking lounges.
So I mostly saw, like Zermatt and Lake Geneva, but I didn't even go to Geneva the city. I briefly stopped in Zurich and that place gave me a headache. Their roads seem to be designed by lunatics.
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