Came here to post a much less eloquent version of the same thing. Any proclamation that one way of travelling is objectively better or more worthy (of... what?) than another leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. I've visited between 61 and 66 countries depending on how you want to measure it, and frankly I don't believe this to say anything deep or shallow about me - it's just a number, a score in the game I've chosen to play given the privilege to do so.
From the article:
> Yes, you have been to 30 countries in 5 years, but have you really “been” there? How many places do you really know and understand?
Perhaps my purpose or desire isn't to "really know and understand"? Some of us like to dip our toe in, or just take an experiential snapshot. And on the flip side, I don't consider anyone who stays in London for 6 months or even 6 years to "really know and understand" the place. I've lived here for my entire 45 years and wouldn't make the claim for myself, such are the new things I keep discovering on a monthly basis.
> I do not intend to criticize entirely the people for traveling this way. Society does sometimes pressure us to spend holidays abroad to look and sound more “well-cultivated”
I have felt absolutely no societal pressure to travel, only self-imposed. I absolutely do not feel, look, sound, or claim to be "well-cultivated". I've just visited lots of places, that's all. Travel for me doesn't have to be, and in the main is not, intrinsically profound or romantic - but it's fun, and collecting countries on lightning trips makes me extraordinarily happy, and that's my primary objective. Perhaps there's some profundity in that?
I did come here to post a much less eloquent version of what you both did say. For me the problem is someone telling me how I should experience something. I travel and experience countries and cultures the way I do it, bringing with me who I am and my whole past.
Some times I plan a lot about where to go and what to do and other times I travel to a place and then find what is to do and see there, or even walk around to see if I find something interesting. I like to do it my way, but someone telling me that I need to do it this or that way will not make my experience any better.
I like reading about others experiences, but even if I did travel to the same place, did the same things, and talked with the same persons as I was reading about, it would not be the same experience because with me is I, not that person that had the other experience.
From the article:
> Yes, you have been to 30 countries in 5 years, but have you really “been” there? How many places do you really know and understand?
Perhaps my purpose or desire isn't to "really know and understand"? Some of us like to dip our toe in, or just take an experiential snapshot. And on the flip side, I don't consider anyone who stays in London for 6 months or even 6 years to "really know and understand" the place. I've lived here for my entire 45 years and wouldn't make the claim for myself, such are the new things I keep discovering on a monthly basis.
> I do not intend to criticize entirely the people for traveling this way. Society does sometimes pressure us to spend holidays abroad to look and sound more “well-cultivated”
I have felt absolutely no societal pressure to travel, only self-imposed. I absolutely do not feel, look, sound, or claim to be "well-cultivated". I've just visited lots of places, that's all. Travel for me doesn't have to be, and in the main is not, intrinsically profound or romantic - but it's fun, and collecting countries on lightning trips makes me extraordinarily happy, and that's my primary objective. Perhaps there's some profundity in that?