Why we travel?

Outline

  1. My 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. Passports

My travels

I have traveled only domestically, due to limited funds and limited available time off, but I have always desired for further travel. The two locations in particular I would love to visit and explore are southeast Asia and Europe. I plan on expanding my travel experience once I can comfortably save money and get a fair amount of time off to justify the cost and air time.

A majority of my traveling thus far has been either for special events (such as a wedding) or recreationally to visit friends and family. I would say my two longest trips were still relatively short. My two longest trips were both two weeks long (at each destination).  The two places I visited and want to highlight are Copper, Colorado and California.

The first two-week trip I took, I was 18 years old (7 years ago) it was my first time traveling alone and being on a plane. I was heading to San Ramon, California to see my best friend. The main purpose of this travel was to reconnect with my best friend who (at the time) had recently moved from Omaha to California. I was able to see various parts of California such as: San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, and Oakland. We even took a ferry (another first-time experience) to Angel Island and explored the island for a whole day. It was a freeing experience because I had so many first experiences on this trip to California. It felt liberating to be independently traveling with my best friend. I learned a lot about myself in this first experience traveling. I had to learn to navigate around new experiences. I learned about different cultures other than my own (Chinese culture and California life style/culture). I learned about various public transportation options and reflected on my own limitations and areas to expand upon and grow from.

 

My second two-week trip was to Copper, Colorado. This trip was solely for recreation. I have been to Colorado many times before. My family tries to make a trip at least two or three times a year for skiing, visiting family and friends and for the mountain scenery. This trip was different than my previous trips to Colorado. This time I was attending with my current partner and his best friend. It also happened to be my first road trip with my partner. We arrived at his family cabin and to our surprise we had no hot water. For 10 days, almost the entire trip, there was various workers coming in and out trying to fix the water heater so we ended up spending most of our two weeks outside the cabin and exploring. I thought this was going to be a problem, but we did not let it ruin our experience.

 

We ended up getting a week-long membership at a close by gym, and that is where we would swim, exercise, and have access to hot water (shower). We did not ever have planned days and just went with the flow. As a result, I had some of my favorite experiences to date. We unexpectedly got VIP tickets to one of my favorite bands (Nanko and medicine for the people) on New Years night. We scored tickets through reconnecting unexpectedly with my partner’s longtime friend who happened to have extra tickets. It is to date still one of my favorite vacations to recall. I am thankful for the company and experiences on this vacation.

            The biggest motivation for both of these trips were to take time away from my normal routine and surroundings and reconnect with my closest friends in different and beautiful places. I will be graduating in May and have a two-year plan to pay off my school debt while also saving for an overseas trip. Money and time restrictions often hold people back from traveling so I want to prepare so I can truly be in the moment and engulf in the experience of travel without the worry or fear of money limitations or home obligations.

Why travel?

Huberman explains traveling as a way to see with new eyes (through your experiences). She describes it beautifully by saying, “that’s what the world has that Maine doesn’t: only from outside can you look in.” When I read these words, they transformed my perspective of culture, experience and a sense of self and identity. It is through traveling that we are able to see so many of the same situations (that we see back home) somewhere new, with a different lens, with a different mental approach, with a new perspective. If we allow ourselves to truly be immersed in our traveling experience and within the culture we are visiting, it opens up different ways of being, seeing, and understanding situations, both new and familiar.

When Huberman describes familiar experiences such as littering, the right to remain silent and the right to travel, they no longer were familiar to her as she knew back home in Maine. The experiences regarding those seemingly familiar scenarios added depth to her experience and as a result impacted her in a way that she no longer felt she was returning home as the same person that left Maine. The experiences transformed her world view of the situations she was familiar with, although experienced in a new place, it gave her a different understanding and view of concepts that she already had. These experiences helped shape her and enriched her life and world view. It allowed her to view life outside of how she knew it and experienced it. It allowed her the experience of seeing with new eyes.

 

Why travel top ten

The top ten benefits of traveling were a great list of reasons to travel. For me personally, the top three reasons (in order) would be: 1.) it provides unforgettable moments and experiences, 2.) it teaches me about myself in a way only traveling can, and 3.) it helps me with my confidence and independence. I enjoy the challenges that travel often brings such as uncertainty, confusion, and unexpected situations. For example, one of the best memories I can recall is from my California trip when we took a ferry to Angel Island and literally got lost on the island. We missed some signs and accidently got off track from the trail and ended up spending five hours trying to be “unlost” before we just agreed to allow ourselves to experience Angel Island without a map and a set direction. It was one of the best experiences I have had being lost while traveling.

Traveling allows for a chance to experience something we cannot experience in our normal routines and home or familiar environments. This is the reason I listed unforgettable moments and experiences at the top of my reasons to travel. Some of my most beautiful experiences have occurred on vacation. For example, one of my most unforgettable moments was when I visited Portland, Oregon, last October. For the first time in my life, I was able to see the Pacific Ocean and feel it on my feet. It was a surreal experience and one I will never forget.

Traveling has helped me learn about myself, in particular about my strengths and limitations. At first, I was intimidated to travel, especially alone because of how unfamiliar my surrounds were. I would get anxious at airports or when I needed to take a bus across town or use public transportation in general. As I traveled more and slowly became more comfortable with knowing that I might get lost or might get confused, it changed how I viewed the experience of getting to my vacation destination. I soon began to plan ahead and give myself extra time, in case I did get lost or got distracted while in route. These “uncomfortable” moments soon became experiences to challenge myself and grow as an independent person. I have grown to appreciate the uncertain or uncomfortable moments because I’ve realized those moments helped with my perseverance and dedication to learning and improving myself, especially in unfamiliar situations and places.

Lastly, traveling helps me with my independence and self-confidence. I was intimidated by travel at first due to the uncertainty but I have learned to plan better and ahead. I have learned to ask for help if I am really lost or unsure. I have also learned to be calm when I get frustrated and overwhelmed. It has been a learning experience and one I am grateful for. I have had to learn to be comfortable and confident with my own sense of navigation because I had to be, especially when I travel alone.

 

 

Why should young people travel?

The six reasons listed for why young people should travel are: 1.) it gets you out of your comfortable zone, 2.) traveling builds confidence, 3.) helps develop cultural sensitivity, 4.) adapting to globalization, 5.) being immersed in a second language, and lastly 6.) opportunities to network.

            Some other reasons to travel includes enriching your experience within your own ancestry and/or the culture of your people (or a completely new and unfamiliar culture). Another reason to travel could be for work migration or asylum seeking. One might also travel to see different environments and seek new experiences. People also travel to learn about a country’s history and experience the native wildlife of another country.

 

Why don't Americans travel?

Some of the biggest reasons Americans do not travel are the cost and the work culture that promotes long hours and little time off. These two seem like the biggest reasons many Americas either do not or cannot travel as much as they would like. My dad is a Vietnamese immigrant that came to the U.S. in 1985, and as much as he would love to travel, he feels the American work culture makes it very difficult to take time off to visit home (Vietnam) or travel in general. Many Americans have families and cannot afford to be laid off or strain their work relationships by taking more time off than expected or allowed.

Another two reasons Americans may not travel is the physical toll of the travel and the long travel times to reach other continents. The long flights, usually consisting of multiple flights and layovers, are stressful and exhausting. This stress could also include being so far away from family, home, and the comforts of familiar surroundings. The long travel times of international travel, combined with the American work culture of having very limited time off, tends to lead to Americans choosing to stay home (in the US or North America) for their vacations.

 

Self-imposed Isolation?

I am a Vietnamese American and much of the Vietnamese community self-isolate and in a way segregate themselves from the rest of America. If they don’t go to higher education, they tend to work in Vietnamese owned establishments, which are generally restaurants and nail salons. These are ways those among the Vietnamese community engage in self-imposed isolation. My own father travels, but only to Vietnam, and not nearly as often as he would like. This is a kind of self-imposed isolation because he doesn’t branch out to other travel locations.

            Caucasian Americans I know also engage in self-imposed isolation. Much of this that I see is often due to young Americans who have to work full-time to pay their way through college and ultimately their lives revolved around eating, sleeping, working, and college studies. They have no extra time to travel, socialize, or do recreational activities. This is a form of self-imposed isolation I have seen often and even I sometimes fall into this groove.

Passports

Looking at this map of the passport distribution in the United States, the legend shows the highest percentage of Americans with passports in the white and tending downwards into darker colors for those with less passport ownership. From this distribution it appears passport ownership is related to living in higher populated areas and metropolitan areas, with states like New York and California being white. It also has other populous states with large metros like Illinois, Florida, Texas, Seattle, Oregon, and Minnesota having the next 2 color shadings after white.

One state that stands out that doesn’t fit this trend is Alaska, but their isolation from the rest of the United States explains the high percentage of passport holders there. Another point to take from this map is that the areas with high passport ownership also tend to have larger populations of other cultures, such as Chinatown in New York, or Little Italy’s. This exposure to many other cultures likely leads to a more internationally educated populous in these states who are more willing to travel abroad.

Submitted by Jennifer Nguyen on 1/24/20