Ever thought of travelling for a while?

I just use street view that way i do not have to deal with people with dreadlocks, rich parents sending there YAH accented I am better than you attitude, look i me I am on a GAP idiot children year, Older people trying to find consciousness expansion, crazy woman who YOGA who think is the answer in INDIA. Creepy men in Thailand over for a "bit of fun" *****, fools playing drums at all hours.

Then on the flip side the lets save up 2 weeks and go to Greece in some mighty tower-block and post every meal on facebook saying having a wonderful time where there kids run riot.

Give me long weekends away, or 2 weeks on the motorbike avoiding people and trying to kill myself as ludicrous speeds.
 
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i travelled europe for just under 3 months in 2006 one of the best things i ever did. even better there was no wi fi or facebook/social media and people actually talked instead of burying their face into their tablets or phones, to see what people back home were up to.

i travelled the east coast of australia ( 3 years ago today, i'd just left the whitsundays ) and as epic as it was, the fact most people want to know the wifi password more than get to know new people is dissapointing
 
I'm irritated by smart phones and technology whilst 'travelling'. I was in Vienna a few months ago and staying at a hostel, I was trying to strike up conversation with people but bar the pleasantries it didn't really go anywhere. Everybody was just staring at their phone, rather than getting to know the people around them.
I'm not sure if it's a Europe mentality as when I've been in hostels in S.E. Asia/India it seems to be much easier and conversation more fluid. European hostels seem very sterile.
 
cm1179 said:
i travelled europe for just under 3 months in 2006 one of the best things i ever did. even better there was no wi fi or facebook/social media and people actually talked instead of burying their face into their tablets or phones, to see what people back home were up to.

i travelled the east coast of australia ( 3 years ago today, i'd just left the whitsundays ) and as epic as it was, the fact most people want to know the wifi password more than get to know new people is dissapointing
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I never thought of that.

When I went traveling I didn't own a smart phone.

I never posted to social media, rarely managed to call home in some places. The world has changed a lot in 12 years.

I traveled "alone" but in reality I rarely spent more than a few days alone. Meeting and talking to new people was easy in the end.
Not sure I would enjoy it as much now the Internet is everywhere.
 
I understand traveling isnt for everyone. My best friend is the same age as me (33) and has never left the UK. He's never had a passport and doesn't go anywhere unless his buspass can get him there. I told him so many times, he is missing out and the same for people reading this. Its not about being in late your teens, early 20's, backpacking, being all hipster, stopping hostels and broadcasting it on social media. I didn't do it that way and I still had great fun. I never used social media and never will.

In my late 20's after buying my house, I decided to go traveling because I was simply bored. While most of my friends were still saving to buy their own home or dealing with their horrible ex partner and fighting to see their kids. I was my planning travel trip. It went from taking a holiday in Japan, to traveling around Asia. I planned my trip a few months in advance, booked a month off work then went for it. Met people, enjoyed different culture, saw nice things (and bad) I would never see here in the UK. No heavy backpacking or stopping in hostels, I booked myself into some nice hotels because I planned well in advance.

I enjoyed it that much soon as I got back, I booked the following May off work and booked my trip around Europe. This time it was a mixture of hotels and hostels, still was great. I was traveling on my own so I was force to come out my shell and talk to people.

You dont have to drop and leave everything and take months or years off to go traveling. Book a month off work and see how much countries you can visit in that month, thats what I did. I still came back to having money in my bank, a nice house but most important of all, a better experience of the world.

It actually might make you realise there is more to life than being born, going through the education system, doing that crappy job you hate, decide to buy a house, start a family and wait for your pension. Just because the British culture expects you to.
 
malachi said:
I understand traveling isnt for everyone. My best friend is the same age as me (33) and has never left the UK. He's never had a passport and doesn't go anywhere unless his buspass can get him there. I told him so many times, he is missing out and the same for people reading this. Its not about being in late your teens, early 20's, backpacking, being all hipster, stopping hostels and broadcasting it on social media. I didn't do it that way and I still had great fun. I never used social media and never will.

In my late 20's after buying my house, I decided to go traveling because I was simply bored. While most of my friends were still saving to buy their own home or dealing with their horrible ex partner and fighting to see their kids. I was my planning travel trip. It went from taking a holiday in Japan, to traveling around Asia. I planned my trip a few months in advance, booked a month off work then went for it. Met people, enjoyed different culture, saw nice things (and bad) I would never see here in the UK. No heavy backpacking or stopping in hostels, I booked myself into some nice hotels because I planned well in advance.

I enjoyed it that much soon as I got back, I booked the following May off work and booked my trip around Europe. This time it was a mixture of hotels and hostels, still was great. I was traveling on my own so I was force to come out my shell and talk to people.

You dont have to drop and leave everything and take months or years off to go traveling. Book a month off work and see how much countries you can visit in that month, thats what I did. I still came back to having money in my bank, a nice house but most important of all, a better experience of the world.

It actually might make you realise there is more to life than being born, going through the education system, doing that crappy job you hate, decide to buy a house, start a family and wait for your pension. Just because the British culture expects you to.
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How much leave do you get at work? I only get 20 days plus 8 bank holidays, a month off would be pretty much all my leave :(
 
VTR said:
How much leave do you get at work? I only get 20 days plus 8 bank holidays, a month off would be pretty much all my leave :(
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I get about the same but I picked May because of the 2 Bank holidays. Saving me from using up more leave.
 
malachi said:
I get about the same but I picked May because of the 2 Bank holidays. Saving me from using up more leave.
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I like your thinking, that's what I'm planning to do on my Thailand trips next year :)

That and the Christmas bank holidays will give me a 22 day and 14 day holiday -

7th May bank holiday + 28th May bank holiday + 14 days annual leave
22 days on holiday
5th-27th May in Thailand

Christmas bank holidays + 6 days annual leave
14 days on holiday
19th December - 1st Jan in Thailand
 
Join the forces.

Get to travel for free, might be a little to dangerous now though was a doddle when i was in :)

As I said, I am quite happy with shorter breaks now, Madrid next month and Visting Chernobyl in March.

Done most of the globe tbh, either with the forces or lucky enough with work (Riding down from Fort Lauderdale to Keywest on a Harley was a nice work trip :) )

Will try and hit Antarctica, Costa Rica, Uraguay before I hit the big sleep and maybe Botswana, but they will be 3/4 weeks at a time none of the this back packing malarky, been there done that.
 
I'm not well travelled yet but it's a fantastic experience to do so and one of my future goals.
It always amazes me when people win the lottery and stay in their 9-5 job doing something rubbish (IMO). I could very easily fill my time if I had enough money to not need to work and a big part of it would be travelling or at least living in different countries for a while each.
Just the other day someone said "but you need a job no matter how much money you have, a man needs something to get up for each day" - what rubbish :D.

Good for the guy to go travelling but for me personally my no 1 aim so far has been to try to get financial security (mortgage paid off etc) and then spend more of the surplus travelling.
 
MonkeyMan said:
I know someone who has visited pretty much every major city in the world but has seen none of them, just hotel rooms and airports. :(

I've never really had the urge to go travelling, don't really like holidays either tbh guess I like my home comforts too much. :o
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Exactly.

Travelling for me is not staying in cities and partying/hosteling. Travelling for me is seeing the scenery wildlife and small villages. I'd rather spend two months hiking through a rainforest to a remote lake, taking photos and swing new sights along the way than clubbing in Bangkok for a month before heading to the next town to do the same. People are people - landscape, wildlife and everything else are totally different wherever you go.

Edit: I really want to do a proper year or so of "travelling" before settling down properly. My dream would be to travel through Africa, quite possibly on a small bike, or public transport visiting places like the DRC, and other parts of central and Southern Africa. There just something about Africa, the people, but mostly the landscapes and wildlife, that gets under your skin, but it's something I couldn't do with kids in tow!
 
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SPG said:
I just use street view that way i do not have to deal with people with dreadlocks, rich parents sending there YAH accented I am better than you attitude, look i me I am on a GAP idiot children year, Older people trying to find consciousness expansion, crazy woman who YOGA who think is the answer in INDIA. Creepy men in Thailand over for a "bit of fun" *****, fools playing drums at all hours.

Then on the flip side the lets save up 2 weeks and go to Greece in some mighty tower-block and post every meal on facebook saying having a wonderful time where there kids run riot.

Give me long weekends away, or 2 weeks on the motorbike avoiding people and trying to kill myself as ludicrous speeds.
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Just avoid SE Asia and you'll probably never meet any like that. Head to places like Africa, the lesser visited parts of Asia and other places that don't cater for that crowd and you'll be fine. :p
 
VTR said:
I like your thinking, that's what I'm planning to do on my Thailand trips next year :)

That and the Christmas bank holidays will give me a 22 day and 14 day holiday -

7th May bank holiday + 28th May bank holiday + 14 days annual leave
22 days on holiday
5th-27th May in Thailand

Christmas bank holidays + 6 days annual leave
14 days on holiday
19th December - 1st Jan in Thailand
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That's a good plan :)
 
Experiencing different landscapes, cultures, and peoples is great for broadening the mind, and can be extremely humbling too.

I love to travel, I've done a variety of trips but mostly I'm an overlander so get to combine my love of the outdoors and riding. There's something about getting a know a country by riding through its most inhospitable terrain. Oddly it tends to be where you meet the most hospitable and friendly people too.

The UK is extremely restrictive when it comes to off road riding, and wild camping, so travel is a necessity if you like that kind of stuff and don't want to get eaten to death by midges in Scotland.

I'm actually in the process of selling up (not that I have much) and travelling more.
 
I would love to do a trip like that, but I often find myself quite "uncreative" and I like my creature comforts.

So it would be like... get a trip to Sydney... erm... ok what from there? Do what? See what? How long for?

Plus staying at a decent place (i wouldnt be slumming it ever) the cost soon racks up...


Has someone put together a guide of places to go, things to see and people to meet, for people who like comfort :)?
 
kindai said:
I would love to do a trip like that, but I often find myself quite "uncreative" and I like my creature comforts.

So it would be like... get a trip to Sydney... erm... ok what from there? Do what? See what? How long for?

Plus staying at a decent place (i wouldnt be slumming it ever) the cost soon racks up...


Has someone put together a guide of places to go, things to see and people to meet, for people who like comfort :)?
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That depends on the individual. Plenty of information of the net if you research what you dont/do like to do.

I was in the same situation as you, I just got Googling.
 
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