Okay for those of you wondering about the title of this thread...
Anyone experience friends, co-workers, and peers "hating" when you share your travel plans or talk about your travel experiences?
I am noticing that it's a common trend for me, that when I mention to people that I'm traveling to Mexico (or insert any place outside the U.S.), people react in a somewhat passive aggressive or condescending way.
Reactions like "oh that's great" in a sarcastic way all the way to "you have to be crazy to go there", or "you couldn't pay me to spend a second in ___". It's even worse when you are a single guy traveling to a place like Brazil or Thailand, people always want to hate and say "oh you're just going there because you can't get laid and want to fuck hookers..." Like it's unfathomable that a person may be interested in experiencing a foreign culture, seeing amazing sites, and just doing straight up cool/fun stuff you couldn't do in your every day life.
I am coming to realize that most people hate on those who travel, because they either can't afford to travel, or they just don't have the balls to step outside their comfort zone and go to an exotic "foreign land".
For the people that can't afford to travel, I can feel their pain. A buddy of mine who is an all around good guy, I'm sure doesn't mean to hate, but when I told him I got a one-way ticket to Mexico, his face contorted, I could see his expression drop, and whether he consciously meant it or not, he came off as mad sarcastic, when he was like "cool, sounds like fun." I thought about it a minute later after we parted ways and realized it must suck for him to hear that considering he's struggling working for minimum wage, living pay check to pay check,while he knows I'll be doing cool shit like chilling at the beach drinking beer, snorkeling, visiting Mayan ruins, etc.
Now for those people who hate on traveling, but have the resources to do it, but are just too pussy, well I got no fucking sympathy for those people at all. It's your typical close-minded American who thinks the world is this big scary place and if you got somewhere like Latin America you will be drugged, raped, robbed, beaten, kidnapped, etc. They delude themselves into thinking that this is the best country in the world so why travel anywhere else. Really it's just a rationalization for their own lack of courage to step outside their precious little bubble.
Let's face it, it does take some balls, and maybe some smarts, or some passion and interest to gain more out of life. Worldwide travelers are a rare breed, a better breed if you ask me. We seek more experience out of life, strive to do something greater, something out of the ordinary. Certainly we don't let fear and comfort rule our lives.
When we travel to a new country, a new continent, see and experience a new culture, we grow as a person. Coming back, we have changed, but pretty much everyone else stays the same. These people who stay in their comfortable little cocoon, deep down inside they know that there is something greater out there, something to be seen and experienced in this life. Since they don't experience this, they can only sit back and be passive aggressive, cynical, hate on those who do, or simply rationalize away why they couldn't or shouldn't take the plunge and take that trip.
If there is anything to take away from this post, it's that if you're not growing, than what are you doing? One of the greatest ways to grow as a person, in my humble opinion is to get on a jet plane and go see another part of the world. Don't do it from the safety of your tour bus, or hotel window, get out there and get drunk with the locals, eat at the food stalls, make a friend and go hiking up in the hills to that hidden waterfall.
You only live on this earth once, so experience as much as there is in life to experience. There will always be a new iphone, flat screen tv, or whatever at Target or BestBuy, but when you are sitting on your deathbed will you really think about the ipad 2, or will you think of that night watching shooting stars over the Sahara sky, or that beautiful Brazilian girl with the freshly shaved pussy? The choice is yours my friends.
Anyone experience friends, co-workers, and peers "hating" when you share your travel plans or talk about your travel experiences?
I am noticing that it's a common trend for me, that when I mention to people that I'm traveling to Mexico (or insert any place outside the U.S.), people react in a somewhat passive aggressive or condescending way.
Reactions like "oh that's great" in a sarcastic way all the way to "you have to be crazy to go there", or "you couldn't pay me to spend a second in ___". It's even worse when you are a single guy traveling to a place like Brazil or Thailand, people always want to hate and say "oh you're just going there because you can't get laid and want to fuck hookers..." Like it's unfathomable that a person may be interested in experiencing a foreign culture, seeing amazing sites, and just doing straight up cool/fun stuff you couldn't do in your every day life.
I am coming to realize that most people hate on those who travel, because they either can't afford to travel, or they just don't have the balls to step outside their comfort zone and go to an exotic "foreign land".
For the people that can't afford to travel, I can feel their pain. A buddy of mine who is an all around good guy, I'm sure doesn't mean to hate, but when I told him I got a one-way ticket to Mexico, his face contorted, I could see his expression drop, and whether he consciously meant it or not, he came off as mad sarcastic, when he was like "cool, sounds like fun." I thought about it a minute later after we parted ways and realized it must suck for him to hear that considering he's struggling working for minimum wage, living pay check to pay check,while he knows I'll be doing cool shit like chilling at the beach drinking beer, snorkeling, visiting Mayan ruins, etc.
Now for those people who hate on traveling, but have the resources to do it, but are just too pussy, well I got no fucking sympathy for those people at all. It's your typical close-minded American who thinks the world is this big scary place and if you got somewhere like Latin America you will be drugged, raped, robbed, beaten, kidnapped, etc. They delude themselves into thinking that this is the best country in the world so why travel anywhere else. Really it's just a rationalization for their own lack of courage to step outside their precious little bubble.
Let's face it, it does take some balls, and maybe some smarts, or some passion and interest to gain more out of life. Worldwide travelers are a rare breed, a better breed if you ask me. We seek more experience out of life, strive to do something greater, something out of the ordinary. Certainly we don't let fear and comfort rule our lives.
When we travel to a new country, a new continent, see and experience a new culture, we grow as a person. Coming back, we have changed, but pretty much everyone else stays the same. These people who stay in their comfortable little cocoon, deep down inside they know that there is something greater out there, something to be seen and experienced in this life. Since they don't experience this, they can only sit back and be passive aggressive, cynical, hate on those who do, or simply rationalize away why they couldn't or shouldn't take the plunge and take that trip.
If there is anything to take away from this post, it's that if you're not growing, than what are you doing? One of the greatest ways to grow as a person, in my humble opinion is to get on a jet plane and go see another part of the world. Don't do it from the safety of your tour bus, or hotel window, get out there and get drunk with the locals, eat at the food stalls, make a friend and go hiking up in the hills to that hidden waterfall.
You only live on this earth once, so experience as much as there is in life to experience. There will always be a new iphone, flat screen tv, or whatever at Target or BestBuy, but when you are sitting on your deathbed will you really think about the ipad 2, or will you think of that night watching shooting stars over the Sahara sky, or that beautiful Brazilian girl with the freshly shaved pussy? The choice is yours my friends.