Well Traveled

I am curious about this term and the idea of travel or tourism. Travel is simply the act of going to a place away from home. Today, people refer to travel as going to an airport and boarding a jet to another part of the world. They then stay at a hotel while at this place. The cost for such an endeavor can start at about $1000 or more depending upon the duration and distance. This activity seems to be a necessity among many people here in the US.

For example, it is said that a trip to San Francisco California for 7 days can cost as little as $1,830, that is $450 for a plane ticket, $90 per night in a so-so Hotel, $50 per day food and about $400 for shows, museums, and shopping. I think that these prices are somewhat unrealistic for this part of the country, even during the off-season; the total cost is probably going to be more like $2,400. Never the less, people seem to think that this is definitely a worthwhile investment… in memories.

Now, there is me, a person who spent $1,980 on a table saw that I will have for the rest of my life. This is a tool that continues to give me pleasure and enables me to build most anything from wood. That’s where the disparity comes for me, spending 7 days in San Francisco or building anything from wood for the rest of my life.

The part that bothers me about being “traveled” is the boasting that people do after their trip. It irks me that they tell little about the actual details of their ventures, rather they love saying they did it…just to gain approval?

The desire of others to listen to one who describes their travels is an ancient tradition that dates back to the beginning of humankind. Travel wasn't a necessity for the common person, but for the rich it was an adventure.

I don’t dispute traveling; it’s just the methods, airports, hotels, and most of all, the cost. I am not a spectator and do not get into brief snippets of tourism. I did do this and was quite board with it.

No, for me I say, “I like to visit far away places that are truly different.” I spoke to a friend about visiting San Francisco, and they said that it is a nice place to stay, but that its good parts are not that much different than the good parts here in my town. But, he said that in order for me to capture the true essence of the city, I would have to spend some time there, about a month or so. Well, because of income generating commitments here and the cost of staying there, I simply could not afford to do this.

For me, I would have to change my life style to enable me to meet friends in the places I wanted to stay and have income generation potential that would allow me to go somewhere and get the feel for a place. I am simply oriented to a place by how it feels, not necessary by how it looks. The people I interact with while I am there is important, and I have to have time to get to know them.

The people who I know that I would qualify as being well traveled, are people who made these places there home for a period of time. These people are not much different than I with the exception that they truly have a global perspective. This is what I would really like to do. But because my after expenses income is relatively low, I cannot afford to do this. So, for me, snippets of travel just do not do it for me, I would rather just stay home.

E 1999

As of this date 1999, I had not traveled very much or very far except for business. In this mode, all US cities seemed to appear to be the same.

Then in 2001, I met my wife through a mutual friend. We started to converse via email. In July 2001 I traveled to her home country of China where I spent three weeks with her in her city of Huangdao. I returned to see her in the summer of 2002. Everything I said above applies...four fold. The American Tourists I saw in Qingdao ...had no idea.

E 2004