It's been one of my greatest sources of happiness and enjoyment; travelling the world.
It's not just the act of travelling of course, it's what happens when one does so, the events, experiences and activities, the solitude of far away places, anonymity of not knowing a soul around, exploring new places, delving into the history and culture, meeting new people and other such things that travelling brings. I've had bad moment during my travels, things that went wrong, were dangerous and other disappointments but the value I have gained from travelling to various parts of the world have far outweighed any negatives.
Chatting with a work colleague today, one who has also travelled extensively, I was curious to hear so many negative comments in respect of his travels. It was one "horror story" after another, that's how he pitched them anyway, and as he was talking I was thinking, that doesn't sound that bad, or yep, that happened to me too and I dealt with it and moved on. What struck me was the way we saw things so differently, approached the complications, problems and scenarios that, invariably, travelling around the world will bring.
Glass half full, glass half empty...or glass smashed into smithereens on the ground; it's all about perspective.
Personally, I don't have those horror stories; mine are simply "things that happened," and I see them as part and parcel of the overall experience. Furthermore, some of the best moments I've had have been the direct result of something going wrong and I think that's pretty cool.
I'm a better version of myself when I'm travelling for recreation, holidays and the like: More relaxed, less stressed, less single-focused and I have a broader outlook - just a few differences from the non-travelling version. I'm happier because of those things, not that I'm not usually happy, it's just different, a deeper happiness and contentment I feel more free. I think that's probably why things don't tend to phase me too much and I see the difficulties as part of the entire experience.
The experiences I've had are too numerous to list in a short post like this and many I don't want to share as not everything needs to be on the internet; I like to keep my personal life personal. I've had some truly amazing experiences though and each forms a memory that I'm able to draw upon at will and each is a valued part of my life, even those things that didn't go quite to plan.
It was a bit sad listening to that fellow talking about his travels and being so negative rather than focusing on the great parts and seeing the less-good aspects as stepping stones to to get there. I wonder about you though.
Have you had things go wrong on your travels that have stuck with you and overshadowed the good aspects? Do you see them as part of the experience or things that you wish never happened? I get it, sometimes these things cause major problems but do you take it all in your stride or allow them to detract from the whole experience? Feel free to comment if you would like.
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Actually "bad" things that have happened was being unable to land on the tiny island due to bad weather (landing in bad weather is actually dangerous as with the lack of length of the runway there's not much room for error) and having to turn around and fly back to where you came from.
Fortunately haven't had that happen with the kids and while it doesn't seem bad in the grand scheme of things it is absolutely devastating when you a) absolutely LOATHE the transit part of travelling (as I do, absolutely hate with every single fibre of my being the having to sit in the plane/bus/car/whatever between points) and b) have very limited time (when this happened I was often going home for between 1 and 4 weeks and when it's 1-2 weeks and you're basically losing a day travelling already that extra day feels like a lot).
also I hate vibrations that much that it doesn't matter how cool and fun exploring a destination is and how much I enjoy it, getting over having to deal with the transit part is incredibly difficult for me
Good thing that happened as a result of a bad thing was...well sibling dearest and I thought it was great but mother dearest probably wasn't as keen on the hit to the wallet XD One flight we were supposed to be heading back to Singapore (which for a while was our travel nexus) after being out somewhere and the airline had stuffed up and not actually booked a confirmed and paid for flight (as far as I could tell from listening to the somewhat pidgin conversation). Mum was really mad and I think they gave us a discounted upgrade to business class as that was the only place we would fit.
So we flew business class for the first time ever XD
Being unable to land is problematic because what goes up must come down eventually. Clearly it came down in a controlled manner as you're here writing comments. The alternative, uncontrolled manner, isn't so good though huh?
I get what you mean though, the loss of time when turn-arounds occur, even delays that prevent take off. Having to travel from Australia to other parts of the world means that the travel time is long and to get the most from the huge cost one tends to stay abroad for longer; losing days is losing money and the time may never be recovered I guess either.
Upgrades to business class are always welcome and often make up for vibrations huh? Ok, not really, but for a vibration non-lover like yourself I'd say it's easier to deal withe them from business class than the back of the plane.
Yeh uncontrolled down sounds like a bad idea XD
I value time a lot more than money so it did hurt x_x
I don't know I only recall flying business class that one time. If there were other times it might have been once or twice. It didn't help the vibrations in the slightest but the extra perks were nice XD
My glass is half empty, I am looking for the fool that drank from my glass. Pity that fool if I find em... 😂
I like the wandering you did when you and yours wandered off for that breakfast date without these a.i. tethers we are addicted to.
Every time I spend a day at home without mine it is refreshing.
I look to you for my glass filling. Gotta get it topped off. Half ain't cuttin' it bro!
My bro, you're in need of a good fucken glassfillerising! If I was there we'd go do something to make it happen and then lay in hammocks at the ranch and tell each other lies with a brew.
Sound fair?
To quote a man I highly admire. That would be "legit"!
Le...fucken...git!
Your glass of ODouls was too tempting, I stole that shit bro
Well whoever thee fuck drank my glass full. I just hope they didn't backwash me. No man spit on my please.!!
Backwash, no bueno.
I've heard a few comedians with bits pretty similar to this... like people complaining that that their flight was delayed, without thinking too much that flight is absolutely incredible. For the vast majority of human history, travel like this was either impossible or pretty life-threatening... and I definitely have friends that do tend to focus on the negatives.
Personally, I've noticed that my friends that do focus on the negatives tend not to travel for the enlightenment of it, but are almost 'collecting' tourist attractions or experiences... to show or say they've done it. In these conversations I like to stir the pot a bit and ask what did they learn... and, ah, without being a total jerk, a lot of responses were underwhelming.
Great point (points really), about the travel-collectors. I see it all the time, people arriving somewhere taking a selfie and fucking off quick smart. It's like, yep, I'll get a few likes for that, let's move on.
I'm more about the experience, history, learning how things were done, why, about the place I'm at, the culture and people and so on. I've done some super-incredible things and have photos too, but they're to augment the memory, not for facebook likes.
Not jerkish...so many human interactions are underwhelming these days.
Thanks for your bonza comment, I hope you're well.
Me too! There have been so many trips where I've gotten so much more out of chatting with the taxi driver on the way to the thing, than the actual thing. I think I'm at the point where I'd honestly rather skip the tourist attraction altogether and find where the locals are hanging out.
Hahaha, you beaut, I haven't heard bonza in a while. I'm really good. Hope life is treating you amazingly (or at least above averagely).
Bloody taxi drivers...either a wealth of knowledge and good conversation or just plain terrible. Lol.
All good here mate, just flat out like a lizard drinking with work and life. I manage to find a few islands of calm and try to stay there for a while but it's often short-lived.
I figured bonza wasn't something you've probably heard for a while and I thought, crikey, I better say it lest his Australianess is too far diluted. Lol.
I haven't had extensive travel in my life, but most have been good experiences.
I understand when you plan and pay big for a great experience and then it turns out "not like you planned" it can be disappointing. High expectations and all of that sort of thing. Some folks can't handle the unexpected things as well as others and can't seem to figure out how to make them work anyway. Once you are there though, trying to make something good out of a disappointment seems a must. No sense in wasting the whole memory.
I recall that about you, some decent trips in the States though right?
Yep, there's that. But when I've planned and paid so much money I choose not to let those things detract from the experience, I make them feel like part of what I've paid for and they tend to make the good aspects feel way gooder. Yeah, I know that's not a word.
"No sense wasting the whole memory," you say. I say damn straight!
Yes, I have traveled a little inside the states and lived half a country away from my family on a mid-life adventure for 6 years. I'm so glad I did it while I could. It was a great and educational experience.
Travelling broadens one's experience so easily and that tends to stay with a person, for the better.
I think your colleague probably just doesn't like to travel and maybe got dragged along by family? Or maybe he's just a negative person in general and always see the glass half empty
I was just talking to my sister today about flying budget airlines from our local airport. She said she had a very bad experience 20 years ago, so now she'd rather drive 3 hours to London, pay for parking and more expensive major airline tickets, instead of a 20 journey to our local airport and fly budget airline. Me and my other sister felt that budget airlines aren't great, but they've come a long way since 20 years, and it's mainly short haul anyway. It's much better to save the hassle and waste so much time to get to the airport. I wonder if she'll change her mind...
You're right on the negative person aspect, no doubt; a good guy, someone I like and wish I could help out, but someone I find very draining at the same time.
I've travelled on some of the best airlines, up the front, and in other parts of the plane too, (down the back), and on some terrible planes, or other modes of transport as well, and while some could be seen as better than others I see it all as experience and another layer of the trip. I actually don't see a lot of point in paying high prices for travel as it takes away from monies better spent in other ways but there's times I will pay I guess, depends on where and how long the flight is.
I tend to agree with your (and other sister's) ethos on the matter and think it's probably quite smart.
We have had instances where things didn't go the best. Mostly when it comes to the flying part of our trips, but those are just blips in an otherwise great memory when we recount it now.
Bring on the travel blips I say, it means *I'm travelling and experiencing, and that I have the chance to have good blips to outweigh the bad blips.
#blipon
For sure!
It’s sad that people tend to focus on all the negative stuff. Sometimes my wife can be like that as well and it’s trying. We just went to X place and had a great time but the food sucked so let’s talk about the food. Lame lol.
I certainly have traveled quite a bit, though so much of it relatively locally but we do have some sketchy stories when we’re in Italy - ones where my perspective of it is different than my wife’s considering she has different things to be concerned about. I think a lot of it has to do with the person and how they approach life in general!
It's the default for some and it's very sad as you say, especially considering there's far better ways to think or feel. As you say, it's about how the person is generally and sometimes it's not something they can control either. I guess it's up to others to help guide them through, help them see from different perspectives.
Italy...I had some amazingly great experiences there over the several visits I've made...a few debacles though...but coffee and cannoli's made it all better. 😁
Hi Galen, I have several bad experiences traveling, though few, and some quite funny ones. Some bad ones that make you have a really bad time. But I'll tell you about a bad experience, remembered with a smile. A few years ago, with my then girlfriend, we decided to rent a rural house in a mountainous place for a few days. Leaving for the last day of vacation the visit to one of the most important contemporary art museums in Spain, which was about two hours drive from the house rented for the vacations. With the bad luck that we arrived on one of the three days of the year in which the museum was closed, in this case because it was a city holiday. I visited the museum years later.
Greeting
Oh man, that's no good! A shame indeed and but it's good that you managed to visit it at a later time.
These things that happen are part of life, we can allow it to ruin our holidays and general plans or we can take them in our stride and pivot to other things that may provide better experiences.
Eventually the closed museum was rewarded. In the second visit we spent a week in the city, and we were able to get to know the place in a way that we would not have done in one day. The city is called Cuenca, and if you are passing through Spain and have a chance to visit it, you will not waste your time. If you go in autumn, all the better.
I'd like to visit Spain at some stage, not somewhere I've been before. I'll call ahead and make sure the museum is open though. 🫣
You will do very well, I know people who don't.😁
Good or bad experiences always leads to learning more, travel is an adventure no need to become uptight when things don't happen the way you planned.
I agree, it's the adventure of it that often brings the greatest enjoyment and memories. Have you ever had any travel mishaps?
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I have a big list of places I'd love to visit, and I've been waiting for over a decade to start with that list of mine. However, all of that will have to wait for now. Now it's time to grind hard so that in the future I have the time and resources to make my traveling dreams come true.
One step at a time. 🔥
I agree, there's a time to work and what you do not may set you up for the future although at the same time putting things off for the future has also ended badly for some as life has a way of throwing curveballs.
Good luck.
I'm fairly optimistic about this grind and journey of mine. It'll come to fruition, I'll make it happen; of course, if I'm alive and well. 😬
I think one of the worst experiences I've had was when my flight was delayed, and I was unable to get to my connecting flight in time. It was also midnight, so most of the stores were close. I had to wait a few hours before I got on another flight. I had to wait on the seats, but some said after I arrived in my destination that I should have demanded access to the lounge.
Yep, that's a nightmare scenario especially when it disrupts everything else that follows, and when flying across the world can be very problematic. Demand the airline lounge next time for sure.
I don't fly often, so I didn't know I can do that, and if it was still open even at midnight. But next time I will. Although, I'd rather not have to go through that at all and just get to my connecting flight on time.
Oh yeah, best the flight happens...but airline lounges are legit, and would make a good option for you if it happens again.
A particular incident stands out when I was reading this post, it was a very disgusting one and it informed my decision to never eat food from the streets again whenever I travelled.
I used to love the delicacies sold on the streets because they were simple and close to natural as against the very spicy foods that fast food cafes have to offer, not to mention that they are cheaper too. I had eaten to my heart's content and walked away from a particular stall when I discovered I had left my wallet behind. I quickly ran back to retrieve it but what I saw left me in horror, the food seller had wiped her little one's bum with a tissue paper, after defecating, and had dipped her hand right back into the food she was selling, without washing them..... Arrrgh! It haunts me till date.
Disgusting!
I have had many experiences while traveling, good and bad. Once at night I was stranded on the road, in the middle of nowhere. It was not a pleasant one, nevertheless it was an experience I needed to have.
Whenever I relate my traveling experiences, if I do not add it the ‘not so great experience’ it seems incomplete.
I've been stranded too, well away from anywhere out in the Australian outback...Not a comfortable feeling considering the dangers, although it all worked out and I look back (like you on yours) and think about the experience and good tale I have to tell. I should do a post on it one day.
There are many such natural places where there are mountains and in this way we see that the weather there is very beautiful and cloudy but if the food there is not good, then man has something to do. A little bit of trouble, we friends also went for a similar trip two years ago, the area was very beautiful, but the food was not good.
I find that good company makes bad food average and good food great! It's all about perspective.
I like how you share you're experiences during travel. I like reading it, what makes me stress was the questions after. Hehehe, it seems that I've been answering an essay type of question thrown by my English teacher. hahaha. I wanted to engage more about your work, cause it help me on my post too. 😁 Anyway, for now, to answer the question: Challenges are part of travels. As long as, it's not an accident during travel, the problems are easily to handle. It's also part of the memories to share when you encountered problems and solve it or let it be. Have a happy weekend.
Have you travelled much and what elements to like like the most and which the least?
Another essay question. 😁 Okay, I cannot travel as much as I like since my budget is limited. I traveled to only three islands in our country. Imagine, we have 7,109 islands, and I only traveled three. Poor me. But, when I traveled, the element that I liked was the place where I stayed after traveling, the hotels, inns, etc. The least would be the things that I need to carry. Like clothes, shoes, and any necessary things for travel. How I wish I just bought those stuff in the destination place and left them after. Hehehe
The ‘bad’ things that could happen will depend on each person's approach and way of being. If that person is naturally negative, he or she will see everything negative, that's the way it is.
Not so happy events always happen, like when I arrived here and I had a lot of complications renting with a kitten, but something very positive came out of it and although I felt very bad and overwhelmed at first I took the positive part, I learned and moved on.
Things... are things, you have to learn from them. But a lot of people take it as... horror.
Have you had any travel related mishaps?
The only minor thing was that my cat became very nervous, she cried a lot, during the transfer from one plane to another and I had to give her drops to calm her down. Otherwise, everything went perfectly.
In moments when I'm having a hard time, when I'm pressed by obligations at work, when I need an escape from reality...
I close my eyes and remember the beautiful moments from my travels.
Yes, I only remember the good times.
There are always ugly moments and there will be, but I want to forget them and don't think about them.
Was my flight delayed or cancelled, did my luggage get lost, was there terrible turbulence, did my car break down abroad, did I seek medical attention for burns, food poisoning, spider fish bites , high temperatures...
Was my accommodation overbooked, so I changed the hotel or even canceled, so I changed the city as well...
For all these years, wherever I traveled, I etched in my mind beautiful moments, the smiles and faces of the people I met, the history of the cities and countries I visited, the beautiful architecture of their buildings and beautiful pictures of their gardens and parks, the view of natural beauty , but also the museum settings and the meals I enjoyed...
I don't want to remember any ugly moments, and there were some...
I like recalling those bad moments and how I dealt with them, how I turned them around and created good ones from them; it adds a different element to the memories and, after the fact, the pain or problems caused by them so they're just things that happened.
I don't forget them. but I don't call them to mind when I need travel moments for a gentle reset from stress 😀
All those unpleasant situations made me improve - in planning, in preparing for the trip, in dealing with them when they occur.
An example of a humorous situation:
I went to a business meeting in another country in one day, leaving early in the morning, returning late in the evening. a meeting that lasted 4 hours. I only brought my laptop...
Due to the storm, the plane that was supposed to bring me back home couldn't land and so I stayed far from home, with only my laptop.
Not even a toothbrush... Not even spare socks and underwear, a clean shirt, nothing...
Since then I know, even if I go for a short time, far from home, I carry a small backpack with me, with a few spare pieces of clothing...
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