Travel ! Optimization Questions : How ? Why? Where? ?

[Lynnel]

I've been thinking lately that travel could be very useful for my development but I do not see it as a "let's relax at the beach" experience, nor a "appreciation of nature etc."  That's some mindless  "bourgeois" distractions.

So, let me ask you : what do you believe travel should do?

Break your paradigms, help you notice that you are as unhappy somewhere else, make you aware of how things can be done differently and how retarded you were.

How ? Where ?

That's the real questions : looking at some beautiful landscapes in Iceland for instance isn't optimal. Do I need to spam culture shock on myself by traveling accross asia ? Is it not gonna be the same plants, flower ? How do you really make travel a rich experience ?

TDLR : how can you MILK and optimize travel as to get a LOT of experience and not not indulge yourself in mindless sightseeing ?

[Lai]

On 3/17/2017 at 7:28 PM, Lynnel said:

So, let me ask you : what do you believe travel should do?

Traveling is about you.

Make your own adventure.  Cambodia will help you.

[Steph1988]

@Lai U did go there awesome.

did you go alone? how did you spend time there?

[Lynnel]

9 hours ago, Maorice said:

What travels should do in my opinion:

- Make fun. I'm not talking about the just for fun "spring break like" trips, where it's just about drugs, sex and alcohol. But travels without fun aren't good.
- Expand your comfort zone
- Be adventurous
- Make you learn about other cultures / the world
- Expand your horizon / give you a bigger picture
- Be relaxing / not stressful at least

Here is the problem ;

Expanding your comfort zone won't be relaxing. Relaxing is for the hot but. We're speaking about progress here.

How do you learn about other cultures if you don't speak the language for instance ? How can you go further than mindless sightseeing ? You won't get that just by looking arround, do you ?

How does it give me a bigger picture ? Yeah I can somehow graps it and explore it but I want this travel thing to be efficient. Maybe sightseeing isn't that pointless after all ?

[Lai]

14 hours ago, Steph1988 said:

did you go alone? how did you spend time there?

@Steph1988 I went alone, but didn't come back the same.

[Steph1988]

@Lai interesting how so?  i am curious what did you learn there? how long did you go? what attracted you to this particular country?

I am asking because i want to see more of the world myself in the future and you did go alone i find that brave and it kinda intrigues me.

Edited March 19, 2017 by Steph1988

[Lai]

@Steph1988 I learnt that traveling is not just moving about in other cultures. I traveled in South East Asia for three months, and did a 10-day Vipassana retreat there.  I am attracted to Asian cultures and children, and also to light travelers.

 

[Michael569]

Travel, especially  to see nature and countryside is a a form of re-connection with your humanity. Most of us, stuck in cubicles, apartments, and various facilities are completely out of touch with what it used to mean being a human years ago. It calms your soul, teaches you to appreciate simple and beautiful things and be at peace with your inner demons. 

However this does not apply if you travel to concrete jungles like NY or Tokyo. 

In 2016 I travelled to Kalimantan,Indonesia rented a local guide for 5 day jungle tracking and feel the impact of that journey still today. Something inside you changes when you live a life like that even for a very short time. 

[LRyan]

3 hours ago, Lai said:

@Steph1988 I learnt that traveling is not just moving about in other cultures. I traveled in South East Asia for three months, and did a 10-day Vipassana retreat there.  I am attracted to Asian cultures and children, and also to light travelers.

 

Wow, I am amazed that you took this journey and that you gained so much from it.  It must have made such an impact on you.   How did you like the Vipassana retreat?   I am longing to do the same but I just wouldn't know where to start.  I have an interest in the Chinese culture and people as well. I always pictured myself visiting there and staying to help in some capacity....  So good to hear that you found what you were looking for!

 

[jjer94]

@Lai Okay, I'll address the elephant in the room. You're freakin' gorgeous.

Now that that's out of the way, how did you plan a vagabonding expedition like that? Do you have any resources you could share?

[Lai]

@jjer94 thank you, but I am so embarrassed. I don't mean to show off in any way.

20 hours ago, jjer94 said:

how did you plan a vagabonding expedition like that? Do you have any resources you could share?

If you like I can show you some easy steps for this.

First you go into a bad relationship that your friends warn you is doomed from the beginning.  Then you watch the trainwreck as your partner cheats and breaks up with you in a very heartbreaking and very mean way.  Having nothing to lose, it now becomes easy to take the next step:  travel light, alone, and as far away from Europe as possible.  

[Lai]

On 3/20/2017 at 9:55 PM, LRyan said:

Wow, I am amazed that you took this journey and that you gained so much from it.  It must have made such an impact on you.   How did you like the Vipassana retreat?   I am longing to do the same but I just wouldn't know where to start.  I have an interest in the Chinese culture and people as well. I always pictured myself visiting there and staying to help in some capacity....  So good to hear that you found what you were looking for!

@LRyan I gained a lot from my travels, but I have more to learn.  The 10-day silent retreat was really tough, I almost left on day 3.  But it really helped me overcome a lot of pain and anguish and be more open to life's opportunities.  I may or may not have found what I'm looking for. 

[jjer94]

3 hours ago, Lai said:

@jjer94 thank you, but I am so embarrassed. I don't mean to show off in any way.

If you like I can show you some easy steps for this.

First you go into a bad relationship that your friends warn you is doomed from the beginning.  Then you watch the trainwreck as your partner cheats and breaks up with you in a very heartbreaking and very mean way.  Having nothing to lose, it now becomes easy to take the next step:  travel light, alone, and as far away from Europe as possible.  

You're not showing off. You're just being you! 

It's okay to be you. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

Ouch! That's gotta hurt. Even so, our toughest moments are usually blessings in disguise, as I'm sure you discovered.

Cheers from the USA.

[eskwire]

@Lynnel I recommend going with some structure.

For example, my largest travel experience was through a study abroad program. Through that program, I traveled around southern Mexico meeting with politically and socially active groups, and had an internship with the state coucil for HIV/AIDS prevention. 

Through these connections, we did bizarre and awesome stuff.

Like, we stayed with a group of Quakers in Mexico City for a few days.

We picked coffee beans at a farming co-op in the moutains.

We also had to give up our passports to meet with Zapatistas at one of their communes.

I knew a little bit of the language beforehand, but came back nearly fluent. 

The structure really opened doors and made the trip more than just dragging yourself from restaurant to bar to sight-seeing location. We did plenty of that, too. 

I'm not certain what other kind of structure you could look for outside of a school setting, but surely there is something. People travel and teach English to get immersed somewhere for a while. 

I don't have pictures readily available to share, but I'll never forget all the graffiti and murals. One house close to where I stayed had a mural of the Gorillaz on an entire side. A HOUSE. When I flew back into the US, I cried my eyes out when I looked at the gray/beige buildings against the overcast sky. I still don't understand why we go out of our way to be so boring and depressing. 

[eskwire]

@Lai Yes, you're very pretty. I want your cheeks. I can't really tell what's going on or how it's happening from your pictures. What involvement did you have with kids? Were you teaching them? Where did you stay or whom did you stay with? Did you just leave with a certain amount of money and then plan as you went?

And lastly, what were you looking for? ?

[Lai]

4 hours ago, eskwire said:

I want your cheeks.

Omg... you've just reminded me of my difficult childhood going through school.  I was often made fun of my face cheeks.  My nickname was "the frog".  This is the main reason I'm still a shy person today.

I traveled mostly alone, and sometimes shared rides with other travelers. You don't need much money to travel through Asia. If you are careful with your money, you can travel for just €20 a day.  Low-end bungalow accommodation (hard bed with mosquito net) is usually just €3 a night, and a scooter costs around €4 a day.

This delicious BBQ corn on the cob was my dinner, and it was just €0.25!

Edited March 21, 2017 by Lai

[eskwire]

19 minutes ago, Lai said:

Omg... you've just reminded me of my difficult childhood going through school.  I was often made fun of my face cheeks.  My nickname was "the frog".  This is the main reason I'm still a shy person today.

I was called "fat white bitch" in Spanish as a child so it could be worse. ?

Hats off to you for budgeting like that! I am so loose with my money and it's clear that I could be doing so much more with it if I didn't waste it.