The necessity of travel

Growing up in the US, I feel that the general population is completely misled in regards to world travel.  Having not traveled to the extent that I desire, I still feel I have a place to state my opinion on the subject.  All that anyone sees on the news back home is terror and anarchy everywhere in the world besides the US.  When it comes to actual freedom, I believe the US has given its people the best possible scenario if it was used properly, by the people.

In the midst of the chaos that is going on back home as far as the struggling economy, the downturned housing market, and the lack of support from the rest of the world, it seems as though the instability of the US should be the primary concern, not the problems in the Middle East or surrounding areas.  There was a lot of news a while back about the struggles of Greece and other European nations especially with the transition on the Euro as the main currency.  The nations of the EU came together and bailed the struggling parties out of their deficit but only based on the promise of change...  not the idea of change, but immediate action.

When it comes to the US, we do not have many supporting parties for multiple reasons but I think it is mainly for getting into other peoples' business.  In Europe, if help is needed, it is asked for, not imposed by 3rd parties.  This ultimately leads to the US being in a severe debt and eventually, when people come to collect this debt, the US is ready, but not by means of returning the favor, by means of military and force.  Don't get me wrong, I am 100 percent pro military, but when it is used to defend us as the nation, not to overthrow what we feel is ours at the expense of 18 year old kids and their families.

All of this brings me to the initial discussion of travel.  To actually visit and experience what TV says is not as great as the US, and to be engulfed in an unfamiliar culture, not one that has been Westernized and deemed a tourist destination.  Most people will not do this out of fear because of what we see on TV everyday, such as, all of the problems going on as far as drug cartels, rapes, murders, kidnappings, etc.  The lack of understanding comes with hearing that this is going on in Mexico... do you know how big Mexico is?  Do you know how many people there are in Mexico?  Do you know how many cities there are in Mexico?

My point is, is that the same could be said about the US, if you were to generalize it as a whole.  It is simply too large to do that though.  Comparatively, do you know how many rapes, murders, drug cartels, etc. are going on in the US as we speak?  If there are legitimate issues going on in say, Mexico City, just don't go there, go to some coastal destination like Cancun and sit on the beach at an all-inclusive and enjoy yourself with a a few Dos Equis and a violent sunburn.  I would be willing to say that a murderous drug dealer from Mexico City is not going to be trolling the coastline for someone to pick off, drive 400 miles back home, make a media presentation and pawn it off that they are infiltrating the entire nation.  Same thing goes in the US.  I am pretty sure I'll be okay roaming the streets or Prior Lake, Minnesota if there is a serial rapist in Tallahassee, Florida.

Some of the most beautiful places that I visited in Austria were completely off of the beaten path.  Not places like Salzburg and Vienna, which are beautiful by the way.  The city in this particular instance was Obertauern.  Take a peek online at it.  It gave me a chance to experience and understand their culture; why family is so important, nightly home cooked meals involving the entire family, their enjoyment of the outdoors, in particular, skiing, the absolute beauty and power of the mountains and how it plays a major role in their climate, traditional foods, social drinking and a ridiculous amount of pride for their nation and heritage through the art of obnoxious song choices...  The list can go on and on, but these are the things that you experience away from metropolises and commercialization.

Additionally, when most people come to Norway, they usually will say I have been to Oslo, which is great.  It is a major city and a major port and there is plenty of history here.  But in order to really experience what Norway is all about, take your travels to places like Stavanger (in particular the Lysefjord and preikestolen), Bergen, Geiranger, or Trondheim.  Unfortunately, that is the extent of any of my travels here due to a lack of down time and the grotesque prices here.  Nevertheless, if you really want to experience countries, cities, and areas unfamiliar to you in the world, do it the right way, not the typical way.  Lose yourself and relieve the American ideologies that these places are inferior to you and your nation in someway or another.  If you do that, I am a firm believer that it will enhance the experience tremendously.

Another main reason that this subject came to mind was a trip I am planning in the next month down to Southeast Asia.  Of all my friends, there were only 2 that were excited and intrigued, both of which have experienced and appreciated different cultures away from the US.  To the rest, a sense of fear and misunderstanding seemed to take them over.  Fear for my safety and misunderstanding because there seemed to be no logical explanation to why I would even think of visiting these places.  It is the same when people talk about Germany back home, most everyone thinks of Hitler and his regime and the decimation of Europe.  When speaking about Croatia, people think of war torn Yugoslavia.  When you talk about Austria, people will make a barbecue reference possibly made famous by Dumb and Dumber.  When you talk about Vietnam, horror stories of the war are the first thoughts that come to mind.  What people generally don't understand is that the US is just a baby compared to these other nations.  Yes, as far as industrial capabilities, world influence, innovation, etc. the US ranks very highly but when it comes down to it, these other nations have been through territorial wars, were instrumental in infrastructure development, and destructive tyranny way before the US was even a thought.  So despite popular belief that the US is such an advanced nation in all aspects, we have not experienced a fraction of what these other "underdeveloped" nations have encountered.

All in all, you have to see it to believe it.  You have to experience it as it is meant to be, not though photographs and history books and political propaganda.  A major comparison that I could give, despite not going there, is the Grand Canyon.  People will look at pictures and say, "wow, that's really neat" then turn to the next page, but it is not until you are at the top of a 2000 foot cliff peering down at the unassuming Colorado River that you realize its true power and beauty.



not related...

http://www.cracked.com/article_18421_6-insane-coincidences-you-wont-believe-actually-happened.html