Are you a Travel Snob?
Are you one? Have you met one? Are you an aspiring one?
B Posts: 24.5K
And Mel, my parents are the same way. American coffee is quite different than just about every where else and they really enjoy that big mug to sip on, instead of a little shot of stronger coffee. They broke down in Paris and finally went to starbucks! they are all about local food/drink, but i think coffee tastes have a mind of their own :-)
I certainly wouldnt need to take my own coffee to Paris. The coffee in France is delicious.
But, I have been to places where they only have instant coffee. Or only tea sometimes. I love tea too, but only if it is followed by a good cup of coffee. :) Reply to this
B Posts: 228
I think for them it is the size of the coffee. The taste is great in France (and italy and many other european countries), but my parents like to drink several big mugs and there the servings are much smaller and also stronger. I think we Americans like to think we drink really good, strong coffee but compared to Europe, ours is watered down and and not nearly as strong, and a lot of Americans aren't used to that :-) I managed just fine without my coffee American coffee, but I do have to say I had a lot of diet coke.... and wine :-) Reply to this
B Posts: 463
Ohhh I LOVE this thread..and I am now officially going to label myself a GLAMPACKER! Brings to mind of the girl who declared herself ''So Thai it hurts'' - dressed in the de riguer white muay thai pants, thai ''sak yant'' tattoos proudly on display, dreads and hard core dont mess with me glare we encountered on a few ocassions in..er phuket..the most tourist thai destination of them all. Had been in thailand 9 months which qualified her to be so thai it hurt (still not sure what that meant..had she picked up some nasty rash from somewhere?) while speaking nit noy bad thai to our tattooist mates - not realising we spoke nit noy thai too. Mit later told us she had asked for Sak Yant to become thai so he had tattoo'd things like "Idiot England'' and "Silly Pussy'' amongst her sleeve work. I did try and strike up a convo with her about her travels - she listed India, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam as her ''spiritual homes'' aka places she had visited but she abruptly terminated the convo by turning to our friend and telling him to get the OLD TOURISTS to go to a starbucks or somewhere we belonged. Guess she didnt quite click by my laughter that I understood what she was saying. Mit informed her we were old PAPUANS because many time stay Papua New Guinea. I know she was an extreme case but we did give her a name...traveltwit. We saw traveltwit sleeping on the beach at patong because...hell, lets face it, she had sak yant, why would anyone mess with someone all of about 20 years old when they had magical thai tattoos to protect them?
Be interesting to see if traveltwit is still roughing it on the beach at patong in a couple of weeks. If i see her I shall buy her a prawn...
For the record, we will only be in phuket for a few hours before transiting to ao nang..a place i lived 20 odd years ago...in a hut..on the beach - because there were no 5 star hotels there then.
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Be interesting to see if traveltwit is still roughing it on the beach at patong in a couple of weeks. If i see her I shall buy her a prawn...
For the record, we will only be in phuket for a few hours before transiting to ao nang..a place i lived 20 odd years ago...in a hut..on the beach - because there were no 5 star hotels there then.
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B Posts: 3,279
Ok-- guilty as charged. I admit that I have been a travel snob. Last year I was working with a woman who was in her late 40's and loved Disney World. She and her husband travel there twice a year for vacation. Yes, I said twice a year, yes, every year. Ok-- so I don't understand and I'm sure she perceived me as a bit of a snob for trying to engage her in a discussion of travel to places other than Disney World. Oh-- I forgot, she had been to DisneyLand and was thinking of going to Eurodisney.
It took me months to come to terms with this but what I finally realized was that they like Disney. It makes them happy. She is happy when she talks about it, when she travels there and when she comes back to share stories. isn't that what it is all about? I also later learned that she accrues Disney points which gives them substantial discounts when they return. She had shared with me that they had a small travel budget. I assume this allows them to leave home and have a vacation that they can afford and that the both like. ------ And, there is nothing wrong with that. She is a step ahead of the people who never go any where.
Twenty years ago I was living in Fort Myers, Florida. One day I was talking with one of my co-workers who had been living in town for 13 years. He had never crossed over the bridge to explore Sanibel Island (5 miles away) I offered to give him the $3 toll money but he wasn't interested. He was content where he was.
I have the most difficulty with the people who have no interest in traveling.
After reading this thread, we are like many, in that we vary our kinds of travel. We have stayed in hostels and five star hotels. Each provide a different experience. Our preference, is the small mom and pop hotel or B&B with about 6 units. We enjoy getting to know the family running the place. At our age( early 50's) we have the income and the desire to have a private room with a private bath. Neither of us feels this distracts from our engagement with the local culture.
In January of this year we were snobbed. My sister and her family gave us a gift card to a 5 star hotel in Boston for Christmas. When we walked in with our backpacks to check in we got a few interesting looks. Everyone said all the right things but the looks told the real story. We laughed and had a grand time in the bar, restaurant and enjoying this ambiance.
I like the glampacker teminology.
Our personal experience with the travel snob has been most abundant when we have been taking dive vacations. Divers love to boast about diving here and diving there. You're not a real diver unless you've been to blah, blah, blah. I love to dive but I also love to visit the island, meet the people, absorb into the culture, gain an understanding of their life. We are not the divers who dive all day every day. So--- again-- guilty of being a snob. (although we keep those views to ourself)
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It took me months to come to terms with this but what I finally realized was that they like Disney. It makes them happy. She is happy when she talks about it, when she travels there and when she comes back to share stories. isn't that what it is all about? I also later learned that she accrues Disney points which gives them substantial discounts when they return. She had shared with me that they had a small travel budget. I assume this allows them to leave home and have a vacation that they can afford and that the both like. ------ And, there is nothing wrong with that. She is a step ahead of the people who never go any where.
Twenty years ago I was living in Fort Myers, Florida. One day I was talking with one of my co-workers who had been living in town for 13 years. He had never crossed over the bridge to explore Sanibel Island (5 miles away) I offered to give him the $3 toll money but he wasn't interested. He was content where he was.
I have the most difficulty with the people who have no interest in traveling.
After reading this thread, we are like many, in that we vary our kinds of travel. We have stayed in hostels and five star hotels. Each provide a different experience. Our preference, is the small mom and pop hotel or B&B with about 6 units. We enjoy getting to know the family running the place. At our age( early 50's) we have the income and the desire to have a private room with a private bath. Neither of us feels this distracts from our engagement with the local culture.
In January of this year we were snobbed. My sister and her family gave us a gift card to a 5 star hotel in Boston for Christmas. When we walked in with our backpacks to check in we got a few interesting looks. Everyone said all the right things but the looks told the real story. We laughed and had a grand time in the bar, restaurant and enjoying this ambiance.
I like the glampacker teminology.
Our personal experience with the travel snob has been most abundant when we have been taking dive vacations. Divers love to boast about diving here and diving there. You're not a real diver unless you've been to blah, blah, blah. I love to dive but I also love to visit the island, meet the people, absorb into the culture, gain an understanding of their life. We are not the divers who dive all day every day. So--- again-- guilty of being a snob. (although we keep those views to ourself)
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B Posts: 132
There's this blogger/long-term traveler (I won't mention any other specifics) who has been on the road for several years now. I do admire him for what he is doing and I haven't really met him or anything but on twitter. There are times when he could be annoying, like when ranting about someone, he would say the nationality then the description or whatever. I mean, is it really essential to do that?
Anyway....
Exactly. To each his own.
What I usually do, if it makes them happy to shove their travels and experiences into my/other people's face/s, I let them. Then I just drown their voices and let my mind drift to somewhere nicer. ;)
LOL. I actually bring nail polish and hair mousse when I climb mountains. It doesn't mean that just because we're backpacking or mountaineering we no longer have a right to look at least decent. Right?
Anyway....
Everyone has their preferences and we don't need to see/experience everything that others think we should. If we get out of a destination what we're looking for, I think it's a worthy trip! I think some people just always need to feel like they know more than others or have had a better experience than others b/c they don't have the confidence that some of us have and they feel that questioning others and having "better" experiences somehow validates them.
Exactly. To each his own.
What I usually do, if it makes them happy to shove their travels and experiences into my/other people's face/s, I let them. Then I just drown their voices and let my mind drift to somewhere nicer. ;)
She was embarassed that she brought her nail polish because she thought that propper backpackers dont carry things like that.
LOL. I actually bring nail polish and hair mousse when I climb mountains. It doesn't mean that just because we're backpacking or mountaineering we no longer have a right to look at least decent. Right?
[Edited: 21:36 - fateundermined ]
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N Posts: 53
I am sure I have come off as a travel snob at times, but its probably because I have been misinterpreted.
I like D MJ's story about the lady who likes Disney. Sure its great if someone really likes a place and wants to go back again and again, but I would wonder if they have tried anywhere else? I mean for a week in Disney you could spend a month in say Thailand (granted not the most exotic destination these days). If they had tried both and decided they like Disney better then great, more power to them.
I can't help but feel a little disappointed for people who choose expensive destinations only because they perceive them as safe and familiar. I am sure people interpret this disappointment as snobbery. I also feel its pointless to go traveling and spend the whole trip trying to re-create the place you came from, seeking out western style hotels and fast food restaurants. In addition I think that booking big package tours and following a group around for a few weeks takes much of the adventure out of traveling. Ok maybe I am a snob. Reply to this
I like D MJ's story about the lady who likes Disney. Sure its great if someone really likes a place and wants to go back again and again, but I would wonder if they have tried anywhere else? I mean for a week in Disney you could spend a month in say Thailand (granted not the most exotic destination these days). If they had tried both and decided they like Disney better then great, more power to them.
I can't help but feel a little disappointed for people who choose expensive destinations only because they perceive them as safe and familiar. I am sure people interpret this disappointment as snobbery. I also feel its pointless to go traveling and spend the whole trip trying to re-create the place you came from, seeking out western style hotels and fast food restaurants. In addition I think that booking big package tours and following a group around for a few weeks takes much of the adventure out of traveling. Ok maybe I am a snob. Reply to this
B Posts: 341
Thankfully, most of the 'traveltwits' tend to frequent the Lonely Planet forum which is why I love coming to this site.
Cindy, I can't even begin to count the number of traveltwits I have met in the past. Despite living in Sweden for 9 years I was once told by some snotty nosed teenagers that I haven't really experienced Sweden until I have been out drinking in Stockholm. Then in India I was lambasted by a couple of stinky, bedraggled, 19 year old, gap year students for not 'getting more in touch with my spirituality' yahhhh .... then I was admonished by some hippy types for not doing the Annapurna circuit while in Nepal.
Generally, I avoid tourists and tourist traps like the plague. Wherever I have been I have always found the indigenous folk to be more accommodating and less judgmental than those from supposedly more modern and enlightened countries.
I suppose many of these traveltwits act the way they do because in reality they are joyless, rather vacuous and very insecure people inside. Individuals who play the oneupmanship game generally do so to hide their flaws and defects by projecting their own faults onto others. I have nothing but pity for them and thank the powers that be that I didn't turn out like them!
Cindy, I can't even begin to count the number of traveltwits I have met in the past. Despite living in Sweden for 9 years I was once told by some snotty nosed teenagers that I haven't really experienced Sweden until I have been out drinking in Stockholm. Then in India I was lambasted by a couple of stinky, bedraggled, 19 year old, gap year students for not 'getting more in touch with my spirituality' yahhhh .... then I was admonished by some hippy types for not doing the Annapurna circuit while in Nepal.
Generally, I avoid tourists and tourist traps like the plague. Wherever I have been I have always found the indigenous folk to be more accommodating and less judgmental than those from supposedly more modern and enlightened countries.
I suppose many of these traveltwits act the way they do because in reality they are joyless, rather vacuous and very insecure people inside. Individuals who play the oneupmanship game generally do so to hide their flaws and defects by projecting their own faults onto others. I have nothing but pity for them and thank the powers that be that I didn't turn out like them!
[Edited: 03:27 - Cockle ]
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B Posts: 100
I admit that I haven't read all the messages on this thread but I feel like we are all travelsnobs in one way or another.
Through my travels around Asia, I found a lot of times that when travelers get together, it turns into one big competition of who did it better or badder. I think as travelers, we are all so excited to share that we start to view each other as "travel competition". Let's be honest, when your sitting around in your hostel (hotel, guesthouse, what-have-you) and your talking with other travelers you tend to start with the question, "Where have you been to?" and from these answers you tend to start thinking "oh that guy hasn't been many places", or "I don't believe that guy at all! He's ridiculous/amazing" or "You think that's bad? Wait till you hear what happened to me!".
One thing that I have heard from other travelers are that Americans tend to be "those" travelers. We (I'm American) have this need to be so independent and stand out from the crowd that we jump into any competition we can. I believe it.
I to tend to thinking of myself as a "Japan Travel Snob" after spending so much time in Japan and traveling to a lot of places that other foreign tourists never heard of because they were too busy exploring Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka to think about going anywhere else. Reply to this
Through my travels around Asia, I found a lot of times that when travelers get together, it turns into one big competition of who did it better or badder. I think as travelers, we are all so excited to share that we start to view each other as "travel competition". Let's be honest, when your sitting around in your hostel (hotel, guesthouse, what-have-you) and your talking with other travelers you tend to start with the question, "Where have you been to?" and from these answers you tend to start thinking "oh that guy hasn't been many places", or "I don't believe that guy at all! He's ridiculous/amazing" or "You think that's bad? Wait till you hear what happened to me!".
One thing that I have heard from other travelers are that Americans tend to be "those" travelers. We (I'm American) have this need to be so independent and stand out from the crowd that we jump into any competition we can. I believe it.
I to tend to thinking of myself as a "Japan Travel Snob" after spending so much time in Japan and traveling to a lot of places that other foreign tourists never heard of because they were too busy exploring Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka to think about going anywhere else. Reply to this
B Posts: 463
LOL Nick..and Kathryn you are right, in our own way we are all showing our travelsnobbery :-)
I am so guilty of that one upmanship thing..or is it that I am just now seriously avoiding where tourism has become an economy if possible, hence the upcoming trips to Bhutan and PNG and surrounds...or is that me seeking the road less travelled?
Kathryn I sometimes think we do a little bit too much navel gazing about travel. I havent been back to Ao Nang for 27 years and Im wondering if im supposed to feel some "spiritual'' connection with the place.
I love those at airport convos, the where have you been did you enjoy your travels convos until they start turning into games of im more hardcore than you. Although now i do tend to steer away from attempting to have convos with traveltwits who are pretty easily identifiable because in their quest to find indivuality theyve simply swapped clothes and thrown a cloak of another countries culture around their shoulders. I guess that is there right to do so. Its my right to laugh at them when they complain about..old people..! Reply to this
I am so guilty of that one upmanship thing..or is it that I am just now seriously avoiding where tourism has become an economy if possible, hence the upcoming trips to Bhutan and PNG and surrounds...or is that me seeking the road less travelled?
Kathryn I sometimes think we do a little bit too much navel gazing about travel. I havent been back to Ao Nang for 27 years and Im wondering if im supposed to feel some "spiritual'' connection with the place.
I love those at airport convos, the where have you been did you enjoy your travels convos until they start turning into games of im more hardcore than you. Although now i do tend to steer away from attempting to have convos with traveltwits who are pretty easily identifiable because in their quest to find indivuality theyve simply swapped clothes and thrown a cloak of another countries culture around their shoulders. I guess that is there right to do so. Its my right to laugh at them when they complain about..old people..! Reply to this
B Posts: 591
I probably seem like a snob to those around me. Many here do not travel. So when I talk about where I am going or been .... But in reality I have not traveled that much.
I had not realized that my traveling was any big thing until one day in a HS class. The assignment was to present the highlights of your life. I lived in a small rural farming community in NE Montana. One of the kids said that a highlight was being able to go to Billings (about a 4 hour drive from there). Talk about an attitude adjustment for me! Reply to this
I had not realized that my traveling was any big thing until one day in a HS class. The assignment was to present the highlights of your life. I lived in a small rural farming community in NE Montana. One of the kids said that a highlight was being able to go to Billings (about a 4 hour drive from there). Talk about an attitude adjustment for me! Reply to this
B Posts: 128
Cool thread here.. I am sure we have come across as a snob from time to time but it is more in the way of giving advice. Like where I come from in country town of a few thousand and hardly anyone seeing Australia let alone the world I am sure it happens. But we listen rather than comment, answer when asked.. Although we do normally let people know about Couchsurfing as for us this is the best way to get into any culture and experience the place, rather than clubbing, hostels or hotels. But people think we are crazy when saying that and like Mel said way back in thread it is not about how much you spend. Also I guess just telling people out fav countries but not ‘you must’ visit
But yeah we have come across many many ‘travel snobs’ and I am sure we will meet many more in the future. On Couchsurfing it happens a lot when we have guests arriving and of course we ask where have you been etc but it is also exciting for us to listen to the stories to get more ideas to travel also, like travelling without going out the door.
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But yeah we have come across many many ‘travel snobs’ and I am sure we will meet many more in the future. On Couchsurfing it happens a lot when we have guests arriving and of course we ask where have you been etc but it is also exciting for us to listen to the stories to get more ideas to travel also, like travelling without going out the door.
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B Posts: 3,279
Travelers here are not judged and I like that about Travel Blog. Each of us can travel in our own way and feel free to share our stories. On travel blog I have found that many of us travel in a variety of ways. Sometime we are budget travelers and some times we are riding first class. Each adventure unfolds on its own. Reply to this
