Yes, I totally agree with you Susin - I found a lot of that up the east coast in Australia - so many travellers just seemed to be interested in getting pissed all day and night. At the time I tried not to judge and thought, ok, a lot of them are 18/19, maybe I would have been the same. But when I went to book a trip to the Whitsunday Islands, in the Great Barrier Reef, there were two choices of boat - a yacht, and then what was described as a 'party' boat. I booked the yacht trip - we spent 3 full days sailing around the Whitsundays, living on the yacht, snorkelling for hours in the amazing, magical Great Barrier Reef, and it was the highlight of my time in Australia. When I got back to the town where you sail from, I hooked up with some people I knew already, who'd been on the 'party' boat. They told me their '3 day' trip had started at 4pm, when they sailed direct to a resort island in the Whitsundays, (drinking on the way). They played drinking games all night, then the next day sailed around again, drinking all day. The boat stopped ONCE for snorkelling, and most people didn't bother going. They preferred to stay on the boat drinking. that night they went again to the resort, played more drinking games, and in the morning, sailed back to Airlie Beach. Not even a case of 'why travel if all you want to do is drink?' - they could even have just stayed at Airlie Beach, which is full of bars, rather than spend $300 to go round the Whitsundays, and not see any of its magic, not even WANT to see it.
I also spent time on my 15 months time away, having time off, and definitely enjoyed some very drunken evenings, don't get me wrong! It was great to have the freedom to be able to drink and let go and not have to get up for work the next day, and I gave myself lots of opportunity to do that, it was certainly part of the 'being away' and being free, experience of travelling, for sure. But yeah, I also can't understand why people would want to do that and just that when they're travelling. Is it just me being old...
Reply to this I completely agree. Again it is a personal preference but about 8 years ago my family went on a 2-week trip to Europe. My parents allowed each of us to bring someone and my brother brought his best friend (they were 20 at the time). My parents paid for everything for everyone - plane tickets, hotels, excursions, etc. It was a big treat and wonderful of them. My brother's friend literally sat in the hotel room all day and slept and ate and then wanted to go out every night drinking. I don't normally judge, but especially since my parents were paying for him, I thought it a bit sad that he didn't even make an effort to see anything that wasn't a hotel room or a bar. it was a huge waste of my parents money.
Reply to this I'm your budget, come what may kind of travel girl so not much snobbery around, however I have probably been guilty of turning my nose up at people who are in amazing countries with amazing food and order steak and chips. I think that's more about being a foodie than a travel snob though. I guess I probably also snob those who just want to 'party hard core', I'd rather not waste my time getting wasted (again more a lifestyle choice). Oh, yea and I do look down on the 'hippie ... I'm so one with the local people' type. You are never one with the local people when you can walk away and go back to your comfortable western existance! ... WOW I am a snob!
I have been the 'victim' of snobbery because some trips I've done I've decided to join a tour group and apparently if you don't do it independently ... it doesn't count. I figure if I'm travelling alone, want to meet people and someone else takes care of getting me from point A to point B and organises where I'm going to sleep, I'm a happy camper.
Geez you learn so much about yourself here!
Cheers Jane
Reply to this I guess I could be considered a travel snob. I have traveled all over and have stayed in everything from 5 star hotels to sleeping in thre jungle with your boots on and a fire going all night to keep animals ways. I personally tend to try to stay in the iddle of the road type places I am genrally just looking for a bed to sleep in and a tv to watch to unwind for a little but (does not have to be english tv though..love shows from other countries). I try to avoid staying in hostels. I do prefer my privacy a bit more than alot of people and I enjoy a little solitude once in a while. Plus as for getting drunk in other countires..I have a real hard time doing that due to my pst special forces military days. I just have a hard time not being in control of all my faculties in an enviroment that I do not control. There is a lady I am friends with though that I look down on for her travels. She works as a high level management for a prestigious cruise line and she will only stay ina 5 star hotel and only eat in the 5 star rest. and if a bottle of wine does not cost 200. she thinks it is classless. I feel sorry for her. She has not really experienced the countires that she has gone to. She has only experienced the style of travel what her cruise line offers to it's customers.
Reply to this Travel snobs....well we have heard plenty of travellers doing the competition thing of how many places/sights/how rough and cheap they have stayed etc, we tend to laugh about it to each other. What is this thing about having to have seen more or slummed it more than the next person? We have never really been the victim of a travel snob, most of the travel snobbery tends to disappear as soon as they find out we have been away for 2 years or we avoid talking to these types of travellers in the first place!
We have to admit there was one time we did 'travel snob' a group of Canadians. This happened when we were on an annual holiday before we went travelling. We were on a day trip to Phi Phi and after the whole morning of the guide calling the island 'pee pee' and her telling us the only way to get there was by boat, these Canadians insisted on calling it 'fee fee' island and asked if they could get a flight there from Bangkok. It was at lunchtime though that they really took the biscuit...they started complaining in really loud and whining voices (in front of all the cooking and waiting staff) as to how crap Thai food was, that they hadn't had a decent meal in a week since arriving into the country and they then started whooping and jumping up and down in joy because there was some deep fried chicken for lunch but then proceeded to complain even louder there were no fries to go with the fried chicken. We just had to bite our tongues and sit as far away as possible from them. I suppose this isn't really travel snobbery but a travel annoyance at people's ignorance. If you only like American/Canadian food etc and complain about the country not being like home, why bother to travel at all?
The only thing that really annoys us about some travellers is that they will go and see a sight they aren't particularly interested in just because Lonely Planet says they should. We think if a sight doesn't interest us, why pay to go and see it just because other people say you should? We think is is a form of travel snobbery that people feel like they have to see certain things (even if they aren't interested in them at all) or their trip isn't worth it.
Reply to this The only thing that really annoys us about some travellers is that they will go and see a sight they aren't particularly interested in just because Lonely Planet says they should. We think if a sight doesn't interest us, why pay to go and see it just because other people say you should? We think is is a form of travel snobbery that people feel like they have to see certain things (even if they aren't interested in them at all) or their trip isn't worth it.
This reminds me of a girl I met in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. She was asking what tours I was going to go on and what have I seen. I told her I want to see some of the WW2 memorabilia. I asked her if she is interested in WW2 history. She said no. Next day I was sitting outside the WW2 museum and along she came. She asked if I am visiting the museum too. I said ''yes, but I thought you are not interested in history''. She said, ''this museum is recommended''. :D
Reply to this Although maybe your conversation with her got her thinking, then she read some stuff, and changed her mind! Sometimes I have ended up doing stuff that I wasn't intending to, after talking to people, and then enjoyed it. I agree with the main point though - you shouldn't do stuff because you feel you have to - I think it's a real fine balance though, listening to yourself, and staying true to what you want your own travel experience to be, and not worry about what other travellers might be thinking about you. I think that's hard sometimes as you're away from everyone who knows and loves you (if you're travelling solo) and all you have are other travellers, and it can be difficult not to fall into wanting to be approved of in some way.
Reply to this I think sometimes too people wonder if they really are missing out on something, and I can understand that. If I wasn't planning on seeing something but everyone recommends it, I sometimes wonder if maybe I just need to learn more about it and try to do so. For instance, I must admit, I'm not a big fan of museums in general, and particularly art museums. I enjoy them briefly but I cannot spend hours in them. When we were in Paris, my family spent the first day sightseeing together and decided to do the Louvre b/c my brother and sister-in-law are very into art. I figured I'd give it a shot b/c the ticket wasn't all that expensive and I wanted to spend time with my family, and I ended up enjoying it much more than I anticipated. So I kind of went to something I wouldn't have normally b/c of the company I was in, and in the end, I'm glad I did!
Reply to this Although maybe your conversation with her got her thinking,....
I got the impression from the look on her face that she was writing me off as a complete bore for saying the word history. :D It is not the first time I got this reaction about the history museums I like to visit. 😊 I suppose I know how they feel. Things like that are boring for those who are not into them. I read a bunch of stuff about human rights and those museums add more to the feeling of reality that this stuff did and is still happening. What I mean is, the stuff in some museums is more meaningful to me that it would be to many others. There is no way I would have been interested in them 15 years ago and would have given anyone who suggested it as a tourist attraction the same look. :D
This reminds me of another time I was snobbed. I was sitting at a cafe in Venice. A guy at the next table started a conversation with me and found out I live in Munich. He asked me which museums I have been to. I named the two I have visited. He looked at me in discust and said ''you have lived in Munich for 3 years and have only visited 2 museums''. He then turned away with a dismissive attitude. BTW Munich is quite a museum capital. There is even an area called the Museum quarter.
Reply to this I must admit, I'm not a big fan of museums in general, and particularly art museums.....
Me neither. There are so many things that are interesting so why force ourselves into an area which is not interesting to us. Maybe we will discover a passion for art some day or maybe not, but why force the issue.
I wonder if we sometimes do things we dont particularly like out of passion envy. Sometimes when I see people loving something I want to try it to find out why they love it so much. But often I just dont feel like they do about it. But worth a try, I suppose. :D
Reply to this !!! What a ridiculous comment (him not you).
I was travelling with a guy for a while through Rajasthan - whenever we took a bus from one town to the next, he criticised me if some of the time I listened to my mp3 player, read a book or (god forbid) fell asleep, saying I was missing everything by not looking at what was outside. (He was leaning out the window the whole time taking photos - which to me also is not necessarily experiencing what is around as you are so busy trying to get a photo of it). Some of the time I did look out the window and I agree to an extent that you can get to see a lot while travelling from place to place. But sometimes I just wanted to switch off and use the journey to relax a bit. He couldn't understand this at all
Reply to this Debbie, I totally understand! Sometimes it's great to just unwind, and then you actually have more energy when you are going to see various things. If I push myself non-stop, i tend to wear out at some point. In fact, I have a guilty pleasure habit of sometimes taking an afternoon to go to the hotel spa (if in a location/hotel that has one) and just unwind a bit. It totally rejuvenates me for the rest of the trip. If that's not available, I chose to just take a "lazy" day where I sleep in, maybe order room service or eat at the hotel and just kind of relax and recharge my batteries a bit.
And Mel, I agree. I sometimes do try things that others are loving so much just to see if maybe i'm missing something. Sometimes it's true and sometimes I just don't enjoy it. In fact, i get that all the time with food because I'm a vegetarian. People ask me, "you love different foods so much (this is very true) don't you feel like you are missing out on some great food by not eating meat?" I tell them that to me, I'm not because I don't enjoy meat and that and point out that perhaps they're missing out on some great vegetarian food because they don't like eat a lot of veggies :-) It's all about what you enjoy and what makes your experience the best it can be (providing it's not at the expense of others' enjoyment).
Reply to this I dont think people miss much by sleeping a bit on the bus or sleeping late. I think those who cant take it easy are probably new to travelling. I was talking with a girl who told me about her early travelling. She went to Paris with her boyfriend. They took a boat ride on the Seine. She had her guided tour ear plugs plugged in constantly to catch every piece of information. He justed wanted to sit back and soak in the atmosphere. She kept giving him a hard time for not listening to the guide and making the most of the trip. Since then she has also learned to relax a bit while travelling. She can barely believe she used to be like she was on that trip to Paris. :D
I have a lazy day everyday when I travel, Maya. I always take it easy. Just hanging out and going to see something of particular interest now and again. Some travellers dont understand but I get plenty out of travelling by just hanging out in someplace interesting or beautiful and people watching. The down side is that in some places I keep getting asked why I am not going on this tour or that. But sometimes later those who went on the tours tell me that they wish they just did what I was doing because the tour was boring and expensive.
I think non vegetarians often dont realise how good vegetarian food is these days. It is not textured vegetable protein and nut roasts anymore. I have been learning to cook vegetarian food for years now(my ohter hobby) and I make some pretty good tasting and exotic things.
Reply to this I am a bit in the middle when I travel. I don't do a lot of tours or touristy things, but my favorite thing is to just walk around and explore the city by foot. I especially like to do this early in the morning when the day is just getting going. I find it fascinating to watch how they operate on just a regular work day - opening up their shops, getting to work, setting up the food markets, etc. It gives me a feel for what the true daily life is like and makes me feel less like i'm experiencing it as a tourist. The same is true for what you said, sitting a beautiful place and people watching. People aren't looking at you as a tourist so you can just sit back and observe the every day goings-on. I get similar questions, even though I'm physically moving. When I tell them my plan for the day or what i did on my trip, they sometimes ask why i didn't do this tour or that museum, etc.
Mel, I would love to see some of your recipes!! I am actually starting a section in my newsletter/emag where I'm featuring recipes for various types of international cuisine. It isn't all veg (I realize a majority of my target audience are not) but I'd love some recipes for exotic things if you'd care to share via message :-) And you are right, it's not just veg protein and nuts anymore. Generally what I tell people is, if you don't expect something to taste like a meat dish, and accept that vegetarian food can be good, you'll enjoy it!
Reply to this I have definitely been travel snobbed, and just plain old snobbed, like being the new kid at a high school and unfortunately sitting at the cheerleader table at lunch. Definitely more prevalent on tours...
For some reason I tend to get 'glampackered' more than not, people going "EWWW! You went where?!" "Weren't you scared? By yourself?? Thats crazy. I would never do that." Or being told long stories about how super awesome some really extravagant extra they just went on, or getting the stink eye because I am not doing whatever high dollar excursion they are going on. Like some other posters I have also met people who thought I was a total wet blanket for not drinking, drugging, shagging and snogging my way around the world. Joke's on them, I say!
I find backpacking is its own little world, and in some ways is like a big high school. There are fellow travellers who won't deign to speak to you, and some that only seem to strike up conversation to see how big of a loser you are. But, most are great.
I think being a solo traveller I get travel snobbed by cliques, groups, and couples.
Reply to this I am currently snobbing myself for not being able to do without my fresh coffee when I travel. I ask myself why it is so important to have coffee and why I cant just drink the local beverage whatever it is. It seems a bit whimpish that I am taking my coffee, filters and coffee cone with me to Kyrgyzstan next month. :D This is the first time I have actually whimped out. I usually just do without the coffee but miss it badly.
Reply to this EB,
I get the "why would you want to go there", or "i would never do that" a lot. What kills me is that I am not nearly the most adventurous traveler I know. It is almost laughable to me when people say it about a whole continent like "oh I wouldn't want to go to Asia or Africa, aren't they dangerous?" And I have to say, perhaps it's those times that I travel snob a bit in reverse. I understand that some of the travel I do isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I think people's inability to accept that you might want to go somewhere is so silly. I have a ton of clients whose dream vacation (keep in mind that they live on the US East Coast) is to go to Disney World in Florida. It's certainly not my dream vacation, but i can understand that for some people it is, and I would never question them on their choice to go.
As for traveling solo, I think people are such pack animals by nature that they don't understand it. In fact the other day i was at a bar waiting for a friend (in my home city) and i decided to go in and sit at the bar and have a drink while i waited. There was a couple, probably in their 50s or so, sitting next to me and the man was telling me how impressed he was that i'd sit at the bar by myself because most women won't do that. Sadly, I think that in part he's right. so many people are afraid of looking like they are alone or don't have anyone to be with that they won't go places by themselves. Sure, I love to travel with others too, but I have met some of my closest friends because we were both traveling by ourselves and struck up a conversation.
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 :-)
Reply to this ....I would never question them on their choice to go.
Would any travel professional question them? I cant imagine one saying ''Disneyland is boring. Go to Iraqi Kurdistan instead. Or what about a nice adventure tour of the Congo.''. :D
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