The further one goes the less one knows - Lao-tzu (sixth century BC) (Why (not) travel?)

Name: noodlesandwich

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Product:	Why (not) travel?
Date:	14/05/07 (244 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A smaller carbon footprint

Disadvantages: All in your mind

I haven't travelled a great deal. I've been out of the country less than a handful of times, never outside of Europe and never for more than a fortnight. I admit that this isn't entirely down to personal choice, if I'd had different circumstances and more money I would probably have done a lot more and I'm sure I would have had great pleasure and learnt a lot too. There are also some things I would dearly love to experience - to see the Northern Lights for example would be on my list of things to do before I die (if I had one). However, I can also see plenty of reasons why not to travel and this review is about the positive side to staying in the UK.

Beautiful Britain - I may not have travelled abroad much but I do take lots of breaks, mostly short breaks, around the UK and there are still plenty of places left to explore. Scotland must have some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and although I've had several great holidays there, there are numerous islands and nooks and crannies that it would take forever to explore; I've yet to get to the Isle of Skye or see the basaltic columns of Staffa to name just two. I often head off to the Lake District for a few nights camping and also regularly visit North Yorkshire and Northumberland, I've spent several holidays in Wales and further South but have barely touched the South East of the country or visited that many of our cities. I think this country still has lots to offer me in terms of new experiences. People sometimes say that they'd stay here if they knew the weather would be fine, well our Summers are getting hotter and this year is forecast to be one of hottest yet again which leads me on to...

I can't take the heat - An awful lot of people go abroad every year purely for the sake of the weather. I am baffled by this. A very hot sunny day is anathema to me, I keep out of it - heat rash, sunburn, tiredness, headaches, skin cancer - I'm not happy when its hot. I much prefer milder weather and even enjoy the rain, one of my favourite sounds is that of gentle rain on the roof of my tent. I would hate a holiday that was all about soaking up the sun, it would bore me senseless and make me grouchy into the bargain. I do love to be by the sea, but I'd much rather go for a bracing walk along a deserted shoreline with dramatic clifftop scenery than spend time on a hot crowded holiday makers beach.

Expense - It's not cheap to travel, unless you're talking about cheap package holidays to places in the Sun which would be exactly the kind of travelling I have no desire at all to do. People talk about rip off Britain, but it's much cheaper for me to just pile everything in the car, take a tent, or visit the friends I have scattered around the country than to pay for travel, food and accommodation abroad.

Effect on the Environment - Many ways of travelling are bad for the environment, especially air travel which is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. I know people who claim to care about the environment yet somehow manage to rationalise their flights abroad, which make irrelevant any other weedy recycling type day to day activities they may undertake. It's not just about climate change though, many places that were once beautiful have been turned into tourist hell holes by over development and the world is becoming ever more the same as people turn up in far off countries and buy things that they could have got in their corner shop rather than trying local products. There is a snobbery involved in travelling, some see themselves as travellers rather than tourists, but I don't see that much difference, they all have an effect on the places they visit and the greater the number of people the more damage is caused. Great natural wonders like Niagara, Uluru (Ayers Rock), and Mount Everest have been damaged by hordes of selfish travellers and their beauty diminished. Despite great efforts by Australian authorities the Great Barrier Reef continues to be degraded by tourist activity. Tourism is often touted as a major source of income for poorer countries especially in the third world where growth has been phenomenal but the drive for profit has devastated the lives of many indigenous peoples. So called ecotourism is apparently the fastest growing sub sector of the tourist industry and in Africa where it has been around for a relatively long time it has led to people being evicted from their land and losing out economically, the breakdown of traditional values, and other environmental damage such as deforestation and pollution. To quote from an article on the Third World Network website, (http://www.twnside.org.sg/), "What few benefits indigenous peoples derive from tourism are far outweighed by the damage it has caused them. They have been made to bear the brunt of an industry over which they have neither say nor control."

I'm happy where I am - I sometimes think some people travel purely to brag about it, 'Ooh I've been to a remote place no-one else has and I can tell you...', Well I can tell you that despite seemingly huge surface differences, I believe people are basically the same and have the same needs and desires the world over, I don't need to go tramping all over everywhere to find this out. As for seeing the great sights of the world, yes it would be lovely to experience some of these, but isn't it hugely selfish to try and visit all of these places? Travel broadens the mind they say, well I think the mind can be broadened in many ways and great wisdom can be found in people who have never strayed from their own patch. There are those who seek enlightenment through travel, off they go trying to find themselves when they were here all the time to begin with, which brings to mind a quote from the Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda: "Happiness doesn't exist on the far side of distant mountains. It is within you, yourself. Not you, however, sitting in idle passivity. It is to be found in the vibrant dynamism of your own life as you struggle to challenge and overcome one obstacle after another, as you clamber up a perilous ridge in pursuit of that which lies beyond." That's the kind of travelling I would prefer to do for myself.

Summary: The increasing smallness of the world has diminished its wonders