26. Why I don't travel
I’ve been to 44 states. I’ve lived in three countries, and I’ve traveled to five continents. I’ve been to Europe twice and Asia three times. I spent six weeks surfing everyday off of a beach in northern Peru. I’ve biked alongside zebras on an African safari. I booked a round trip weekend flight from Iowa to New Zealand for $327. I have friends across the world that would let me sleep on their couch.
I also haven’t left the United States in six years. I rarely travel outside of visiting friends and family (and work). When I do, it’s mostly to national parks or on weekend getaways. This is all by choice.
Sometimes I write a tweet about it when the internet talks about the tradeoffs of traveling, like this one:
Yet, I struggle to fully articulate why I’ve changed my stance on travel. I’m writing a post about this — and categorizing it as a “problem” — because it effects things like how I spend my time and money. I want to know how I feel about it, so here it goes.
My main gripe about travel: the things that I enjoy about life don’t require you to travel. Most of them can happen in your present location; most people just don’t think of them. Adventure is a mindset, not a place.
For example, something you can do right now is interview strangers and write an article about them. You don’t need an certificate to be a writer, just a blog (which takes <10 minutes on somewhere like Substack or Squarespace).
This will likely lead to what most people mean when they say “good travel stories”. Here’s a few examples of interesting groups of people I’d love to interview just in my hometown of San Francisco:
Fishermen on the piers at the embarcadero. Do the same people come every day? What kind of equipment do they use? Do they actually catch any fish? What do their families think of them fishing?
Skaters at the 13th street skatepark. This would be about clothes. Why do they wear the clothes that they do? Are they young people or old people? If they are young, do they not care about school? What do they think is cool?
Valencia Street restaurant owners. What do they think about the bike lane? Who are their regulars? Why do they keep certain menu items? How did they get started? Do they own the real estate under their building? Do they skew conservative or liberal? Are they all SF-natives?
Talking to groups of people like this forces you to engage in the world. I think that when most people fantasize about travel, they fantasize this. If I was persuasive and brave enough to push for good stories to write about, I would get invited into these peoples homes, laugh at an absurdity with a stranger, or any number of other crazy travel stories.
I’ve witnessed this happen as well. Some people I’ve met just always find themselves in interesting situations, regardless of their location. It’s like they have a sixth sense for getting invited to make a drink with the bartender or making a group of strangers laugh. It’s not the travel; it’s the curiosity and charisma.
Writing and finding “good travel stories” is just one example. Another thing I value is getting really good at a hobby or craft. There are levels to competence, and I’ve found that you can experience something really cool when you jump up to the next level. I’ve done this with running: there’s been exactly two times in my life where I’ve been in really good running shape. I felt invincible; it’s a high I’ve been chasing ever since. I explored the world at a different level.
My stance on travel isn’t absolute. It’s softened in the past six years.
I really like some travel writing, which I hope to emulate one day. A few examples: on Japan, on Austin, TX.
Locations do offer unique experiences. A friend of mine is a retired opera singer. She spent much of her life traveling to Europe to sing in cathedrals across the continent. I’m sure these are not only acoustically unique, but historically unique. Impossible to experience anywhere else.
Memories are made when you take a break from your day-to-day life. I often remember more distinct scenes from a weekend in a new place compared to three weeks in my routine at home. This can make it feel like life is longer, because you have more “markers” to look back at.
Finally, there’s a bit of the midwit meme in the back of my head too.
But I think that’s a weak argument. I’m not overthinking this. I’ve tried traveling in just about every sense. I have first hand experience, and I don’t think it’s something for me right now. If you feel differently, that’s okay; it can be for some people and not others. I might change my mind too one day. But for now, I’ll go without.