We are living in a modern world. Technological development revolutionizes the 21st-century world. Now we have wheels to roll and wings to fly. The invention of wheels and wings has made the world a much smaller place.
Now, we can travel from one end of the world to another within hours. It was unimaginable even a century ago. For this very reason, people love to travel. People love traveling to know the unknown, see the unseen, meet new people, learn about new cultures and customs. Again, many people want to travel to taste new recipes all across the globe.
But there are so many shortcomings of traveling as you can imagine. It takes a heavy physical and financial toll. For this reason, many people wonder, is it worth traveling? Here we will elaborate on some reasons people think traveling is overrated.
Traveling Is Overrated – Explain
People glorify traveling all across the globe. If you google it, you can find tons of benefits of traveling. But there are so many disadvantages of traveling you may not know.
Some people think traveling is overrated. You can find many statements about this fact on different forums, Quora or Reddit. In a world that is so technologically advanced, people are losing interest in traveling, which costs time, money, and physical effort. Here is a list of 13 reasons people think traveling is overrated.
Not Much Variations
Many people seek traveling to meet new people of different regions, know them, and know their ways of life and living. But there are not so many variations we can find.
The winds of modernity and fashions are blowing on every corner of this tiny planet. Maura Kelly, an extensive traveler of the United States, writes in her article that he is disappointed to find out women are wearing tight jeans everywhere. There are not so many differences among the people of different regions in this modern world.
Again, you can only meet self-centered, busy, and corrupt people who try to suck the benefit out of everything everywhere. So, it is safe to say that your traveling would go in vain if the purpose is finding new people and new friends, in most cases, of course. The thing would be different for you if you were lucky.
Traveling Is Not As Educative As Before
We know that traveling is a prime source of education. Traveling to a place allows the first-hand experience. What could be more educative than the first-hand experience! It will enable us to know about something insight out, gain complete knowledge.
The kind of knowledge that is more lasting compared to the book knowledge. But traveling is not as educative as before. Nowadays, we have modern technologies. We have the internet that has brought the world into the grasps of our hands. Imagine you want to know about the Taj Mahal of Agra to gain knowledge.
You can fulfill your purpose from the comfort of your soft couch using the internet because it provides all the views and video shots of Taj Mahal insight out along with the historical background.
Again, some people prefer to go to the library to gain knowledge as it is easier and more economical. Of course, you can argue that watching something and experiencing it for real is different. But is it worth our physical struggle, time, and money?
As our purpose is only to gain knowledge and insight. In his great essay Self-Reliance, Ralph Emerson says, “Our minds travel when our bodies are forced to stay at home.” In a world that is so technologically advanced, traveling is not as educative as before. And this is one of the reasons people think traveling is overrated.
Communications Problem
Another problem of traveling to a foreign land is the communication problems we face. Not everyone speaks or understands English. Particularly a taxi driver or a waiter is less likely to speak or understand English.
Now imagine you have just landed after a long and tiring flight. It would help if you stayed at a hotel for the night. How could you make the taxi driver understand to drive you to a good hotel! A very difficult task, right? It is just the beginning of your problem.
You will face communication problems while walking down the streets, having dinner at a restaurant, or visiting a wonderful tourist place. Soon, life will become hell. You will feel that the soon you travel back, the better for you. So, traveling is overrated for communications problems for many people.
Poor Accommodations
Another shortcoming of traveling is that you have to cope with the poor accommodations of the foreign country. Sometimes, you have to ride on a crowded public bus, unbearable traffic jams, poor hotel accommodations, food that is difficult for you to eat.
Again, you have to visit some tourist places where there are no hotel facilities. Many people consider these facts and mark traveling as overrated and more troublesome than it offers.
Street Thugs And Scams
Street thugs and scams are among the biggest reasons people think traveling is not worth it. Almost all travelers face this terrible problem, particularly in third-world countries.
There are so many street thugs roaming around every street corner. They are always attentive and committed to taking advantage of the foreigners. Sometimes, they try to sell something to foreigners, asking for an abnormal higher price. Sometimes, they try to follow the foreigners and corner them to hijack.
Again, sometimes, they will force you to be your guide and offer you to show famous places. All this is only to take a huge amount of money from you.
These problems are everywhere in every country, more or less. Sometimes, these thugs and scams can prove to be fatal and life-threatening. For these reasons, people are giving up traveling more and more.
Corrupted People
People are not interested in traveling anymore because of the corruption of people and organizations. Corruption is everywhere spread like cancer. They will always try to rob you, take advantage of you. This tendency is much more acute at tourist places.
Suppose you want to buy a t-shirt, or a pair of shoes, or shorts. The shopkeeper will understand that you are a foreigner and ask multiple times more price from you. You will face this very problem in every step of your travel into a foreign land.
You can only endure this for so long. Again, the prices of food and staff are always abnormally high at a tourist place for some unknown reasons. So, people are more and more diverting from traveling.
Airport Procedure
Traveling is not a piece of cake. Think about the security layers you have to go through before getting on board an Airplane. There are so many rules and restrictions you have to follow. The weight and size of your carry-on baggage and checked baggage. The items you can carry or you cannot take.
The number of things you are moving. It would help if you kept everything disciplined. All this procedure costs us a lot of trouble and time. Many people are not ready to waste so much effort on traveling. It is another reason they think traveling is overrated, and it is not worth the effort.
Traveling Is Expensive
Traveling is so expensive, and this is probably the strongest reason people are giving up traveling. Nothing is free in this world, and this is very true for traveling. You have to pay a high price for every single thing. Beginning from your air ticket to the abnormally high entry fees at every tourist place.
Someone who earns money working all week long cannot afford to travel in this corrupted world. Nowadays, traveling is nothing but luxury. So, lower-class people are diverting away from it. They are finding alternative ways for fun, refreshment, adventure, thrill, and education.
Tiredness And Fatigue
Traveling takes a huge physical toll on us. It gives us tiredness and fatigue. When we go on a travel, we need to stay away from home for days.
The outside world is not so comfortable. Again, many journeys, riding a crowded bus, catching a scheduled train, a lot of sites visiting, hiking through forests, and climbing mountains make us tired and exhausted. On top of that, we cannot take proper rest. Many people dislike traveling as it requires utmost physical effort.
Food Problem
Many people are fond of traveling because they want to explore the food world. They are obsessed with tasting new recipes across the globe. But this is not such a wonderful experience as it sounds. While traveling, you are away from home, and the only option left is to eat foreign foods.
Now, these foods are different from your diet habits. You may have a hard time consuming those. On top of that, you may find them difficult to digest, leading to stomach poisoning. It is another negative side of traveling many people do not like.
Weather And Disease
Traveling to different regions means experiencing different weather patterns. You may not be able to cope with that. As you go more to the south or more to the north of the equator, the weather becomes cold. You find it very hot or very old depending on where you are traveling.
This change of weather leads to diseases like fever, cold, and cough. In an alien land, where nobody is there to take care of you, illness means you will suffer big time there.
It Is You
There is a hype that traveling revives our body and mind. It refreshes us. It is so educational, provides huge insight. The reality is that traveling does not do this. It is only you who can enlighten yourself, not travel. You have to make yourself thirsty for knowledge.
Only then can traveling benefit you. While traveling, we are so busy fighting uncertain and adverse situations that we cannot enjoy it, let alone gain knowledge.
So, people are leaning towards other sources of entertainment and education rather than traveling. For them, traveling is not worth the time, money, and effort. It is overrated.
Fake Reviews
You have made up your mind to travel, visiting some places bearing great beauty and historical significance. The first thing you do is to google it.
Then you can see some wonderful pictures and reviews. The website you are visiting may recommend the place is a must-visit, five stars, best in the world, etc. You can find wonderful and bright, cinematic pictures captured with the perfect shot.
But the reality will be different. Some of these photos are enhanced and edited to add beauty. Surely, the real place is not like the pictures. It is true for almost every tourist place. Do not take these pictures for granted.
Otherwise, your traveling is sure to be going in vain. For example, Bolivia’s Salt Flats. If you google it, you can find vast white land covered with white crystal salts and the reflection of the skies on the ground.
But in reality, the salts are brown there like garbage on the land. Many websites post fake and exaggerated reviews to mislead us. These fake reviews are among the reasons people are losing interest in traveling.
Reasons Why Traveling Is Not Overrated
What is overrated to some people is not overrated for others. Some people find traveling overrated, but with all the benefits you can gain by traveling, it’s not overrated at all.
In fact, there are a number of reasons why traveling is not overrated and those reasons will be elucidated upon in the following.
1. Traveling is not overrated because it enriches your culture. One of the most overused tropes in all of the travel media is that traveling “expands your horizons.”Your worldview expands when you travel.
2. The more you travel, the less inclined you are to believe everything you read or watch on TV—especially if it’s about anything international.
3. Traveling is not overrated because it allows you to make connections over distance. One of the most overused tropes in all of the travel media is that traveling “allows you to get over your fear of meeting new people.
4. Traveling allows you to get over your fear of meeting new people if you go to a new place every week with the express purpose of making friends then yes, that’s probably true.
5. However, if you take the time to go over the overused tropes and overhyped clichés, traveling will allow you to make connections over distance. Meeting people over distance is hard, but it’s not as hard as those overused tropes and overhyped clichés would have you believe.
Why Is Traveling So Enjoyable-
Another reason individuals enjoy traveling is that it allows them to broaden their horizons. You understand there is no one way to conduct your life.
Meeting people from other cultures will teach you that your worldview is not the same as everyone else’s. You will get a broader worldview through being exposed to different locations, people, and cultures.
Frequently Asked Questions :
1.What Are The Most Overrated Traveling Destinations?
Ans:
- Paris (France)
- Las Vegas (USA)
- Hawaii (USA)
- London (England)
- New York City (USA)
- Orlando (Florida USA)
- Amsterdam (Netherlands)
2.Is Traveling Good Or Bad?
Ans: Actually traveling is not bad. Even in the midst of so much busyness, peace of mind can be found through traveling. Although it is different according to the person.
3.Is Traveling Really Worth It?
Ans: It’s the age-old question, isn’t it? Is traveling really worth it? You can find people who would say “Absolutely!” people who would say “No way!”, and everything in between. But let’s try to break down the pros and cons, so you can decide for yourself.
4.Is Traveling Worth The Money?
Ans: In the current economy, it’s easy to be penny-wise and pound-foolish about travel, but after a weekend in New Orleans, I’m convinced that travel is worth the money.
5.Is Traveling A Waste Of Money?
Ans: This question is often raised and we get a lot of questions about it. Actually, traveling does not always have to cost a fortune, especially if you are smart about it. After all, the cheapest trip is often no trip at all! The following guidelines will help you to save money.
The Bottom Lines
There are lots of benefits you can find on the internet. Traveling indeed provides us a whole lot of benefits. But there are some shortcomings of traveling too that you must consider before you pack your bags. It may not be so educative and fascinating as it sounds.
We face problems of communication, poor accommodations, the difference in food and weather while traveling. Nowadays, traveling is very expensive and only for luxury.
Moreover, foreign tourists face acute street thugs and scams problem that can prove to be fatal sometimes. For these reasons, traveling is overrated to many peoples.
