Do You Travel?

Maguari said:
Travel is one of my absolute favourite things. My list of places to go is ever-expanding - as well as my list of places to go back to!
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Ditto.

The phrase "travel broadens the mind" is pretty accurate, I always consider any kind of overseas travel - or travel to another country or even part of the same country - to be educational.

:p

Hix
 
I love to travel. Although I have not travelled much compared to other people on the forum, I think I have traveled quite a lot compared to how old I am. But one thing that has not been said here, is the bad effect traveling has on the environment. That is one reason why am wondering if I can travel and have a clear conscience when I do it.

The environment aside, when I am finished with high school I want to spend a year traveling the globe. I want to travel across Europe and see lots and lots of zoos. And if I can afford to, I would like to go to America, Asia and Australia to see zoos as well. If I can afford it when I get adult, I want to travel around the world, visiting all continents and 54 countries! I have already made an extensive travel route. But much is dependent on money I guess. The single country I most want to see is Madagascar, only because off its wildlife. I also want to see mountain gorillas and shoebills in Uganda, among many other destinations. Well, we could all dream:)
 
Norwegian moose said:
I love to travel. Although I have not travelled much compared to other people on the forum, I think I have traveled quite a lot compared to how old I am. But one thing that has not been said here, is the bad effect traveling has on the environment. That is one reason why am wondering if I can travel and have a clear conscience when I do it.

The environment aside, when I am finished with high school I want to spend a year traveling the globe. I want to travel across Europe and see lots and lots of zoos. And if I can afford to, I would like to go to America, Asia and Australia to see zoos as well. If I can afford it when I get adult, I want to travel around the world, visiting all continents and 54 countries! I have already made an extensive travel route. But much is dependent on money I guess. The single country I most want to see is Madagascar, only because off its wildlife. I also want to see mountain gorillas and shoebills in Uganda, among many other destinations. Well, we could all dream:)
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I think you can travel sustainably with just a little bit of thought.

And your list of countries you want to visit sounds eminently achievable. I have a similar 'life list' of about 60 countries. I believe I can reach all of them by the time I'm 40 (which is only 12 years away! :eek:), despite having only been to one so far.

I wish I'd been able to travel more when I was younger, but (and this is absolutely not a criticism of any of our younger members who have been fortunate to travel a lot at a young age) I think I will appreciate it so much more given I have had to earn every single dollar I spend on my big trip. I have friends who have gone on epic long world adventures during and after university, but all on their parents' credit card.
 
i enjoy traveling but not really by air. i have been to Canada and Mexico, but not on zoo trips. now that i have a new car i hope to start going to new to me zoos again. i can visit albuquerque, san diego, las vegas and el paso all within a 6 hour drive but only abq and ep would net new zoos.
 
I would love for the Southern Aral Sea to be restored between now and the time I hopefully get to go there, though frankly I'm not holding my breath. I guess I'll just have to make do with staring off of what should be a shoreline and maybe taking surreal photos of abandoned ships in what ought to be a harbor right now.
 
Of my 53 years on this planet I have spent about 27 in the UK and 26 in other countries and the number of years in other countries is likely to grow much quicker than the number of years in the UK.
 
To our younger members: Couchsurfing is your friend. Look into it. Use it.


I would like somebody to answer me this: What is the European (& Australian) fascination with Las Vegas? Nearly every one I've met makes it a point to mention that they're going to Vegas. So what is it about one of the worst parts of the American countryside that's so appealing?

That said, I travel. I've been to ~35 countries so far, more if you count the ones used for transit (Sorry, Bulgaria). Unfortunately, the economic meltdown required me to remain put for the past several years but that's going to be remedied next year. I need to decide between between Nepal, Western India, Madagascar, and Singapore/Sumatra.

Norwegian Moose said:
But much is dependent on money I guess...
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I hear this a lot. Yet, I've never found money to be a problem. It's time. Time is the problem. With the United States' really, really crappy vacation policies one really doesn't have the time to go somewhere far flung.

Extra bit of advice: Yes, the airfare to, say, London might be dirt cheap, but you're going to spend quite a bit more on food, accommodations, and outings. Conversely, the airfare to India might seem high, but the exchange rate is far more favorable. You might even end up spending less.
 
Buldeo said:
To our younger members: Couchsurfing is your friend. Look into it. Use it.


I would like somebody to answer me this: What is the European (& Australian) fascination with Las Vegas? Nearly every one I've met makes it a point to mention that they're going to Vegas. So what is it about one of the worst parts of the American countryside that's so appealing?
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The main thing that would draw me to Vegas is Cirque du Soleil's Love. I'm a Beatles tragic.

I don't think it's useful, though, to start critiquing people's desired destinations.
 
CGSwans said:
I think I will appreciate it so much more given I have had to earn every single dollar I spend on my big trip.
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You will, because you know how hard and long you had to work to be able to afford it.

:p

Hix
 
Buldeo said:
...I would like somebody to answer me this: What is the European (& Australian) fascination with Las Vegas? Nearly every one I've met makes it a point to mention that they're going to Vegas. So what is it about one of the worst parts of the American countryside that's so appealing?...
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I lived in Las Vegas for just under four months (very much against my better judgment - long story involving my ex-wife).

In my opinion Las Vegas, Nevada is the absolute worst large city in America. I would not go there again for any reason. (It is bad enough that my preferred airline Southwest uses it as a hub, forcing me to at least visit their airport from time to time). Plus it is not really close to anyplace else of interest. My advice to those visiting America is stay far away.
 
It's been a couple of years since my last international holiday so a trip was well overdue. I'm currently in Singapore, taking a week long stopover before I head to Nepal and India. I've already bought tickets to the zoos and should be seeing them over the next couple of days. I'll keep you updated.

I always wonder why people from Europe (and America to a degree) don't travel more (not necessarily from zoochat but mostly people I've met (one example is a friend who came to Melbourne on exchange from Liverpool and had never been out of England or even been to London)). The biggest hurdle for Australians is getting out of the country. International flights cost so much but once you're abroad the rest of your holiday can be done depending on how much you've got to spend. I normally opt for the cheapest accommodation possible so you can spend more on activities and food. You won't be spending much time in your room when you've got a new place to explore.
 
I sit near to a young woman at work who is 20 years old and has never been to London (national capital, one of the most diverse and exciting cities in the world, with all its landmarks, museums, theatres, nightlife, even zoos!) despite it being less than 3hr away by train or road. It's a day trip!

Blows my mind.
 
Maguari said:
I sit near to a young woman at work who is 20 years old and has never been to London (national capital, one of the most diverse and exciting cities in the world, with all its landmarks, museums, theatres, nightlife, even zoos!) despite it being less than 3hr away by train or road. It's a day trip!

Blows my mind.
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Years ago when I still lived in Portsmouth, I used to frequent a barbers on the high street (those who know me will consider this funny in itself!) and the young girl who cut (what was left of) my hair said she had never been to Southampton because she 'was scared she might get lost'!!
 
Here's some thoughts on American travel. Compared to Europe, each American state is roughly equivalent in size to a European country. This year, I have visited 9 states, with plans for at least one more. To get to the next country, Mexico (at least in the South), we have to cross huge hurdles. I was thinking about going myself, but the fact that there were mass graves near the site I wanted to visit made that an easy decision to make. There is Canada to the north. After that, the next closest countries are Cuba and Russia. Americans don't travel freely there.
 
Arizona Docent said:
I lived in Las Vegas for just under four months (very much against my better judgment - long story involving my ex-wife).

In my opinion Las Vegas, Nevada is the absolute worst large city in America. I would not go there again for any reason. (It is bad enough that my preferred airline Southwest uses it as a hub, forcing me to at least visit their airport from time to time). Plus it is not really close to anyplace else of interest. My advice to those visiting America is stay far away.
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yeah, and see, I enjoy visiting Las Vegas on occasion. I can never stand it longer than a day or two, though, because the same things I like about the city...bright, flashing lights and lots of interesting people...also are the things I don't like about the place. My brain gets overstimulated and it becomes dangerous for me.
 
I love to travel whether it's within the US or outside of the US. I've been to Costa Rica twice and been to Europe once. Definitely want to travel more. I'm amazed by how many people in the US barely travel outside of their own state when there are so many places in this country to see. Where I live it seems like so many people don't travel unless it's to see family. I got weird looks when I went to Detroit last summer to visit a friend and even more weird looks when I went to Costa Rica two summers ago. I haven't mentioned I'm looking at going to Ecuador this summer.
 
Newzooboy said:
Years ago when I still lived in Portsmouth, I used to frequent a barbers on the high street (those who know me will consider this funny in itself!) and the young girl who cut (what was left of) my hair said she had never been to Southampton because she 'was scared she might get lost'!!
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As someone who is nearly as obsessed with Portsmouth Football Club as he is with zoos, I have to say that I find your hairdresser's attitude to be both admirable and understandable - they're a nasty lot in Southampton.
 
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