Why we travel?
Outline
1.
Your travels
2.
Why travel?
3.
Why travel top 10
4.
Why should young people
travel?
5.
Why don't Americans
travel?
6.
Self-imposed Isolation
7.
Long way Round / Long
Way Down review
8.
A geographer's
perspective
Your travels
I have traveled around the United States and have been to all but
8. Most of these trips took place while I was growing up, and the motivation
for each boiled down to my parents wanting me to grow up exposed to other
places and for me to learn history of other places. More recently I visited
Ireland and Northern Ireland. My grandma loves traveling and wanted to help me
explore the larger world. I fell in love with Ireland and hope to work there in
the future.
Huberman would tell people that traveling would expose her to new
ways of doing and seeing things. Throughout her article, Huberman describes her
eye-opening travel experiences. She focuses on the idea that she doesn’t travel
to become a completely different person, but to be a “changed American”. From
little differences, like a lack of waste bins, to a completely different
justice system, traveling will expose one to new experiences.
Of the ten reasons to travel I resonate with it providing
unforgettable moments and experiences the most. My travel experiences growing
up definitely left a long-lasting impact and provide
me with many experiences I won’t experience in Omaha. I also think that
traveling lets you gain useful knowledge. It is one thing to read about a
concept or idea, and another thing completely to experience it in real life.
Finally travel motivates me. When it comes to my future and career, I know I
want it to include travel, which has greatly shaped my past decisions.
Why should young people travel?
In the article 6 Reasons Why Traveling Abroad is Important for
Young People, author Hannah Peterson argues that young people should travel
using 6 reasons. Those reasons include getting out of your comfort zone,
building confidence, develop cultural sensitivity, adaptation to globalization,
language immersion, and the opportunities to network. I also believe it is
important to experience the history of other places.
The United States spans the length of a continent, allowing for
large amounts of geographic diversity internally. This size also allows for
regional cultures to blossom, but not to the extent of traveling abroad. News
coverage also discourages traveling to countries viewed by the public as
“dangerous”. Our culture also promotes a work-centric view of life,
discouraging breaks necessary for travel. Travel costs a lot as well and is not
always an affordable option.
Self-imposed Isolation?
Each of us lives in
varying degrees of isolation from the rest of the world. This isolation is both
happenstance and self-imposed. If we are born in an isolated part of the world
with few opportunities to travel, we will likely lead an isolated existence.
Self-imposed isolation occurs when have many opportunities to see other parts
of the world but choose to spend our time and resources in one tiny area. We
isolate ourselves because we are afraid or uncomfortable in other parts of the
world.
My aunt and uncle engage in self-imposed isolation. After they
converted to a religion, they moved to a part of the country with large amounts
of people like them. They don’t like to travel or experience anything different
then what they are used to.
Passports
Maps of passport
ownership in US by state:
http://maptd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/us-passport-ownership-by-state.jpg
This map suggests that a
large majority if United States citizens do not have a passport. The large area
of states with higher ownership tends to be states with large populations, like
New York and California. Much of the Appalachian area and parts of the Midwest
are shown to have less then 30% of their population owning passports
Submitted by Sabrina
Short on 01/24/2020.
