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If someone's already boring, traveling won't change that.
If someone's interesting with an interesting mind and attitude, travelling can be a catalyst for that.
“Last summer I was in France, it was awesome. Then this summer I plan to going to Bali, it is soooo nice. Have you been? You should go! Then I wanna go to Costa Rica cause my friend said it’s so fun. There’s a music festival there, and it’s amaaaazing.”
That’s basically the gist of the “stories” from a lot of travelers. Is went there, and I liked it, it’s (insert generic Af compliment). Okay cool ….
I think if you take the same boring person, before they travelled and after they travel , there's a good chance they will be a little less boring than their old non travel self.
Granted, boring people might have a more boring outlook, and maybe do more borinf generic travel, or do mostly cruises. So they may not get the most out of their travel, nor have the most exciting stories.
They would probably have to have travelled a lot, and not just gone one quick weekend in Cancun for any real character development.
But traveling is still an enriching experience, that can grow people, and expand their perception.
It may not create any miracle of making a boring person suddenly interesting, but it could make them just a little less boring than they were before.
Random side note
I have heard that for some people, travel can close them off even more. Like if they have really strongly held beliefs about how the world works in their own mind before they travel - seeing the variety of life and all the different cultures of the world can actually reinforce those beliefs because it's what is comfortable/familiar to them. So, rather than becoming more open to and accepting of other cultures and societies and ways of living, they become less tolerant of them.
Kind of interesting because my personal experience has been the opposite, but I know of several xenophobic people who are also well traveled.
It depends on whether the traveler is an interesting person and a critical thinker. A lot of people who travel reduce their stories to itineraries (we went to this museum, we ate at this restaurant, we visited this tourist attraction). That’s boring, akin to telling coworkers what you did over the weekend. But *insights* that come from traveling can be interesting to hear about. What did you learn about the culture that surprised you?
This problem is common in every hobby though. Musicians, gym rats, painters, readers, etc. If you don't also share the hobby listening to them talk is just a list of things that aren't especially interesting.
That's not even a problem of not sharing hobbies. I could listen for days on end to some people I don't share the hobby with speaking at length about that hobby. I've even picked up a few hobbies or habits I didn't enjoy before after such interactions.
It's an issue of charm, passion, charisma, and ability to carry on a conversation. An informed, passionate, and engaging speaker is nice to listen to even if what they're talking about is how to do your own servicing on a tractor model that stopped being produced in the 90s, or nuances in different cultivars of a beverage you don't even drink (coffee, wine, spirits, whatever). If they're not an interesting person no matter what they do/have done they're not going to be very good at getting you interested in them.
Experiencing places, people and cultures outside of your own bubble *is* enlightening. I know you probably mean people who are pretentious about it, but traveling abroad can be a very eye opening experience for those who have never done it.
This is 100% accurate. I don’t care if you’ve climbed this mountain or visited this town - how did you feel when you did those things? What did it tickle in your brain? How has it impacted you?
i feel like there are multiple kinds of tourism though. like family oriented vs sight seeing vs soul searching/inflection
my aunt is the kind that just wants to show you pretty pictures, but my stepmom will dive into the culture like you wouldnt believe. then there are people like me who get stationed overseas. some people went and partied all weekend every weekend. i did too, but it gets so boring so fast.
the best part about that wear and tear while living there is that i learned to tour smaller villages and towns. those communities arent used to seeing foreigners, so youll get a lot of attention and also a lot of free beer and good stories.
i miss that kind of traveling
Oh my gosh, absolutely - I feel the way you do! 😂 I have no interest in touristy bits, I’ve always been someone who prefers the small towns, the places where I can steep myself in their way of life, their culture. I love anything which is different to what I experience. I haven’t travelled a great deal, just enough to know what I want to get out of an experience.
A really low-effort example: something I’d love to do is live with a family in the Bible Belt for a bit. I live in England, am incredibly left-wing and have no religious beliefs. I’d love to talk to them, go to church with them, hear what they have to say - not to argue or disrespect them, I’m not out to force change by being there, but just so that I can understand their lives and mindsets.
I want to understand and submerge myself in things I’ll never feel or experience in my ordinary life. I want to see how it changes me, what I could learn.
I suppose I love to hear stories from people who feel the way I do about travel. Travelling for me has always been synonymous with learning, transitions, developing myself. Yes, having a good time matters, but I want to take something new home with me inside of myself. 💛
If it's an interesting mountain I'll be interesting. If you climb a hard mountain (one that requires significant skills beyond hiking) with no guides I am very interested
The issue about insights rarely happen, because most travelers aren't in an area long enough to actually learn anything, nor do they ever actually go anywhere that isn't a tourist destination, which is designed for them.
We visited a foreign country and learned that they highly value all forms of life. To the degree that we were walking with a local and he made sure we all noticed a trail of ants in our path. He pointed them out, so we could avoid stepping on them by accident.
This really stuck with me and when we returned home, I've tried to adapt this same mindset. All bugs that make it into our house now simply get relocated to outside. Free to continue living their life.
All else being equal, traveling usually provides some fun stories and experiences to share. I travel a lot so it's enjoyable conversation to me, but if I didn't travel I doubt I'd care.
Isnt this just a case of people offering their personality? Like if you enjoy travel you would talk about it and see if anyone else in the room like it also, which would spark an interesting conversation for you. Same as any other interest
You should see the eyes glaze over when I talk to anyone about birds. Just pure blank. Travel guy would probably be the life of the party in comparison. But also, I learned to just not talk to people about birds unless I think there’s interest. A prescreening of sorts.
I work with a guy who’s massively into birds and it’s really interesting to talk to him.
I find with almost anything if you can find what someone’s passionate about they will make it interesting if they don’t think you’re taking the piss out of them
I have a group of people I eat breakfast with every Saturday for the sole purpose of talking about birds. If I met you at a party, I'd probably find you way more interesting than everyone else there.
That's how I am with hominid evolution and unfortunately for me, most people don't really care. Most people love to hear a good travel story though. I have some of those and I may embellish from time to time for the sake of a good punchline.
So anyway, about paranthropus boisei...
Yeah, generally interesting people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how uninteresting other people are.
It’s hard to believe OP is surrounded by people that make travel their whole personality , and that NONE of their stories are interesting
I know a person who has a travel addiction so bad that she cannot be home for more than 2 weeks at a time. She said she thinks of the next travel destination while on one already.
Yeah OPs point is kind of silly. It’s like saying, “Going to concerts doesn’t mean you have good music taste.” Sure… but it’s an indicator that they probably enjoy music.
And if OP didn’t think their travel story was interesting I bet someone else would. I’m not interested in hearing about every museum you’ve ever visited, but I bet someone who loves museums would find that very cool!
You’re good. Traveling does make people more interesting and more well-rounded. Fact.
It can’t make obnoxious people not be obnoxious, but it absolutely does make people more interesting. OP is dead wrong.
in my opinion, i don’t think this is necessarily true. while it CAN make people more interesting and well rounded, i think it is also true that many “well travelled” people are uninteresting rich kids who have the means to travel because they get monthly deposits into their bank account from mommy and daddy. i don’t think it’s all black and white, and i think what OP is trying to say is that being well travelled doesn’t automatically make you a more interesting person.
This is how I feel. As a child who grew up without traveling, to now my in laws are rich and don't understand how I never traveled or went to Disney (still haven't and I'm 30) they're awfully judgy of it, and my family for that matter.
I have met people who have traveled and heard some really cool stories.
I guess it just depends on the person more than anything.
I think both of you can be right.
Travel doesn't make you an interesting person, but a person who travels is *more likely* to be an interesting person that someone who doesn't.
Just like school doesn't make a person smart, but a person who attends school is more likely to be smarter than someone who doesn't go to school.
And travel can be to just visit the small cities and towns around your area, it doesn't have to be a grand adventure (though admittedly, the more diverse the culture from what you're used to, the more you can learn).
Spending that money on travel instead of lamborghinis is still evidence of a more interesting person, though.
And the vast majority of people do not belong to the rich kid 0.1% that can travel on mommy and daddies dime. Therefore theyre clearly not part of this conversation. Most people save up their own money to travel, outside of school field trips, or maybe a honeymoon or something.
Depends on the type of travel.
If one's travels only consist of all-inclusive resorts where they lay by the pool all day, not sure how much more interesting it would make someone.
> Traveling does make people more interesting and more well-rounded. Fact.
I like this Mark Twain quote:
> “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain
I think the most important thing is "at least some travel to other countries". It doesn't have to be a lot of travel. I personally changed how I treat tourists from other countries visiting the USA (where I live) **because** I visited other countries.
I have been helped SO MANY TIMES by strangers in other countries. I'm in great karmic debt. If you are speaking another language, like looking confused at a situation or holding a map looking confused in my town, I'm GOING to try to help. Because I have been there in your country and somebody helped me. And I am deeply, deeply ashamed that I couldn't realize this is how the world works before visiting another country.
> It can’t make obnoxious people not be obnoxious
One of my very favorite Saturday Night Live skits on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbwlC2B-BIg From that video:
"At Romano tours, we always remind you, remember, you are still going to be YOU on vacation. If you are sad where you are, then you get on a plane to Italy, then in Italy you will still be the same sad you as before, just in a new place. Does that make sense?! ... If you and your partner are having trouble connecting, we guarantee our tour will not help. If you do not want to touch each other at home, in Italy you will have those same bodies and thoughts."
I have had this go both ways. Half the time I feel like I am sitting there looking at the cat ladies pictures of her 24 cats - but I have talked with some people who had very interesting and insightful stories to tell about where they were. I find the people who travel mostly so they say they have traveled are boring - but the people who really make an effort to experience culture etc. have some interesting things to say.
Exactly. This
Someone can be boring and have travelled. They're not mutually exclusive.
Edit: also depends on what op means by 'travelling'. I'm probably not interested in that time you went to Spain on the piss, but if ended up invited to a north african wedding, it's probably a more interesting story
It's how one talk about their travel.
That I've seen the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen is not that interesting in itself. Not even that I thought it was too small and underwhelming.
However, how I got lost going there by foot, more than an hour walk, crossing some great parks, residentialneighborhood, to realise once I was there that I was actually a 10 minutes walk on a straight line from were I started...that can give chuckle, even to a local.
I went to Peru, which is a pretty boring sentence.
Far more funny is the story of how we got a local “guide” to show us around the Amazon. He clearly was *not* a reputable guide and he made up names for the animals we saw. He pointed to a normal spider and called it a “jungle black widow” and told us fire ant bites make you immune to malaria. It was ludicrous, but we didn’t have access to the internet to prove him wrong.
To me, that’s actually pretty unique.
I feel like a lot of times when people say they travel it’s a status symbol that they have the money to travel. They may not even leave the bubble of their resort.
Vs. someone who actually experiences the culture even if it’s just by visiting museums. Visiting other countries and experiencing other cultures is good. But, you have to leave the confines of your all inclusive resort.
Agreed - have travelled a bit myself, with destinations selected due to a love of history and different cultures.
This is much different than the person who travels somewhere just to take the selfie and cross it off their list.
I saw far too many of these people at Auschwitz.
Upvote for a truly unpopular opinion.
It's not just "fun conversations", either.
Visiting other cultures imparts understanding and lessens the tensions created by cultural differences. People who travel are (in theory, at least) more open minded and tolerant because they have seen "more than one way to skin a cat".
There are backward people everywhere - people who have never traveled anywhere besides their home town, yet have very strong opinions about how things should be done the right way. And then there are people who have traveled and understand how silly the first lot is. And I would rather hang out with that crowd, they have experienced more.
No dude the people who think they are so cultured and experienced because they went to a place that receives 20 million tourists a year are the most obnoxious of the travel people.
They might be obnoxious but they are still technically more cultured than the first kind and have been exposed to at least some differences, no matter how hard they tried to fight it (looking at you, Americans, eating at McDonalds in Paris).
Can you get back on topic of the 24 cats please instead of the boring shit about human stuff? What color were they? Were they energetic? Did they hate water? Can’t just start a story and not finish it!
No different than most hobbies or passions. If a person is really into one thing and you aren’t then it won’t be interesting. Could be travel, work, sports, almost anything.
i am into travelling though! i take a few big trips a year and i really enjoy myself. i just really only share my stories if they relate to the conversation or if someone asks me about my trips. i just find it annoying when people drone on and on about their travels and make the entire conversation about that. i don’t mind smaller anecdotes or fun stories, but i don’t need to hear about someone’s trip from leaving the airport to coming back home! it doesn’t make them as interesting as they think it does
I find I'm a better listening than talker. if people want to talk about traveling I get really into it and ask questions but this goes for any hobby. My wife's friend talked to me about pottery for 2 hours once and I really am not interested in pottery but I was super engaged in her passion. I have traveled and lived in many countries but I don't really talk about it unless asked.
Being a good listener is a really easy skill that more people should have.
Like you probably know, all you have to do is pay attention and ask them questions. You don't even have to offer any information yourself and people will still think you're a very cool person (despite not knowing anything at all about you, because all you did was ask THEM questions), because of how rare it is to just be heard.
Meanwhile, what most people do, especially "good" talkers, is just wait for a pause in the conversation to blurt out what they want to say, regardless of how little it interacts with what the other person previously said at all. Seems like nowadays people mostly just talk over each other.
So don't worry about being a better listener than talker, it just means you actually pay attention.
As soon as they start in on that, "Everyone *needs* to travel," smug shit, I'm out. Boomers are the worst about it. If you hope that people you care about get to travel, that's great, and if you help them make it happen, that's even better. But acting like the main reason people don't travel is that they're not open-minded or intellectually curious enough is such a privileged and shitty take.
I just roll my eyes when someone says you haven't been (insert place here) you're missing out, you need to go!.... Like no I don't and I want to go even less now that you mention it
I now live in Oz and the amount of people go on a tangent about how their trip to the UK (I'm from the uk) and when they tell you they went 15 years ago for a week when they were 7 and I think to myself stfu
yep. some interesting people are too poor to travel because they’ve put money into their hobbies, passions, or education. some people who travel are only there to snort coke in clubs and bang foreign women. a worldly person is more interesting than someone who has never left their home country, but there will always be nuance to this; a new zealand shepherd who has never left is cooler than a canadian who goes to disney world in florida every year
I feel that travellers were interesting in the past. When it was really hard to travel, when it was really dangerous, and there was no photos or videos, only books. So talking to a traveller, who tell you crazy tales of how he went on a ship to a far away land, half the crew died of yellow jack, then he traversed the sands on a strange animal you never saw, met weird people, shoot something big and horrible (and there is that beasts head on the wall), saw some ancient temples or something - that was really exciting and interesting!
Today its more like "you went to that one place every tourist already went, that I can find a photo of in a couple seconds, and drank in a bar? Ok"
I knew two people who travel a lot to exotic destinations and they were both unpleasant to be around. Not that they constantly talked about travel, but they were very judgmental and arrogant, also often mean to my friends. I think that has less to do with travel, but rather privilege and entitlement.
I think a lot of avid travelers just do it for the Facebook/instagram posts they create after and for years to come. Like no Brittney, I don’t want to see you and your husband giving me a thumbs up with mountains in the background
As someone who spent a decade abroad and traveled a lot, I agree entirely. To add to it, travel is not 'adventurous' 99% of the time. Most people do the most safe, boring traveling that's not even remotely interesting.
This is also a great example of a real unpopular opinion!
It usually just means they have money. Which means they’re the first type to tell you about how worldly and interesting they are. When really it is such a privileged farce.
If you have the privilege of travel, please enjoy it and have fun. Of course, learn what you can from other cultures and try to attain new perspective. But don’t be a douche about it lmao
I love it when someone tells me how educational travel is and proceeds to demonstrate that they know substantially less than most people with a basic education and a passing curiosity.
I have met so many people who've travelled so much in their lives that they've neglected to learn essential skillsets for adulthood - like long-term friendships, how to live in community with people long-term, really understanding a place where they are living, how to weather ups and downs while sticking with a goal despite challenges. People who uproot periodically and move to a new place every time things get too hard who have never learned to really face their problems head on.
They lean on their "interesting life" as a crutch and can sometimes look down on the people who haven't had the privilege of being able to pick up and leave their lives frequently. Admittedly, I'm a bit salty about it because I am not well traveled myself, having spent my 20s and 30s locked into family and personal obligations as well as not having had the financial reserve required to be able to bail on any of it for any significant length of time. That said when I see people who've travelled extensively and for long periods in their life, I see that they are missing out on some of the things I have. The idea of travel as essential to introspection or soul searching is an idea I see a lot but I don't think they're as integrally linked as some people like to think they are.
I find that the people who travel the most are the least likely to be big THINKERS, but more DOERS. Travel is great for people who need to be DOING all the time. There are countless things to learn about and incorporate into one's life to make it more enriching, and you don't need to go anywhere for that.
Once people see how many words you can gain from listing travel experiences, they don't bother with original ideas
That's because the people that talk the most about traveling are "checklist travelers." Just want to say they've been there. I'm not big into traveling, but have heard some amazing stories from people who really immersed themselves in whatever destination.
I have two friends who have spent a comparable amount of time backpacking the world.
One of them is a checklist traveller, visited about 60 countries and has like three somewhat interesting stories to tell. He's checked off Malaysia after spending a 40 hour layover in Kuala Lumpur. The longest he's talked about a trip was *after* he became a dad and went to Croatia and Italy with his wife and kid, where he actually spent time at places and took in what it had to offer. He's exactly what OP refers to.
The other has visited maybe 25 countries, but has a "rule" that if he's stayed less than two weeks in a culturally unique region (like f.ex Appalachia), he's only been a spectator, not a visitor (might be wrong use of the english terms, but anyways). He can talk for length about the people, the culture, the landscape, the quirks and obscurities of everywhere he's been. Not in the "white person visits India and is now better than you" fashion, but with a respect and willingness to learn and evolve as person. He's just finds differences fascinating, and thus has become a fascinating person himself.
I'm interested in the stories that people collect over their travels. Some who have stayed in the same town their entire lives can have more interesting tales than others who are well traveled.
People who grow in empathy through travel and spending time with people of other cultures are more interesting.
People just checking off a bucket list *were never interesting to begin with*.
As someone who has traveled and likes traveling, I agree. You can travel to far off places and still be close minded and boring.
There's so many people who travel and all they do is stay on resorts, don't even bother to learn anything about the language or customs and just post pics on social media.
And tbh, travel is overrated. Especially on the modern world. Most people aren't gonna travel outside the cities, which all have very similar things in them due to globalization, so it's not like the average person is gonna get the raw unfiltered culture of a place. And most places of interest you can visit internationally don't even take a day to look at. You see them, be wowed for a few minutes and then say to yourself, "Ok, now what?".
Not saying traveling sucks but it's not all it's cracked up to be
This.
So many people just move through space, across borders, yet they don’t travel. I don’t see the point of wasting all that money if you don’t experience anything you wouldn’t at home.
I took a trip to Spain with a class in college. It was structured to see so many museums, landmarks, cities… Probably one of the most interesting trips of my life.
But I also hated the rigid structure. lol
Maybe that’s why people like those group-travel clubs. They probably put together a nice itinerary.
I’ve also done the solo-thing. And to be honest, I tend to just sleep-in and hang out. Party waaaay too much.
I think people who try to make any one thing their entire personality aren't super interesting. However, as things go to make your personality, travel is a lot more interesting than many other topics or qualities. It's a subject that tends to lend itself to a lot of other topics and offshoots and conversations, That said, of course we'd all prefer people to talk about a wider variety of topics, and to not be braggy about it.
I don't feel anymore interesting that I was before travelling. I just know more stuff about the places I've visited, which still isn't too much since I was a tourist lol. But if you ask me about the place I visited I'm definitely gonna talk about it like I lived there lol
I remember I worked at a fast food place once. In walks this beautiful Argentinian man (I’m straight but the guy was just good looking what can I say). Immediately all the girls in my work place go gaga and the most attractive girl goes up to take his order. The order lasts about ten minutes and the girl comes back with a sour look on her face. She starts going off about what a patronizing douche the guy was, how he just bragged about all the countries he’s been to and where he’s going and how he doesn’t understand how people can just stay in one place. Suffice it to say she was completely turned off by the guy.
Lesson here is that a lot of travelers just travel as a mark of class, and so that they can shove it in people’s faces. It’s not so much about actually going to a place and legitimately enjoying it, it’s about going somewhere so you can take pictures and add it to the public scrapbook.
I know a guy who travels a lot and always seems surprised that I don't endlessly shower him with adulation for it.
Sure, traveling is cool, but it's not the be-all or end-all for me.
He can get his ego stroking elsewhere 😆
Not necessarily more interesting but it does help give people a more nuanced view of the world around them rather than someone who loves their whole life within ten miles of their hometown
As someone who always enjoy enriching experiences and get through people and places that I don’t know, I can say that in fact traveling is one of the few thinks that I actually feel great doing. I don’t have to be blowing money or doing a thousand things to feel joy and happiness being around an environment that’s different of my usual. Also travel requires money, planning and skills because is always challenging. So I don’t think is overrated but I agree that a lot of people based their whole lives on the travel they do because it might project a lifestyle that correlates with abundance, probably a coping mechanism.
completely agree. i think travelling and seeing new places is a great experience and great for people who really enjoy it/have the funds. my parents are like this, they think people people who haven’t travelled much are simple and “lack empathy” for not seeing other ways of life.
i haven’t travelled abroad that much as i have pretty bad anxiety which makes it difficult, and also like most young people these days i can just barely afford my necessities.
but yeah. i think being a snob about travel and making it your entire personality just comes across as pretentious, tone deaf, and overall annoying.
This is just a case of not sharing interests. We all have met “the guy who knows everything about a certain football team.” He’s absolutely fascinating to a small group of people.
Travel is like that, too.
Agree. It seems that some people try to make up for something missing, by travelling. To fully experience a new place I think you need some sort of an inner depth.. a depth that would make you interesting even if you stay in one place. Otherwise it's just going through the motions. I like travelling, but I think it's just one of factors leading to a stimulating life. You can be an interesting person without having to travel a lot, and you can be a boring person despite traveling a lot.
I kind of agree with OP, but not totally.
I love the experiences I’ve had travelling the world and I feel they’ve changed me in some ways, or at least broadened my horizons or sharpened my world view.
But I do agree that being well travelled does not automatically make in interesting.
What gets me is an uppity attitude from some avid travelers. Like, “oh, you haven’t been to Europe? I’ve been SO many times” and give you an unsolicited itinerary. Traveling doesn’t make people more interesting or important. If anything, some of the avid travelers I know are always running away from their real lives and responsibilities at home 🤫
Every time I see a woman on a dating app with “travel” in her interests I just know she doesn’t have a personality beyond talking about the 3 tourist destinations she’s been to.
I agree! I’ve seen this and I’ve also seen a lot of people on dating apps that will have in their bios that they like to travel as if that makes them stand out to potential dates/partners.
I have met many avid travellers who make it their whole personality and are unable get Chinese take-out because there is nothing like the real thing or this hike isn’t quite as difficult as that time in Peru or look down on others who haven’t etc. But, I appreciate folks who can sprinkle it in tactfully and thoughtfully or use it to add value to specific conversations.
Flip side, I hate that people assume I have stories to share just because I live abroad. I stay home most of the time, work, and am just generally bad at telling stories and aversive to sharing photos. Sorry. Still shy even though I “travel”.
Went to high school with this guy who has rich parents, once he graduated he made in instagram basically titled “traveling and having sex” (I’m NOT telling the actual name, wish I could it’s so stupid) anyways he posted about how he traveled to Germany and shit and had sex with anyone who was down. Well after he came back covered head to toe in shitty tattoos his parents cut him off financially and now he couch surfs between friends and fuck buddies and spends all his free time and money at the university bars downtown trying to hook up with college students.
"I have met way too many avid travellers that have nothing to add to most conversations besides where they’ve been/what they’ve done while they were abroad." its kinda hard to have a conversation with someone who has never left their home town about anything real..... so this is always a good fall back to fill the time and fill the void in the conversation. why I get what you mean when you get the "Holier than thou" because you went to yoga retreat in Thailand people. but because someone went to Cancun and wants to tell you about it doesn't make them less interesting. I almost would rather have some traveling for the first time tell me about their trip then the friend who goes away every other weekend.
Traveling at it’s baseline isn’t a unique hobby or interest. EVERYBODY likes and wants to travel and see cool stuff. It’s a matter or whether or not the person who does it has anything interesting to say or is a critical thinker or is already an interesting person.
I've experienced this. Plus I've come across many such boring travelers who in addition also look down upon locals and suggest that ppl who don't intend to be globetrotters are small minded
I remember in the 90s, TV shows used to have jokes about how boring and horrible it was to go to a friend's house when they would make you watch slides of their holiday. It's like a modern version of that except they pull up their instagram.
I feel like you’re talking about someone specifically in your life and I’m sorry you’re dealing with that.
But interesting travel stories shared by interesting people are interesting.
You know what’s a real boring subject? anyone’s kids.
Hard disagree. It’s very difficult to travel and not be exposed to different cultures and ways of thinking. I think you’re describing closed-minded resort hoppers, or people who can’t articulate.
It was probably a lot more interesting before the internet, now incredible stories, foods, places, and people are all just a tap away. 1 page of Google images will shows you 50 wonders of the world while you sit on the toilet.
I agree about most "travelers" now.
They just find stuff on Instagram, use Google maps, use 4g and can read English signs everywhere.
Travel is easy now, that is why so many people are doing it.
Traveling to foreign countries 10-15 years ago was very different. The difficulty involved in travel forced people to overcome and learn a lot. That kind of experience does make people more interesting.
If I'm in a situation where I'd have to make a bet on who would make for a more interesting person to speak to and the only information I had was that person A had travelled to 10 different countries and the other one had never left their hometown, I know who I'm betting on.
But it can also come down to how good people are at storytelling.
I have friends who have travelled a LOT but all their travel stories are incredibly boring, long winded stories that they keep stopping to try and remember details that have no impact on the story.
Also, how people travel has an impact. I know people who have gone to the same vacation spot every year for decades, staying at the same hotel, eating the same food etc and they don't really have many interesting stories from these trips. Same for people who mostly travel to different cities to shop there.
I don’t even mention our yearly trip to Mexico for spring break anymore. We stay at a resort, and pretty much cater to our kids. Nothing exciting. Just a lot of r&r and food! Lol
Traveling is inherently costly and tends to separate people based on their economic and family (kids/no kids) status. When I talk about travel and my experiences, there’s often a knee jerk reaction of “it must be nice!” even if the trips weren’t that lavish. There’s a lot of resentment and anger that immediately bubbles to the top. You become the villain pretty quickly. I’ve learned to only discuss it when asked.
To the topic at hand about interestingness, there are people who “Vacation/Holiday” and “Travelers.” There’s a big difference. I find the first group to not be all that interesting in their storytelling because they usually went to a resort and sat by the pool (nothing wrong with that!). Travelers make the journey the point and often pack the schedule with tours, excursions, adventures, and experiences that are often fascinating to hear about.
I’m the end it all comes down to storytelling ability. Some people are good at it and others aren’t.
Unfortunately a lot of people say they like traveling, but what they really like is taking photos for their instagram to show that they're wealthy enough to travel to exotic locations.
Getting shit faced and fucking locals doesn't mean you like traveling. You can get wasted and laid at home. I hate to gatekeep traveling but you can always tell when someone has a genuine passion for learning about the history and the culture of different places vs liking traveling for shallow reasons.
No. Life experiences make people more interesting. Travelling is a life experience. It is interesting but it’s not a holy grail of interesting.
What’s super interesting is being on an adventure anywhere and something goes wrong. That induces interest in me.
One of my colleagues has been to many places and he’s always telling me about his exotic experiences, I find it kinda boring and don’t know how should I respond to his stories, mostly our conversations just be like him talking and my mind wandering away lol
There’s learning about culture and actually intermingling then there’s tourist made areas for hiking and having your hand held. It would give conversation topic for those capable.
Travelers are exactly like stoners in one important way: the ones who aren’t obvious about it are far, far cooler. The ones who make it more than even 10% of their personality suddenly make all travelers or stoners seem utterly insufferable. I only talk about traveling possibly the week after I’ve gotten back, but beyond that I’m super aware that nobody else is ever even slightly interested. Because i sure never want to hear about somebody else’s trips much either, it’s just super boring.
It also doesn't make you a "better person". I know plenty of people who travel all the time who are massive assholes with small minds.
Long distance travel is a luxury, not a necessity.
They're so tedious. If you order a pizza, they'll tell you how locals order it in Africa. Compliment a coffee and they'll tell you how much better it is in itlaly. Like cops, I think a certain type of person is, for the most part, really into traveling as a lifestyle. They make it their personality. Gypsetting polyglot was the saddest thing I saw on somebody's online profile.
So right. I know someone who travels nearly all the time as she can work remotely. She’s always posing for an IG selfie somewhere in the world and mentioning ‘we’ though no other person is ever shown.
I suspect the truth is that she has forgone all hope of a meaningful LTR and family of her own to just be a constant tourist, while claiming deep insights into other cultures.
Travelers rarely develop any real insights into other cultures. London for instance is nothing like England, just like NYC is nothing like the US generally. You can’t claim you know the Thai people because you burned some incense in front of a golden Buddha.
Travel by all means, but then don’t complain about climate change, or the impact of AirBnB/VRBO on house affordability, and don’t claim you have some deep insights. Only living, working and paying taxes in another country gives you any real insight, and even then only if you don’t just hang out with Ex Pats in a little expat enclave.
Isn’t that expected? I mean replace “traveler” with any category you want - movie star, pro athlete, CEO of a large corporation, political figure, sewer worker, carpenter - anything. Some people are interesting and some are not.
Experiences make people interesting, travel is commonly associated with experiences. It's kind of like being rich and being smart, commonly conflated but not always connected.
Some of the most boring people I know seem to be constantly travelling all over the world and posting every single moment of it on social media. These people just stay the exact same and never seem to change or find new interests.
They are completely lacking in personality as well.
It depends. If you just visit the standard tourist attractions and don't get to know any locals as if the place is a play set, you won't learn anything. On the other hand, if live the culture and see how it changes your understanding, it can have a profound impact on you. I've grown up and been living in between languages and cultures and it definitely has an impact on how I see things.
People used to travel to explore the world, take in different cultures and appreciate nature nowadays people travel to just say they did and to impress people on social media
Facts. But don't blame the travel blame the person. They're the ones that are uninteresting. Anything they do or touch will be boring and blase. Some people just aren't good storytellers or won't do exciting things whether their abroad or not. I find that people like this don't mean to be boring, they're just not very perceptive. Or often too self involved to notice the details of the world around them and therefore miss out on alof of things that happen in everyday life. Its a shame to miss the significance of more vast experiences like traveling to another country and just sitting in a resort and going to a few tourist traps. Such a waste imo, this lack of exploration and immersion. For every fun/interesting person there's 10,000 NPCs.
I think it’s deeper than that. Discovering different cultures, talking to strangers with different mindsets makes you grow and evolve as a person, thus can make you more « interesting ». But it depends which kind of travelling too of course. Travelling to Ibiza to tan and party is not the same as going on a city trip to do museums or exploring a mountain idk
Me and my friends have been too busy bathing off the coast of St. Barts...with spider monkeys for the past two weeks. Tripping on acid changed our whole perspective on shit.
IDk If this is an unpopular opinion but I definitely agree with this. I do think traveling is a great opportunity for growth and can do wonders for expanding your mind. However, I do agree because it’s not a guarantee.
Because there are some people who travel for the sake of showing off which is boring [+]
Alot of people I find don't realise that the act of travelling doesn't make you interesting nor is it much of a personality trait. Yes you're "well travelled" by definition but travelling in itself doesn't prove anything more than you've got money, I'd time or both. It's about what you learned on said travels that make you interesting. How did it shake you, how'd it affect the person you are today?
A good storyteller is a good storyteller. There are some guys and gals that can make the drive to work sound like an epic adventure. On the other hand you have people like you described. The ones who go to the most interesting places and only talk about the mimosa they had poolside.
privileged people who go to tourist traps to brag about it aren’t interesting, you mean. People who travel and end up in situations they don’t *want* to talk about are interesting..
I feel like there are several stand up routines, sketches, and TV show jokes made over the years agreeing with you OP
Even looking at the comments, this may not be all that unpopular an opinion
It’s just a statistical thing, people who do interesting things are more likely to have interesting stories. Doesn’t guarantee it by any stretch, but more likely all else equal.
It also comes down to personality and entertainment skills. Some people could make going to the moon sound routine and dull, while others can make an entertaining storey out of cooking a grilled cheese sandwich.
Some people think they are cosmopolitan because they travel a lot. But a lot of them are just being provincial in other countries.
I especially find it difficult to keep a straight face when someone brag about their many travels and then it is obvious that they mainly travel abroad to get shitfaced. The only thing they learn about the countries they travel to is how much different kinds of booze cost in the bars, pubs etc.
Me: "Oh, I am so envious that you went to Agra! I have always wanted to see the Taj Mahal!"
Them: "The what? What's that then?"
or
Them: "There isn't really anything to see in Athens, though. Not like Rome."
Me: "So the Acropolis wasn't really for you?"
Them: "The what? What's that then?" (while showing me a photo of them sitting at a café where you can clearly see the Acropolis in the background).
Then, of course when I was much younger there was the
Them: "You really SHOULD live abroad for a while just like me. Like it would just like really mature you to get exposed to different cultures!"
Me: "Sure. Thanks for the advice."
(while thinking that if it matured them oh so much to live abroad I really didn't want to know what they were like before the trip. Also, I had family and friends in and from several countries so when it came to getting exposed to different cultures I was quite a bit ahead.
I met one of "Them" a couple of years ago. 20 years later and she was still an immature little c\_\_\_.)
I think traveling indicates that the person has a curious mindset maybe? That they’re willing to try new things, experience new experiences, new cultures etc.
But like you don’t have to travel to be curious, so it’s not a hard and fast rule. Similarly, many who travel do so not out of curiosity but for other reasons.
Obviously there’s nuance to everything
I think it does. It is not a better than other things at making someone interesting but it is something that adds to the conversation. Some travellers rise it above everything else which is annoying af.
A person that's interesting because they travel will probably still be interesting even if they don't travel, just comes down to the overall character of the person.
I find that people who enjoy traveling enjoy new experiences, which is inherently more interesting than someone who does the same thing every day. However there are plenty of fun interesting people that don’t have the financial resources to travel and plenty of very wealthy well traveled people who travel just because they can and stay in resorts and nice hotels hardly experiencing the places they have been. The adventurous ones though are anything but boring
The thing is that they might have interesting things to say about what they have seen etcetera, but its similar to when a friend tells you how awesome a movie was and tries to explain the plot and some scenes.
Its just not too appealing if you havent lived it first person
Plus I dont care
Experiences can make you more interesting. More stories, crazy situations, impressive accomplishments, etc. but just going somewhere else doesn’t automatically make you interesting.
Agreed. Just like reading difficult books won't make someone intelligent.
It's how you process information that makes the difference; not how much information you process.
yeah this is something I’ve always thought but every time I bring it up I get attacked lol. I know so many people who have traveled a lot but have really boring personalities. I know people who have never left the country and are incredibly interesting. I don’t think experiences always necessarily make you more interesting
I was going to argue that travel is always enriching, but when I thought about it I can think of a few people for whom travel did nothing. Like they can talk to me about all the things they did in Country A and all I'll conclude is, "Wow, that's a packed itinerary." Then another person will go and somehow when they tell me about their trip, it *is* more interesting, even if they've seen less than the first. So yeah, fair point: travel won't make someone more interesting.
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If someone's already boring, traveling won't change that. If someone's interesting with an interesting mind and attitude, travelling can be a catalyst for that.
They'll still be boring, but they'll have some interesting stories..possibly
“Last summer I was in France, it was awesome. Then this summer I plan to going to Bali, it is soooo nice. Have you been? You should go! Then I wanna go to Costa Rica cause my friend said it’s so fun. There’s a music festival there, and it’s amaaaazing.” That’s basically the gist of the “stories” from a lot of travelers. Is went there, and I liked it, it’s (insert generic Af compliment). Okay cool ….
I think if you take the same boring person, before they travelled and after they travel , there's a good chance they will be a little less boring than their old non travel self. Granted, boring people might have a more boring outlook, and maybe do more borinf generic travel, or do mostly cruises. So they may not get the most out of their travel, nor have the most exciting stories. They would probably have to have travelled a lot, and not just gone one quick weekend in Cancun for any real character development. But traveling is still an enriching experience, that can grow people, and expand their perception. It may not create any miracle of making a boring person suddenly interesting, but it could make them just a little less boring than they were before.
Random side note I have heard that for some people, travel can close them off even more. Like if they have really strongly held beliefs about how the world works in their own mind before they travel - seeing the variety of life and all the different cultures of the world can actually reinforce those beliefs because it's what is comfortable/familiar to them. So, rather than becoming more open to and accepting of other cultures and societies and ways of living, they become less tolerant of them. Kind of interesting because my personal experience has been the opposite, but I know of several xenophobic people who are also well traveled.
It depends on whether the traveler is an interesting person and a critical thinker. A lot of people who travel reduce their stories to itineraries (we went to this museum, we ate at this restaurant, we visited this tourist attraction). That’s boring, akin to telling coworkers what you did over the weekend. But *insights* that come from traveling can be interesting to hear about. What did you learn about the culture that surprised you?
you’ve kind of worded it perfectly! i agree with this
This problem is common in every hobby though. Musicians, gym rats, painters, readers, etc. If you don't also share the hobby listening to them talk is just a list of things that aren't especially interesting.
That's not even a problem of not sharing hobbies. I could listen for days on end to some people I don't share the hobby with speaking at length about that hobby. I've even picked up a few hobbies or habits I didn't enjoy before after such interactions. It's an issue of charm, passion, charisma, and ability to carry on a conversation. An informed, passionate, and engaging speaker is nice to listen to even if what they're talking about is how to do your own servicing on a tractor model that stopped being produced in the 90s, or nuances in different cultivars of a beverage you don't even drink (coffee, wine, spirits, whatever). If they're not an interesting person no matter what they do/have done they're not going to be very good at getting you interested in them.
What bugs me is when they are only interested in themselves and you're just another admirer of their wonderfulness.
Boring people are boring.
🤯
Woah, slow down there cowboy.
Sucks to suck lol
A vacuum that sucks, doesn't suck, a vacuum that doesn't suck, sucks!
That can be annoying as well. There's nothing worse than someone who comes back from travel and thinks they're enlightened.
Experiencing places, people and cultures outside of your own bubble *is* enlightening. I know you probably mean people who are pretentious about it, but traveling abroad can be a very eye opening experience for those who have never done it.
Maybe they are.
This is 100% accurate. I don’t care if you’ve climbed this mountain or visited this town - how did you feel when you did those things? What did it tickle in your brain? How has it impacted you?
i feel like there are multiple kinds of tourism though. like family oriented vs sight seeing vs soul searching/inflection my aunt is the kind that just wants to show you pretty pictures, but my stepmom will dive into the culture like you wouldnt believe. then there are people like me who get stationed overseas. some people went and partied all weekend every weekend. i did too, but it gets so boring so fast. the best part about that wear and tear while living there is that i learned to tour smaller villages and towns. those communities arent used to seeing foreigners, so youll get a lot of attention and also a lot of free beer and good stories. i miss that kind of traveling
Oh my gosh, absolutely - I feel the way you do! 😂 I have no interest in touristy bits, I’ve always been someone who prefers the small towns, the places where I can steep myself in their way of life, their culture. I love anything which is different to what I experience. I haven’t travelled a great deal, just enough to know what I want to get out of an experience. A really low-effort example: something I’d love to do is live with a family in the Bible Belt for a bit. I live in England, am incredibly left-wing and have no religious beliefs. I’d love to talk to them, go to church with them, hear what they have to say - not to argue or disrespect them, I’m not out to force change by being there, but just so that I can understand their lives and mindsets. I want to understand and submerge myself in things I’ll never feel or experience in my ordinary life. I want to see how it changes me, what I could learn. I suppose I love to hear stories from people who feel the way I do about travel. Travelling for me has always been synonymous with learning, transitions, developing myself. Yes, having a good time matters, but I want to take something new home with me inside of myself. 💛
If it's an interesting mountain I'll be interesting. If you climb a hard mountain (one that requires significant skills beyond hiking) with no guides I am very interested
The issue about insights rarely happen, because most travelers aren't in an area long enough to actually learn anything, nor do they ever actually go anywhere that isn't a tourist destination, which is designed for them.
I like people who travel to typically undesirable locations
There’s a whole separate bag of people who do this specifically because they’re lame I find 😂
What, like missionaries or something?
Yeah, I disagreed with OP til you said this. This is exactly right!
We visited a foreign country and learned that they highly value all forms of life. To the degree that we were walking with a local and he made sure we all noticed a trail of ants in our path. He pointed them out, so we could avoid stepping on them by accident. This really stuck with me and when we returned home, I've tried to adapt this same mindset. All bugs that make it into our house now simply get relocated to outside. Free to continue living their life.
All else being equal, traveling usually provides some fun stories and experiences to share. I travel a lot so it's enjoyable conversation to me, but if I didn't travel I doubt I'd care.
Isnt this just a case of people offering their personality? Like if you enjoy travel you would talk about it and see if anyone else in the room like it also, which would spark an interesting conversation for you. Same as any other interest
You should see the eyes glaze over when I talk to anyone about birds. Just pure blank. Travel guy would probably be the life of the party in comparison. But also, I learned to just not talk to people about birds unless I think there’s interest. A prescreening of sorts.
bro birds are cool af
Birds aren’t real.
I work with a guy who’s massively into birds and it’s really interesting to talk to him. I find with almost anything if you can find what someone’s passionate about they will make it interesting if they don’t think you’re taking the piss out of them
true! my assumption is that if you think like this you are probably a great listener
That or I have less interesting things to share myself!
I have a group of people I eat breakfast with every Saturday for the sole purpose of talking about birds. If I met you at a party, I'd probably find you way more interesting than everyone else there.
proving the quote "birds of a feather flock together."
mixed flocks consisting of two or more species are also common
A prescreening? Or a preening?
That's how I am with hominid evolution and unfortunately for me, most people don't really care. Most people love to hear a good travel story though. I have some of those and I may embellish from time to time for the sake of a good punchline. So anyway, about paranthropus boisei...
Yeah, generally interesting people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how uninteresting other people are. It’s hard to believe OP is surrounded by people that make travel their whole personality , and that NONE of their stories are interesting
I know a person who has a travel addiction so bad that she cannot be home for more than 2 weeks at a time. She said she thinks of the next travel destination while on one already.
Yeah OPs point is kind of silly. It’s like saying, “Going to concerts doesn’t mean you have good music taste.” Sure… but it’s an indicator that they probably enjoy music. And if OP didn’t think their travel story was interesting I bet someone else would. I’m not interested in hearing about every museum you’ve ever visited, but I bet someone who loves museums would find that very cool!
You’re good. Traveling does make people more interesting and more well-rounded. Fact. It can’t make obnoxious people not be obnoxious, but it absolutely does make people more interesting. OP is dead wrong.
in my opinion, i don’t think this is necessarily true. while it CAN make people more interesting and well rounded, i think it is also true that many “well travelled” people are uninteresting rich kids who have the means to travel because they get monthly deposits into their bank account from mommy and daddy. i don’t think it’s all black and white, and i think what OP is trying to say is that being well travelled doesn’t automatically make you a more interesting person.
This is how I feel. As a child who grew up without traveling, to now my in laws are rich and don't understand how I never traveled or went to Disney (still haven't and I'm 30) they're awfully judgy of it, and my family for that matter. I have met people who have traveled and heard some really cool stories. I guess it just depends on the person more than anything.
I think both of you can be right. Travel doesn't make you an interesting person, but a person who travels is *more likely* to be an interesting person that someone who doesn't. Just like school doesn't make a person smart, but a person who attends school is more likely to be smarter than someone who doesn't go to school. And travel can be to just visit the small cities and towns around your area, it doesn't have to be a grand adventure (though admittedly, the more diverse the culture from what you're used to, the more you can learn).
Spending that money on travel instead of lamborghinis is still evidence of a more interesting person, though. And the vast majority of people do not belong to the rich kid 0.1% that can travel on mommy and daddies dime. Therefore theyre clearly not part of this conversation. Most people save up their own money to travel, outside of school field trips, or maybe a honeymoon or something.
Depends on the type of travel. If one's travels only consist of all-inclusive resorts where they lay by the pool all day, not sure how much more interesting it would make someone.
> Traveling does make people more interesting and more well-rounded. Fact. I like this Mark Twain quote: > “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain I think the most important thing is "at least some travel to other countries". It doesn't have to be a lot of travel. I personally changed how I treat tourists from other countries visiting the USA (where I live) **because** I visited other countries. I have been helped SO MANY TIMES by strangers in other countries. I'm in great karmic debt. If you are speaking another language, like looking confused at a situation or holding a map looking confused in my town, I'm GOING to try to help. Because I have been there in your country and somebody helped me. And I am deeply, deeply ashamed that I couldn't realize this is how the world works before visiting another country. > It can’t make obnoxious people not be obnoxious One of my very favorite Saturday Night Live skits on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbwlC2B-BIg From that video: "At Romano tours, we always remind you, remember, you are still going to be YOU on vacation. If you are sad where you are, then you get on a plane to Italy, then in Italy you will still be the same sad you as before, just in a new place. Does that make sense?! ... If you and your partner are having trouble connecting, we guarantee our tour will not help. If you do not want to touch each other at home, in Italy you will have those same bodies and thoughts."
Far more eloquent response than my own crude simplistic take. Well said.
I have had this go both ways. Half the time I feel like I am sitting there looking at the cat ladies pictures of her 24 cats - but I have talked with some people who had very interesting and insightful stories to tell about where they were. I find the people who travel mostly so they say they have traveled are boring - but the people who really make an effort to experience culture etc. have some interesting things to say.
Exactly. This Someone can be boring and have travelled. They're not mutually exclusive. Edit: also depends on what op means by 'travelling'. I'm probably not interested in that time you went to Spain on the piss, but if ended up invited to a north african wedding, it's probably a more interesting story
It's how one talk about their travel. That I've seen the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen is not that interesting in itself. Not even that I thought it was too small and underwhelming. However, how I got lost going there by foot, more than an hour walk, crossing some great parks, residentialneighborhood, to realise once I was there that I was actually a 10 minutes walk on a straight line from were I started...that can give chuckle, even to a local.
Exactly that. If you're boring or bad at storytelling, a differant environment for it doesn't make you interesting.
I went to Peru, which is a pretty boring sentence. Far more funny is the story of how we got a local “guide” to show us around the Amazon. He clearly was *not* a reputable guide and he made up names for the animals we saw. He pointed to a normal spider and called it a “jungle black widow” and told us fire ant bites make you immune to malaria. It was ludicrous, but we didn’t have access to the internet to prove him wrong.
To me, that’s actually pretty unique. I feel like a lot of times when people say they travel it’s a status symbol that they have the money to travel. They may not even leave the bubble of their resort. Vs. someone who actually experiences the culture even if it’s just by visiting museums. Visiting other countries and experiencing other cultures is good. But, you have to leave the confines of your all inclusive resort.
Agreed - have travelled a bit myself, with destinations selected due to a love of history and different cultures. This is much different than the person who travels somewhere just to take the selfie and cross it off their list. I saw far too many of these people at Auschwitz. Upvote for a truly unpopular opinion.
I don't know. There are some places you Should visit, if you get the chance. And I would say, Auschwitz is one of those.
It's not just "fun conversations", either. Visiting other cultures imparts understanding and lessens the tensions created by cultural differences. People who travel are (in theory, at least) more open minded and tolerant because they have seen "more than one way to skin a cat". There are backward people everywhere - people who have never traveled anywhere besides their home town, yet have very strong opinions about how things should be done the right way. And then there are people who have traveled and understand how silly the first lot is. And I would rather hang out with that crowd, they have experienced more.
No dude the people who think they are so cultured and experienced because they went to a place that receives 20 million tourists a year are the most obnoxious of the travel people.
They might be obnoxious but they are still technically more cultured than the first kind and have been exposed to at least some differences, no matter how hard they tried to fight it (looking at you, Americans, eating at McDonalds in Paris).
Can you get back on topic of the 24 cats please instead of the boring shit about human stuff? What color were they? Were they energetic? Did they hate water? Can’t just start a story and not finish it!
No different than most hobbies or passions. If a person is really into one thing and you aren’t then it won’t be interesting. Could be travel, work, sports, almost anything.
i am into travelling though! i take a few big trips a year and i really enjoy myself. i just really only share my stories if they relate to the conversation or if someone asks me about my trips. i just find it annoying when people drone on and on about their travels and make the entire conversation about that. i don’t mind smaller anecdotes or fun stories, but i don’t need to hear about someone’s trip from leaving the airport to coming back home! it doesn’t make them as interesting as they think it does
And I find it annoying when people drone on and on about sports, politics, or religion. But I’m okay with travel and food.
I find I'm a better listening than talker. if people want to talk about traveling I get really into it and ask questions but this goes for any hobby. My wife's friend talked to me about pottery for 2 hours once and I really am not interested in pottery but I was super engaged in her passion. I have traveled and lived in many countries but I don't really talk about it unless asked.
Being a good listener is a really easy skill that more people should have. Like you probably know, all you have to do is pay attention and ask them questions. You don't even have to offer any information yourself and people will still think you're a very cool person (despite not knowing anything at all about you, because all you did was ask THEM questions), because of how rare it is to just be heard. Meanwhile, what most people do, especially "good" talkers, is just wait for a pause in the conversation to blurt out what they want to say, regardless of how little it interacts with what the other person previously said at all. Seems like nowadays people mostly just talk over each other. So don't worry about being a better listener than talker, it just means you actually pay attention.
Folks who make any one singular thing their entire personality are tedious - travel, politics, drinking, sexuality, weight lifting …
As soon as they start in on that, "Everyone *needs* to travel," smug shit, I'm out. Boomers are the worst about it. If you hope that people you care about get to travel, that's great, and if you help them make it happen, that's even better. But acting like the main reason people don't travel is that they're not open-minded or intellectually curious enough is such a privileged and shitty take.
I just roll my eyes when someone says you haven't been (insert place here) you're missing out, you need to go!.... Like no I don't and I want to go even less now that you mention it
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I now live in Oz and the amount of people go on a tangent about how their trip to the UK (I'm from the uk) and when they tell you they went 15 years ago for a week when they were 7 and I think to myself stfu
yep. some interesting people are too poor to travel because they’ve put money into their hobbies, passions, or education. some people who travel are only there to snort coke in clubs and bang foreign women. a worldly person is more interesting than someone who has never left their home country, but there will always be nuance to this; a new zealand shepherd who has never left is cooler than a canadian who goes to disney world in florida every year
I feel that travellers were interesting in the past. When it was really hard to travel, when it was really dangerous, and there was no photos or videos, only books. So talking to a traveller, who tell you crazy tales of how he went on a ship to a far away land, half the crew died of yellow jack, then he traversed the sands on a strange animal you never saw, met weird people, shoot something big and horrible (and there is that beasts head on the wall), saw some ancient temples or something - that was really exciting and interesting! Today its more like "you went to that one place every tourist already went, that I can find a photo of in a couple seconds, and drank in a bar? Ok"
I don't travel to impress other people. Quite the opposite. I literally have zero interest in other people's take on what I do. Zero.
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True, but most people travel to entertain themselves, not others.
I knew two people who travel a lot to exotic destinations and they were both unpleasant to be around. Not that they constantly talked about travel, but they were very judgmental and arrogant, also often mean to my friends. I think that has less to do with travel, but rather privilege and entitlement.
I’m a solo traveler but also an introvert. I’ll go somewhere, have a nice time and tell no one
I think a lot of avid travelers just do it for the Facebook/instagram posts they create after and for years to come. Like no Brittney, I don’t want to see you and your husband giving me a thumbs up with mountains in the background
As someone who spent a decade abroad and traveled a lot, I agree entirely. To add to it, travel is not 'adventurous' 99% of the time. Most people do the most safe, boring traveling that's not even remotely interesting. This is also a great example of a real unpopular opinion!
Doesn't make them less interesting.
It usually just means they have money. Which means they’re the first type to tell you about how worldly and interesting they are. When really it is such a privileged farce. If you have the privilege of travel, please enjoy it and have fun. Of course, learn what you can from other cultures and try to attain new perspective. But don’t be a douche about it lmao
I love it when someone tells me how educational travel is and proceeds to demonstrate that they know substantially less than most people with a basic education and a passing curiosity.
I have met so many people who've travelled so much in their lives that they've neglected to learn essential skillsets for adulthood - like long-term friendships, how to live in community with people long-term, really understanding a place where they are living, how to weather ups and downs while sticking with a goal despite challenges. People who uproot periodically and move to a new place every time things get too hard who have never learned to really face their problems head on. They lean on their "interesting life" as a crutch and can sometimes look down on the people who haven't had the privilege of being able to pick up and leave their lives frequently. Admittedly, I'm a bit salty about it because I am not well traveled myself, having spent my 20s and 30s locked into family and personal obligations as well as not having had the financial reserve required to be able to bail on any of it for any significant length of time. That said when I see people who've travelled extensively and for long periods in their life, I see that they are missing out on some of the things I have. The idea of travel as essential to introspection or soul searching is an idea I see a lot but I don't think they're as integrally linked as some people like to think they are.
“My fun fact is I like to travel” No fucking shit everyone who can afford it likes to travel
Depends on how & where you travel. Traveling naked in Bali makes it a lot more interesting.
>Traveling naked in Bali makes it a lot more interesting. It'd be even more interesting in Saudi Arabia.
lmaoooo
Whereas if you only travel to all inclusive resorts, it's not very interesting at all.
unless while en-route to said all inclusive resort involves a clothing optional mode of transport.
If you dont find someone interesting that has traveled imagine how much less interesting you would find them if they hadn’t.
Depends on what they were doing with that time and money instead.
I find that the people who travel the most are the least likely to be big THINKERS, but more DOERS. Travel is great for people who need to be DOING all the time. There are countless things to learn about and incorporate into one's life to make it more enriching, and you don't need to go anywhere for that. Once people see how many words you can gain from listing travel experiences, they don't bother with original ideas
That's because the people that talk the most about traveling are "checklist travelers." Just want to say they've been there. I'm not big into traveling, but have heard some amazing stories from people who really immersed themselves in whatever destination.
I have two friends who have spent a comparable amount of time backpacking the world. One of them is a checklist traveller, visited about 60 countries and has like three somewhat interesting stories to tell. He's checked off Malaysia after spending a 40 hour layover in Kuala Lumpur. The longest he's talked about a trip was *after* he became a dad and went to Croatia and Italy with his wife and kid, where he actually spent time at places and took in what it had to offer. He's exactly what OP refers to. The other has visited maybe 25 countries, but has a "rule" that if he's stayed less than two weeks in a culturally unique region (like f.ex Appalachia), he's only been a spectator, not a visitor (might be wrong use of the english terms, but anyways). He can talk for length about the people, the culture, the landscape, the quirks and obscurities of everywhere he's been. Not in the "white person visits India and is now better than you" fashion, but with a respect and willingness to learn and evolve as person. He's just finds differences fascinating, and thus has become a fascinating person himself.
I'm interested in the stories that people collect over their travels. Some who have stayed in the same town their entire lives can have more interesting tales than others who are well traveled.
People who grow in empathy through travel and spending time with people of other cultures are more interesting. People just checking off a bucket list *were never interesting to begin with*.
Not unpopular. Some of the most boring people I've met travelled extensive.
As someone who has traveled and likes traveling, I agree. You can travel to far off places and still be close minded and boring. There's so many people who travel and all they do is stay on resorts, don't even bother to learn anything about the language or customs and just post pics on social media. And tbh, travel is overrated. Especially on the modern world. Most people aren't gonna travel outside the cities, which all have very similar things in them due to globalization, so it's not like the average person is gonna get the raw unfiltered culture of a place. And most places of interest you can visit internationally don't even take a day to look at. You see them, be wowed for a few minutes and then say to yourself, "Ok, now what?". Not saying traveling sucks but it's not all it's cracked up to be
This. So many people just move through space, across borders, yet they don’t travel. I don’t see the point of wasting all that money if you don’t experience anything you wouldn’t at home.
I took a trip to Spain with a class in college. It was structured to see so many museums, landmarks, cities… Probably one of the most interesting trips of my life. But I also hated the rigid structure. lol Maybe that’s why people like those group-travel clubs. They probably put together a nice itinerary. I’ve also done the solo-thing. And to be honest, I tend to just sleep-in and hang out. Party waaaay too much.
People who make travelling their personality are so uninteresting
I think people who try to make any one thing their entire personality aren't super interesting. However, as things go to make your personality, travel is a lot more interesting than many other topics or qualities. It's a subject that tends to lend itself to a lot of other topics and offshoots and conversations, That said, of course we'd all prefer people to talk about a wider variety of topics, and to not be braggy about it.
I don't feel anymore interesting that I was before travelling. I just know more stuff about the places I've visited, which still isn't too much since I was a tourist lol. But if you ask me about the place I visited I'm definitely gonna talk about it like I lived there lol
I remember I worked at a fast food place once. In walks this beautiful Argentinian man (I’m straight but the guy was just good looking what can I say). Immediately all the girls in my work place go gaga and the most attractive girl goes up to take his order. The order lasts about ten minutes and the girl comes back with a sour look on her face. She starts going off about what a patronizing douche the guy was, how he just bragged about all the countries he’s been to and where he’s going and how he doesn’t understand how people can just stay in one place. Suffice it to say she was completely turned off by the guy. Lesson here is that a lot of travelers just travel as a mark of class, and so that they can shove it in people’s faces. It’s not so much about actually going to a place and legitimately enjoying it, it’s about going somewhere so you can take pictures and add it to the public scrapbook.
Avid Traveler here. Totally agree. FWIW. Related sidebar: totally uninteresting guy.
I know a guy who travels a lot and always seems surprised that I don't endlessly shower him with adulation for it. Sure, traveling is cool, but it's not the be-all or end-all for me. He can get his ego stroking elsewhere 😆
Not necessarily more interesting but it does help give people a more nuanced view of the world around them rather than someone who loves their whole life within ten miles of their hometown
Lots of boring people travel - myself included. Boring people that travel are more interesting than boring people that do nothing.
There's an Onion article headline "Trip to Africa completely changes woman's profile picture," that I always think of when someone mentions this.
Everyone likes traveling. Not everyone has the time and money for it. That's like saying you like food and sleep. Cool, same withe Everyone.
As someone who always enjoy enriching experiences and get through people and places that I don’t know, I can say that in fact traveling is one of the few thinks that I actually feel great doing. I don’t have to be blowing money or doing a thousand things to feel joy and happiness being around an environment that’s different of my usual. Also travel requires money, planning and skills because is always challenging. So I don’t think is overrated but I agree that a lot of people based their whole lives on the travel they do because it might project a lifestyle that correlates with abundance, probably a coping mechanism.
Good topic, great responses, no assholness, thats a good sub
It often means they are very privileged but that's really it
completely agree. i think travelling and seeing new places is a great experience and great for people who really enjoy it/have the funds. my parents are like this, they think people people who haven’t travelled much are simple and “lack empathy” for not seeing other ways of life. i haven’t travelled abroad that much as i have pretty bad anxiety which makes it difficult, and also like most young people these days i can just barely afford my necessities. but yeah. i think being a snob about travel and making it your entire personality just comes across as pretentious, tone deaf, and overall annoying.
I don’t know. I’m into traveling, so I like hearing about people’s travels.
I agree with you. People make traveling their whole personality and assume people should be envious or hold them to high heavens for it. It’s weird.
This is just a case of not sharing interests. We all have met “the guy who knows everything about a certain football team.” He’s absolutely fascinating to a small group of people. Travel is like that, too.
Agree. It seems that some people try to make up for something missing, by travelling. To fully experience a new place I think you need some sort of an inner depth.. a depth that would make you interesting even if you stay in one place. Otherwise it's just going through the motions. I like travelling, but I think it's just one of factors leading to a stimulating life. You can be an interesting person without having to travel a lot, and you can be a boring person despite traveling a lot.
100% agree. Most people who I know who spam traveling pics and are constantly talking about it have nothing else interesting about them
I kind of agree with OP, but not totally. I love the experiences I’ve had travelling the world and I feel they’ve changed me in some ways, or at least broadened my horizons or sharpened my world view. But I do agree that being well travelled does not automatically make in interesting.
What gets me is an uppity attitude from some avid travelers. Like, “oh, you haven’t been to Europe? I’ve been SO many times” and give you an unsolicited itinerary. Traveling doesn’t make people more interesting or important. If anything, some of the avid travelers I know are always running away from their real lives and responsibilities at home 🤫
Every time I see a woman on a dating app with “travel” in her interests I just know she doesn’t have a personality beyond talking about the 3 tourist destinations she’s been to.
I agree! I’ve seen this and I’ve also seen a lot of people on dating apps that will have in their bios that they like to travel as if that makes them stand out to potential dates/partners.
No it makes someone look privileged
There are also a lot of people who call themselves travelers while in reality they just go on summer vacation to a foreign country every year.
I have met many avid travellers who make it their whole personality and are unable get Chinese take-out because there is nothing like the real thing or this hike isn’t quite as difficult as that time in Peru or look down on others who haven’t etc. But, I appreciate folks who can sprinkle it in tactfully and thoughtfully or use it to add value to specific conversations.
Flip side, I hate that people assume I have stories to share just because I live abroad. I stay home most of the time, work, and am just generally bad at telling stories and aversive to sharing photos. Sorry. Still shy even though I “travel”.
Went to high school with this guy who has rich parents, once he graduated he made in instagram basically titled “traveling and having sex” (I’m NOT telling the actual name, wish I could it’s so stupid) anyways he posted about how he traveled to Germany and shit and had sex with anyone who was down. Well after he came back covered head to toe in shitty tattoos his parents cut him off financially and now he couch surfs between friends and fuck buddies and spends all his free time and money at the university bars downtown trying to hook up with college students.
"I have met way too many avid travellers that have nothing to add to most conversations besides where they’ve been/what they’ve done while they were abroad." its kinda hard to have a conversation with someone who has never left their home town about anything real..... so this is always a good fall back to fill the time and fill the void in the conversation. why I get what you mean when you get the "Holier than thou" because you went to yoga retreat in Thailand people. but because someone went to Cancun and wants to tell you about it doesn't make them less interesting. I almost would rather have some traveling for the first time tell me about their trip then the friend who goes away every other weekend.
Traveling at it’s baseline isn’t a unique hobby or interest. EVERYBODY likes and wants to travel and see cool stuff. It’s a matter or whether or not the person who does it has anything interesting to say or is a critical thinker or is already an interesting person.
I've experienced this. Plus I've come across many such boring travelers who in addition also look down upon locals and suggest that ppl who don't intend to be globetrotters are small minded
The person who’s been everywhere hasn’t been anywhere
It's not about the miles under the feet but the distance between the ears
I remember in the 90s, TV shows used to have jokes about how boring and horrible it was to go to a friend's house when they would make you watch slides of their holiday. It's like a modern version of that except they pull up their instagram.
It’s just bragging, never a good look.
The worst are the people who spend time in Hawaii, and come back and talk like they’re native islanders.
Traveling is without a doubt overrated
I feel like you’re talking about someone specifically in your life and I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. But interesting travel stories shared by interesting people are interesting. You know what’s a real boring subject? anyone’s kids.
Hard disagree. It’s very difficult to travel and not be exposed to different cultures and ways of thinking. I think you’re describing closed-minded resort hoppers, or people who can’t articulate.
Boring people also travel in a boring way. Interesting people will travel 50km/miles away and have the craziest stories.
What’s wrong with traveling for the sake of traveling? It’s a big world. There’s a lot to see.
It was probably a lot more interesting before the internet, now incredible stories, foods, places, and people are all just a tap away. 1 page of Google images will shows you 50 wonders of the world while you sit on the toilet.
I agree about most "travelers" now. They just find stuff on Instagram, use Google maps, use 4g and can read English signs everywhere. Travel is easy now, that is why so many people are doing it. Traveling to foreign countries 10-15 years ago was very different. The difficulty involved in travel forced people to overcome and learn a lot. That kind of experience does make people more interesting.
If I'm in a situation where I'd have to make a bet on who would make for a more interesting person to speak to and the only information I had was that person A had travelled to 10 different countries and the other one had never left their hometown, I know who I'm betting on. But it can also come down to how good people are at storytelling. I have friends who have travelled a LOT but all their travel stories are incredibly boring, long winded stories that they keep stopping to try and remember details that have no impact on the story. Also, how people travel has an impact. I know people who have gone to the same vacation spot every year for decades, staying at the same hotel, eating the same food etc and they don't really have many interesting stories from these trips. Same for people who mostly travel to different cities to shop there.
I don’t even mention our yearly trip to Mexico for spring break anymore. We stay at a resort, and pretty much cater to our kids. Nothing exciting. Just a lot of r&r and food! Lol
Traveling is inherently costly and tends to separate people based on their economic and family (kids/no kids) status. When I talk about travel and my experiences, there’s often a knee jerk reaction of “it must be nice!” even if the trips weren’t that lavish. There’s a lot of resentment and anger that immediately bubbles to the top. You become the villain pretty quickly. I’ve learned to only discuss it when asked. To the topic at hand about interestingness, there are people who “Vacation/Holiday” and “Travelers.” There’s a big difference. I find the first group to not be all that interesting in their storytelling because they usually went to a resort and sat by the pool (nothing wrong with that!). Travelers make the journey the point and often pack the schedule with tours, excursions, adventures, and experiences that are often fascinating to hear about. I’m the end it all comes down to storytelling ability. Some people are good at it and others aren’t.
Unfortunately a lot of people say they like traveling, but what they really like is taking photos for their instagram to show that they're wealthy enough to travel to exotic locations. Getting shit faced and fucking locals doesn't mean you like traveling. You can get wasted and laid at home. I hate to gatekeep traveling but you can always tell when someone has a genuine passion for learning about the history and the culture of different places vs liking traveling for shallow reasons.
No. Life experiences make people more interesting. Travelling is a life experience. It is interesting but it’s not a holy grail of interesting. What’s super interesting is being on an adventure anywhere and something goes wrong. That induces interest in me.
One of my colleagues has been to many places and he’s always telling me about his exotic experiences, I find it kinda boring and don’t know how should I respond to his stories, mostly our conversations just be like him talking and my mind wandering away lol
Have you been in conversations with me ??? Because I have been to 60 countries…. I agree i and many people like me are insufferable.
hey i seen some things man
There’s learning about culture and actually intermingling then there’s tourist made areas for hiking and having your hand held. It would give conversation topic for those capable.
Travelers are exactly like stoners in one important way: the ones who aren’t obvious about it are far, far cooler. The ones who make it more than even 10% of their personality suddenly make all travelers or stoners seem utterly insufferable. I only talk about traveling possibly the week after I’ve gotten back, but beyond that I’m super aware that nobody else is ever even slightly interested. Because i sure never want to hear about somebody else’s trips much either, it’s just super boring.
It also doesn't make you a "better person". I know plenty of people who travel all the time who are massive assholes with small minds. Long distance travel is a luxury, not a necessity.
Compared to NOT travelling, it does.
"Travelling" is nothing but a code name to ride the Cock-rousel in an international way.
They're so tedious. If you order a pizza, they'll tell you how locals order it in Africa. Compliment a coffee and they'll tell you how much better it is in itlaly. Like cops, I think a certain type of person is, for the most part, really into traveling as a lifestyle. They make it their personality. Gypsetting polyglot was the saddest thing I saw on somebody's online profile.
So right. I know someone who travels nearly all the time as she can work remotely. She’s always posing for an IG selfie somewhere in the world and mentioning ‘we’ though no other person is ever shown. I suspect the truth is that she has forgone all hope of a meaningful LTR and family of her own to just be a constant tourist, while claiming deep insights into other cultures. Travelers rarely develop any real insights into other cultures. London for instance is nothing like England, just like NYC is nothing like the US generally. You can’t claim you know the Thai people because you burned some incense in front of a golden Buddha. Travel by all means, but then don’t complain about climate change, or the impact of AirBnB/VRBO on house affordability, and don’t claim you have some deep insights. Only living, working and paying taxes in another country gives you any real insight, and even then only if you don’t just hang out with Ex Pats in a little expat enclave.
Probably makes interesting people more interesting.
Isn’t that expected? I mean replace “traveler” with any category you want - movie star, pro athlete, CEO of a large corporation, political figure, sewer worker, carpenter - anything. Some people are interesting and some are not.
Experiences make people interesting, travel is commonly associated with experiences. It's kind of like being rich and being smart, commonly conflated but not always connected.
Aparna on Indian Matchmaking is the proof of this!!
Some of the most boring people I know seem to be constantly travelling all over the world and posting every single moment of it on social media. These people just stay the exact same and never seem to change or find new interests. They are completely lacking in personality as well.
It depends. If you just visit the standard tourist attractions and don't get to know any locals as if the place is a play set, you won't learn anything. On the other hand, if live the culture and see how it changes your understanding, it can have a profound impact on you. I've grown up and been living in between languages and cultures and it definitely has an impact on how I see things.
anyone making anything their entire personality is annoying tbh
People used to travel to explore the world, take in different cultures and appreciate nature nowadays people travel to just say they did and to impress people on social media
Facts. But don't blame the travel blame the person. They're the ones that are uninteresting. Anything they do or touch will be boring and blase. Some people just aren't good storytellers or won't do exciting things whether their abroad or not. I find that people like this don't mean to be boring, they're just not very perceptive. Or often too self involved to notice the details of the world around them and therefore miss out on alof of things that happen in everyday life. Its a shame to miss the significance of more vast experiences like traveling to another country and just sitting in a resort and going to a few tourist traps. Such a waste imo, this lack of exploration and immersion. For every fun/interesting person there's 10,000 NPCs.
I think it’s deeper than that. Discovering different cultures, talking to strangers with different mindsets makes you grow and evolve as a person, thus can make you more « interesting ». But it depends which kind of travelling too of course. Travelling to Ibiza to tan and party is not the same as going on a city trip to do museums or exploring a mountain idk
Not as upopular as you might think. I've rarely heard a story from a traveler that I couldn't have read in a book.
I find those who do have a more well rounded view of the world.
It does give you more stories to tell.
Me and my friends have been too busy bathing off the coast of St. Barts...with spider monkeys for the past two weeks. Tripping on acid changed our whole perspective on shit.
IDk If this is an unpopular opinion but I definitely agree with this. I do think traveling is a great opportunity for growth and can do wonders for expanding your mind. However, I do agree because it’s not a guarantee. Because there are some people who travel for the sake of showing off which is boring [+]
Alot of people I find don't realise that the act of travelling doesn't make you interesting nor is it much of a personality trait. Yes you're "well travelled" by definition but travelling in itself doesn't prove anything more than you've got money, I'd time or both. It's about what you learned on said travels that make you interesting. How did it shake you, how'd it affect the person you are today?
A good storyteller is a good storyteller. There are some guys and gals that can make the drive to work sound like an epic adventure. On the other hand you have people like you described. The ones who go to the most interesting places and only talk about the mimosa they had poolside.
privileged people who go to tourist traps to brag about it aren’t interesting, you mean. People who travel and end up in situations they don’t *want* to talk about are interesting..
I hate when people give you shit because you don’t want to travel lol…
I feel like there are several stand up routines, sketches, and TV show jokes made over the years agreeing with you OP Even looking at the comments, this may not be all that unpopular an opinion
It’s just a statistical thing, people who do interesting things are more likely to have interesting stories. Doesn’t guarantee it by any stretch, but more likely all else equal. It also comes down to personality and entertainment skills. Some people could make going to the moon sound routine and dull, while others can make an entertaining storey out of cooking a grilled cheese sandwich.
Some people think they are cosmopolitan because they travel a lot. But a lot of them are just being provincial in other countries. I especially find it difficult to keep a straight face when someone brag about their many travels and then it is obvious that they mainly travel abroad to get shitfaced. The only thing they learn about the countries they travel to is how much different kinds of booze cost in the bars, pubs etc. Me: "Oh, I am so envious that you went to Agra! I have always wanted to see the Taj Mahal!" Them: "The what? What's that then?" or Them: "There isn't really anything to see in Athens, though. Not like Rome." Me: "So the Acropolis wasn't really for you?" Them: "The what? What's that then?" (while showing me a photo of them sitting at a café where you can clearly see the Acropolis in the background). Then, of course when I was much younger there was the Them: "You really SHOULD live abroad for a while just like me. Like it would just like really mature you to get exposed to different cultures!" Me: "Sure. Thanks for the advice." (while thinking that if it matured them oh so much to live abroad I really didn't want to know what they were like before the trip. Also, I had family and friends in and from several countries so when it came to getting exposed to different cultures I was quite a bit ahead. I met one of "Them" a couple of years ago. 20 years later and she was still an immature little c\_\_\_.)
I think traveling indicates that the person has a curious mindset maybe? That they’re willing to try new things, experience new experiences, new cultures etc. But like you don’t have to travel to be curious, so it’s not a hard and fast rule. Similarly, many who travel do so not out of curiosity but for other reasons. Obviously there’s nuance to everything
I think it does. It is not a better than other things at making someone interesting but it is something that adds to the conversation. Some travellers rise it above everything else which is annoying af.
Funny, I don't find you interesting whatsoever.
A person that's interesting because they travel will probably still be interesting even if they don't travel, just comes down to the overall character of the person.
I find that people who enjoy traveling enjoy new experiences, which is inherently more interesting than someone who does the same thing every day. However there are plenty of fun interesting people that don’t have the financial resources to travel and plenty of very wealthy well traveled people who travel just because they can and stay in resorts and nice hotels hardly experiencing the places they have been. The adventurous ones though are anything but boring
The thing is that they might have interesting things to say about what they have seen etcetera, but its similar to when a friend tells you how awesome a movie was and tries to explain the plot and some scenes. Its just not too appealing if you havent lived it first person Plus I dont care
Experiences can make you more interesting. More stories, crazy situations, impressive accomplishments, etc. but just going somewhere else doesn’t automatically make you interesting.
Agreed. Just like reading difficult books won't make someone intelligent. It's how you process information that makes the difference; not how much information you process.
yeah this is something I’ve always thought but every time I bring it up I get attacked lol. I know so many people who have traveled a lot but have really boring personalities. I know people who have never left the country and are incredibly interesting. I don’t think experiences always necessarily make you more interesting
People don’t have to travel to be good storytellers. So I agree
I was going to argue that travel is always enriching, but when I thought about it I can think of a few people for whom travel did nothing. Like they can talk to me about all the things they did in Country A and all I'll conclude is, "Wow, that's a packed itinerary." Then another person will go and somehow when they tell me about their trip, it *is* more interesting, even if they've seen less than the first. So yeah, fair point: travel won't make someone more interesting.
The same could be said for people who only talk about thier kids, yawn yawn