Flying isnt bad, just get on the plane and go to sleep! simple.

Yes, but first you must book your flight, travel to the airport, go through security, deal with lines and delays, sit in a cramped space next to some loser(s), hope your baggage is being handled correctly, hope your baggage is going the same place you are, deal with waiting to pick the baggage up after you arrive (assuming that it did, too) and finally traveling from the airport.

ORIGINAL: Joe Redifer

Yes, but first you must book your flight, travel to the airport, go through security, deal with lines and delays, sit in a cramped space next to some loser(s), hope your baggage is being handled correctly, hope your baggage is going the same place you are, deal with waiting to pick the baggage up after you arrive (assuming that it did, too) and finally traveling from the airport.

This is all true. Airports suck.

I used to love them as a kid when my parents were taking care of everything and all i had to do was keep myself occupied until we got onto the plane, but now, expecially since everywhere has racked up security so much, airports are awful.

That being said, it' s not enough to deter me from traveling.

ORIGINAL: Agent Ghost

Majik I have a lot of respect for you, but in this case you' re wrong.

Eddies bank account-0$ or close to it
Age: 16 (his parents wouldn' t even let him leave town)

I can appreciate the position Eddie is currently in, but the fact that he' s an adult and is still living according to his parent rules is equally scary. Ok, so he doesn' t have the money, that' s fine, i wasn' t getting at him in particular. Again, when i was 16 i was sharing a flat with a guy i was in college and my parents have never told me what i can and can' t do. I just find it strange that in 16 years he' s never been abroad. Maybe it' s just a rest-of-the-world thing. We get a lot of Americans coming here (no idea why), but probably not even close to the number of Brits who go to mainland Europe each year.

ORIGINAL: Agent Ghost

But lets say you' re convinced that being well travelled is an important aspect of a persons personality. Why even care in the first place? What difference would this make to an Atheist? I only mention this as it was the flavour of the OP. If we lose our memories when we die, what' s the point of expanding our individual worldliness? The point is, there is no point. You travel because you enjoy it, end of story.

That' s approaching Rampage' s view of atheism. If it ultimately doesn' t matter then what' s the point?

I don' t think of things like that. I' m here, so i figure i might as well make the most of it. You' re right, ...people travel because they enjoy it. I like to see all the shit i read about, see on TV or in movies or whatever in person. I like to get away from my shitty country, ....away from the stresses of my everyday life and just relax on some beach on the other side of the planet. It is masturbation and it does cost a lot of money, but it' s worth it. The point is, if you have never been anywhere else, how would you know it' s not worth bothering?

I' m certainly not saying that a well travelled person is to be more highly regarded, or has an edge (as a person) over somebody who isn' t, ...i' m just struggling to comprehend how somebody could be satisfied with just one place. Hell, ...maybe it' s just because the UK blows.

ORIGINAL: Agent Ghost

No need to be condescending about your priviliges, no one here buys it anyways.

?

It' s almost like you try to prove something when you list the places you' ve been. Its fucking cool that you' ve been around, but it doesn' t tell me anything about you though.

In another thread you insinuated that americans were ignorant because they don' t travel. I' m not arguing that some Americans aren' t ignorant I just don' t think travel experience has a lot to do with it. Actually this thread is a good example:

The majority of the Yanks here have never left their home state, nevermind the country. Their only interaction with the outside world is through the internet. It' s scary as fuck.

What did you mean by this? Why is that scary?

Travel is an indulgence, not saying there' s anything wrong with this, life is only worth living for indulgences. Some people don' t travel because they have no choice, others have no reason to. You' re part of a very small minority as someone who has travelled everywhere. If I lived in Europe, travelling to other countries would be easy, I could drive to another country. Then I' d be able to say I' ve left the country. A more fair comaprison would be to say Americans that left America vs. Europeans that left Europe.

Saying that you don' t understand how a person can stay at one place is like saying how can someone stay with the same girlfriend? How can someone sleep in the same bed? It' s convenient, and still good. lol

Not everyone is nomadic or discontent with their environment.

I didn' t want this blown out of proportion. I hope I don' t sound angry or anything, just trying to clarify what I meant.

That' s approaching Rampage' s view of atheism.

I consider it fact. Doesn' t mean that' s how I govern my life though.

I would never even think about traveling outside of Canada until I first travel within Canada. In Canada this is a big problem, as we are more like 2 smaller countries within one very large country.

It can be broken down to East and West here in Canada. Most people who live in Western Canada know very little of Eastern Canada, and vice versa and could care less what happens in each other' s neck of the woods. Politics plays a very large part in this attitude as Western Canada has pretty much no say at all when it comes to the Federal Government. As far as the Canadian Government is concerned, Canada is Ontario and Quebec and that is a damn shame. Until that can change, our magnificent country will continue to be divided this way.

Oh, and I agree with Eddie that distance plays a big part in traveling. Where I live in Regina it would take 9-12 hours to drive to Edmonton to visit my family (it could take up to 12 hours depending on how ofter we would have to stop for the kids). If I could travel to somewhere like Paris or London in under 7 hours, I would probably be doing it every other weekend. Majik, you have to understand that living in Europe is a huge advantage when it comes to traveling because you' re already pretty much THERE so to speak. I agree with you that everyone should travel in their lifetime, but traveling for an American or Canadian is not at all the same as it is for a European.

I can appreciate the position Eddie is currently in, but the fact that he' s an adult and is still living according to his parent rules is equally scary. Ok, so he doesn' t have the money, that' s fine, i wasn' t getting at him in particular. Again, when i was 16 i was sharing a flat with a guy i was in college and my parents have never told me what i can and can' t do.

Well now that is just a cultural and familial difference, first off in the U.S. you are not considered an adult until you are 18(legally and in most other ways), so he doesn' t have much a choice as to living according to his parents rules. Also his parents are quite strict and obviously your' s were not, to say that is scary just means that from your point of view his lifestyle is strange, which brings into question your whole point of being cultured. The way eddie lives is really not that uncommon here in the U.S.

Original: Nitro I can appreciate the position Eddie is currently in, but the fact that he' s an adult and is still living according to his parent rules is equally scary. Ok, so he doesn' t have the money, that' s fine, i wasn' t getting at him in particular. Again, when i was 16 i was sharing a flat with a guy i was in college and my parents have never told me what i can and can' t do. I just find it strange that in 16 years he' s never been abroad. Maybe it' s just a rest-of-the-world thing. We get a lot of Americans coming here (no idea why), but probably not even close to the number of Brits who go to mainland Europe each year.

I' m not sure how common it is in the UK, but most people my age stay with their parents until they leave for college or Uni at 18-19, and quite a few commute. I' m the norm, not the exception in that regard.

On that note though, I' m not sure I would leave yet, even if I had a door out right now. My dad kicks ass, but he' s never around with work, and my mum suffers from acute Borderline Personality Disorder. She' s fine for daily tasks, but this is the woman who canceled a critical medical appt. for my brother to better fit her church schedule better...

...suffice to say, she' s not emotionally capable of being there for my siblings, and while I' ve mostly escaped damage, my older brother, and younger sister weren' t as lucky as I am in that regard, and they need somebody there who isn' t going to get bowled over emotionally.

I understand that my priorities come first, but I' m not willing to put my family in a position where I think they' ll get hurt, just because it' s easier for me in the short term.

Edit:

I do plan on traveling though. I' m doing a cross-country drive when I turn 18, and with any luck somewhere in Europe some time during college holidays.

The thing about Europe is that you' d be crazy to drive accross it. It would take me 6 hours to drive to London where Adam lives, nevermind to mainland Europe. Our roads are much narrower than those in the US and Canada. Driving in the UK is horrid because of the congestion.

Driving in Canada is fantastic and you can cover a lot of ground very quickly, comparatively speaking, but in the UK, i only drive to work. If i have to go to Birmingham or London i get the train or i get an internal flight because it' s just not worth the hassle of sitting in traffic for 3 hours. If there' s even the slightest bump on the motorway, or if it rains the tailbacks run for miles.

I would never drive to another country now. I' ve done it before and it sucked ass. It took me about 27 hours to drive from Manchester to Largentière in Southern France, mostly because of the traffic. It was hell. When i went the second time i flew and was there in 2 hours.

I' m not overly keen on long-haul flights, but diazepam and whisky usually makes things more comfortable

I don' t think being well traveled gives you a better personality. As far as being enlighten, you can probably learn more from what you see on TV or study. What makes traveling better though is that you are experience it. Sure, I know the Japanese have the Sakura watching festival around April. I know why they do it and why is so important. But I am not there to experience it. So what' s the point then?

Traveling may not enlighten you, but it certainly opens your horizons. Like I said, is not the same to read or watch as it is to experience it. I could know all about spring break in the US from watching and reading. But know that I have experienced it, I don' t care about knowing anymore, for I have been there, that' s what matters. To be there to experience things, is worth it.

As far as traveling, yeah, its tough, but there are ways. Not trying to say anything about Eddie' s parents, Torr already said they are strict and I believe him. But my parents are strict as hell, and I still found a way to leave where I live at 17 (not being an adult) and I have done fine for myself for these 5 years, living by myself. I got a college education, paid by my own work, and I found ways to travel to lots of places within the US. And I am piss ass poor. Now that I' ll be going back to Panama in a couple of months, nothing is gonna stop me from finding a way to go and adventure once again. It was hard, but was it worth it? F.uck yeah! Not trying to make me sound like someone awesome or anything (that' s not the point) but there are millions of people out there that manage to do what they want, is all just about looking and finding ways. Traveling is not any different.