Because new readers discover my site all the time, I’ve lately taken up the habit of posting what I was doing one and two years ago on Twitter. That way they can catch up on things they might not have been around for when I was originally blogging about it.
A few days ago sent out a link to a post I made two years ago during my visit to Taiwan. Someone left the following comment (two years after the fact mind you).
So you only stayed in Taipei? You didn’t visit anywhere else here? I’ve been in Taiwan for five years and have been to Taipei probably less than a dozen times. You have no idea what you missed. There’s seems to be little point in travelling if you’re only going to hop from big city to big city.
I was going to write an email to respond to him, but I figure why write an email when I can make a blog post about it?
Putting aside for a moment the fact that this guy managed to extrapolate almost three years of my life from my visit to a single location and clearly didn’t bother to read about any of the other places I’ve been. What struck me about the comment is:
- The implication that he was doing it right.
- The implication that I was doing it wrong.
- That he felt it was important enough to tell me that he was doing it right and I was doing it wrong
I’ve noticed this same attitude pop up in other articles, most recently in a Boots N All article about how flashpacking (a term I loathe) is hurting backpacking. There was also a user on Twitter who felt the need to tell everyone else going on a cruise, not only how unethical they were for going on a cruise, but also how ethical she was for not going on cruises. I could only roll my eyeballs.
I would like to go on record to say that I do not give a rats ass how anyone else travels. I really don’t. I don’t care if you like to go on cruises, I don’t care if you like to visit spas, I don’t care if you like to drive around in an RV. None of those are really my cup of tea, but I don’t care if you do it.
Likewise, I’d ask you extend a similar courtesy to others. Just because someone doesn’t travel the way you like doesn’t mean you have to tell them. It is extremely tacky behavior. Just because something isn’t your cup of tea doesn’t mean you have to go on a jihad.
There is no wrong way to travel. Do I think you might get more out of a visit to a country if you left the Hyatt? Yes I do, but at least you are visiting. Do I think you might enjoy a trip more if it wasn’t a packaged tour? Sure, but any tour is better than no tour.
The following video clip succinctly summarizes my views on the matter:
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You also have to remember that there are so many places to see and things you can do there’s just no way to do everything.
So you never made it out of the capital… who cares? Instead of going out of Taipei, you went somewhere else. You can’t EVERYWHERE and do EVERYTHING.
Many times people choose package tours and cruises and the like because it packs the highest number of places and experiences as possible in the short of amount of time allotted. Sometimes it really is the best bang for the buck, where the buck is a person’s most precious asset, time.
For the average person, package tours can also come out cheaper in a lot of places (like Egypt) than independent travel.
And flashpacking is just a stupid term invented by bums who can’t afford a hotel with an indoor toilet. The only adice you can give them – get a job!
I live in Taipei and I probably have only been OUT of the city 5 or 6 times! LOL. I suppose if the person lives somewhere south like Kaohsiung, I’d not visit Taipei much either since it’s a 7 hour drive.
The island as a whole has a lot to offer, but that statement was certainly unnecessary and sadly is reflective of many travel snobbery comments I’ve experienced over the years. Everybody travels differently and reading about those unique experiences is something I really enjoy.
Taipei has a lot to offer tourists and I continue to explore the area because I constantly find something new every time. Taipei is bigger than many people realize and has a number of districts, each offering some great tourist stops.
Plus, I’d highly recommend a visit to Taipei just to fully appreciate how scary the driving is here! NYC, San Francisco and Los Angeles have nothing on Taipei. Take all three of those, add 1,000 scooters coming from every direction and you have instant chaos, aka Taipei rush hour. I’ve contemplated anti anxiety meds just to handle the few times I am in a car each week! LOL.
But Taipei is an experience I will never forget – it’s a surprisingly beautiful city with quite a lot to offer in terms of sightseeing, culture/history, shopping, and certainly some of the best food I’ve ever had. Now if only I could speak Mandarin, I’d be set! :-)
I spent just over a week in Taipei over the Summer and loved it. However, the traffic has nothing on Ho Chi Minh! I also went there earlier in the year. Some videos to prove it!
http://www.mangovine.net/site/entry/streets_of_ho_chi_minh_on_two_wheels/
Gary I could not agree more with you – you are 100% right. I get that type of travel snobbery all the time too.
I’ve done hiking and backpacking trips, road trips, walking and cycling trips, and have been many places (with a great many more still on my list to see), have always made an effort to learn some of the language and customs, and to interact with locals and learn, but on the few occasions I stay at a nice all-inclusive resort BOY do I get the highbrow attitude about not “really” traveling. WTF?!?
What IS it with some travelers that makes them believe they are so superior to others? Ego and idiocy is all I can come up with.
I agree with John’s points about our environmental impact when we do choose to travel – it’s something we all have to consider and hopefully work to lessen our carbon footprint when we can, but I think that we should never, ever judge anyone for their choice of WHERE they travel to or what they see or don’t see when they get there.