Comments on: I Don’t Give A Damn How You Travel

By: John m

John m — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:00:16 +0000

Great post. Just one thing I don’t really get, why you don’t like the term flashpacking if backpacking is ok. Isnt it just a quick way to describe a different type of travel. Didn’t think my definition of travel would engender such a strong negative emotional response. Cheers mate.

By: Kristin Cole

Kristin Cole — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:57:56 +0000

Sadly not everyone can be as righteous as the guy you’re responding to. I mean he DOES live in Taiwan. How dare you, as a tourist from 3 years ago, defile his deep wisdom of the country he has lived in for an entire 5 years? How could you possibly have anything worthy to share from a city he deems to be not worth his precious time and energy?
Why are you writing this blog at all if there are a legion of people out there that knows a much better way of traveling and seeing the world than you? Hell most of us should just wear blindfolds and duct tape over our mouths since apparently a good lot of us have no idea what we are seeing or talking about.
There are silly things like the availability of time and funds that may determine when and where someone travels to. But of course those seem to only be factors for stupid people that have no idea how to travel.

By: James Carr

James Carr — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:27:39 +0000

There is a TED talk about Tribal Leadership which goes into this a little bit – The need to see the world as Im right and you’re wrong.

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_logan_on_tribal_leadership.html

By: Ed

Ed — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:23:39 +0000

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!

By: Mark Wu

Mark Wu — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:32:47 +0000

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/

By: Erin De Santiago

Erin De Santiago — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:21:18 +0000

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! :-)

By: Trisha (Travel Writers Exchange)

Trisha (Travel Writers Exchange) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:11:39 +0000

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.

By: Nora Dunn

Nora Dunn — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:03:11 +0000

Great article! It rots my socks when people voice their opinions with ego and inflexibility – be it about travel or anything else.
Part of what makes this world – and traveling it – so wonderful is the sheer variety and diversity of people/climate/culture/history/even opinions. I just wish we could celebrate our differences more, rather than turn those differences into bones of contention.

By: Gary

Gary — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:44:36 +0000

There are still more places I haven’t been than I have been. I think that will always be the case.

By: Earl

Earl — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:34:31 +0000

I just found your site and I’m hooked. This is the first article I’ve read and the point could not have been stated any better.

I love when other travelers ask me in disbelief, “You haven’t been to___?” No. I have not. This is my adventure.

By: John

John — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:26:32 +0000

No, I know you didn’t say that its OK to rape and pillage on your travels. My view is that travel has an impact. You have your own views, and I respect them so will not try to have the last word on that.
I am a little curious though,. You don’t care how people travel. Yet when voicing an opinion, you are sure someone else is wrong.

I will post no answer to the tan point. I’m sending you a DM.