The difference between a traveler and a tourist, I
believe, can be distinguished by one thing: knowing the culture. Herodotus
shows us that in his writings. He explains vivid detail about all of the things
he encounters. For example, Herodotus goes into great detail talking about the
process of mummification, the tombs and the process of building the pyramids. Which
makes him the first true travel writer.
I believe that in order to truly immerse yourself in a culture you must know something. For example I really have no interest in traveling to North Dakota. I can only categorize it as a ‘fly over state”, a place in which you drive through or fly over without a single thought of stopping. However, after a very quick Google search I was able to find many places that I would love to see in a state that I previously declared a drive through state. For example did you know that in North Dakota there is a Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a dinosaur museum, and countless zoos? A simple Google search, the minutest amount of information has now lead me to want to make meaningful stop in a meaningful state in a state that I previously labeled as a “fly over state”. Imagine if I did more research? The endless mom and pop shops, small towns, and hidden adventures are the true excitements that drive travelers.
Herodotus makes this same point when he is explaining Egypt. Learning the history of a place can really inspire a traveler to immerse themselves into the culture of the place they are visiting. It is with documents like that of Herodotus that allow travelers to begin to develop great expectations of the glorious places they choose to visit. Once you allow yourself to open your mind into other place, that is when you will find the true beauty and excitement within the various places you travel. Traveling is something that comes from deep within a person. It allows them to dream, become daring, but most importantly it allows a person to find adventure. I believe that so many times we are caught up in our technological world and trying to force our minds into certain molds set by our society. Traveling allows us to break free and explore the deeps of every inch of our mind, if we allow it. Herodotus was the first to set the bar on how to not only examine his surrounds but immerse himself with in it and dream of so much more. Who would have thought that the beginnings of an amazing adventure could all be started with a simple Google search?
I believe that in order to truly immerse yourself in a culture you must know something. For example I really have no interest in traveling to North Dakota. I can only categorize it as a ‘fly over state”, a place in which you drive through or fly over without a single thought of stopping. However, after a very quick Google search I was able to find many places that I would love to see in a state that I previously declared a drive through state. For example did you know that in North Dakota there is a Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a dinosaur museum, and countless zoos? A simple Google search, the minutest amount of information has now lead me to want to make meaningful stop in a meaningful state in a state that I previously labeled as a “fly over state”. Imagine if I did more research? The endless mom and pop shops, small towns, and hidden adventures are the true excitements that drive travelers.
Herodotus makes this same point when he is explaining Egypt. Learning the history of a place can really inspire a traveler to immerse themselves into the culture of the place they are visiting. It is with documents like that of Herodotus that allow travelers to begin to develop great expectations of the glorious places they choose to visit. Once you allow yourself to open your mind into other place, that is when you will find the true beauty and excitement within the various places you travel. Traveling is something that comes from deep within a person. It allows them to dream, become daring, but most importantly it allows a person to find adventure. I believe that so many times we are caught up in our technological world and trying to force our minds into certain molds set by our society. Traveling allows us to break free and explore the deeps of every inch of our mind, if we allow it. Herodotus was the first to set the bar on how to not only examine his surrounds but immerse himself with in it and dream of so much more. Who would have thought that the beginnings of an amazing adventure could all be started with a simple Google search?
Your post was very thought provoking; I really enjoyed it. I love the way you made note of how a simple Google search can change an entire perspective in seconds. North Dakota never crosses my mind for any reason, but now I feel like it would be such a fun trip. But, it would have to be one of those random trips where you just go and see where you end up. I also really like how you connected Herodotus’ writing with what you see as traveling and what you think travel can do for a person. In the end, you said that travel can help us to break free of the molds set for us by society. I agree with that to a point, but I can also see where travel itself is a mold set by society. Looking at the Walsh community alone, travel is something we feel so passionately about that we encourage every student to go on study abroad trips during their career here. I can remember being told about all of the study abroad options on my tour here, and that is when the travel bug started to hit me. So, is travel not something society has molded us to do as well? I agree that travel does free the mind and let one think, but I just think travel is something society expects anymore, making it something of mold. Maybe I missed where you were going with that last part, but that’s just where my mind took it.
ReplyDeleteYour definition between a traveler and a tourist is spot on. There are many other ways to describe those two, but I believe you nailed it. I also loved how you brought up North Dakota and how many people do not know much about it. I never would even think of going there I just think of that state as flat land and houses that are miles apart. Doing some research about a place can completely change your viewpoint and make you want to travel there. It seems enticing to make a trip out to North Dakota for a couple of days now that you mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between a Traveler and a Tourist is something everyone should learn, and you did a good job explaining that.
ReplyDeleteAnd I liked how you talked about how researching a place can make a person want to go there. There're a lot of interesting things out that people might not know about, but if they looked into it they would be surprised about what they'd find.
Based on what you have said Jessica, it is easy to see that you like geographical locations. Your points are made clear though. It is important to research and learn about a place before just traveling their. You may have no interest in the place itself, but it is the miniscule opportunities and places that make the trip. Herodotus knew nothing about the places he was going except for that they were unknown to him. He had so much to experience and write about. In todays world, we like to look up details and plan out our trips. It is not nearly as exciting.
ReplyDeleteJess,
ReplyDeleteHaving an open mind about the places you travel and the people you encounter there really can make a difference. I know that some people do not want to fully immerse themselves into the different kinds of cultures we embrace based upon what we see throughout the media and news. Herodotus expresses that once he actually felt that he was critically analyzing the differences in cultures that he almost grew the same appreciation for it as he would if he were to live there. It is important to understand these differences because they create people and help shape our world to the cultures we come to know and adapt to. I liked when you mentioned that you do not always start off by caring about a certain area but you come to find the same general respect for it when you do a simple google search on it.