What's like international travel, but not?
January 8, 2022 6:02 PM Subscribe
I'm committed to leaving air travel behind. If you decided to do the same (or generally stop taking high carbon footprint vacations, including but not limited to long flights), what soothes the international travel itch? If you feel sad about it, how are you dealing?
Mostly, I guess, I'm experiencing some grief about the idea I might never leave the nearby US (& maybe a bit of Canada) again, sharpened recently because fantasy vacation planning has been an important pressure release valve while cooped up during the pandemic. I also think I was raised to consider travel (or, at least, experiencing other places/cultures/ways of living and spending money on experiences rather than things, etc.) as an important and ethical thing to do: even though we didn't have the money for frequent or extravagant vacations, my parents always made sure I had a passport, and we did go to Europe twice, once in my teens and again in my 20s, and both trips were great experiences and the source of many happy memories. I subsequently didn't travel much as an adult--too little time and too little money--but I used to look forward to a future where I would (I did take one really awesome trip to South Asia in the early 2010s, which if anything whetted my appetite for travel). And now, well, I'm one of those assholes who feels like the plane is burning ground-up babies.
But the alternatives to traditional fly-to-an-awesome-place vacationing have proven to be, well, not awesome. The net effect of not taking substantial, planned vacations, even before the pandemic, has been 2-3 long weekends per year and otherwise working way too much--and burning/donating most of my PTO, now that I finally have a job where I get it. I virtually never take a full week at once, let alone longer. All of this is already not great, and I expect it will get worse post-pandemic: it's now really, really easy to work from home on weekends and unstructured days off, so even if I'm technically "on vacation" for a week or more but actually just hanging out puttering away at a hobby, I'm apt to get bored and wind up sort of 40% working anyway.
Stuff I'm already doing that isn't scratching the international travel itch:
1. Organized and unorganized bike trips up to 2-4 days, covering maybe 80-150 miles (partner isn't really up for longer or more strenuous, and this will probably be even more of an issue as we get into creaky middle age)
2. Camping and light hiking trips up to 2-3 nights (the limit of partner's camping endurance, and, realistically, mine as well)
3. An attempt to visit all nearby state and national parks
4. Weekend car trips to visit family and friends living in the tri-state area, up to 200 miles away
5. A few nights at nearby airbnb/vrbo with family or friends (I'd like to cut down on this, as I have some discomfort about the airbnb business model, and more and more we're actually renting from property management companies and not individuals)
6. Drugs (weed, mostly)
I am, of course, aware staycations exist. Like the rest of us, it's possible I'll never need another after 2020-2021 (2020-2022?). I'd also note long trips by train or bus aren't attractive, mostly because I have herniated discs and being stuck in a seat for longer than ~24 hours is no fun. This was a problem for long flights as well, but taking an Amtrak to, like, Seattle sounds like an unimaginable 45+ hours of pain, longer than the longest flight. And, from experience, buses are worse. Moreover, once the round trip reaches 40-60 hours, it starts to meaningfully bite into time spent at the destination.
I know it's bad form to attempt to steer responses too aggressively, but I'm also not super interested in solutions along the lines of "calculate the vacation's carbon footprint and make up for it somehow" (or "chill out"). I'm fairly seriously skeptical of carbon offsetting, and I've cut low-hanging fruit to the extent that trimming even a meaningful part of the ~3-8 metric tons of carbon for a single trip by plane, even over the course of a few years, just isn't feasible (child-free, bike everywhere all year, eat mostly grains and beans, largely converted appliances from gas to electric, hang clothes to dry, house is cold as shit in the winter, etc.). I'm also not up for hearing about how 50-70 companies etc. don't be so hard on yourself etc. personal choices can't save us etc. China etc. etc. again. I know, and I'm also involved in advocacy and political action to the extent that's possible while respecting my free time and mental health.
Mostly, I guess, I'm experiencing some grief about the idea I might never leave the nearby US (& maybe a bit of Canada) again, sharpened recently because fantasy vacation planning has been an important pressure release valve while cooped up during the pandemic. I also think I was raised to consider travel (or, at least, experiencing other places/cultures/ways of living and spending money on experiences rather than things, etc.) as an important and ethical thing to do: even though we didn't have the money for frequent or extravagant vacations, my parents always made sure I had a passport, and we did go to Europe twice, once in my teens and again in my 20s, and both trips were great experiences and the source of many happy memories. I subsequently didn't travel much as an adult--too little time and too little money--but I used to look forward to a future where I would (I did take one really awesome trip to South Asia in the early 2010s, which if anything whetted my appetite for travel). And now, well, I'm one of those assholes who feels like the plane is burning ground-up babies.
But the alternatives to traditional fly-to-an-awesome-place vacationing have proven to be, well, not awesome. The net effect of not taking substantial, planned vacations, even before the pandemic, has been 2-3 long weekends per year and otherwise working way too much--and burning/donating most of my PTO, now that I finally have a job where I get it. I virtually never take a full week at once, let alone longer. All of this is already not great, and I expect it will get worse post-pandemic: it's now really, really easy to work from home on weekends and unstructured days off, so even if I'm technically "on vacation" for a week or more but actually just hanging out puttering away at a hobby, I'm apt to get bored and wind up sort of 40% working anyway.
Stuff I'm already doing that isn't scratching the international travel itch:
1. Organized and unorganized bike trips up to 2-4 days, covering maybe 80-150 miles (partner isn't really up for longer or more strenuous, and this will probably be even more of an issue as we get into creaky middle age)
2. Camping and light hiking trips up to 2-3 nights (the limit of partner's camping endurance, and, realistically, mine as well)
3. An attempt to visit all nearby state and national parks
4. Weekend car trips to visit family and friends living in the tri-state area, up to 200 miles away
5. A few nights at nearby airbnb/vrbo with family or friends (I'd like to cut down on this, as I have some discomfort about the airbnb business model, and more and more we're actually renting from property management companies and not individuals)
6. Drugs (weed, mostly)
I am, of course, aware staycations exist. Like the rest of us, it's possible I'll never need another after 2020-2021 (2020-2022?). I'd also note long trips by train or bus aren't attractive, mostly because I have herniated discs and being stuck in a seat for longer than ~24 hours is no fun. This was a problem for long flights as well, but taking an Amtrak to, like, Seattle sounds like an unimaginable 45+ hours of pain, longer than the longest flight. And, from experience, buses are worse. Moreover, once the round trip reaches 40-60 hours, it starts to meaningfully bite into time spent at the destination.
I know it's bad form to attempt to steer responses too aggressively, but I'm also not super interested in solutions along the lines of "calculate the vacation's carbon footprint and make up for it somehow" (or "chill out"). I'm fairly seriously skeptical of carbon offsetting, and I've cut low-hanging fruit to the extent that trimming even a meaningful part of the ~3-8 metric tons of carbon for a single trip by plane, even over the course of a few years, just isn't feasible (child-free, bike everywhere all year, eat mostly grains and beans, largely converted appliances from gas to electric, hang clothes to dry, house is cold as shit in the winter, etc.). I'm also not up for hearing about how 50-70 companies etc. don't be so hard on yourself etc. personal choices can't save us etc. China etc. etc. again. I know, and I'm also involved in advocacy and political action to the extent that's possible while respecting my free time and mental health.
Also, you can get a private room with a bed on Amtrak, and walk around when you need to, so you aren't stuck sitting all the time. I find that even staying in other cities less than an hour away from where I live is interesting, though your area might be different. Electric planes are coming relatively soon for short trips, and carbon-neutral fuel (eg made from captured CO2) for longer trips. And crossing the Atlantic on a ship could be fun in non-pandemic times.
posted by pinochiette at 6:21 PM on January 8, 2022 [15 favorites]
posted by pinochiette at 6:21 PM on January 8, 2022 [15 favorites]
A big part of the ritual of international travel is opening oneself up to new experiences and ideas in a way that we don't tend to do in our everyday lives. There's nothing stopping you from applying that mindset to the place you live. Maybe you need to more deliberately turn your vacations into learning experiences. Before you go to a state park, you could learn about its ecology and have a list of things you'd like to see there. You could take an interest in a historical figure and trace the path of their life. To learn from other cultures, you could find ways of respectfully engaging with immigrant communities where you live. Take public transit, and just hang out and observe. Start conversations with strangers when you might not otherwise. In a way, what I'm suggesting to to treat your whole life like an international vacation. Use your days off of work for special projects rather than simply diversions.
posted by Comet Bug at 6:49 PM on January 8, 2022 [19 favorites]
posted by Comet Bug at 6:49 PM on January 8, 2022 [19 favorites]
You say no Amtrak trips because you don’t want to be on a train for 24 hours but how about 6?
You’re lucky to live in the Northeast, there’s SO MUCH to see that’s within a shorter train ride. If I were in your position I would just very aggressively start planning trips everywhere within a relatively comfortable train distance. Also, the nice thing about train travel vs. flying is that you can stand up and walk around, and you can often have a whole row to yourself.
Another idea might be a new hobby that sends you on day/short overnight trips, like photography, geocaching, rock climbing, etc. Or when it’s safe again, attending events for a hobby/interest you already have.
posted by lunasol at 7:04 PM on January 8, 2022 [13 favorites]
You’re lucky to live in the Northeast, there’s SO MUCH to see that’s within a shorter train ride. If I were in your position I would just very aggressively start planning trips everywhere within a relatively comfortable train distance. Also, the nice thing about train travel vs. flying is that you can stand up and walk around, and you can often have a whole row to yourself.
Another idea might be a new hobby that sends you on day/short overnight trips, like photography, geocaching, rock climbing, etc. Or when it’s safe again, attending events for a hobby/interest you already have.
posted by lunasol at 7:04 PM on January 8, 2022 [13 favorites]
Can you scratch the novelty itch by getting out of your comfort zone in other ways? The experience of sucking at something and being adrift and then slowly starting to get it. Or not!
I don’t know what is physically feasible for you, but some possibilities might include (from my life) rock climbing and target shooting and taking up roller skating at 40, but your comfort zone might be other things.
Also, in the Northeast? Assuming no legal reasons otherwise, you have plenty of access to Canada: Quebec, the Maritimes, Toronto is obviously further. I’ve done NYC to Montreal on Amtrak and it wasn’t FUNSIES but that was mostly because the toilet broke.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 7:09 PM on January 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
I don’t know what is physically feasible for you, but some possibilities might include (from my life) rock climbing and target shooting and taking up roller skating at 40, but your comfort zone might be other things.
Also, in the Northeast? Assuming no legal reasons otherwise, you have plenty of access to Canada: Quebec, the Maritimes, Toronto is obviously further. I’ve done NYC to Montreal on Amtrak and it wasn’t FUNSIES but that was mostly because the toilet broke.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 7:09 PM on January 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
I knew a guy who rode as a passenger on a cargo ship from Asia to North America. This required a long time and planning but it worked.
posted by theorique at 7:16 PM on January 8, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by theorique at 7:16 PM on January 8, 2022 [6 favorites]
Yeah, I would push you north to Quebec and the Maritimes and stuff. It's beautiful and historic and sounds like you are in Europe/U.K., but without the air travel!
posted by wenestvedt at 7:17 PM on January 8, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 7:17 PM on January 8, 2022 [11 favorites]
Are long road trips an option? Experiences I’ve had in North America that felt as exciting as overseas travel:
Road trip to Palm Springs in January including yurt camping in Colorado, Arches ntl park in winter, Las Vegas, that opal mine on the continental divide
Montreal Jazz Festival
Quebec Ice Hotel
Santa Fe and Albuquerque and the Southwest in general, even better if you can wrangle an invitation to a sacred event in one of the sovereign Native nations — we were invited to a kachina dance during a visit to the Hopi nation, for example.
Foresta Lumina in Quebec
Arlington Hotel and the bathhouses and art galleries of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
New Orleans
Domo Restaurant in Denver
Long road trips can be fun if you take them easy — we’ve done a lot of them and found them worthwhile.
posted by shadygrove at 7:18 PM on January 8, 2022 [8 favorites]
Road trip to Palm Springs in January including yurt camping in Colorado, Arches ntl park in winter, Las Vegas, that opal mine on the continental divide
Montreal Jazz Festival
Quebec Ice Hotel
Santa Fe and Albuquerque and the Southwest in general, even better if you can wrangle an invitation to a sacred event in one of the sovereign Native nations — we were invited to a kachina dance during a visit to the Hopi nation, for example.
Foresta Lumina in Quebec
Arlington Hotel and the bathhouses and art galleries of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
New Orleans
Domo Restaurant in Denver
Long road trips can be fun if you take them easy — we’ve done a lot of them and found them worthwhile.
posted by shadygrove at 7:18 PM on January 8, 2022 [8 favorites]
Seconding the Amtrak private room experience. The smallest ones are called "roomettes", and have 2 facing seats, plus a fold-out table in between. At night, the seats convert into a bed, and a second bed folds down from above. It's cool, it's fun, it's private, and you can get up and walk around any time you want (or take a nap, if you prefer).
It does cost a lot more than a seat in the coach section. But if you're traveling with a second passenger in the same room, their fare will be a lot lower. And all food and drinks are included in your ticket price. Anyway, if riding Amtrak is something you're doing instead of flying to, and staying in, Europe, I'm guessing you can probably afford it.
Yes, it takes a lot longer than going by plane, but the experience of the journey is special enough that it's worth taking time for.
I live in the Northeast as well, and am hoping to travel across the country on Amtrak in a roomette this summer.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 7:19 PM on January 8, 2022 [6 favorites]
It does cost a lot more than a seat in the coach section. But if you're traveling with a second passenger in the same room, their fare will be a lot lower. And all food and drinks are included in your ticket price. Anyway, if riding Amtrak is something you're doing instead of flying to, and staying in, Europe, I'm guessing you can probably afford it.
Yes, it takes a lot longer than going by plane, but the experience of the journey is special enough that it's worth taking time for.
I live in the Northeast as well, and am hoping to travel across the country on Amtrak in a roomette this summer.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 7:19 PM on January 8, 2022 [6 favorites]
Sorry for not directly answering the question but one of the ways the pandemic has affected me that I’m slowly starting to come to terms with is allowing myself the grieve. In the beginning it felt like we were collectively holding our breath until we could “live again.” Postponing weddings, baby showers, graduation celebrations etc. I’ve now come to terms with “do it in whatever way you need to because it may not happen otherwise.” So I guess just allow yourself that grief that you may not get to travel overseas again. grieve all the experiences that may not happen the way you want them to. A trip to Quebec sounds amazing, but also may not scratch that itch because of what you’ve already experienced or it’s too similar to your regular life, etc. But trying to force a square peg in a round hole won’t work either.
posted by raccoon409 at 7:22 PM on January 8, 2022 [14 favorites]
posted by raccoon409 at 7:22 PM on January 8, 2022 [14 favorites]
My last plane trip was a four day weekend in London in Feb 2020, thinking the whole time that I shouldn't be doing it because of the pandemic and because air travel is bad for the planet. But I have taken a few great vacations. I live in the Northeast.
1. A roadtrip to the Adirondacks, staying for a few nights in the 'hunter's cabin' of a Great Camp.
2. A roadtrip to spend a week in the Catskills, hiking and swimming at different places everyday, an afternoon in Woodstock and an amazing picnic style dinner at Westwind Orchard.
3. Taking Amtrak to visit friends in Boston, we saw a lot of art and had some great beer.
I had been waiting for Canada to open up and now that it has, I would love to go to Montreal this summer. I haven't even begun to think about all the beach resorts I could be going to.
I think The Northeast is grand vacation central! I think you need to take at least a full week for your vacations, and go somewhere very touristy, go out to touristy bars, look up the local music and art scene, search out what is different there from your daily life. I live in a small apartment in a big city so going to the woods is heaven.
posted by maggiemaggie at 7:27 PM on January 8, 2022 [8 favorites]
1. A roadtrip to the Adirondacks, staying for a few nights in the 'hunter's cabin' of a Great Camp.
2. A roadtrip to spend a week in the Catskills, hiking and swimming at different places everyday, an afternoon in Woodstock and an amazing picnic style dinner at Westwind Orchard.
3. Taking Amtrak to visit friends in Boston, we saw a lot of art and had some great beer.
I had been waiting for Canada to open up and now that it has, I would love to go to Montreal this summer. I haven't even begun to think about all the beach resorts I could be going to.
I think The Northeast is grand vacation central! I think you need to take at least a full week for your vacations, and go somewhere very touristy, go out to touristy bars, look up the local music and art scene, search out what is different there from your daily life. I live in a small apartment in a big city so going to the woods is heaven.
posted by maggiemaggie at 7:27 PM on January 8, 2022 [8 favorites]
As an electric car a possibility for you? There's a lot you can explore on a road trip in the US and Canada now that vehicle range is reasonable and fast charging is relatively widespread. Why not take a road trip into the Western US or somewhere in Canada? There are a lot of beautiful landscapes in Western North America especially.
If you like, you can mix in some small hikes, even 2-3 night hiking trips or short day or longer bike trips. Carbon emissions will vary depending on the electrical generation wherever you may be, but it will be better than air travel.
I also agree that Amtrak sleepers are quite comfortable. It's an interesting experience to take a long distance Amtrak train and worth doing just for the journey. You can bring your bikes on Amtrak for not much money too and go on a bike tour at your destination (or even return via a different Amtrak station). Amtrak is going to be worse for carbon emissions per mile relative to an electric car though, as they run heavy trains on diesel.
posted by ssg at 8:03 PM on January 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
If you like, you can mix in some small hikes, even 2-3 night hiking trips or short day or longer bike trips. Carbon emissions will vary depending on the electrical generation wherever you may be, but it will be better than air travel.
I also agree that Amtrak sleepers are quite comfortable. It's an interesting experience to take a long distance Amtrak train and worth doing just for the journey. You can bring your bikes on Amtrak for not much money too and go on a bike tour at your destination (or even return via a different Amtrak station). Amtrak is going to be worse for carbon emissions per mile relative to an electric car though, as they run heavy trains on diesel.
posted by ssg at 8:03 PM on January 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
I think you need to identify exactly what emotional benefit you were getting out of trips that required air travel. People talk about "travel" as if we're all in agreement about what's great about it, but that's not true. Some people like to feel worldly and sophisticated; some people like to feel adventurous; some people are intensely interested in one specific thing like trying new foods. And so forth. Once you figure out how you want to feel, it will be easier to figure out how to get that another way.
posted by HotToddy at 8:11 PM on January 8, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by HotToddy at 8:11 PM on January 8, 2022 [13 favorites]
Mod note: From the OP:
I think a lot of folks got the impression I'm in the New York/New England area because I mentioned a 'tri-state area.' I'm in the upper midwest--we have tri-state areas here, too! Just not *The* Tri-State Area.posted by taz (staff) at 11:22 PM on January 8, 2022 [9 favorites]
I used to travel a lot internationally and don't any more, for reasons unrelated to the pandemic or the environment. I do two different things instead.
Firstly, I take decent length vacations anyway. A whole week of work is good even if you don't travel. If you really want to staycation then make daytrip plans for every day in your week. But going to a long weekend destination for a week is really not a bad trip. It helps a lot with burnout. In the upper midwest, you could go to a lake resort for a week maybe. I personally could spend a fortnight exploring Chicago despite having been before (but it would be international for me).
Secondly, I explore international destinations through google earth, youtube videos and reading. Not it is not the same. But it does go some way to broadening my mind.
In terms of trips you could take, Amtrak travel on a train with a bed is significantly more comfortable than travelling in a seat. If you think you could do 6 hours max in a train seat, you can probably do 12-15 hours overnight in a train compartment. I sleep very badly on trains, but it's still better than a long haul flight for comfort and hassle. You are completely right about buses. Do not let anyone try and persuade you otherwise.
posted by plonkee at 2:06 AM on January 9, 2022 [5 favorites]
Firstly, I take decent length vacations anyway. A whole week of work is good even if you don't travel. If you really want to staycation then make daytrip plans for every day in your week. But going to a long weekend destination for a week is really not a bad trip. It helps a lot with burnout. In the upper midwest, you could go to a lake resort for a week maybe. I personally could spend a fortnight exploring Chicago despite having been before (but it would be international for me).
Secondly, I explore international destinations through google earth, youtube videos and reading. Not it is not the same. But it does go some way to broadening my mind.
In terms of trips you could take, Amtrak travel on a train with a bed is significantly more comfortable than travelling in a seat. If you think you could do 6 hours max in a train seat, you can probably do 12-15 hours overnight in a train compartment. I sleep very badly on trains, but it's still better than a long haul flight for comfort and hassle. You are completely right about buses. Do not let anyone try and persuade you otherwise.
posted by plonkee at 2:06 AM on January 9, 2022 [5 favorites]
Midwest kid here, and I still recommend Canada. Shift your paradigm: rent a houseboat on a lake in Ontario, or visit Quetico/BWCA, or get a cabin in Door County.
If you want to minimize the travel, get a room in a major metro area like an hour or two drive away, visit all the touristy sites, and tip lavishly (because service folks need it). Pretend you're not a local.
Heck, pick a theme (art museums, outdoor concerts, whatever) and make a long trip or series of trips around that. You could spend months planning it and even longer doing it!
posted by wenestvedt at 5:32 AM on January 9, 2022 [5 favorites]
If you want to minimize the travel, get a room in a major metro area like an hour or two drive away, visit all the touristy sites, and tip lavishly (because service folks need it). Pretend you're not a local.
Heck, pick a theme (art museums, outdoor concerts, whatever) and make a long trip or series of trips around that. You could spend months planning it and even longer doing it!
posted by wenestvedt at 5:32 AM on January 9, 2022 [5 favorites]
Make your travel event based. Do you have hobbies? Are there conventions or for your hobbies with workshops and a market? Or retreats or training camps? Or go somewhere with a weeklong music or film or comedy or fan or board gaming festival.
It gives your plan a focus and a reason to take more than a day or two off. You can immerse yourself in the culture of your interest, meet people, spend time picking and choosing workshops/preformances/schedules in that travel planning way.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:40 AM on January 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
It gives your plan a focus and a reason to take more than a day or two off. You can immerse yourself in the culture of your interest, meet people, spend time picking and choosing workshops/preformances/schedules in that travel planning way.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:40 AM on January 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
I think a lot of it depends on what you felt like you were getting out of international travel before - I used to be an enthusiastic traveller, traveling internationally about as often as I could afford to, but for a variety of reasons including but not limited to the pandemic and climate change, the last time I travelled outside of the US was almost five years ago, and I've flown very little since (one cross-country flight in 2019 for a wedding and a one-way flight this summer due to cutting a train trip slightly short). I don't intend to give up air travel completely, but I'm cutting down, probably to one long-haul roundtrip every few years, and I try to avoid short-haul trips entirely. I will probably never visit Asia, Africa, or Australia, but I will likely go to Europe again and maybe South America.
I'm going to suggest solutions here, but I do just want to say that I recognize that this is hard! Although it's *possible* to scratch a lot of the same places international travel scratches without going so far, it requires more discipline and boundaries, I think - when you've spent $X and Y hours on a plane trip, and you're 100% definitely stuck where you are, you're locked in in a way that you're not with shorter-distance travel. Personally, I find it a little harder to *commit* to shorter-distance travel than to longhaul travel.
Anyway, here are some of the benefits I think that I, personally, get out of long-distance travel, and other experiences I've had that somewhat recreate those benefits:
Benefit #1: Disconnecting from my regular life (work and home).
It's just way easier to not worry about work or your roof or even your lovely friends and hobbies if you're living out of a suitcase halfway across the country or the world. BUT I have actually found that I *can* disconnect at locations closer to home. Part of this is about actually setting aside time for yourself and not just working because you're bored, but places/routines can help with this too.
My personal favorite place to properly disconnect is a family lake cottage that belongs to my aunt - I spent a lot of time there growing up and being there just feels like SUMMER VACATION to me no matter what. There is no TV there. My phone didn't work there until sometime in the last five years or so and I still kind of forget that there is cell reception now. There are like four power outlets in the whole camp and they all have lamps or fans plugged into them. I go up there with a stack of books and a bottle each of sunblock and bug spray and I veg out, swim, hang in a hammock, kayak, etc.
Obviously not everyone has a convenient aunt with a convenient summer cottage, but you can rent a house at the nearby lake (or whatever) town of your choice. There are old-fashioned walkable/bikeable summer communities all over the US, and some of them are even accessible by train. Or there are actual, literal summer camps for adults that you can go to. There are also things like yoga retreats, and art/craft/sustainability/language workshops on beautiful campuses. If you find someplace you like you can go back year after year. (And leave your work laptop at home.)
Benefit #2: Novelty
Obviously the novelty itch does *not* get scratched by going to the same summer place I've been going or 40+ years. But there are about a million things I haven't tried just in my metro area. I've been crazy busy lately and haven't had time to explore but a couple months ago I went to a neighborhood I hadn't really spent time in before. There was a recently-ish completed mural project that I'd seen on Instagram so I downloaded the map and walked around looking at the murals. I got food from a Colombian bakery where I was one of only a handful of people ordering in English. It was a really good day (and by day I mean "a few hours").
Sometimes I just have to force myself to think like I'm on vacation. Spending an hour+ on public transport to eat empanadas (which I very possibly could have had delivered via GrubHub or something) and see a couple of big paintings was not, like, the MOST EFFICIENT use of my time, but that's definitely the kind of thing I would do when I'm on vacation. There are probably 25 other neighborhoods and suburbs I could reach via public transport where I could easily have a similar experience without even having to get in my car. There are probably 100 museums (maybe literally hundreds) within an hour drive of my house that I've never visited.
Even lower-impact, I can achieve some of this same effect just by watching movies and reading books from people/places with unfamiliar viewpoints.
Benefit #3: Having something to look forward to
This is a HUGE one for me and, I bet, for you as well. I love planning trips - researching destinations, hunting down cheap airfare, identifying sites I want to visit, planning routes, even downloading books to read on the plane/train.
Some of that itch can be scratched by applying the same amount of care to planning your local travel as you have devoted in the past to planning international travel. Obviously this is not quite as much fun! When you're planning a fantasy trip to *ANYWHERE* you have the whole world available to you. This is a little less exciting when you're planning a trip to ANYWHERE (within a five-hour radius of your current home). But for what it's worth I have recently fantasy-planned a trip involving Cleveland and Pigeon Forge, TN, and I got excited about it! If I had more vacation time I probably would have actually gone on the trip!
I also try to make sure I have other things to look forward to and plan for. For me, this can involve big things like my eventual retirement and an upcoming move. It can involve shorter-term things like getting ready for my chorus's next concert. You can plan all kinds of things besides travel - a garden, a renovation, a woodworking project, whatever. Plan a dinner party, or a community event! Divert some of that time you spent researching flights to Europe and beaches in Thailand to seed catalogs, menu planning, whatever.
Also I would say *do* plan some slow travel. You can get to a lot of places in North America/Central America without flying, it would just take a long time. So fantasize about what you would do if you had a month off, or three months off, or a year off, or you were entirely retired, or you became digital nomads. Sure, you don't want to take the train straight from Chicago to Seattle, but what if you stopped off in the Twin Cities and at Glacier National Park on the way?
posted by mskyle at 6:01 AM on January 9, 2022 [15 favorites]
I'm going to suggest solutions here, but I do just want to say that I recognize that this is hard! Although it's *possible* to scratch a lot of the same places international travel scratches without going so far, it requires more discipline and boundaries, I think - when you've spent $X and Y hours on a plane trip, and you're 100% definitely stuck where you are, you're locked in in a way that you're not with shorter-distance travel. Personally, I find it a little harder to *commit* to shorter-distance travel than to longhaul travel.
Anyway, here are some of the benefits I think that I, personally, get out of long-distance travel, and other experiences I've had that somewhat recreate those benefits:
Benefit #1: Disconnecting from my regular life (work and home).
It's just way easier to not worry about work or your roof or even your lovely friends and hobbies if you're living out of a suitcase halfway across the country or the world. BUT I have actually found that I *can* disconnect at locations closer to home. Part of this is about actually setting aside time for yourself and not just working because you're bored, but places/routines can help with this too.
My personal favorite place to properly disconnect is a family lake cottage that belongs to my aunt - I spent a lot of time there growing up and being there just feels like SUMMER VACATION to me no matter what. There is no TV there. My phone didn't work there until sometime in the last five years or so and I still kind of forget that there is cell reception now. There are like four power outlets in the whole camp and they all have lamps or fans plugged into them. I go up there with a stack of books and a bottle each of sunblock and bug spray and I veg out, swim, hang in a hammock, kayak, etc.
Obviously not everyone has a convenient aunt with a convenient summer cottage, but you can rent a house at the nearby lake (or whatever) town of your choice. There are old-fashioned walkable/bikeable summer communities all over the US, and some of them are even accessible by train. Or there are actual, literal summer camps for adults that you can go to. There are also things like yoga retreats, and art/craft/sustainability/language workshops on beautiful campuses. If you find someplace you like you can go back year after year. (And leave your work laptop at home.)
Benefit #2: Novelty
Obviously the novelty itch does *not* get scratched by going to the same summer place I've been going or 40+ years. But there are about a million things I haven't tried just in my metro area. I've been crazy busy lately and haven't had time to explore but a couple months ago I went to a neighborhood I hadn't really spent time in before. There was a recently-ish completed mural project that I'd seen on Instagram so I downloaded the map and walked around looking at the murals. I got food from a Colombian bakery where I was one of only a handful of people ordering in English. It was a really good day (and by day I mean "a few hours").
Sometimes I just have to force myself to think like I'm on vacation. Spending an hour+ on public transport to eat empanadas (which I very possibly could have had delivered via GrubHub or something) and see a couple of big paintings was not, like, the MOST EFFICIENT use of my time, but that's definitely the kind of thing I would do when I'm on vacation. There are probably 25 other neighborhoods and suburbs I could reach via public transport where I could easily have a similar experience without even having to get in my car. There are probably 100 museums (maybe literally hundreds) within an hour drive of my house that I've never visited.
Even lower-impact, I can achieve some of this same effect just by watching movies and reading books from people/places with unfamiliar viewpoints.
Benefit #3: Having something to look forward to
This is a HUGE one for me and, I bet, for you as well. I love planning trips - researching destinations, hunting down cheap airfare, identifying sites I want to visit, planning routes, even downloading books to read on the plane/train.
Some of that itch can be scratched by applying the same amount of care to planning your local travel as you have devoted in the past to planning international travel. Obviously this is not quite as much fun! When you're planning a fantasy trip to *ANYWHERE* you have the whole world available to you. This is a little less exciting when you're planning a trip to ANYWHERE (within a five-hour radius of your current home). But for what it's worth I have recently fantasy-planned a trip involving Cleveland and Pigeon Forge, TN, and I got excited about it! If I had more vacation time I probably would have actually gone on the trip!
I also try to make sure I have other things to look forward to and plan for. For me, this can involve big things like my eventual retirement and an upcoming move. It can involve shorter-term things like getting ready for my chorus's next concert. You can plan all kinds of things besides travel - a garden, a renovation, a woodworking project, whatever. Plan a dinner party, or a community event! Divert some of that time you spent researching flights to Europe and beaches in Thailand to seed catalogs, menu planning, whatever.
Also I would say *do* plan some slow travel. You can get to a lot of places in North America/Central America without flying, it would just take a long time. So fantasize about what you would do if you had a month off, or three months off, or a year off, or you were entirely retired, or you became digital nomads. Sure, you don't want to take the train straight from Chicago to Seattle, but what if you stopped off in the Twin Cities and at Glacier National Park on the way?
posted by mskyle at 6:01 AM on January 9, 2022 [15 favorites]
nthing the idea that it would help to commit to longer trips (in duration) that aren't to visit family. I also live in the upper midwest, and I've had startlingly great vacations in Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Madison, southwest Michigan (a whole bunch of cities!), Grand Rapids, the UP, Sault Ste. Marie (Canada), Toronto, Indianapolis, Nashville, Louisville, St. Louis/Hannibal MO, the Twin Cities, Door County...I'm sure I'm missing some, honestly. The city trips in particular do scratch a similar itch, at least for what I get out of travel: for weeks ahead I look for museums, festivals and events that'll be on, restaurants (especially local specialties or stuff that's hard to come by in Chicago), walkable neighborhoods, markets, cool bookstores, etc. I also go to the library to see if they have any travel books that have a section on that city. I don't want to derail too much but I'm very happy to share specific recommendations via memail, if that would be at all helpful.
And of course longer road trips are great, if that's available to you; I've driven to LA a few times over the years for school and it's a cool trip with lots of places to stop along the way. shadygrove's suggestions are awesome.
But yeah, your list wouldn't work for me either, in terms of the travel urge. Try traveling to Cincinnati the same way you'd travel to like, Lyon. It's not the same but it's really pretty good.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 8:01 AM on January 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
And of course longer road trips are great, if that's available to you; I've driven to LA a few times over the years for school and it's a cool trip with lots of places to stop along the way. shadygrove's suggestions are awesome.
But yeah, your list wouldn't work for me either, in terms of the travel urge. Try traveling to Cincinnati the same way you'd travel to like, Lyon. It's not the same but it's really pretty good.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 8:01 AM on January 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
nthing the idea that it would help to commit to longer trips (in duration) that aren't to visit family.
This. Assuming you are up for some driving, take a look at how far you can get in up to 12-16 hours. (i.e., by departing on Friday right after work, driving until about dark, and then finishing the drive during the day on Saturday.) I don't know where you are exactly, but using Chicago as a placeholder starting point, that kind of distance gives you the entire eastern and southeastern seaboard, the gulf states, west into Colorado, and north across much of Canada. That's a pretty vast area.
This is a door to door travel time not unlike when you have a multileg flight with some layovers built in. Assuming you were taking a full week off, that gives you seven nights (Saturday night through Saturday afternoon) at the destination, which is enough time to decompress and explore.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:36 AM on January 9, 2022
This. Assuming you are up for some driving, take a look at how far you can get in up to 12-16 hours. (i.e., by departing on Friday right after work, driving until about dark, and then finishing the drive during the day on Saturday.) I don't know where you are exactly, but using Chicago as a placeholder starting point, that kind of distance gives you the entire eastern and southeastern seaboard, the gulf states, west into Colorado, and north across much of Canada. That's a pretty vast area.
This is a door to door travel time not unlike when you have a multileg flight with some layovers built in. Assuming you were taking a full week off, that gives you seven nights (Saturday night through Saturday afternoon) at the destination, which is enough time to decompress and explore.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:36 AM on January 9, 2022
Not exactly a lightweight solution - but you could relocate to a part of the world where “abroad” is a lot nearer. A train caught in Amsterdam station could take you to any one of a dozen or more countries in a day or overnight, for example.
posted by rongorongo at 9:28 AM on January 9, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by rongorongo at 9:28 AM on January 9, 2022 [5 favorites]
For me, the joy of international travel consisted of:
1) learning about cultures and places I knew very little about
2) eating new and/or delicious foods (cooking classes, street food & night markets)
3) meeting new people (I loved couchsurfing.com in its heyday)
4) learning something new that I didn't ever have an interest in before (going to the opera!) and or pushing myself to go past my comfort zone (I signed up for a bike tour in Laos that ended up in me face-planting on a hillside and required me to bike around in the midday heat of the tropics but I loved the experience and the memory)
4) walking/biking around (I am way too sedentary in my everyday life, but I really enjoy the feeling of moving under my own power)
A lot of those same joys are possible in local exploration. In the upper Midwest/ great plains I would look into learning about First Nations, perhaps there is an open-to-the-public pow wow or a monthly community volunteer work day doing native plant restoration. I'd also look for big cultural events such as Hmong New Year and if there are any associated cultural workshops. A historical walking tour might sound hokey but can be fabulously illuminating -- there are decolonial walking tours in Honolulu for example. And even in small towns the historical societies often have small but interesting exhibits - when I was visiting my in-laws I ended up at a tiny exhibit that included info about the KKK and school desegregation. Go on social media - find out some Instagram accounts of close-to-you artists and museums. I went to a super fun artist talk a few months back that included a kid-friendly craft activity afterward that all the adults also loved.
posted by spamandkimchi at 11:12 AM on January 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
1) learning about cultures and places I knew very little about
2) eating new and/or delicious foods (cooking classes, street food & night markets)
3) meeting new people (I loved couchsurfing.com in its heyday)
4) learning something new that I didn't ever have an interest in before (going to the opera!) and or pushing myself to go past my comfort zone (I signed up for a bike tour in Laos that ended up in me face-planting on a hillside and required me to bike around in the midday heat of the tropics but I loved the experience and the memory)
4) walking/biking around (I am way too sedentary in my everyday life, but I really enjoy the feeling of moving under my own power)
A lot of those same joys are possible in local exploration. In the upper Midwest/ great plains I would look into learning about First Nations, perhaps there is an open-to-the-public pow wow or a monthly community volunteer work day doing native plant restoration. I'd also look for big cultural events such as Hmong New Year and if there are any associated cultural workshops. A historical walking tour might sound hokey but can be fabulously illuminating -- there are decolonial walking tours in Honolulu for example. And even in small towns the historical societies often have small but interesting exhibits - when I was visiting my in-laws I ended up at a tiny exhibit that included info about the KKK and school desegregation. Go on social media - find out some Instagram accounts of close-to-you artists and museums. I went to a super fun artist talk a few months back that included a kid-friendly craft activity afterward that all the adults also loved.
posted by spamandkimchi at 11:12 AM on January 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you did a week of volunteering someplace, or participated in an event (e.g., staffing a con or whatever), would that make it worth a longer, two-stage drive to get there?
I am 6'1" and get intensely uncomfortable when sitting for more than an hour...so I hear you about the limits of sitting. We drove halfway across country almost ten years ago, and the return trip was MUCH better because we drove fewer hours each day but over more days. (And we over nighted at a water park hotel, and at Niagara Falls, to prevent mutiny among the kids.)
posted by wenestvedt at 12:42 PM on January 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
I am 6'1" and get intensely uncomfortable when sitting for more than an hour...so I hear you about the limits of sitting. We drove halfway across country almost ten years ago, and the return trip was MUCH better because we drove fewer hours each day but over more days. (And we over nighted at a water park hotel, and at Niagara Falls, to prevent mutiny among the kids.)
posted by wenestvedt at 12:42 PM on January 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
I grew up in a one-quite-small-income household, but got to spend every summer camping in the most beautiful, strange, surprising places on earth. The variety of natural places in the US is JAW-DROPPING: from fairytale forests to seemingly-impossible rock formations in red and gold and purple to caves straight out of sci-fi to sweeping, ever-shifting plains to beaches made of sand or smooth stones or giant boulders for scrambling over to austere mountains to tropical oases to you name it we HAVE IT. And that’s not even beginning to cover what Canada has! Northern lights! Impossibly-fast rising tides! Tundra! (And many others I haven’t thought of here.). If any part of that itch is to see/hear/smell something completely unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before, buy thee a National Parks Pass and maybe some state ones, too, and go out to feel like a six-year-old kid again, magically transported into a living encyclopedia of the wonders of the natural world.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 12:45 PM on January 9, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 12:45 PM on January 9, 2022 [6 favorites]
There have been many very thoughtful responses here. Here is a simpler one:
Bike+train (+camp)
Take your bikes in the train for a shorter trip, get off and bike for a while.
If that can mean biking to a campsite, then even better!
posted by Acari at 1:49 PM on January 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
Bike+train (+camp)
Take your bikes in the train for a shorter trip, get off and bike for a while.
If that can mean biking to a campsite, then even better!
posted by Acari at 1:49 PM on January 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
The horribly-named Empire Builder train trip is one of my vacation dreams. It has sleeper cars and you can walk around and take breaks. That’s where my plane-free vacation ambitions lie. Taking the train across Canada is supposed to be amazing too.
The problem might be that, in the absence of international travel, you aren’t planning long vacations. No flying doesn’t mean you can’t take real vacations. Rest is important.
I know you said you don’t want to fly, and I get it. What if you let yourself dream about one extended international vacation a few years down the road? So instead of taking four round trip flights over 8 years for one week each, instead you took a month-long trip to one of those places?
What would it look like to take two weeks and drive to Mexico or the Gulf Coast?
I think the answer is to get a bit more ambitious in your dreams of domestic travel.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:39 PM on January 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
The problem might be that, in the absence of international travel, you aren’t planning long vacations. No flying doesn’t mean you can’t take real vacations. Rest is important.
I know you said you don’t want to fly, and I get it. What if you let yourself dream about one extended international vacation a few years down the road? So instead of taking four round trip flights over 8 years for one week each, instead you took a month-long trip to one of those places?
What would it look like to take two weeks and drive to Mexico or the Gulf Coast?
I think the answer is to get a bit more ambitious in your dreams of domestic travel.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:39 PM on January 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
For me, hosting people from other countries through the Couchsurfing site/app recreated a lot of the fun and excltement that I'd previously gotten through international travel. I last hosted a few years ago so not sure what the experience is like nowadays. Plus it's now more complicated because of the pandemic ... but I still wanted to mention it.
posted by M. at 3:07 PM on January 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by M. at 3:07 PM on January 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
We used to drive from New York to Florida in 24 hours. How long would it take to drive to Mexico from wherever you are? Stop taking 3 and 4 days off and take a REAL VACATION. Like, two weeks.
To me, to feel like I've Gone Away, I need either a real temperature change or a significant cultural change. The American Southwest is very different to where I grew up, for example. Quebec is cool and interesting. Think of places different to where you are, not places near to where you are, and go there.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:13 PM on January 9, 2022
To me, to feel like I've Gone Away, I need either a real temperature change or a significant cultural change. The American Southwest is very different to where I grew up, for example. Quebec is cool and interesting. Think of places different to where you are, not places near to where you are, and go there.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:13 PM on January 9, 2022
Tandem, recumbent, and e-assist bikes can all extend your comfortable range by quite a bit. If a 2-4 day bike trip doesn't scratch the itch, what about a 2-4 week bike trip? Pick up some Adventure Cycling maps, or find a route on rails-to-trails paths; you could reasonably travel 300-1400 miles.
Right now it's a little tricky to charge an e-assist when touring, but custom builders and DIYers (myself included) are currently putting solar panels on e-bikes with excellent results. I would expect to see solar trailers, roofs, etc. showing up on as commercial or semi-custom options in the next few years. If you really want to go solar and really can't do bikes, there's also Aptera. However...
Recumbent bikes can make an even bigger difference if your concern is the aches and creaks that accumulate after several days of riding. People say a well-fitted touring bike & a good saddle makes a big difference, but any decently-fitted recumbent is an ENORMOUS improvement. There are days when I get home from riding a 'bent and just don't want to get out of the seat, it's so comfortable. No neck/shoulder/back/wrist/elbow pain. No saddle sores, even if you're wearing normal pants. It's a lawn chair on wheels.
My partner and I feel the same way you do about planes (and cars, too - #1 cause of death for children in the US!). We're gearing up to bike from California to Pennsylvania to visit family this year - a trip made possible by remote work, made comfortable by recumbents, and made quicker by solar e-assist.
Traveling within the US isn't going to be quite the same about international travel, but as others have mentioned attitude makes a big difference - everywhere you go, you can find a different culture, a different community, a different landscape and climate. The differences might just be a little more subtle.
posted by sibilatorix at 3:52 PM on January 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
Right now it's a little tricky to charge an e-assist when touring, but custom builders and DIYers (myself included) are currently putting solar panels on e-bikes with excellent results. I would expect to see solar trailers, roofs, etc. showing up on as commercial or semi-custom options in the next few years. If you really want to go solar and really can't do bikes, there's also Aptera. However...
Recumbent bikes can make an even bigger difference if your concern is the aches and creaks that accumulate after several days of riding. People say a well-fitted touring bike & a good saddle makes a big difference, but any decently-fitted recumbent is an ENORMOUS improvement. There are days when I get home from riding a 'bent and just don't want to get out of the seat, it's so comfortable. No neck/shoulder/back/wrist/elbow pain. No saddle sores, even if you're wearing normal pants. It's a lawn chair on wheels.
My partner and I feel the same way you do about planes (and cars, too - #1 cause of death for children in the US!). We're gearing up to bike from California to Pennsylvania to visit family this year - a trip made possible by remote work, made comfortable by recumbents, and made quicker by solar e-assist.
Traveling within the US isn't going to be quite the same about international travel, but as others have mentioned attitude makes a big difference - everywhere you go, you can find a different culture, a different community, a different landscape and climate. The differences might just be a little more subtle.
posted by sibilatorix at 3:52 PM on January 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
I have back issues bad enough that a 4 hour car ride is something I actively avoid, and even an East Coast plane trip bugs me. My back starts hurting while waiting to takeoff due to the tiny seats. But I remember being much more comfortable on trains because the seats are bigger and you can walk around. You might try a short train trip and see how your back feels.
posted by freecellwizard at 4:23 PM on January 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by freecellwizard at 4:23 PM on January 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
I have been working on the same lifestyle adjustment. I am literally typing this from an Amtrak roomette, going cross country. In total I have spent seven days on the train so far, broken up with stops in different places, 2-3 days at a go. It has been one of the greatest trips of my life and relatively covid safe too. You definitely want an Amtrak room or roomette on a scenic route, like the Coast Starlight, California Zephyr or Sunset Limited. Bring books, a portable speaker, and a bottle (if you drink). Plan to get off and, for instance, go skiing or to hot springs or to art things in Marfa on the way. You can do some awesome loops seeing all different routes if you can commit to the time. The food on the West coast is good (East coast...it depends but those routes aren't as scenic anyway). It isn't anything like a bus or plane. You won't regret it.
posted by branca at 8:52 PM on January 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by branca at 8:52 PM on January 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
Sometimes it's not the city but the neighborhood. Staying in Calle Ocho is a much more international experience than Miami Beach. There's small enclaves of foreign neighborhoods in a lot more places than you'd think, and probably few near where you've stayed. For every Jackson Heights in NYC, there's also small towns like Gruene, TX, Frankenmuth, MI or Holland, MI settled by people from the old country, often with architecture to match. There's also a lot of suburbs that accepted a lot of immigrants from one or two locations that have dense neighborhoods of that culture (I know Vietnamese people outside of Houston and Hmong people in Minneapolis just off the top of my head. Dearborn, MI will probably get you the best middle eastern food in the country! There's also (in non pandemic times) visiting reservations, which IS a whole other country! I just spent some time at Ten Thousand Waves in Santa Fe, where even the signs are in Japanese. Or there's New Vrindiban which definitely does not feel like West Virginia.
I've also had really international experiences in "tourist" towns on American holidays--i.e. on Thanksgiving, most people on the Vegas strip are European. I am sure you're not itching to go to Vegas (although there is that Eiffel Tower!), but I imagine other attractions might be similar.
If you're looking for sustainable travel there's also cargo ships and cruise repositioning. I don't know your beliefs and can imagine these might not jive, but these are vessels that would be going somewhere anyway, so you being on them wouldn't really add to the emissions. Similarly, one can get paid to courier via air, or drive cars across the country which might have similar moral implications.
I also agree that the slower travel aspect feels more like an international vacation. Reading a book in a cafe all day is sometimes something we'll allow on that trip to France but less on the trip to Toledo, but why not?
posted by jennybento at 5:42 PM on January 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
I've also had really international experiences in "tourist" towns on American holidays--i.e. on Thanksgiving, most people on the Vegas strip are European. I am sure you're not itching to go to Vegas (although there is that Eiffel Tower!), but I imagine other attractions might be similar.
If you're looking for sustainable travel there's also cargo ships and cruise repositioning. I don't know your beliefs and can imagine these might not jive, but these are vessels that would be going somewhere anyway, so you being on them wouldn't really add to the emissions. Similarly, one can get paid to courier via air, or drive cars across the country which might have similar moral implications.
I also agree that the slower travel aspect feels more like an international vacation. Reading a book in a cafe all day is sometimes something we'll allow on that trip to France but less on the trip to Toledo, but why not?
posted by jennybento at 5:42 PM on January 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
Novelty. Getting outside your cultural norms.
Go spend a decent chunk of time in a subculture as far outside your own as you can, with different food and social norms.
Some festivals will work, but lean towards the ones that are longer than 4 days, and preferably a week, even if you only go for 4 days, because they tend to be events where people have switched from mainstream social norms to those of the subculture. Anything where people talk about having culture shock when *leaving* the event. I'm thinking of how immersive experiences like Rainbow Gatherings, Burner events, pagan festivals, and Pow wow are.
Or an immersive experience outside your norm. Sometimes there are volunteer opportunities that fill this niche, or spiritual communities.
Go to a very different biome within the US, try different food, be around different languages, hang out with people who've had different life experiences.
But ultimately, I'm very verrry confused as to why you're writing off South America?
I mean, yeah, it'll take you longer to get there via train, buses or boats than flying - but flying to South East Asia and travel time around would take a really long time too.
It's 2 days from Toronto to Mexico, but see if you can get transport while you're sleeping, on sleeper buses and train cars, because travel while you're sleeping doesn't count! Stop and visit places on the way for half a day at a time. Chicago and Dallas are major transport hubs, if you can tee up something to do there on the way down.
I thought you were going to say you didn't have the vacation time, but "and burning/donating most of my PTO" - huh, you *do*???
Between that and "WFH" it sounds like you could take two-three weeks to travel in South America, even if it meant you holed up for three days somewhere in the middle with good internet if your workplace has a culture of not taking longer breaks, and you can 'WFH'.
I dunno, your post seems to be something like, "I'm frustrated I can't travel internationally" and no wonder part of you is frustrated, because it sounds like you... can?
So maybe you're ultimately frustrated with yourself for coming up with reasons why you can't, rather than coming up with a plan of how you can do it?
posted by Elysum at 6:54 PM on January 11, 2022
Go spend a decent chunk of time in a subculture as far outside your own as you can, with different food and social norms.
Some festivals will work, but lean towards the ones that are longer than 4 days, and preferably a week, even if you only go for 4 days, because they tend to be events where people have switched from mainstream social norms to those of the subculture. Anything where people talk about having culture shock when *leaving* the event. I'm thinking of how immersive experiences like Rainbow Gatherings, Burner events, pagan festivals, and Pow wow are.
Or an immersive experience outside your norm. Sometimes there are volunteer opportunities that fill this niche, or spiritual communities.
Go to a very different biome within the US, try different food, be around different languages, hang out with people who've had different life experiences.
But ultimately, I'm very verrry confused as to why you're writing off South America?
I mean, yeah, it'll take you longer to get there via train, buses or boats than flying - but flying to South East Asia and travel time around would take a really long time too.
It's 2 days from Toronto to Mexico, but see if you can get transport while you're sleeping, on sleeper buses and train cars, because travel while you're sleeping doesn't count! Stop and visit places on the way for half a day at a time. Chicago and Dallas are major transport hubs, if you can tee up something to do there on the way down.
I thought you were going to say you didn't have the vacation time, but "and burning/donating most of my PTO" - huh, you *do*???
Between that and "WFH" it sounds like you could take two-three weeks to travel in South America, even if it meant you holed up for three days somewhere in the middle with good internet if your workplace has a culture of not taking longer breaks, and you can 'WFH'.
I dunno, your post seems to be something like, "I'm frustrated I can't travel internationally" and no wonder part of you is frustrated, because it sounds like you... can?
So maybe you're ultimately frustrated with yourself for coming up with reasons why you can't, rather than coming up with a plan of how you can do it?
posted by Elysum at 6:54 PM on January 11, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mismatched at 6:17 PM on January 8, 2022 [31 favorites]