Travelling is Escapism

[mmKay]

Travelling is exciting. New experiences, new people, new romances ... All the spontaneity, the rollercoaster of emotions, the wins and losses...

 

I wanted to do a quick post to explore the negative aspects of overdoing travelling.

 

It can be a form of escapism, to avoid facing certain aspects of your life of yourself. Of sitting down and doing the work you know you're supposed to be doing, or of building your skill or creating that project 

 

I've met quite some people that say they use travelling to fill a void, to distract themselves and that don't feel home anywhere 

 

Is this you?

 

Personally I love travelling , but the kind where you can stay in the area for at least 3+ months and have time to soak yourself in the new surrounding rather than frantically rushing throughout the day to meet your basic needs or chase novelty 

 

 

 

Edited April 19 by mmKay

[Yimpa]

I used to travel frequently a lot, but with family… and to do family things. So it wasn’t really something I did for myself.

I think it really depends on what purpose you travel for and who you bring along with you.

[Ulax]

Yeah i can see this certainly being the case. But as forms of escapism go, I'd say its a pretty high quality type of escapism.

[Yimpa]

3 minutes ago, Ulax said:

But as forms of escapism go, I'd say its a pretty high quality type of escapism.

Just don’t fly on a Boeing

[Ulax]

Just now, Yimpa said:

Just don’t fly on a Boeing

@Yimpa Lmao. Yeah going flying out the window half way through your flight probably isn't gonna help you forget about your life issues ahaha

[Rafael Thundercat]

You can engaje in escapism both travelling and stabilizing in a place for years. By stablizing you are avoiding new experiences and falling onto confort zone and familiarization, by over travelling and mainly feeling unsatisfied anywhere you are avoiding to see that no matter where you go you take you and your shit with you. How I know this. Both by staying to long in a place and recently travelling. And watching a particular girl who looks like never content with any place. One day you need to understand that you do what you want buy some places give you nutrition and possibility and others just suck you up your soul. I was feeling stuck and out of my element in Portugal, and I still need to come back for some missions but Brasil is where my soul shines, even if there a lot of aspects that are hard to deal about the brasilian way of life,economy,politics and so forth. In the end you can be happy or miserable anywhere. 

[Javfly33]

@Bazooka Jesus

[Inception]

It certainly can be at least. If there something I've realized it's that life is an inner journey not an outer one, but the "outer" journey can certainly aid in the inner journey.

[Razard86]

With all things balance is the key. From one perspective you can't actually waste time because everything is of equal value, from another perspective there is always some way you can improve and grow. The solution is simple....figure out what your true hearts desire is, and live by that creed. The only problem is, figuring out what you really want is not always easy because much of your world view was given to you through exposure and this is why alone time is important.

I think traveling is a really good way to live though because it teaches you how to become a master with spontaneity, improvisation, figuring things out on the fly. Going to new places is a great way to get outside your comfort zone so from that perspective you can't go wrong with traveling.

Edited April 19 by Razard86

[Bazooka Jesus]

1 hour ago, Javfly33 said:

@Bazooka Jesus

Sssshhhhh, I am having a nap over here!

[Bazooka Jesus]

Of course, travelling can be escapism. You know what else can be escapism? Literally anything else.

Work can be escapism. Being lazy can be escapism. Going shopping can be escapism. Not going shopping can be escapism. Eating can be escapism. Drinking can be escapism. Fasting can be escapism. Dating can be escapism. Being celibate can be escapism. Spending time with others can be escapism. Spending time alone can be escapism. Watching TV can be escapism. Reading books can be escapism. Studying can be escapism. Meditating can be escapism. Religion can be escapism. Atheism can be escapism. Spirituality can (definitely) be escapism. Doing nothing can be escapism. Dicking around on an online self development forum and writing threads about escapism can be escapism.

See, it's never a question of what you do but of why you do it. Are you trying to patch up an inner void, distract yourself from something, run away from something / run towards something that will finally "fulfill" you? Or are you acting from a place of fulfillment where the things that you do are a genuine expression of the sheer joy of being alive, a genuine celebration of the miracle of existence, a big fat THANK YOU to the universe?

Only you can answer these questions, nobody else can do it for you.

[universe]

I'm currently not travelling travelling but I am in a lot of places. I find it inspiring to see how the day to day life differs from country to country. And all the variations in culture, architecture, energy and languages. Also seeing new places. To just see that there are so many people living here, that you have never seen before. I find it refreshing and it automatically shifts my perspective.

Travelling can also give you time for yourself. Disrupt your normal routine and shake things up a bit.

I think it depends on your inner world. Do you need/want to escape? Then you will do it anyway. You do not need to travel.

[something_else]

I’m currently backpacking and it has been a very good experience socially. I would say it is a form of personal development if you treat it like one. It’s also a lot of fun.

But yea, I have met some long term travellers who are running away from things or burning through mummy and daddy’s money and these people are not really developing themselves that much I don’t think.