I've never been a fan of traveling for "sightseeing" reasons to tourist traps such as hawaii, london, spain, etc. that people usually go to. I've hated it when my family dragged me along to places where we'd just hurry from one spot to the next and snap photos.

Traveling to a place for leisure only makes sense to me if A) you plan to be there for a long term-ish period (on the scale of a few months) and B) you make an attempt to connect with the culture/people there. The latter necessarily involves skipping all the touristy spots/activities and familiarizing yourself with the language and customs of the foreign country.

>>24486
I agree that actually living there for a while is the best way to experience another country, but unless you're studying abroad, or you get transfered for work reasons, which neither really count as for leisure, I don't see how an average person would have the resources for that. Planting roots in a place would also make leaving a lot sadder.

Cruises are the absolute fucking worst. I went on one once and wont ever again. You have to pay a steep fee for wi-fi. You're stuck in a caustrophobic maze of hallways. The food is tiresome and mediocre. There's false pretenses of luxury and glamour while the decorating is cheap contempory and you're constantly surrounded by fat, suburban, middle class ford drivers. When you get to spend time on land it's never enough and you feel rushed the entire time. Not to mention cruises are seriously fucking up places like Venice. They should go extinct.

Not much. There's places I'd like to go see (mainly historical sights) but I don't have a raging desire to go see these places like others seem to. As for more stereotypical vacations like going to the beach, ugh. My parents have tried to get me to go there several times but I legitimately have no desire for it. Went a few times as a kid and that was enough.

The kind of travel that does seem really appealing is meeting up with an online buddy in a foreign country and having them show you how they live their day to day life. That seems like a much more genuine and fun way to spend a vacation. Granted you have to have a friend who's willing to host you and volunteer as a tour guide but it'd be really neat.

>>24488
>Cruises are the absolute fucking worst.
Not to mention the geriatric population, the mundane pre-planned onboard events, the sea-sickness (tangential aside: there's an interesting sudden-onset condition called Mal de Debarquement that feels like permanent sea sickness which can be acquired after a cruise), and the sheer scale of resource waste that cruise ships embody for no purpose other than pure indulgence.

Honestly I haven't traveled much in my life, all I remember is going with my parents to Brazil when I was little and then some small trips to see family in the country, they were ok but nothing really memorable.
However this year I decided to take a trip to Japan since I could afford it after saving for a year. I'm pretty nervous because I'm going alone and barely have any experience traveling, but I hope it turns out to be a positive experience.

>>24495
i like this pic

>>24492
>meeting up with an online buddy in a foreign country and having them show you how they live their day to day life
That's basically what having relatives in a foreign country is like. I'm envious of people who have relatives in a country that doesn't suck.
>>24495
What part of Japan? Or are you touring? You probably don't need my advice, but the biggest thing that can ruin a trip is not knowing where the fuck to go. Figure out how public transit works first thing. Using public transit is cheaper than a taxi and makes the experience feel more authetic. Also, don't just go into the first restaurant you see, do a bit of digging first.

There’s nothing for me in the world. Even in Japan there’s nothing it can offer you that a forwarding service can’t unless you’re dead set on buying stuff/meeting a doujin circle at a con. I rarely leave my room in my own home, what could travel offer me other than a suicide that would cause less pain to my family.

Not at all. I can see why people do it but I lack that impulse entirely. I honestly can't think of something more interesting to do than stay at my room and learn a new language or just watch my random thoughts unfolding, or keeping a dream journal. I found that going very far to see things is not something I ever feel like doing. Also, if you're going to "learn the culture" you can do that more effectively at home. Way cheaper too. None of the people I know that traveled extensively throughout the US for example know better about the US than myself, simply because I know English and they don't. Never had to leave my room to learn all that stuff at all. Same thing with any other country. There are things you can only learn about a place if you live there, but then again, I don't even know about my own town, I don't feel like going out and finding those things out.

One thing I don't understand why people do it is going to a some famous spot and taking a picture, or going to a museum and taking a picture of a famous painting. If you are on the picture, fine I guess, but if you just want a picture of the thing then you can find a lot of high quality images of pretty much every famous spot and paintings online. I have visited museums and famous places before and while those experiences were not negative, they felt too neutral to make all the money and energy to get there worth it. I appreciate and learn more watching grass growing through a crack on the sidewalk close to my house than getting on a plane to see an old tower or a famous avenue.

My sister loves to travel, she tries to do it every year, at every vacation. I don't know how she finds it worth it. We save money, get into a plane, get there and... that's it. A couple of pictures is what remains of a lot of hassle and planning. Not worth the experience if you ask me.

>>24499
>What part of Japan? Or are you touring?
tokyo-kyoto-osaka since it seems to be the "basic" beginner route
>the biggest thing that can ruin a trip is not knowing where the fuck to go. Figure out how public transit works first thing
I more or less have an itinerary written out, but yeah the public transit thing will probably be hard to get used to, but I read that using google maps and other programs helps getting accostumed to it.

>>24504
>tokyo-kyoto-osaka
I'll be heading there soon myself. No clue what to do once I get there though.

It’s the only thing that keeps me going anymore. If it weren’t for traveling (mostly to asian countries) I would go insane out of boredom. I’ll spend weeks at home, doing almost nothing but sleeping until the next trip. My life is otherwise a borefest.

>>24506
You should theme it somehow. The modern vaction has become a haphazard photo shoot, but it doesn't have to be that way. It could be a food tour or a music tour, or a cultural tour, or an otaku pilgrimage or something. Before going though, you should buy whatever tickets and make whatever reservations you need.

Post edited on 4th Aug 2019, 7:07am

>>24485
I used to daydream about traveling to lots of places when I was younger, but your second paragraph includes some of the reasons I don't want to anymore.
In my early 20s I got the chance to actually travel somewhere I had dreamed about going and it was horrible. I was constantly stressed and anxious, the schedules I had planned before I left gave me no enjoyment and just left me exhausted and confused. Nothing was worth the hassle. I just wanted to wait in my hotel room on my computer until I could go home.
The only fun I actually had was going to the grocery store. If you travel any significant distance (even within the same country, if it is big enough) the things you can find in a grocery store are totally different, and since the food in grocery stores is generally only a couple of dollars rather than the price of a full meal, you can afford to buy pretty much every single item that looks interesting to you.

Just like how there's a Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, there's a new Otaku 88 pilgrimage. Some of the "holy sites" may interest you.

I often think about it but I've come to realise it's more about mentally escaping my life than actually visiting somewhere different.

As in my troubles will go away if i physically move. I think about this so often.
But, when i think about it there is nothing i particually want to see. If i did i could justy see it online. I've spent hours and hours looking at streetview for various countries.

Even looked at airbnb rooms and imagined interacting with the people. I know how the interaction will go. I know how i will speak and how the conversation will go.

Which is strtange considering the anxiety i feel when travelling. A couple years ago I flew 30 mins to another city to see my brother. It was 48 hours of panic and stress.
That feeling when I returned and got back in my car and sank into the seat was unbelivable.

Another time I toured my own country a little. It was just the same shit everywhere. The same shops and everything just with different geography. I found it increasingly frustrating being unable to derive any satisfaction from it.

It put me off any travel. Or anything really. There's nothing out there is there?