Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

2999

Abstract

n why people go on all these tours is to cram as much stuff into their one/two week vacation as possible. But I’ve gone to a lot of these tourist activities and for the most part they’re not worth it.</p><p id="cf89">I mean hiking is always fun. And I went on a short walking tour. That was nice. But most activities are just overpriced and are not memorable. They call them tourist traps for a reason.</p><p id="d188">I was actually playing Tropico 4 back in the day and they are just so cynical about it. Because there’s a mission focused on tourism and they keep on talking about ways to scam the rich touristas out of their money.</p><p id="0700">What you really want to do is move somewhere and live like a local. Go where the locals go, eat what the locals eat.</p><p id="d2c4">Like, here in Mexico, they have really good food. There are Tacos, but honestly I think the Tacos are a little overrated. The Tortas are where it’s at. Even if no one agrees with me on that. But that’s a post for another time.</p><p id="f153">Now this is closely related to another post I recently wrote about the antidote for the weariness of life.</p><div id="0a27" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-antidote-for-the-weariness-and-repetition-of-life-a09f5ca2e060"> <div> <div> <h2>The Antidote For The Weariness And Repetition Of Life</h2> <div><h3>I recently read this post.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*4O31PJ2dR_ltMG-y)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="3f88">In that post I talked about how depression is sort of like the vanishing gradient problem. Read the article if you want to learn more, I’m not posting the entire thing here.</p><p id="249b">And in that post I proposed hobbies as a way to fix the vanishing gradient problem. Travel can be a hobby, in that post I said how it’s possible to travel for as low as $300 a month using house sitting, cheap European flights, and eating in. However this type of travel is not for everyone as it is extremely restrictive in the places you can go and what you can do.</p><p id="c5e9">For the majority of people travel is not a hobby. Or at least it’s not a hobby you can do reasonably often. But travel does provide something that will also fix the vanishing gradient problem, albeit temporarily, it provides a mental reset meaning it knocks you out of your routine.</p><p id="dfb3">It’s actually interesting, whenever I go somewhere new I’m like, “I shouldn’t have done this, this is a total waste of money” for a day or two but as I get settled in I start to like it. There is something to be said about exploring a city and trying different places. And then when it’s time to leave I’m like, “I wish I could have stayed longer.”</p><p id="e97a">This so

Options

rt of thinking is something you usually don’t experience in your day-to-day life. In your normal life you eat, sleep, work, repeat. It gets boring after a while. With travel you’re forced to switch up your routine. And that can really help you overcome whatever depression you have.</p><h2 id="d5d7">Conclusion</h2><p id="bd2b">I don’t actually travel that often. I’m not a full digital nomad. In fact in the current hostel I’m in everyone’s been to tons of places like Thailand and India and Vietnam and of course all over Mexico and I haven’t really been to that many places. Well, I guess when I was younger but I don’t really remember it.</p><p id="fef9">But that’s OK because you don’t have to travel that much to get a lot out of it. It’s a pattern interrupt. It’s to get you out of your rut.</p><p id="634e">Because when I travel is when I feel most alive. When I travel I’m always doing something interesting, even if it’s just walking around looking for a place to eat. At home I fall into the same predictable patterns day in and day out.</p><p id="8bb6">And if I stayed in one place for too long I would fall into the same patterns there. It’s as they say, ‘Wherever You Go, There You Are’. But it takes a while for this to happen.</p><p id="78ea">In researching this post I found this Quora answer:</p><blockquote id="d0da"><p>As we move from city to city, place to place, the one constant is us. Once the newness & excitement of moving has worn off, we often find that we are depressed again. We still dislike people. We still hate work. Our relationship still drains our energy & happiness. We still binge eat or drink too much or fritter our money away. If we don’t change anything about ourselves, we just take whatever is inside us wherever we go.</p></blockquote><p id="f0ed">I think it sums this up perfectly. There is a newness and excitement of moving. It’s sort of like a cheat code for life. It’s not permanent, it’s not a way to run away from your problems, but it can be reinvigorating. It’s like a cosmic reset switch.</p><p id="4a17">So perhaps the saying ‘Wherever you go, there you are’. Is not 100% accurate. It is certainly ‘you’ but it’s not the same you. It’s a refreshed you. Perhaps it’s better to say ‘Wherever you go, there you will be’</p><p id="3e20">What did you think? Agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments. I do read them. Eventually.</p><p id="4ae8">Also if you’d like to stay updated with my future articles and other exciting content, consider using my RSS app on <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6445805598?platform=iphone">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amorfatite.keystone">Android</a>. This handy app supports Medium’s PubSubHubbub for speedy updates, allows you to subscribe to users and publications, and delivers personalized notifications. It’s how I keep up with my favourite creators not only on Medium but also on YouTube, Reddit, and everywhere else.</p></article></body>

Wherever You Go, There You Are

How Travel Can Fix Your Problems

I’m actually in Mexico right now. At the time of writing at least. Yes, I am writing this while on vacation. I’ll have time to rest when I’m dead.

Anyways the reason why I mention this is there has been this backlash against travel lately on the /r/DigitalNomad subreddit. First someone posted this video.

And then someone posted a link to this post.

Now I haven’t travelled that much. Certainly other people have travelled a lot more than me, but I definitely think of travel as a way to fix your problems. Maybe not permanently, but it does help.

A Mental Reset

So in the above video it says:

If you’re sad where you are and then get on a plane and go to Italy, the you in Italy will be the same sad you from before. Just in a new place.

And, honestly, I think this applies to a lot of people. The people that go to a new place for one of those one/two week vacations and just go on all the random tours just so they can say they’ve ‘done it’.

Now ChatGPT is telling me that the reason why people go on all these tours is to cram as much stuff into their one/two week vacation as possible. But I’ve gone to a lot of these tourist activities and for the most part they’re not worth it.

I mean hiking is always fun. And I went on a short walking tour. That was nice. But most activities are just overpriced and are not memorable. They call them tourist traps for a reason.

I was actually playing Tropico 4 back in the day and they are just so cynical about it. Because there’s a mission focused on tourism and they keep on talking about ways to scam the rich touristas out of their money.

What you really want to do is move somewhere and live like a local. Go where the locals go, eat what the locals eat.

Like, here in Mexico, they have really good food. There are Tacos, but honestly I think the Tacos are a little overrated. The Tortas are where it’s at. Even if no one agrees with me on that. But that’s a post for another time.

Now this is closely related to another post I recently wrote about the antidote for the weariness of life.

The Antidote For The Weariness And Repetition Of Life

I recently read this post.

medium.com

In that post I talked about how depression is sort of like the vanishing gradient problem. Read the article if you want to learn more, I’m not posting the entire thing here.

And in that post I proposed hobbies as a way to fix the vanishing gradient problem. Travel can be a hobby, in that post I said how it’s possible to travel for as low as $300 a month using house sitting, cheap European flights, and eating in. However this type of travel is not for everyone as it is extremely restrictive in the places you can go and what you can do.

For the majority of people travel is not a hobby. Or at least it’s not a hobby you can do reasonably often. But travel does provide something that will also fix the vanishing gradient problem, albeit temporarily, it provides a mental reset meaning it knocks you out of your routine.

It’s actually interesting, whenever I go somewhere new I’m like, “I shouldn’t have done this, this is a total waste of money” for a day or two but as I get settled in I start to like it. There is something to be said about exploring a city and trying different places. And then when it’s time to leave I’m like, “I wish I could have stayed longer.”

This sort of thinking is something you usually don’t experience in your day-to-day life. In your normal life you eat, sleep, work, repeat. It gets boring after a while. With travel you’re forced to switch up your routine. And that can really help you overcome whatever depression you have.

Conclusion

I don’t actually travel that often. I’m not a full digital nomad. In fact in the current hostel I’m in everyone’s been to tons of places like Thailand and India and Vietnam and of course all over Mexico and I haven’t really been to that many places. Well, I guess when I was younger but I don’t really remember it.

But that’s OK because you don’t have to travel that much to get a lot out of it. It’s a pattern interrupt. It’s to get you out of your rut.

Because when I travel is when I feel most alive. When I travel I’m always doing something interesting, even if it’s just walking around looking for a place to eat. At home I fall into the same predictable patterns day in and day out.

And if I stayed in one place for too long I would fall into the same patterns there. It’s as they say, ‘Wherever You Go, There You Are’. But it takes a while for this to happen.

In researching this post I found this Quora answer:

As we move from city to city, place to place, the one constant is us. Once the newness & excitement of moving has worn off, we often find that we are depressed again. We still dislike people. We still hate work. Our relationship still drains our energy & happiness. We still binge eat or drink too much or fritter our money away. If we don’t change anything about ourselves, we just take whatever is inside us wherever we go.

I think it sums this up perfectly. There is a newness and excitement of moving. It’s sort of like a cheat code for life. It’s not permanent, it’s not a way to run away from your problems, but it can be reinvigorating. It’s like a cosmic reset switch.

So perhaps the saying ‘Wherever you go, there you are’. Is not 100% accurate. It is certainly ‘you’ but it’s not the same you. It’s a refreshed you. Perhaps it’s better to say ‘Wherever you go, there you will be’

What did you think? Agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments. I do read them. Eventually.

Also if you’d like to stay updated with my future articles and other exciting content, consider using my RSS app on iOS and Android. This handy app supports Medium’s PubSubHubbub for speedy updates, allows you to subscribe to users and publications, and delivers personalized notifications. It’s how I keep up with my favourite creators not only on Medium but also on YouTube, Reddit, and everywhere else.