Comments on: Without a Passport: Is Traveling Domestically Really Traveling?

By: PAOLO

PAOLO — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:42:10 +0000

Silly, i thought the first time i read it. Then thinking about…you see i live in zimbabwe, i am italian and funny enough, the more i am in africa and the more when i am back in italy i visit around my beautiful country. I think travelling is just travelling, with or without a passaport, even if is out of town for 5 hours…in my opinion is still travelling.

By: Rajeev

Rajeev — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:54:15 +0000

Yes, indeed it is.

Having said that, I’d say yes, you do have point there in mentioning of different environment, different culture, dealing with discomforts etc. Therefore, IMHO there is a difference in travelling locally and domestic travel.

Further, it also depends on the diversity of the country. I am from India and I can affirm that this is the country which offers such a broad spectrum in all the fields, geology, cultural diversity, language variations In fact, there are a multitude of regional languages. Coming to flora and fauna – almost entire spectrum is there. Areas range from -40 deg Celcius to +46 deg. celcius. We have beaches, deserts, high snow clad mountains, glaciers, forests and such diverse eco environment. Accordingly there is a vast range of Zoological diversity. Social, educationsl and economic diversity is also highly prominent.

Therefore if you are considering variations and diversity the wide spectrum countries like India and US both offer destinations which are significantly different than your Home location and thus I’d rightly consider the domestic travel in such counties a real travel.

By: Bardic Wolf

Bardic Wolf — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:51:09 +0000

I have traveled out side the usa some, and along with some of my friends…we always viewed the usa as an adventure to be traveled. It is larger than Europe and in some places our states are larger than many contiers. With some many languages and cultures, with english only being the main one…it has always in my mind ben traveling.

By: Sabina Lohr

Sabina Lohr — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:10:28 +0000

Definitely the U.S. varies wildly from region to region. I’ve lived in five states, with no two really at all alike in landscape, indigenous cuisine and, most interestingly, attitudes, habits and lifestyles of the people. Getting to know different areas in the States really allows you to see and understand life from the vantage point of those originally from the area.

Still, I think maybe it’s human nature to feel that what is farther away is more interesting and exciting than what is easily accessible and close by.

By: tlo

tlo — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:13:52 +0000

Came across this as I prepared for a trip to Africa in a few weeks. As exciting as that is, I feel inclined to respond to this with a resounding, YES!, traveling within the US is travel. I live in New Orleans and believe me, baby, the tourists coming in from other communities around the country are traveling amidst some cultural experiences they have NEVER encountered!

People will often make fun of Americans who have no passport, but think about how easy it is for Europeans to get from country to country, as compared to getting around from state to state here. Is there really any difference in their travels, aside from English being spoken?

There is the traveler who travels in order to say he has traveled. And then there is the traveler who just travels.

By: josefa concannon

josefa concannon — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:08:19 +0000

I have traveled all over Europe, Mexico and Japan and always considered myself a traveler. Recently, I took a road trip through the deep south, purposely getting off the interstate and delving into the small towns in between the major cities – what an extraordinary experience. In addition, the richness of culture that exists in places like Memphis, New Orleans and the surrounding area of Acadia, the hidden coast of Florida and towns like Apalachiacola all contributed to the experience.

Remnants of Katrina along the gulf coast and the lower 9th ward in NOLA made strong statements on the failures of our government and the racial divisions that still exist.

My current job takes me all over the midwest and I am always thrilled at the discoveries I make in places like Fargo, Kansas City, Louisville, and even Detroit. I seek out the local cuisines and love to explore aspects of each city that make them distinct.

The plague of strip malls and “lifestyle communities” all contribute to the reasons why we write domestic travel off but getting away from these places and digging deep into what makes a place unique will reveal wonderful experiences.

By: Sheri

Sheri — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:26:03 +0000

After graduating college last year I spent 5 months as a nanny in Mississippi and am now on my 4th month as a nanny in Indiana. This is all so that I can make money to “travel” and yet, the way I feel about the time I spent in Mississippi is, in some ways, similar to the way I feel about the 3.5 months I spent in Romania a few years ago. I think what most makes me feel like I really am traveling, right now, in the states is the feeling of going to an unfamiliar place and watching it grow familiar. Maybe, in traveling, we don’t always achieve that, but when I think of traveling that’s what I think of and that’s what makes me feel like traveling right now. Hope that makes sense.

By: Carl Nelson

Carl Nelson — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:21:30 +0000

I have been on the road in the U.S. for over 6 months now. I can truly say that it is traveling in an honest manner.

If you take the whole of the U.S. you have many different environment regions and even cultural regions throughout. While they may not speak a different language (some accents may qualify) it is a different experience.

A Mainer vagabonding through the U.S. is like being a Brit vagabonding through Europe. You experience a definite richness of experience that you don’t get at home.

It’s not a trip to Bali or Nepal but it is still exceptionally valuable travel. It’s quite easy to forget how much there is to see domestically and to reify international travel over domestic travel.

By: Solo Road Trip

Solo Road Trip — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:26:18 +0000

For the most part, I equate traveling with adventure, with “adventure” being an extremely broad term. Therefore, a trip to the grocery store can for me, on occasion, be adventurous. There are people living remarkably different lives than mine in remarkably different surroundings not more than 100 miles away. If I considered myself to be traveling only when I pulled the passport out of the safe, I’d be a miserably disappointed individual.

By: Raphael Giammattey

Raphael Giammattey — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:57:48 +0000

Well, I altogether agree with you. First, we don’t value our country as much as we must do, probably because of the geographic proximity, which in my opinion seems the worst enemy for a domestic tourism or any kind of this trip. Unfortunately, as human beings, we have a tendency to disqualify what we have near us, like a barrier we create and we’re not aware of. For example, here in Brazil, where I live and study Tourism and obviously where I jaunt as well, I am always complaining how Brazilians don’t go on a trip very often within the country, due to many reasons, especially financial problems and lack of motivation. Though these reasons, I reckon it’s about the opportunity that we don’t share a lot, because if we did so, we wouldn’t miss it.