Travel is a privilege. International travel is a HUGE privilege. If you can travel, you are privileged: you have enough money to do it and you have enough education to navigate the challenges you will encounter. Plus, your passport can be a privilege: I have a passport that allows me to go into most of the countries on Earth with few challenges beyond money; my husband has one that allows him to go to even more. So many people have a passport that, even if they have the money to travel, other countries won’t let them in.
But even people that have the privilege to travel often don’t use it. And some of them, especially people in the USA, are appalled that you actively pursue traveling as a priority in your life. Nothing illustrates this more than the seemingly endless posts to the Peace Corps subreddit by people who get accepted to the Corps, announce it to family and friends, and are met immediately frustration, confusion and even anger.
Here’s an example, which I’ve altered to exclude the country they are talking about, because it really doesn’t matter:
This is something I’ve been looking forward to for years. I always thought about joining in highschool. I applied to the Peace Corps in 2020 after I got an undergrad degree. I just got an interview and a response. I’ve told my mom, boyfriend and a few friends so far and their responses have been like
“uhh aren’t there people trying to leave that country? That country is ugly, why would you go there? Why would you go to another country after your family has done a lot for you to be in the USA? Why can’t you just do that work in the US? You won’t be making any money? What’s the point then?“
Welcome to being an international traveler and worker. Be prepared for these comments for the rest of your life. I get them all the time, family and from neighbors. But here’s the good news: it is a kind of club you are joining when you travel abroad, with a diverse group of members who know there’s a big world out there and they want to see some of it, experience some of it, and always have a little piece of it in their hearts and minds even when they are home. You meet other club members everywhere – small towns all over the USA even, not just big cities. They are fun to hang out with, CURIOUS, and are happy to know you. They make great neighbors.
Don’t try to change anyone’s mind about travel, especially international travel. Their mind is made up: they will never stop thinking that it’s a waste, or inherently more dangerous than driving across town on a Friday night, or walking in a parking garage anywhere in the USA or being married. No amount of Instagram photos, magazine articles or statistics will ever change their mind, so don’t bother.
I no longer try to change the minds of the anti-travel folks. I just shrug and either keep talking about what a GREAT time I just have or move on to something else.
And I keep adding to my folders with suggestions for things to see and do in other places – might be a place just an hour’s drive away, might be around the world.
And I keep meeting other club members. And oh the stories we tell…
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