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Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:42 pm
by TopHatFox
Google Flights now has a map with all of the different flights available throughout the world for tens of dollars to a few hundred max. Only places on the other side of the world like India, China, the Middle East, or Africa are more than $1K.

I don't know...while this is nice, something doesn't sit right...is travel becoming just another cheap commodified good to be consumed on a weekend and put on social media before returning to work promptly at 9 AM on Monday morning? The kind of thing that you can brag about to strangers and acquaintances on the street because there's no community anymore, along with your MA and PhD from *insert brand name school* here? And how the hell can our carbon footprint allow for so much cheap air travel?

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:14 pm
by TopHatFox
I feel like places are gonna start to look pretty similar to one another, major global cities are already going that route

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The follow up question is this: if buying consumer items is becoming just as easy as buying tickets to visit far places, what is actually hard and has more meaning? I'd think actually saving up money to a reasonable NW, holding down a committed relationship for years, building a strong community, developing a skill to a high level, or even travel that's causes growth (like the AT or learning to sail).

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:37 pm
by Jean
I thought it was a 2005 post.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:38 pm
by TopHatFox
Like the title of this post would be appropriate in 2005? Nah, I think flights back then were more expensive and Instagram wasn't a thing then.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:39 pm
by daylen
Maybe social media envy is fueling the travel industry?

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:41 pm
by TopHatFox
Chicken or the egg right

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:56 pm
by Jean
I traveled on my own for the first time in 2004. I went to a lot of place in Europe. I thought it was making me cool, but in every place I went to, there were tenth of people who went there too.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 3:03 pm
by daylen
Cool is relative and this is part of the problem(*). Humans have limited caring ability, and this bounded care is limited to status signals that measure participation/success in the most dominate game (acquire money).

(*) ..with respect to future humans.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 3:07 pm
by Jean
That's why i'm on this forum. Because its measurment of coolness is alligned with my long term goals.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:00 pm
by TopHatFox

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:21 pm
by EdithKeeler
Isn’t that the Millennial Mantra? “Experiences instead of stuff?” It may be a collision of demographics: millennials are traveling more, and boomers are retiring and have more time to travel.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:29 pm
by Dream of Freedom
TopHatFox wrote:
Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:14 pm
The follow up question is this: if buying consumer items is becoming just as easy as buying tickets to visit far places, what is actually hard and has more meaning?
It is interesting that this question hints at signaling. Travel isn't less formative just because it's cheaper. The reason you would need something hard is to show others what you can do.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:44 pm
by TopHatFox
@Dream, I'd argue that it is less formative because it's cheaper. It's easier to care more about something when it costs more to do it and more thought has to go into purchasing it.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:49 pm
by jacob
It's hardly a new phenomena: http://earlyretirementextreme.com/trave ... th-it.html The social status competition has existed for a good while. Travel does not appear to be particularly cheaper than it was 10 years ago. Remember oil prices are currently low just like they were 9 years ago.

Sure ... as things get popular, they get commercialized and the standards "slip" or get redefined into something that's easy to signal w/o paying the entry fee. I suppose that's why sportsfans wear player jerseys? You see it in "tiny houses" that used to be cool DIY projects on trailers with a size of 120sqft but now constitute any designer architecture under 500 sqft!! You also see it with FIRE which in the commercial version is just a fancy badge that high-income youngsters who become millionaires before 40 use. Frugality has been redefined from washing and reusing ziploc bags to spending 10% less than your peer group.

Basically, this has happened: https://meaningness.com/geeks-mops-sociopaths

In the travel/social media department, it means that experiences have been commodified and simplified. Tours are specifically arranged so people can go and take a selfie in front of whatever landmark. The trip is literally arranged as check list for photos to be posted. So the environment has changed to cater to this enormous influence of "MOPs". Read this: https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/3/12325 ... rification <- A good example of how something that was originally cool changes when it becomes popular.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 5:45 pm
by jennypenny
jacob wrote:
Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:49 pm
Read this: https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/3/12325 ... rification <- A good example of how something that was originally cool changes when it becomes popular.
"a harmonization of tastes" :roll:

I can't wait for the apocalypse.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 7:05 pm
by The Old Man
TopHatFox wrote:
Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:14 pm
The follow up question is this: if buying consumer items is becoming just as easy as buying tickets to visit far places, what is actually hard and has more meaning?
You are asking the wrong question. You should be doing what you personally find to be meaningful. I try to buy a beer using the local language; I attempt to not be an imperialist and use the local language where possible.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 8:44 pm
by suomalainen
I don't understand the question. If you don't like the signalling and the bragging, don't participate (#deletefacebook). If travel is meaningful for you, do it; if not, don't.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 9:16 pm
by Jean
Don't take pictures, or only show them to your mom if she asks. I get some enjoyment in thinking that no one will believe me when I'll tell my travel stories.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 11:13 pm
by Viktor K
As for places feeling the same, they don’t. Sure, McDonalds is everywhere. As are foreigners and other tourists, depending on the popularity of the city. But so far for me Japan, China, and Thailand all feel much more different than each other and the US.

Maybe you should take one of these cheap flights and see for yourself.

Also, tourism is pretty easy. Most places you would first think of going are English friendly. Some more than others of course. It’s more of a leisure activity, although, I suppose if you were the really wound up tight, never left your hometown, asking for a manager type, you’ll even get out of your comfort zone in some tourist hub.

Living somewhere is more of a challenge. I think that’s why you don’t see so many Americans abroad relative to other demographics. The culture doesn’t lend itself as well to playing nice with change and different viewpoints.

Re: Anyone else notice travel is becoming easier, cheaper, and fueling social media envy?

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 11:36 pm
by TheWanderingScholar
I agree with @Viktor on all points.

No two cities worth their salt don't feel the same. Riga and Tallinn, two similar cites in demographics, climates, and broad histories, are completely different (#I<3Riiga) in their feeling, people, and lifestyles.

Living in other countries is different and more challenging, if you are unable to change. If you are able to change and mesh well with the local culture, you probably won't care about touristy shit other people do, and a feel a bit of sympathy for them.