Peace via Travel

[Tequila Zaire]

First off leave the politika talk at the door...this is not some grand social debate but a simple question for those who wish to answer is.

Would the world be more peaceful if travel was dirt cheap?

If you could travel to paris for $20 U.S. or hit Hong Kong for $50 would people gain a better world view and lose a bit of their uber nationalism? Would it allow for more understanding and tolorence? Would it finally show L.A. residents that Italian food for the most part in their region is OK at best?

Maybe that's what we need as a global community...a massive inferstructure to promote world travel cheaply, safely, and without the annoying hassles commonly associated with it.

Granted travel is cheaper than it use to be but their still seems to be more of a need to get people to go beyond their local 20mile buffer zones. I'd like to think that if we visited each other more often...we'd stop feeling so isolated, angry, and divided.

[hewhoisagod]

There are some I know that absolutely refuse to travel. However, getting a better perspective of the world by actually BEING there is great. I have this one friend that used to dog the French. Until I said "have you ever been to France?" he said no so I told him to shut the fuck up. Myself, I don't have a reason to hate anyone unless they give me a reason to.

[Morning Glory]

I don't know. I't might be more warlike, especially if I had the ability to travel across the country and get in the faces of people that piss me off.

[One Eyed Cat]

Tourists tend to be loathed universally. I think we'd all get along until *they* came into our lairs. In short, no, but I'd love the frequent flyer miles


OEC

[nyar]

Nope- it really woudn't matter- we, or at least the majority of people, would still cling to our natural group mentality. We would still differentiate between US and THEM. All our little groups would stay intact.
Im not sure a lot of people are open to the experience that that opportunity could give you.
AND
You know it'd be a huge industry, which means it'd be commercialized out the ass!!!!!!!!!- Everywhere would be like disneyland!!!!

I guess that'd be kinda cool.

sometimes.

[pagan]

I personally have learned so much from my travels. A quick example is when I went to a beautiful beach town in california south of la. I thought It was a perfect paradise. Met up with some local punks and hung out. They were very impressed with me being from NY and they couldn't wait to get out of So Cal. I loved their home and they loved mine. I guess I learned something from that. Also I have dear friends that grew up in a small redneck town in the midwest. They had a chance to move to germany and went for it. They love it and will never be the same again.
So yes I think travel does everyone some good.

[Nightingale]

Travel to foreign countries, always assuming that preconceptions were left at the boarding gate, can only be beneficial. The chance to see how others live and what their daily lives comprise of would put an end to many of the problems we have - and it might even show a few future leaders that some of the local town names are actually those of countries outside their own borders!