Thursday 1 September 2011

Travel Overseas (I've Never Done It)

I have never travelled overseas. Yes, you have heard me correctly... I have never travelled overseas. *Gasp*

It's not I haven't wanted to, it's just that I never got around to actually doing it. I have made plans in the past, then something has happened that ruined those plans. I either met someone, and then decided that I didn't want to leave them or I would have gotten myself into financial trouble (surprise, surprise) and end up using the money that I had saved to get myself out of it or I simply couldn't get the time off work and once I stopped working at that particular place and had all the time in the world, I couldn't afford it. There have been other times when I have just had other, more important priorities and there have been times where I have just been a complete mess, and wasn't capable of travelling to the other side of town, let alone the other side of the world.

Yes, I regret not going. Not only for my own personal experience, but also to avoid having people look at me like I have just killed someone when I tell them that I have never been overseas before. You wont believe how often I get this.

I remember telling this to one guy, whom I had dated briefly that I had never been overseas before, and he said right to my face, with a smile "Anyone who hasn't been overseas by this age is an idiot!" Although I admired the fact that he was straight-out with his thoughts, I really wish he had thought about what he said before he had said it.

In my case, he was probably right. I had let certain circumstances in life prevent me from doing something that I wanted to do. However, this isn't the case for everyone. I thought that the comment that he made was quite an ignorant, and arrogant remark.

That wasn't the only time that I have come across people who look down their noses at others who have not travelled overseas. I understand that travelling is important to some people, but why be dickheads about it? You would think that having travelled overseas, these people would know that there are many different types of people on this earth and each one has something to contribute. Apparently not.

Don't get me wrong, I have come across more people who don't look down their noses at me for not having travelled overseas. It's just those few who, when I tell them, look at me like I have just doused a basket of fluffy kittens in gasoline and set them alight, that really bug me.

Just because I haven't been overseas, it doesn't mean that I am not open-minded, or open to experiencing other cultures, or haven't seen amazing things, or haven't got any interesting stories to tell. I know that I would benefit so much by travelling overseas, and plan to do it one day. But being someone who has not yet done it, I still have much to offer and contribute.

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