I am reminded of the following by Gustave Thibon on digging rather than flying -- 'You feel you are hedged in; you dream of escape; but beware of mirages. Do not run or fly away in order to get free: rather dig in the narrow place which has been given you; you will find God there and everything. God does not float on your horizon, he sleeps in your substance. Vanity runs, love digs. If you fly away from yourself, your prison will run with you and will close in because of the wind of your flight; if you go deep down into yourself it will disappear in paradise.'
of course I love this and one part of my soul agrees. Travelling for 'experience' is a kind of titleless nothing, with as much content as the categorical imperative. However, the other part of my soul, is quite boosterist, pro-global, who views travel not as a moral good but simply as a way of getting more information and achieving richer sociological knowledge than you could by reading. This is basically the point of view of Tyler Cowen (e.g. https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2023/03/travel-philosophies-for-the-well-traveled.html), which I am certain you will find odious. There is no real ethical justification for this kind of travel, but there is certainly an academic one.
I am reminded of the following by Gustave Thibon on digging rather than flying -- 'You feel you are hedged in; you dream of escape; but beware of mirages. Do not run or fly away in order to get free: rather dig in the narrow place which has been given you; you will find God there and everything. God does not float on your horizon, he sleeps in your substance. Vanity runs, love digs. If you fly away from yourself, your prison will run with you and will close in because of the wind of your flight; if you go deep down into yourself it will disappear in paradise.'
of course I love this and one part of my soul agrees. Travelling for 'experience' is a kind of titleless nothing, with as much content as the categorical imperative. However, the other part of my soul, is quite boosterist, pro-global, who views travel not as a moral good but simply as a way of getting more information and achieving richer sociological knowledge than you could by reading. This is basically the point of view of Tyler Cowen (e.g. https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2023/03/travel-philosophies-for-the-well-traveled.html), which I am certain you will find odious. There is no real ethical justification for this kind of travel, but there is certainly an academic one.