There are some great and amazing places to visit, but that doesn't mean I'd want to live there. Sometimes it's a simple as the seasonal differences a place has. Summer might be wonderful, but winter awful or the other way around.
The economy of an area means different things to the tourist and the hospitality worker. The thing that make for nice cheap vacations with excellent service might be the fact that the workers have few other options. Making a living in a vacation town can be tough.
Then there are nice places but the people are awful. Maybe not all the people, just that ones that kidnap tourists and hold them for ransom. Many places are wonderful to live in, but only as long as you were born there and not some kind of outsider.
Don't forget politics. I've been to places where the weather is great and the people generally nice. However, don't you dare talk politics. I've been labelled both the crazed gun toting conservative and a socialist liberal, depending on the location. Go figure. What makes someone conservative or liberal varies quite a bit. Some places it's all about religion. Other places religion doesn't matter; but how you feel about ecology could be the trigger. Different regions have their hot button issues.
It takes time to discover what a place is like. You've got to experience during good and bad times. Soemtimes it takes a while to figure out the people. Maybe there's a darn good reason they are the way they are. Sometimes a place's History overwhelms it's present. The Middle East comes to mind.
Of course, don't forget to look in the mirror. If you travel and expect other people to be just like home, might as well stay home. The “Ugly American” is no joke. Never hurts to be polite while traveling -except in France. There politeness is a weakness.
-Sixbears
six saw this you might like the article. http://tinyhouseblog.com/tiny-house/safety-at-sea-inside-a-ditch-bag-and-med-kit/
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link. Our ditch bag was pretty basic and needs room for improvement. This article will help. We use a large plastic tackle box as a med kit. Works great.
DeleteI'm stayin' right here.
ReplyDeleteWell that solves the travel problems, doesn't it?
DeleteI once told my stepmother that the only "real" people in Palm Beach were the ones who worked there. Pissed her off. Never did like that place.
ReplyDeleteA lot of folks who travel like to act like they are more important than they really. They abuse the heck out the workers. Sad really, as if we aren't all humans together on this dirt ball in space.
DeleteI beg to differ about France .. :-) ( I am French even though I have lived in England for the last 40 years) they do appreciate that someone makes a effort to speak and not behave like they own the place or behave like the locals are their servants.
ReplyDeleteIt's a joke and I knew someone would call me on it. For what it's worth, I'm of French extraction-mostly.
DeleteI don't know... Seemed to me the Parisians went out of their way to be rude to us and impatient with our attempts to muddle through their language. I get the feeling there are big regional differences in attitudes in France, no?
DeleteMind you, don' t talk to me about French policians. I loathe them!
ReplyDeleteThey are a breed of their own.
DeleteIf you are a "crazed gun toting conservative" you would fit in here in Texas. Of course it ain't. the same as it was when I first moved here.
ReplyDeleteYes, but am I gun crazy enough?
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