It's A Privilege

Privilege of Travel (Part 3 of 3): When is travel is a waste of time?

• Jason Browne • Season 1 • Episode 8

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Is all travel truly worth your time, or are certain trips just a waste? On this episode of It's a Privilege, we confront this provocative question by examining how personal preferences, familiarity, safety, and companionship shape our travel experiences. Joined by insightful guests James Tierney and Dawn Rosenbaum, we explore the notion of acting as ambassadors to new places and how sharing experiences can significantly enhance our journeys. We also tackle the comforts of guided tours versus the anxieties of unstructured exploration, ultimately reflecting on the profound connections and shared moments that make travel truly memorable.

Additionally, we delve into the deeper purpose of travel and its role in purposeful living. For some, a trip needs a clear goal to feel worthwhile, while others find meaning in the journey itself. Our discussion highlights contrasting perspectives on this topic, encouraging you to contemplate how your own views might shape your travel experiences. Don't miss this engaging conversation—it’s a thought-provoking look at the value of travel and the influence of privilege on our adventures, and we're eager to hear your thoughts on our social media platforms!

Follow the Flight to End Polio: https://www.flighttoendpolio.com/
Learn more about the End Polio Now Campaign: https://www.endpolio.org/

For more information about the host, go to www.thejasonbrowne.com
Check out the TEDx talk here: TEDx Possibilities of Privilege
Thanks you for being a part of the conversation.

Jason Browne:

Welcome to it's a privilege podcast, where we explore the possibilities of our own privilege. This is the surprise part three on the topic of travel. which is very fitting because I'm currently traveling. Well, I mean, I'm sitting in front of you. I'm not moving currently, but I'm traveling across the country. Anyway, We highly recommend that you go back to the earlier parts of this series to get all the context from the first parts of this topic. Plus, there are a ton of great stories and perspectives that you don't want to miss, but on this shorter episode, we're going to dig into the following question. What kind of travel would be a waste of time? Does that exist? Well, we're about to find out in the early episodes, we heard from Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels Two pilots that flew around the world to help raise awareness and funds to end polio. On top of that, as our co host, we have James Tierney, private tutor, academic coach, and co founder of Happy Valley Improv. And we also have Dawn Rosenbaum, non binary healthcare professional and improv director. So what can you expect? A bunch of conversation about the question, what travel would be a waste? Of time. as a reminder, privilege is the probability of earned and unearned advantage granted to an individual. let's see how privilege and travel relate to the idea of how travel would be a waste of time.

Dawn:

You had mentioned that you like to travel with a person.

James Tierney:

Yes.

Dawn:

How much of that is the idea that person helps to like bring familiarity or safety or comfort or remind you of home? Or is it exclusively, no, I like to, I want to experience something new with anybody that I know.

James Tierney:

I honestly do believe it's, I get way more enjoyment out of, new experiences or any experiences with others.

Dawn:

All right.

James Tierney:

Do you not believe me?

Dawn:

I am just, I'm fascinated by this. Okay. So if you had to pick between taking Kim, Jason, or me somewhere, what goes in to the thought process of you as to which one of us you take?

James Tierney:

Depends on where it is.

Dawn:

Okay. Why?

James Tierney:

Because if I got to choose where we were going, I would take someone Somewhere that I knew a lot about and they knew a little about, so that way I could experience their first experience.

Dawn:

So you could sort of become an ambassador to that area. Mm

James Tierney:

hmm.

Dawn:

But you're also then very familiar with that area.

James Tierney:

Correct.

Dawn:

Do you think this is why you, um, are really okay with going to, like, Las Vegas by yourself? Because it's a place you've gone to so many times. Probably. There's

James Tierney:

probably familiarity there. But, like, if, if I had to choose between Kim, Jason, or Dawn, to go to Vegas with me. I would not take Kim because Kim and I have gone there before. I would probably take you, Dawn, because I think you would have the least amount of experience in the way that I would want to do Vegas. So I could show you that.

Dawn:

You could become the person who opens my eyes to this new and awesome, exciting experience.

James Tierney:

Correct. Now, if it was traveling with somebody else, But it was somewhere

Dawn:

you've never been. I've never

James Tierney:

been. I'd want to go with someone who had already been that way. And maybe it's, what if that's

Dawn:

not an option? It's not an option. You have to go with myself. Why?

James Tierney:

Because I love her. I love you too as well, but in a different way.

Dawn:

Is that really the real reason?

Jason Browne:

Yes.

Dawn:

Okay. No, but it,

Jason Browne:

but it seemed this goes back to your first trip to Florida. It sounds like to me is the reason why you travel is about the interaction with other people to some degree. And the people that are close to you to some degree. So if you can travel someplace and have an interaction where somebody's guiding you or you're guiding them, it's a very, you feel good and you're providing for somebody when you do that from a self serving point of view. And you feel taken care of when somebody else is doing that for you. It's almost like the environment really doesn't matter at a certain point from your, from your point of view. You should, you, you nodded, or you shook your head. I shook my head. You did something with your head. What did you mean by

James Tierney:

No, it doesn't matter where it is. I, I, we're getting into a therapy session here, which I'm enjoying because I'm not paying for this one like I will for the one on Thursday. I've come to realize over the last couple of years that I don't do a lot of things for just myself. And I might even go where I don't do anything. Just for myself and I think travel would be very similar and it'd fall under that

Dawn:

and it seems like there's Like when it comes to what you like to pick to travel where you're picking and what you're doing there You are finding the most comfort in some sense of ambassadorship Whether it be you get to be the ambassador of this place and show a person all the awesome things This place has been for you or someone else is showing that to you as a new person

James Tierney:

Yeah, I liked the most but like the most recent trip that Kim and I went on neither of us had been to Barcelona or Rome So we got to experience it for the first time together.

Dawn:

Did it change in terms of like your comfort with? Barcelona? Or did, for instance, the like, cruise and like, travel agency recommendations, did those provide you with that comfort of almost ambassadorship? Or was it like, nah? I don't

James Tierney:

think so. I don't think Kim or I are the types of individuals that would just say, let's walk two miles that way and see what happens. To me, I don't know if there's an, I don't know if there's uncomfortability in that. Or if the uncomfortability is that could be a waste of time. And that's something I really work on is I, I don't know where it comes from, but I hate wasting time and going somewhere, walking two miles that way. And then being like, what the heck was that for would really bother me. So, I want to have some sort of guide or something to help with that. And

Jason Browne:

there's value in guide providing that experience or you providing that experience to somebody else. There's a guaranteed outcome with the travel that's happening.

Dawn:

It's measurable too, in a way.

Jason Browne:

Yeah, it's measurable too. Why do you travel? We figured out why James doesn't travel, so why do you travel?

Dawn:

I think I travel because I have a fascination with humanity and the concept of The place that I live is just a is is not the only place has been instilled in me In me since I was born because as we talked about before in State College, Pennsylvania people come to this town They get what they need and they leave so the actual act of Being born in this town and staying in this town in a lot of people's eyes is actually even seen almost like a failure Because it's like no the whole point is Of this place is for you to understand that there is more out there and there's more perspectives and there's more things for you to do and see and experience as part of life. And that's part of living. So that's why I travel.

Jason Browne:

So I'm going to challenge you though, outside of this social expectation, we dug deep with James, but like at the core of it, like at the end of the day, Where do you find joy in travel?

Dawn:

I find joy in travel with two things. One, food. I love food. Please feed me. I love food. And I find that food is a really quick way to get to the culture of a place. And I just, I love, please feed me. Also, keep in mind, you're talking to a person who, I have a lot of books in my house, and they're all, Almost all cookbooks and they're all from all over parts of the world because I love food and with the culture So yeah travel absolutely food 100 percent is my priority For me, what would be a waste of my time is taking me to a McDonald's in another place I will go to the McDonald's so that I can see the menu because I'm fascinated with how culturally it's like Oh you offer that that's fun. But will I order it? No, I will I watch other people like Have it and look at it. Yeah, but then I'll leave and I'll go somewhere else because what I want to find is them like The tiny mom and pop shop that's been there forever. It doesn't look like intimidating on the outside It is super humble and then you walk in it's the best food ever. That's what I'm looking for So it's another reason why I wander and travel because I'm not looking for the tourist spot I'm not looking for that. This is the most expensive place. I'm looking for the like One of my favorite top 10 meals ever was we found a place called Good Munkhawk Bakery in San Francisco, but it was in a part of Chinatown and They had amazing dumplings, and it was like 60 different kinds of dumplings, and I love a good dumpling. Take anything and make it take meat and wrap it in some sort of carb, and you got me. Even if it's vegetables, really. That's why I like sandwiches. Anyway, so, uh, we're there. It cost me four dollars and five cents for an entire feast that fed me, and I was so full, and it was so good. Yeah, that's what I'm looking for food. Cool, cool. So second thing I like to watch and by the watch I love to see the sights I like to see what is physically beautiful around that space But I love people watching and so for me part of my bug is I am Fascinated by people and I'm fascinated by you can take a person like as a medical person. We are like genetically very similar to one another, but you take this living thing and you put it in a completely different spot in the world. And it's got a whole different language. It has a whole different culture, has a whole different way of operating. And societally, it's fascinating to me to see those differences. Yeah. So take me to Moncock bakery. And then after I'm at good Moncock bakery, let me sit out in the main square in Chinatown and just like watch people while I'm eating. And it's a top 10 day for me easily when I travel. And then if I get to also then go to a and talk to a local about everything. Oh man, best day ever. So that's why I travel, is my fascination with people and my absolute unhealthy love of food.

Jason Browne:

I think my, I think a waste of time for me. Both of you would be if I go to a place and I only do touristy things, it's almost like your McDonald's thing. Why do the same thing that I can do at home out somewhere else. But it is fascinating to walk into McDonald's and be like, I didn't know they had falafel at McDonald's. Right. It's interesting to see what, what, what cultural changes there are. But If all I'm doing is to go on, on a cruise ship, if I go on excursions that are just like, Hey, come and just sit on the beach with a pina colada in Puerto Rico. I'm like, that's not Puerto Rico. It is Puerto Rico, but it's not an experience in Puerto Rico. And contrary to James's point of view of being like, I don't want to waste time. There is for me, the ability or chance to explore a place that is significantly different. It will always show me something new unless I'm not paying attention. Uh, if I am paying attention, there is going to be something different. So I will always be satisfied.

James Tierney:

That's an interesting word, satisfied. That was a question that my therapist has asked me. How, when do you feel satisfied? And I can answer that.

Dawn:

Interesting. Have you thought maybe wandering around when you're on travel?

James Tierney:

One of my, over the last two years of therapy, one of my, one of my assignments is to be comfortable with being bored and not always be doing things, which would include walking two miles out somewhere and back without. Really having a destination

Jason Browne:

and it's so fascinating that we've gone to flying around the world to two mile walk as Traveling as a journey that is questionable to take

James Tierney:

like there's there was a reason and there was the experience of

Jason Browne:

Not initially they just said hey the dude was like, hey, do you want to just fly around the world? He's like, okay. Yeah, but

James Tierney:

that is flying around the world. That is there's a purpose. There's a reason there's an end There's I'm doing this for this thing

Jason Browne:

I could say the same thing about walking two miles in that direction.

Dawn:

Yeah, or in your case, you say, Hey, I want to see if I can somehow get 5, 000 in Vegas. Or, as in, is that even like a, is that even I love it.

James Tierney:

Let's go.

Dawn:

Right. But you'd be doing it for you in a way, and then for So I feel like similarly what Jason was saying, and what they were saying is like, Hey, I want to fly my plane. That guy was like, I want to fly my plane. I want to fly it a really long way. Yeah, I want to make it an impressive Thing that I'm done and I want to do it with my stuff and I want to do this And then everybody's like you can't do that alone He said after a year his wife was like no you're not doing that by yourself So then he had to find a guy so I feel like similarly and then they were as they said They were like, yeah, we're just I still, I'm trying to figure out why they said we were like, yeah, we're old. We can do polio. What does that even mean?? Jason Browne: They were It's right. But going back to like, and then

Jason Browne:

it became a,

Dawn:

a

Jason Browne:

thing, a cause, the cause going back to what James is saying, like to walk two miles, to travel two miles to give me a reason to do so. For me to step outta my comfort zone, to risk not having anything that's satisfying or I, you need to gimme something to. Throw a dart at. I, I'm not that way, so hearing that is, I, I don't need that, but for so many people, the idea of travel needs to have a definitive goal in mind, and then you can reap the benefits.

Dawn:

Yeah. It's like a, there, there has to be a purpose of it that isn't the travel itself.

Jason Browne:

Yes. Y'all two are way different than me, but I understand what you're saying. Well, no, I think,

James Tierney:

I think the two of you are the same. I think I'm, I'm the different one. I

Dawn:

was trying to translate James for you. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.

Jason Browne:

Okay.

Dawn:

No, the travel itself is the purpose for me.

James Tierney:

But I, I, this goes beyond travel for me. This is every little walk of my life. I do very little things like just to do them or just for myself. Like, I feel like there's always a purpose and there's always a reason, which is tough. Yeah. And that's where we're going to end part three on the privilege of travel in the meantime, go to our social media@privilegepod on all platforms, and let us know some of your thoughts on how privilege of travel impacts your life. Thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing. And of course. It's a privilege

People on this episode

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Jason Browne

Host
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Dawn Rosenbaum

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James Tierney

Guest