While there are ways to travel cheaply and efficiently, traveling is still part of consumer society.
Like most things bought, traveling satisfies particular needs: adventure, variety, leisure, fun, connection, sense of accomplishment.
Because it has become consumerist in many respects, traveling has been inefficient: too expensive while the needs it aims to fulfill are met subparly.
Ancient humans have similar needs but because of technological deficiencies they are not able to travel as heavily as we do now.
Despite this, it was not totally impossible for them to meet their need for adventure, variety, leisure, fun, connection, and accomplishment.
They met these things without money which means they could continue to satisfy them without fearing an economic armaggedon.
Our current world is totally different.
Here’s the current pattern followed by many
- Study
- Find a job that pays
- Earn money
- Use money to travel (bec it amplifies happiness “kuno”)
- Post pics on social media - so other people could see that u r having a good life
If traveling “alone” is what satisfies one’s sense of curiousity, then if an accident happens (source of money lost, money economy breaks down) then there is nothing left to satisfy the pursuit of happiness.
Relying on one thing (traveling) or two tightly coupled things (money-traveling) to satisfy one’s pursuit of meaning is inefficient and downright risky.
I don’t have to live like a Java man, but I could learn a thing or two from them about meeting my need for adventure efficiently.
They met one need in a variety of ways. They did not rely on one thing to give meaning to their lives: they had a strong community, they had a plethora of work they enjoyed doing, they were surrounded by Nature, art was part of their every day life.
I could ask myself whether there are other things aside from traveling which could improve my way of life. I coule ask whether or not my traveling really satisfies what I claim I need, whether there are cheaper and more efficient ways of meeting my needs.
For example, rather than consuming experiences, why don’t I “produce” them myself within the abodes of my community and using very little money?
Mastering a particular skill produces rather than consumes experiences but it could potentially be more fulfilling. Plus, what one needs are accessible and cheaper compared to traveling: use the internet or the public library.
Rather than using money to “escape”, why don’t I instead create a daily environment which is too good to leave behind?
Traveling doesnt have to be inefficient but for many people it is. So an honest introspection will improve the quality of life of many people who relies on traveling, and it alone, to satisfy needs that ancient people met in various forms.