Competitive Travelers
This is an interesting topic I thought I would share with you, particularly because it’s rather humorous. Jeff and I have been traveling for years, and friends refer to us as experienced and seasoned travelers, which is nothing short of flattering. Still, that doesn’t mean that we know everything and that we’ve been everywhere. In fact, the more we travel, the less we know.
Over the years, we have had the misfortune of meeting some travelers who were arrogant. Sometimes we get mocked just because we haven’t been to India yet. Well, keep on laughing, because we actually have a trip to India planned for spring of 2026. Some travelers, young backpackers especially, think they have bragging rights if they’ve traveled to India, and to be perfectly honest, traveling India does indeed deserve bragging rights, however, there’s no need to make other travelers feel inadequate just because they’ve never been there. Well, we did go to two countries which we consider prerequisites—-Nepal and Sri Lanka. Those countries are very similar to India, except on a much smaller scale. When Jeff and I travel, we don’t go places just to have yet another destination crossed off on our checklist; we go because we’re intrigued by different cultures—-as it really should be. Jeff and I realize that there are many travelers who are more seasoned than we are, but on the flip side of the coin, there are also other travelers that are more seasoned than they are as well. The difference between and some of the braggers we’ve come across, we care about sharing our valuable experiences with others rather than brag. It’s all about one’s intention. We’ve met friends who told us about how lovely India is, and now here we are, planning a trip there in 2026. It’s better to inspire and motivate fellow travelers rather than boast with cocky arrogance because they’ve been somewhere that we haven’t. Believe it or not, even other travelers can have their share of insecurities in one way or another, usually because someone they know has traveled somewhere they haven’t.
Fortunately, Jeff and I have remained very grounded travelers, and we’re the first to admit that we don’t know everything, and we haven’t been everywhere. Let’s face it—the world is a mighty big place, after all! Some competitive travelers we have met obviously feel like they have something to prove, otherwise they would project a different type of image. Just because they’ve claimed to have traveled to exotic destinations doesn’t necessarily make them better travelers. Being a good traveler means having an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a willingness to learn in depth about the culture. Always remember, staying grounded and remaining humble is always a good thing. Now, that is something to be proud of.
Thank you for reading!
