The call of distant shores fading ?

[lesterbutch]

Originally Posted by conachair

And so cheap, book a few weeks ahead you can have breakfast in Hong Kong then for £50 be in Bangkok for lunch . I've never tired of traveling, though US customs can make you a bit weary..

I just cleared into the U.S. at Miami from South America and with their new Pass Port readers, etc. I t didn't take more than 10 minutes. Quick and no hassle!

[RainDog]

Originally Posted by lesterbutch

I just cleared into the U.S. at Miami from South America and with their new Pass Port readers, etc. I t didn't take more than 10 minutes. Quick and no hassle!

Wow. Took us over 3 hours! Had to go to 3 locations. It was a major PITA. I better look up Pass Port next time!

[a64pilot]

I despise flying Commercial, for me it was Homeland Security and the CBP that killed it.
I miss the days of arriving at the airport, going straight to the gate and boarding


Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[snort]

Lord Howe Island! That's where I'd go, given your starting point.

[oregoncycle]

Once I traded my mode of transportation I fell in love with travel again. Off the tourist trails and into the vast remotes on my bicycle I get to see, feel and taste a different world. Locals have opened their homes and their hearts to me so often that I feel truly blessed. I have yet to meet anyone who thinks we are ugly Americans (oh I take that back, I have met several Americans who always think Americans are that stereo typical profile)
The world at 10 mph puts everything back in perspective.

I am not long from heading out on my boat to some of these places to soak in the beauty and the wonder that this planet offers.

BTW: still love airports as they give me a chance to read some good books as I wait and have a full array of food and drink close by.

Google I smell a bakery/crazy guy on a bike for one of my most popular trips.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Zanshin

Despite all of our complaints about the problems when flying - from overcrowded planes and airports to long waits and delays - one should put it into perspective:

I sailed from the Chesapeake to St. Martin in 8 days with rough seas and storms. Several months later I flew the same stretch from Washington D.C. in 5 hours.

No question big hubs like DC can have good connections. On the other hand there are a lot of folks like me who live in places where connections are not so good. I use to drive for three hours from Tallahassee to Jacksonville to catch a flight because total travel time was shorter. Not to mention you are suppose to arrive a couple of hours before your flight according to the airlines. Even then it is somewhat common for flights to be delayed.

Not saying flying is not faster, just that you need to consider total travel time not just the time you are in the air. In addition much of the total travel time can be in very uncomfortable conditions.

[SaltyMonkey]

good god. Australia would be an awesome sail.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by tomfl

No question big hubs like DC can have good connections. On the other hand there are a lot of folks like me who live in places where connections are not so good. I use to drive for three hours from Tallahassee to Jacksonville to catch a flight because total travel time was shorter. Not to mention you are suppose to arrive a couple of hours before your flight according to the airlines. Even then it is somewhat common for flights to be delayed.

Not saying flying is not faster, just that you need to consider total travel time not just the time you are in the air. In addition much of the total travel time can be in very uncomfortable conditions.

True.. I had a Heavenly Twins to collect in Santander.. checked the flights and the 3 connections to get there from Lisbon short notice came to just under 600euro..
So I got a sleeper cabin on the International Train from Lisbon to Hendaye changing at Valladolid, Spain at 0800 for the Santander connection.
Good sleep in a bed, time for breakfast at Valladolid and in Santander 3hrs before the flights could get me there.. total cost 165euro and zero hassle.
France, Spain and Portugal I'll go rail every time..

[Kenomac]

We go sailing to get away from the news cycle. Even while at home, I never watch the news, but instead decipher my information via the front pages of various internet newspapers.

Usually we find ourselves anchored at some of the most peaceful , safe places on the planet, whilst our friends and relatives back in the USA worry about us being boarded by pirates.

[seasick]

Once the missionaries moved in and the native beauties stopped swimming out in their birthday suits, I thought the dream had faded.

Once the local boys learned extortion regarding keeping my skiff safe ashore the dream faded.

Yet there are still a few distant shores whose names I will not mention, whose bold, resolute and handsom people still hold a feast at my arrival and departure, whose waters, like aquariums, are still clear and teaming with every imaginable creature. It is for these remote places that the dream will not fade anytime soon.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by seasick

Once the missionaries moved in and the native beauties stopped swimming out in their birthday suits, I thought the dream had faded.

Damn.. you age really well

Once the local boys learned extortion regarding keeping my skiff safe ashore the dream faded.

Yet there are still a few distant shores whose names I will not mention, whose bold, resolute and handsom people still hold a feast at my arrival and departure, whose waters, like aquariums, are still clear and teaming with every imaginable creature. It is for these remote places that the dream will not fade anytime soon.

Yet we'll happily pay the dinghy fee per visit in a marina in Panama and the West.. and usually more than the coupla bucks to some kid..

[Don C L]

Having seen many beautiful places ruined, I can certainly understand, and share, in your disappointment and feeling of... demoralization. There are still a few beautiful places though, as seasick says, and 99% of the people you meet along the way are still just plain wonderful and many are doing what they can to bring the beauty back, and those folks are always inspiring, and they, though not common, can be found in every country. One example, I met a Garifuna woman in Honduras who lived in a largely deserted and very remote village on the eastern coast, who had made it her life's work to protect about a mile stretch of beach for the sea turtles. She would dig up nests, collect the eggs and bury them in a fenced in bit of beach she had. During the day she would sit under her blue plastic tarp doing chores to keep watch over her spot. The poachers respected her space and the turtle young had a bit more of a fighting chance against the dogs and vultures. She had inspired all the people of her village and they all supported her. I'll post some shots here. There will still be beautiful days, beautiful places, and beautiful people to be found, and it can still be very rewarding to keep searching. Maybe now the call of the distant shores will be more of a call to service as well as a call to visit? That could be even more satisfying perhaps?.....

[barnakiel]

I think it is regular and related to aging.

BTW I never really got it why people SAILED to places where one can get on a plane, in comfort and without wasting weeks for sea voyage. In my case, I sail for sailing, I do not care much about all the places except that one place: the ocean. For you cannot visit the ocean flying a jetliner. It takes a boat and it takes time.

But as for OP's original query then I think we get less excited, with whatever, as we age. Not 100% of us, but most yes.

b.

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by salticrak

I am fairly well travelled,I have lived and worked in a few places around the world when I was younger. It seems to me now though,that with the advent of the internet that my wonderlust has diminished somewhat. Bad news travels faster now? Or am I just becoming a cynical old bastard?

I can't explain exactly why this may be so and I do hope this is just a phase.

I wonder if this is just my ''first world problem'' or do others go through the same feelings about overseas travel nowadays?

Your thoughts?

Depends... how old and what do you wanna do before you kick the bucket?....plus everybody goes thru phases. Do you have the time and means to travel?...if so do you just lack the motivation?

Obviously airports and air travel are a hassle..... jet lag sucks. I cross the Pacific 6 times a month ( over 40,000 miles) and I STILL get on a jet on my days off or holidays to travel the world. But that's just me.....I wanna explore and do things while I still have my health, and NO I'm not used to jet lag. I don't know how anybody get's used to sleep deprivation and body clock disruptions.

It's harder to do now that I'm older, but for me, I get antsy after a couple of weeks at home.....got places to go, people to meet, things to do. But everybody is different. I have colleagues that hardly ever travel on a jet after they retire, and a few never fly again except to attend funerals. It's up to the individual.

[nortonscove]

Statistically speaking the world is the safest it's been for at least it's recorded history. Of course the Internet does allow us constant news feeds that tend to say otherwise all in the name of better sales for someone.