How important is travel?
In this age of hi-res photo, fast internet, huge monitor, and blu-ray nature documentaries, how useful is travelling to see sites with your own eyes? Especially if vacation days are scarce, and the industry is advancing so much it seems like you need all your spare time to get faster, and learn new softwares or techniques (or is that not true? I'm not in the industry yet)?
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You don't necessarily have to travel abroad, but just changing up your environment from time to time helps heaps with creativity.
I live in suburbia, same roads same houses typically on my everyday travels, sometimes if i'm lucky i get to travel into the city, i always come back so mentally refreshed and full of fresh ideas.
Blue Rays and DVD's just don't compare, traveling is more than just visuals, its the smell, the humidity, the atmosphere the people.
Photos and anecdotes are a really poor substitute to actually being somewhere. I'd say it really broadens your experience and shapes your understanding of the world and people in it, rather than being led to believe whatever you're just told about a place through hearsay.
As a designer, I think it's really important, as is reading (fiction, history, science, philosophy, theology!). I'd rate travel even more highly for artists.
110% this.
I went to South Beach, Miami cuz there was a museum exhibit of an artist I was interested in (nice thonged bikini chicks!). London, 'cuz there was a week long wax sculpting class at the City University. My pictures there? None of me, only my wax sculpts of naked British chicks. Bay Area, 'cuz I want to see the inside of Pixar. Weekend in Seattle, same with museum exhibit plus life drawing. Hilight of my Vegas honeymoon besides you know what and more so than the Bahamas reef diving (It was an extragant itenerary now that I think back about it), checking out Richard Macdonald's sculpting gallery found by accident.
I don't regret skipping going to all the E3 and GDCs that I coul've gone for free (studio paid all expense back when I was on staff) since I preferred my vacation time where I think I'll benefit more as an artist.
It's a big world and life is short. Get out there. I regret waiting as long as I did to catch the travel bug.
It is completely different when you're actually there. I like to use street view before going on a trip. But once I am there it is nothing like google maps.
Even simple out of town for a day trip can refresh your mind.
If anyone goes to Cleveland :)HI:) on a budget, I recommend finding a hotel in the downtown core. You won't feel like the cab driver will murder you after telling him you're from out of town and your inn is a long drive to an industrial location.
Particularly when she talks about peoples' life regrets. You don't hear people on their death bed saying "I wish I got that promotion."
You hear people saying "I wish I didn't work so much, I wish I traveled more."
After going to Angkor in Cambodia it's amazing how many people get it wrong in their portfolio pieces. They do a good job on one of the temples and then fuck it up with generic rainforest type plants. It's amazing how the jungles in Cambodia are not that different to the woods in the UK! Crysis did a real good job of Asian jungles. I would never know that if I hadn't gone there. It was a once in a decade type of trip but every time I can go somewhere I will. The best environments don't look real but they feel real and you only really get that by going there na soaking it in.
Of course you can't go every where but be creative about you influences. If you are making a space port go to an airport or a harbour, they are basically doing a similar job! Making medieval china... go to china town and then the old part of York and combine the two!
on a lighter note, let's talk about our travels here! I'm going to Malaysia for 3 weeks in December, yay!
I usually travel in December, but haven't booked anything as I've not been paid for my current contract yet (owed about 4k)
California in a few weeks, wooo!
Agadir -> Marrakech -> Casablanca -> Fes -> Oujda / Oran -> Algiers -> Constantine -> Tunis -> Monastir
Would take 3-4 weeks, probably.
I think the misconception is most prevalent in your post about if seeing images on a monitor is the same as seeing them in person. It's not about 'seeing things', either way, it's about experiencing something.
People say 'travel', because traveling is just a super good way of finding these experiences, and getting out of your comfort zone, and maybe getting some perspective about something - doesn't matter what, whatever you do is going to be meaningful to you alone.
Personally my favorite, and saddest, part of a trip is coming home and getting picked up at the airport by someone who didn't go. You have left, experienced something, come back, and now you are with someone who did not do that, and you have changed and they haven't, and there is a disconnect that everyone (I have talked to) feels, a perspective shift that lasts for days or weeks or your whole life.
You don't have to go far for an experience, just get outside of your comfort zone. There are plenty of people in the world who are 'experienced travelers', who look at traveling like it is a rush from one 'sight' to another, and they still have tiny world views - and there are plenty of people who haven't ever left the country who have amazingly large world-views.
That's my way of saying that travel is not going to suddenly enlighten you, but if you are open to it and get outside of your comfort zone, it can't not.
Mainland, weather is supposed to be better there in December.
I went to Morocco 2 years ago, mostly Marrakech, we should've traveled around more in hindsight (the 2 day excursion to Ouarzazate was the best part of the trip).
I generally avoid organised excursions and make my own way around on regular public transport etc
If you're on the mainland, skip out of KL quite quickly, it's a big industrial center with a lot of malls and shopping centers, and won't entertain you for long. I would head north into Ipoh and the Cameron Highlands (great scenery, good for hiking), then find my way into Penang and George Town (culturally impressive, expect to eat a lot of good street food). I'm less familiar with the Muslim east side of the mainland however, so I can't commend on what's there
Most definitely.
Exactly. I mean, i don't really travel much by any means, but i'd like to change that in future.
But, i mean, it's true. Seeing something on display is one thing, but experiencing it "live" is completely different.
Like, for example, i have seen many awesome images of night sky, stars and all that (and i'm just freakin crazy about anything related to space), I have spent quite some time playing skyrim and admiring awesome night skies that artist at bethesda managed to create.
But, still, the other day, sky was quite clear, with couple of stars and such, and allthough skyrim or pictures i seen in past looks much more technically beautifull, seing this is live is just ....awesome on a whole new level.
It's sort of hard to describe it, maybe it's also just me being crazy (:P), but i was like that when i was young as well, seing stars on clear sky, with slight wind blowing, being alone there....it just feels like dunno, like time has stopped. It's just completely different experience then watching similar picture on google images or something.
It really is about "experiencing" it rather then seeing it.
And its not like i have never seen night sky with stars in live in past, but i just find it mindblowing when on my way home from job, i take a look at sky, not really on purpose, and i'm just like "wow, look at that, it's just amazing".
Or, if you feel, it's sort of like, sure, playing game in PC is fun, but playing same game in (star trek ) holodec, is a whole different experience i'd say. :P
It's just that in one case, you are just being out of the world, just a distant observer (watching picture), or actually being part of the world (seeing the thing live).
traveling isnt just go places and looking arround, its about exploring and interact with people! its about seeing different cultures and their history.... its about getting inspired by new things.. and maybe to get new perspectives..new ideas to develop.. so move your ass!
unless you see the "ancient aliens documentation on history channel" ..... then you dont need to
the initial post pretty much makes me think of the difference between porn and sex, one is a fake representation of it and the other is a true awesome personal experience. gotta get out of the basement and into the world! also LOL at the attitude of constantly having to spend every second you are not working improving and trying to keep current. those are the exact kind of people I DONT want to be working next to because it creates horribly awkward people lacking life experience and social skills.
I guess it's because I don't have the luxury to travel alone so I'm typically dragged to castles and museums when I'd rather sit on a hammock on a secluded beach.
I am glad that my wife is like me and we have no kids (and don't want any for a long time).
We get to lie in hammocks on secluded beaches
When I lived with my brother he had a hammock in the back yard. It was amazing to just lie back there for several hours while BBQing and drinking beers.
Too bad Seattle weather only lets you do that 2 months out of the year
If you don't mind the TB.
In your case: I'd say it's much more important to get out there and experience life than it is to gain experience, improve your skills or get an impressive job (well except if you're broke).
Just get out there, do something different, something you've never even considered doing the past 16 years.
If you want a tip from me: get a motorcycle license and buy a bike. Then spend at least every weekend driving to places you've never been. Pick routes that go out of the way, you're bound to come past interesting stuff every time. if you get a dualsport bike you can even hit the gravel roads for maximum fun.
Even better: take that bike on a big roadtrip, drive across that wonderful country of yours, it'll be the experience of a lifetime. Requires some money and dedication, but I'd say it's a must in your case!
not saying you're as bad as this guy, but read how a motorcycle can change your life: http://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/1hmq83/my_bike_and_i/
If you're referring to me, southern morocco has a problem with TB. If you're going to travel there, take precautions. Actually if you're going anywhere in morocco take precautions, goes double to Marrakech and tangiers - and never let women travel by themselves.
Personally, the only inoculation I'm missing is Yellow Fever, and that's because I've not been out to any affected regions yet.
pretty much this, but there are places you don't have to visit yourself, but some you just can't grasp from images at all - the geand canyon is crazy, i couldn't imagine it from pictures or film, but when i've been there whoah what a view.
Going to Egypt was something I thought I'd probably never do or get to do, and after going there in April it really affected me in a positive way. Seeing the golden mask of Tutankhamen, Hatsheput's Temple, Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Aswan, etc, etc, etc... was pretty mind-alteringly awesome. I had seen pictures of Tut's mask a thousand times, in books, on tv programs, online, but seeing it, and his sarcophagus in person is just mind blowing. I had goosebumps looking at it.
Seeing the the pictures I've marveled at in person is the closest thing to a "religious experience" that I'll probably ever have.
Do it!
I went to Sweden this past August, Stockholm more specifically - its a beautiful city.
I went by myself for a week, it was a really great experience.