I used to agree with this but am now less certain that travel is mostly mimetic desire/signaling/compartmentalization (at least for myself and people I know, rather than more broadly).
I think “mental compartmentalization of leisure time” can be made broader. Being in novel environments is often pleasant/useful, even if you are not specifically seeking out unusual new cultures or experiences. And by traveling you are likely to be in many more novel environments even if you are a “boring traveler”. The benefit of this extends beyond compartmentalization of leisure, you’re probably more likely to have novel thoughts and break out of ruts. Also some people just enjoy novelty.
I think this is probably true of you and people around you but also you likely live in a bubble. To be clear, I’m not saying why people reading this should travel, but rather what a lot of travel is like, descriptively.
I used to agree with this but am now less certain that travel is mostly mimetic desire/signaling/compartmentalization (at least for myself and people I know, rather than more broadly).
I think “mental compartmentalization of leisure time” can be made broader. Being in novel environments is often pleasant/useful, even if you are not specifically seeking out unusual new cultures or experiences. And by traveling you are likely to be in many more novel environments even if you are a “boring traveler”. The benefit of this extends beyond compartmentalization of leisure, you’re probably more likely to have novel thoughts and break out of ruts. Also some people just enjoy novelty.
I think this is probably true of you and people around you but also you likely live in a bubble. To be clear, I’m not saying why people reading this should travel, but rather what a lot of travel is like, descriptively.