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Discussion - Travel is a right or privilege?

1/9/2013

Is travel a right or a privilege?

It's been a moral battle for many, since there were places to travel to... "Is travel a right or a privilege?" Share your thoughts and feelings on the subject by commenting below.

(Photo by Jorge Royan, edited)

30 Comments

Mandy link

1/9/2013 02:48:38 am

As much as I want to say it's a right (and wish it was true), fundamentally it's a privilege. Traveling costs money and money is something (that from my point of view) should be earned...though I know many democrats - and drifters won't agree with me ;) haha.

I work so I can travel, and when people ask me how I can afford to travel, I simply explain to them that I work my a$$ off so I can afford it because it's what keeps me going. All my friends have material possessions like houses, nice cars, designer clothes, 4-wheelers, snowmobiles etc. I have a 2 bedroom rental and my itinerary of trips. Just like those possessions, travel is my reward for working.

Experiencing the world and it's beauty is a choice and a privilege that comes with both huge tradeoffs and life-altering rewards.

Amber

1/12/2013 12:11:00 am

I agree with Mandy we all have the right to travel and see the world, but to actually do it is a privilege. Traveling is incredibly expensive. The average person working 9:00 to 5:00 typically brings in just enough to pay the bills. To have extra money for plane tickets, hotel, food that is all a luxury. Another person commented that he travels but in exchange he had to do with less material objects. That's the trade-off.

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/21/2014 10:01:35 am

I love your comment. You are very accurate about one typical 8 hour job only bringing enough to pay the bills.

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/21/2014 09:48:24 am

I can understand working to travel. Everything about travel can get pricey however, with decent research one can travel on a decent budget. I couldn't imagine never experiencing other places an learning new customs.

Ian

1/9/2013 05:40:18 am

Travel should be like driving a privilege not a right. In each case there will always be someone whose path you will cross. You must respect that path as you leave a footprint wherever you go.

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/21/2014 09:50:39 am

I like that analogy. I couldn't agree with you more. Have you traveled anywhere wonderful? If so, what is your favorite destination?

A.J link

1/9/2013 05:42:30 am

It's both, travelling is a right and a privilege. We are so privileged if we can travel, and the world is so much more open to us than in the past. But it is also our right as a human being of this planet to be able to see and experience everything this beautiful world has to offer!

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/21/2014 09:58:44 am

It is everyone's right to travel freely. I do think that it is a privilege. Not everyone gets the opportunity for travel.

Sue Jackson

1/9/2013 06:04:20 am

A privilege. I think, like so many thing it comes down to a person's priorities and what they choose to spend their money on. I'll rarely spend money frivolously but travel is a must for me - it keeps me sane!

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/9/2013 01:03:21 pm

I believe that travel in some ways should be a right, as a human being, inhabiting the earth and all of its splendor. But society has shaped travel into being a privilege to those who can afford it... I think that's another major sadness/injustice of our world.

vanity strikes

1/21/2013 12:18:22 pm

I totally agree on that. :)

Leigh link

1/9/2013 02:47:12 pm

Travel is a privilege not unlike owning a car, joining a Little League Team or learning to sail a boat. Each one will enrich your life in multiple ways and diversify your view on life, but by no means are they an obligatory part of life. Also, travel is not right for everyone, whereas food & water and the right to be an equal member of society are fundamentals.

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/21/2014 10:03:59 am

You couldn't have said it better. Everything has an impact on your life. Travel isn't any different.

Chris link

1/9/2013 08:43:40 pm

It depends on your definition of travel. If we are talking about traveling by paid transport, obviously it's a privilege based on discretionary money available to you, as well as your responsibilities as a citizen of the world. But if we're talking about any form of transportation, say for instance, walking, then we certainly have the right to travel nearly anywhere our feet can take us.

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/21/2014 11:34:14 am

I like your comment. Walking is a right for everyone. haha.

Lionel Lelyveld link

1/9/2013 11:06:26 pm

Everyone has, I believe, the right to travel, its how far and at what cost, that is the deciding factor.

What determines travel? Going to and from work each day is travel, perhaps not how we might define it, but for all intents and purposes it is. Travel to far away places and luxury hotels however is indeed a privilege, an earned privilege.

Most of us do not live in an idealistic communist society where there is equal wealth distribution and equal rights. I don't believe anyone truly does.

It is almost like saying that to own a Rolls Royce is a right, it is of course not.

However, because travel for some may be a privilege, it is not only for the privileged. There are many forms of travel that we each have a right to, however insignificant that travel may be.

Travel, in the way we understand it, is prohibitive from a cost perspective to many. In at way, it is the cost and perhaps the elitism attached to travel that makes it so attractive. If everyone exerted their supposed 'right' to travel, it would not hold the same attraction to many of the 'privileged'.

Travel is perhaps a right, but in many cases, if not all, it is one you have to pay for the privilege of.

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/21/2014 11:36:57 am

I agree. I like the analogy of traveling being a privilege like a Rolls Royce.

Glenn link

1/12/2013 10:15:17 pm

I believe it a little bit of both. It is a right in that everyone has the right to travel if they want to travel. However, the privilege part comes into play when money enters the picture. Quite a few people feel that they don't have the means to travel.

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/22/2014 11:51:17 pm

I completely agree with you. Everyone has the right and deserves to travel. The money and having all of the means to travel is the privilege.

Marina link

1/19/2013 08:49:42 pm

From a baby boomer's perspective,
Right of privilege..Well, all my life I worked hard so my children ( next generation, correct?) can travel. In my entire adult life. I only had three holidays so far ( one for each decade) , and lots of business trips.

However, I have a well established relationship with hundreds of travel books instead and in my heart, I know, there is nothing else I would love to do but travel.

Now that my children moved out, and I am free again, I am planning to travel for the rest of my life to make up for the years I could not.

Actually, my book series 'Away from Home' is about S.A.V.E. Trips, the hotel alternative and how other people like myself can travel for less, with their family, friends and pets. Hopefully, readers will learn that they do not need to wait 30 years to travel again, like I did.

Confident that travel matters and resonates with families as they are the frontline of uncertain times when budget cuts and layoffs, learning how to save without compromise is the family survival kit.

Planning Travel implies the smart use of certain tactics, Travel Guides, ( excellent travel blogs like yours!) and Directories; saving is helping travellers to move away from the tourist strides and trails, but mainly, to educate ourselves as travellers, stay well informed and loose the ‘tourist’ cape, for good.

Being open to new concepts available to the savvy world travellers and looking at the new flags on the hospitality map, could hold the answers to our next experience away from home, as accommodation is the most expensive feature to budget for.

To answer your question, yes, travel looks like a privilege but, in fact, travel is a right like any other human rights. Of course, to benefit of your travel rights, we must earn the privilege of knowing how to travel.

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/22/2014 11:55:47 pm

Wow! Your book sounds amazing! I would definitely be interested in reading that. :)

Jennifer

1/21/2013 03:56:47 pm

When you carry a "third world passport" (like I do) and need visa (where I was subjected to humbling visa interviews) to travel pretty much anywhere, then it adds a whole other dimension to this discussion whether travel is a right or a privilege. The upside to this though is that when we do get the opportunity to visit other countries and get to know other cultures, it makes the travel that much sweeter.

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/23/2014 12:02:59 am

Yes, I can certainly see where this would be on a different level of discussion. :) I am sure that when you get the chance to travel it's an amazing adventure.

Dharm

1/23/2013 02:02:09 pm

Hi Brandon,

This is a wonderful blog! I enjoyed reading through it and admire your photography skills. I would like to introduce your blog to the readers of travel blog I maintain. It is based on the theme -fun, food and travel and includes guest blogging as it main feature. Please contact me for more details.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Dharm

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/23/2014 12:05:57 am

Thank you! That sounds like a great opportunity!

Damien link

3/6/2013 02:03:55 pm

I think we are accustomed in the first world of equating travel with grand flights and exotic experience. If we simplify things considerably and posit travel with movement, then a hour long walk into a different suburb or out into the country side presents the individual with the necessary components to create an event that can enrich. To say it is a right for people to spend $2000 on airfares when others are struggling to survive day by day is hedonism gone berserk. Would be wonderful if travel was a right for all!

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/23/2014 12:11:54 am

Agreed. Traveling out of country isn't the only way to travel. There are many places that can be enriching.

Lauren C link

7/30/2013 07:59:03 am

Travel, in all its forms big or small, is a privilege. An even greater privilege are the lessons learned & experiences gained. Just because you can afford a trip doesn't buy you the understanding needed to grow and learn from travel, so to me true, productive travel is a special privilege that only the open hearted and minded can get.

Brandon Elijah Scott link

1/23/2014 12:15:04 am

I like your post. You certainly hit the nail on the head with your wording. :)

Chris link

1/23/2014 12:27:27 am

I'm a little confused by the comments here. Travel is a RIGHT, pure and simple. You cannot deny someone the ability to find some means to see other parts of the world, even if it's the next town over (unless you're North Korea, apparently).

That's different than not having the ABILITY to travel: to pay for airfare, or train fare, or a car rental. So you don't have the right to have a car; you must earn the money to afford it. You must prioritize what's important to you in life, but you certainly have the right to go somewhere (unless prohibited by law).

This is kind of a nebulous argument. You may have the RIGHT to travel, just not the ABILITY. Therefore, travel is both a right, *and* a privilege.

Discussion - Travel is a right or privilege?

Is travel a right or a privilege?

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