ROUND TABLE 英语脱口秀文本 第20190521期 越来越多的女性选择独自旅行？
和尚念经:
越长大越觉得时间少，念经的时间也越来越少了。
看来还是要把一本经念透，否则，木鱼成不了木鱼。
正经:
Carl的吞音有点多，我有好几处没听出来。关注我的小伙伴如果有听出来，可以给我留言哦。
整体用的词都不算难，不解释，直接上听力和文本。
【20190521 Female solo traveling on the rise音频】
// 音频在微信公众号 Englishmonk
【20190521 Female solo traveling on the rise 文本】
Heyang: Solo travel has become one of the hottest traveling trends and recent years more and more travelers choose to travel alone in the year of 2018, especially among female travelers. That's quite interesting. Why do you think, well that's happening right now? But do we have some figures and a breakdown of people's travel habits as people wanna go on their ourselves.
Carl: We do in fact have some facts and figures on this. According to the Holiday Habits report released by the Association of British Travel Agents, there are more and more people travelling by themselves over the last few years, according to a report in 2018, around 15% of travelers took a trip alone, which is up to 4% from the previous year. And looking in different age groups. it tends to be older travelers that are more likely to go solo, which I thought was a really interesting finding. and the age group that had the most notable growth in solo travel was people who are middle aged 35 to 44. The likelihood that they'd travel alone group from 5 to 15% between 2017 and 2018. And the number of women who are traveling alone also seems to be on the rise, according to the unique homestay’s survey in 2015. We had about 78% of solo travelers with women, which is a huge number, and it went up to 84% in 2017.
Heyang: That's very interesting. and those are two surveys, one from the UK and another sort of like a global survey. So more female travelers are just simply going solo, flying solo. Is that true?
Huangshan: Yeah, if we draw on?Reportby online travel service website booking.com, there is a survey titled “Do Not Disturb” so the Independent researchspanningfive countries, including the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and Germany. It revealed that 72% of American women have embraced solo travel and are taking advantage of unique destinations for inspiration and the self discovery. Is it because they need more the so called high quality me-time? To be honest, I don't understand because I'm a person who enjoy going out to a foreign country or a different city with a group of people, especially my best friendS or my beloved ones who can share the same interest in a destination. I want to share my feelings during a journey with them. But maybe some people they prefer, you know self along time so they can better explore themselves.
Heyang: Well, that's really interesting. Also, Huangshan, you mentioned two words, inspiration and self discovery. I mean, yeah, In certain circumstances these are very positive things. but I'm also thinking sometimesit's a little keech. Ah, you know, with the eat, pray and love kind of thing. It was a wonderful movie, a Love, Julia Roberts, but, you know those kind of self discovery journeys, and sometimes I don't know. Are we just getting so sentimental these days, as we're living in the concrete jungle and we dont need to fight for survival as much any more and then we get kindof soft and sentimental and need, you know, embark in these special journeys on ourselves. What do you think, Carl?
Carl: I think the risk of during those journeys of self discovery is that you can go out into the wilderness to find yourself and discover that you're not actually particularly interesting. So be warned, I can understand why people would want to travel solo. I said that because I live in the centre of Beijing near Wangfujing Street, Which is a major shopping street and every single day busload after busloads of tourists arrive with the little hats and little flags and the megaphone is yelling at the tourists as they go from shop to shop. No part of that looks like fun, and none of it looks relaxing, so I can understand why people would want to get away and just be by themselves and not have to be hustled from store to store, or from historical venue to historical venue.
Heyang: Very interesting, but Carl, just by your little description just now, I see the upside of traveling with a group too, that is especially if I'm going to a foreign country when I don't know the language, nor am I familiar with the culture, and it gives me a sense of security to travel with a bunch of people, although I mean it doesn't look cool, but at least I'm safe. At least I know where I'm going, and if I haven't had the chance to do any homework, then I can go on that bus, I feel.
Carl: and look, I will confess that I have been on one package tour, only one, that was to North Korea. And that's not a country that you can go to buy yourself. and because it was, let’s say, interesting, somewhat strange, unusual place off the beat track to go. You're surrounded by other widows who go to a place like that, and so we ended up on this tour group that had really fun, equally weird people to me and my friend, and it was a really good experience. I think it would not have been anyway near as fun if we were traveling by ourselves, so I won't totally discount the possibility that you can have a good time in a tour group. But I think it's gonna be the right people, and whether that's a bunch of Random's or whether that family or friends, I think that can be a very different experience.
Huangshan: and also I'm thinking about if they want to go on a solo trip, is it because they want to have some, you know new romance in a different city, or they want to, you know, try something that their friends or their beloved ones doesn't want to try, because sometimes when I go on a trip with my best friend, the parts I hate the most is you need to wait for other people. People have different interest. For example, someone wanna go shopping, but you wanna explore some tourists’ sites, but you may have a disagreement in those schedule. Then one side needs to compromise. Maybe those people just want to be the master of their own. They want to be the one who control all the trips, all the schedule, just do whatever they want, so they don't want to be influenced by other people. They want freedom and may be some new romance.
Heyang: Oh, well, that sounds really nice, actually. Certainly, when you don't need to wait around and you can just do whatever you like and wonder around. I think that's a really nice feeling, and I've done that traveling on my own. And it was. well, I was gonna go with my best friend to Paris, and we were both really excited about it, and though my best friend just stitched me in last minute because she had a family emergency and I was like, after all that preparation and getting the visa was a total hassle. I'm not gonna let all of that go to waste. Also, when you book the hostels, you know we were poor students, you don't get a refund. So yeah, anyhow, so I went on my own, and that was like the first time I've ever traveled solo and I really enjoyed the freedom and as a young person I was a college student and there was the sense of independence that I had never gained before, and that realization was really cool and definitely one of the really unforgettable experiences. Also, I had like six meals a day, including visiting various bakeries and cafes, and yeah, it was a really cool experience, but still at the back of my mind as a woman, I'm not as strong physically as some of the dudes. I constantly had this feeling though that I need to wash my back and I don't want to wander to a dangerous.. well, you know, areas that could possibly be not as safe. and so I mean it's sometimes easy to romanticize what traveling solo can be especially for women, but I think safety is a major issue here and it's something that we need to be aware of before I think actually going on on the trip. Well, what do you think Carl? Traveling solo, men or women you know, you don’t have to give the female perspective as a guy.
Carl: Well, I think no matter where you're going, you do need to be careful, you do look at what the security situation is. You need to be aware of your personal safety. I acknowledge that I think it's a lot less safe for women generally to travel. It's an unfortunate reality, but it is a reality, so I can understand why people might want to travel in pairs or in groups, surely for that reason. I also think and this is my personal theory in life is that every couple has a good traveller and a bad traveller in it. So, for example, my dear former travelling companion, he booked travel for work for people, he was an organizer, but he could not organise to pack his cash properly, make sure he had all the paperwork, he would lose wallets and tickets and stuff, and as I've talked to different friends, it seems like every couple has a good traveller and a bad traveller. There's always one who’s more organized. She's done more of the homework. who knows more about what's gonna be there who has to make more of the decision. So I can understand why people, maybe, want some alone time, want to just travel away from their significant other perhaps or their family and enjoy some time when they don't have to, maybe, carry along the person that they, you know, would be traveling with otherwise.
Heyang: Well, that's a really good point. Caz, Carl, let's say if two bad travellers found each other, and then they should just stay home, I think. Because if they’re, because you know it's all a matter of fate or strong willingness to turn a regular person may be into a good traveller, or if you happen to be a bad one like myself, I hate planning these things. I hate organizing stuff, but I can be the biggest cheerleader once you do it, you know well and sort of listen to some of my preferences too, I mean, that’s a little demanding, but yeah like this is they say that travel is sort of like, uh, a really good test to see if these two, the couple can make it through life, it’s like the first test that they should take once they're sort of going strong and you know, wanna settle down before that, caz, yeah, when two bad travelers are together, I mean, when you're on a trip, you're at your most angry often and unpredictable what might happen and the true colors really show so yeah, quite interesting actually.
Carl: although I would suggest that the trip to Ikea with your significant other, it was really the first test. If you can survive a trip to Ikea, then you can consider traveling, and if you can survive traveling, then you should probably just get married caz it's as good as it's gonna get.
Heyang: Well, there's a you know, a piece of advice that I think is worth listening to, Carl, and well, what about for all those people who are going on solo trips? I understand these days with the navigation apps and with the other language apps you can, a language is no longer a major barrier. Navigation is no longer a major obstacle, but what are the tips that maybe we should keep in mind if we're flying solo to travel?
Huangshan: I think before you make a travel plan you need to do a very thorough research on this country. I'm not saying, it’s a discrimination against women, saying they are less adventurous, but you need to make sure that country you want to go is safe for a solo trip for a woman, because we know some countries is not good for women to travel alone, so you need to do a very, very complete or comprehensive research on your destination and you need to book a commendation in a safer place, even you may need to pay more money for that, but that definitely worths it, I think your security is the most important thing, and also you need to buy insurance beforehand just in case something happens. But I still suggest women and not saying you are in a more vulnerable position, but you if you really want to explore some exotic or very dangerous countries, you'd better find a very strong companion that will help you somehow.
Carl: although to be honest, if I was going to travel in some countries, I would want a strong companion as well. So, I don’t think It’s necessarily just about being a woman and look I know that travel is easy, they've got maps and translator and so on. yeah. But I think there's also something to be said for take a risk that if you’ll get a bit lost, take a risk that you're gonna have awkward situations where you can't speak a language caz you've gone to a totally different country. I look at, you know, I was talking about this with a friend just over the weekend. I've got amazing women in my family, my great great grandmother, and I believe her mom drove across part of a desert in the United States in a model T Ford, the first production car, my grandmother came to China with tour groups in the early 1980s, when the country was just opening up and there was really no English signage anywhere or near convenient translators. And my mom went to the Philippines in the 60s, he went to a nightclub that you had to check your guns in the cloakroom because it was that kind of neighborhood. You know, you can have wonderful adventures and chances are you will be fine. Yes, it's good to have insurance and be a little bit prepared, but I don't think we should discourage people from going off the beat track and you know, enjoying the weirdness that comes with immersing yourself in a different country and language and culture.
Heyang: Well, that's a good point and certainly, I think if people sort of. well, would you like this piece of suggestion Carl that you know, bring your pepper spray or whatever you know and equipment possibly can save you in dangerous moments, and then maybe you know just treat this with caution before going on a trip like that, or am I being a little bit too negative about? no, I am not being negative. This is what needs to be done.
Carl: I would absolutely not suggests pepper spray, which would be illegal in most places, but I think you do need to be prepared and you need to be. Look, you need to be ready to get out of any place in a situation like my grandmother used to call us running away money. If you are in danger, you need to have the resources to get yourself out of a dangerous situation and you need to be street smart enough to know that you are about to stumble into one.
Huangshan: and there's another very useful suggestion is that right down the number, the phone number of your country's embassy in that country? Then, if, I mean just if any emergency happens, They will be the first people to help you out.
Carl: Well there was a great piece of news. Apparently, if you're an American and you're in Australia and you lose your passport, you can get consular assistance at the local Mcdonald's. Really? So that was a nice I actually have people making fun of that being hard to really American thing. I actually think that's a great idea because apparently, in some cases, if you go to the embassy, and you've lost your money or you passport or you've been robbed. The embassy would actually give you food vouchers at somewhere like Mcs, so you can go directly to the restaurant, go straightly to the golden arches, apply for a place on passpart, get a cheeseburger, a coke and some fries, and just sort of chill out in a comfortable place. That's the sameeverywherein the world.
Heyang: Yeah, well, that is a wonderful way to.. not paid for by Mcdonald's, but that there was not an advertisement on my part from Mcdonald’s, but you still have to pay for the cheeseburger. right?
Huangshan: I think it’s covered by the embassy I guess.
Carl: I think if you’re in cases where if you've lost everything,the embassy I?storieswith the embassy's actually just paid for you to have some Mcdonald's.
Heyang: Ok, I'm glad we got that straighten out and also for me, well, I suppose you know, just know your limitations. Of course, pushing the boundaries you know that sounds great, but when it comes to life and death in this situation, for me is that if I go into a forest on my own, it would be a death. There's no way I can make it out, you know, intact on my own, so I'm not gonna go there on my own, so you know, sometimes you just admit it, heyang is a modified city girl and has no, you know wildlife survival skill. So yes, I am not gonna go there on my own. I will definitely drag someone with me or go on new group so. I don’t know, sort of be true to yourself. Yeah, that's what I like to do on this show. Always you have to be true to yourself and it's OK. If you can't survive in a wild forest, on you own. Yeah, and Carl simply does nod “not” , he's shaking his head right now.
Carl: No, because you told me one of the funniest things I've ever opinion about travel when I was, a friend of ours, went camping on the Great Wall, and you said, I don't understand why people would go camping and be outside with the bugs and the mosquitoes in the cold and your observation was along the lines of China has been a poor country for a very long time, and we haven't gotten bored with being indoors and comfortable. So when that happens, then may be more Chinese people will go camping.
Heyang: Yeah, it's like my grandchildren. Okay, Are you sure? Maybe they'll want a camp? But for me, no, thank you. I'm happy to stay in the building with the AC and heating and all that, and I don't want to get close to the bugs or insects or whatever that is. Yeah, I guess there is a reason that I'm happily inhaling the fumes and whatever it is in the concrete jungle as long as I feel safe and there you go, you've got the real piece of Heyang on this show. What an over share! You are listening to round table.
