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It's a good reminder of the bubble the average HN reader is likely in - including me, and apparently this BBC writer - that something like 80% of people have ne
by sho 7y ago
It's a good reminder of the bubble the average HN reader is likely in - including me, and apparently this BBC writer - that something like 80% of people have never flown.
- alias_neo 7y agoIn the UK, we're on a tiny little island. If we want to go anywhere interesting, we generally have to fly. Also it's often significantly cheaper than trains to continental Europe.
- icebraining 7y agoMost people can't afford to "go anywhere interesting."
- alias_neo 7y agoI understand a some can't afford to, I don't believe "most people" can't afford to. The other commenter said 25% of Brits haven't flown (according to the Telegraph). Given you can get half way across the world without flying the total number of people who haven't left these isles should be a bit lower.
- icebraining 7y agoI meant worldwide, not just UK. BBC isn't restricted to the UK.
- alias_neo 7y agoYou replied to my comment about the UK, it's only fair for me to assume we're still talking about the UK since you didn't specify. I agree that world-wide "most" is likely correct.
- icebraining 7y agoFair enough, I wasn't clear; but my point is that sho's number was probably about the whole world, so it doesn't make much sense to make an UK-specific reply.
- Ensorceled 7y agoStill, 25% of you have never flown[1] [1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/a-quarter-of-britons-have-never-been-on-a-plane-visited-a-beach-or-european-capital/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/a-quarter-of-britons...
- alias_neo 7y ago25% is significantly lower than the 80% OP suggested. I'd say it's about what I would have expected for the UK. It's not a terrible figure.
- Ensorceled 7y agoRight, a rich island country has 25%. What would you guess India, China, and Africa has as a percentage?
- alias_neo 7y agoAfrica is difficult, because it's a continent, and there is a lot of variety, but India and China, I'd imagine extremely high, like the 80% figure mentioned, or more.
- umanwizard 7y agoMaybe a bit of “grass is greener” here, but I think you have plenty interesting on your tiny island - from incredibly picturesque natural landscapes to one of the top 5 most important cities in the world, and everything in between.
- alias_neo 7y agoI was exaggerating a little, we do have some stunning landscape, and I agree that Liverpool is top 5 :D
- Kaiyou 7y agoDon't you have ferries?
- alias_neo 7y agoThere are ferries to the isles and Ireland, yes. there is the "Euro Star" train which can be boarded with vehicles to take you to continental Europe, it stops in cities like Paris, Brussels, etc, and you could probably catch something that floats too.
- benj111 7y ago"we're on a tiny little island. If we want to go anywhere interesting" Why is that more true of the UK than anywhere else? We're connected to the continent via train so can in principle get to anywhere interesting that way. Plus the UK is fairly compact and interesting in its own right, it isn't exactly mile after mile of uninhabited wasteland.
- alias_neo 7y agoIt was mostly a joke, but, there is some validity in that we are surrounded by water. If you want to go from say, Montreaux (Switzerland) to Evian (France) or Aosta (Italy) you can hop it your car and drive there in very little time. It's not _quite_ that easy from here.
- 7952 7y agoIts actually the ninth largest island in the world.
- alias_neo 7y agoI saw an infographic recently, that compared islands by size, can't remember where, but it was interesting to see the relative sizes of islands one assumes to be much larger/smaller than they are!
- umanwizard 7y agoI first realized this in Manila, when a 50-something cab driver to the airport was enthusiastically asking me if I was excited to see snow in Korea (my next destination). He had never left the Philippines and therefore had never experienced winter weather in his life. I suppose it should have been obvious in hindsight that international travel would be a huge expense for a cab driver in a developing country, but I never really considered it before then.