Why are you here?

I enjoy smiting the spammers. 😎

1. I spend a huge amount of time researching travel topics for my own trips--much of which I never make direct use of. I love being able to share some of the information it has taken me so long to acquire.

2. I learn a tremendous amount from reading others' posts here. The first thing I do when I decide to visit a new area (and most of my travel time is spent in new-to-me areas) is read all the posts about it on this forum.

To learn from everyone. As a new traveler, I have learned so much over the past couple of years.

I now enjoy checking the posts for the countries that I have trips planned for the next couple of years. Plus, it’s a nice, quick break when I get bored at work. 😊

1. I have learned so much from all the experienced travelers and ex-pats on the forum. And I have so many more places to go and so much more to learn.

2. I’m an overplanner so I hope I am giving back with what I have gleaned, especially to inexperienced travelers who are in the same learning curve I was in four and three years ago.

3. Through all the imposed and self-imposed Covid lockdown, the forum has given me a touch of humanity and commonality outside of the horse and hubby worlds.

Thanks everyone. Allan, another great, thoughtful topic.

This forum keeps me abreast of the latest info on travel especially since covid. And it seems the posters here have the info faster than any news outlet. I learn new things here just about every day.

In 2017 I stumbled upon this forum. I posted some questions about our upcoming trip to Greece. I was blessed with such wisdom. It was the simple things that I had not thought of like not dividing our time in Athens and going to the furthest place on the day we arrived that made the biggest difference in our trip.

I came back after our trip with the idea of giving back to other travelers. But then I got hooked. I found I liked sharing what I have learned and I like learning from others. Plus, this forum is a low commitment distraction from other things that I enjoy less!

Just another aspect of my travel obsession! This forum is now a hobby of mine. I have learned a lot and like to help others.

I started coming here right after Rick Steves started this forum many years ago. I retired several years ago, however, and now I have more time to participate in the many discussions on this forum. I also come here for the following reasons:

1. To learn about future trips, with the understanding that everyone's viewpoint is different, so I take everything I read with a grain of salt.
2. To contribute information from trips I have taken; partly because I love writing about travel but also as a way of giving back to those to helped me.
3. To have fun - there are many posts that are interesting and fun to read, and give me ideas for travel or packing and so on.

I like helping North Americans have more meaningful travel to Europe and especially my home country of Spain, I notice they tend to be more interested in understanding a country's culture and history, which I appreciate. This site has also been immeasurably helpful in improving my written English.

Well, in 2012 I started with the desire to learn how to travel better to the places I was going. And that is still true. But at this point, it is a lot about community. This is where I can feed my travel desire with like-minded people, even when we don’t agree. Many of us are travel addicts together. :)

I love London. Been sharing on this forum what I’ve learned over decades about my stays there. I’ve been consistent in saying “ London is always changing, always the same.”

That’s one reason I’m on the forum, to share.

A second reason is to learn.

Throughly enjoy reading posters responses to questions about what to see in other countries as well as reading trip reports.

I am here to learn from travelers who share my interests and often have a wider experience than me. Seriously, I have bookmarked many of Claudia's reports! After that, I try to contribute where I think my experience may be helpful. Finally, I see the forum as a research tool when some new opportunity comes my way. Where else would I learn about manure-spreading season in the Berner Oberland?

Because if you put all of us together in my huge room, we would instantly be friends because we all have one thing in common already—the love of travel!

There is always someone on the forum who has gone where I'm going and knows the "better way" - saving time or money or effort. Perhaps, in return, I've been somewhere that someone else is trying to go and I can save them some time or money or effort.

When I read this thread's title, my first thought was that we were going to be having a Hamlet-esque discussion on the reason for our being :-)

As others have said, I first came here to get information. Now it's much more to try to give helpful information. And, yeah, sometimes for the entertainment value.

“Why are you here?” I’m here to see your next thought provoking post Allan!

That, and same as spoken by posters above:

“I learn a tremendous amount from reading others' posts here.” - acraven

“Just another aspect of my travel obsession! This forum is now a hobby of mine. I have learned a lot and like to help others.” - Tammy

I didn’t know about this forum when we took our first two RS tours. But, I stumbled upon it while researching our first independent trip. Back then, I would use my lunch hours at work to eat at my desk and research - something totally different than the engineering job the rest of the day. Others helped me, so I have enjoyed paying it forward. And I enjoyed this forum as a group of friends who “get it” when others’ eyes glaze over if I speak too much about travel. 😉. (Our local RS travel group says the same thing!)

I’ve received some nice comments and private messages from my trip reports, and that’s always nice to know that I have helped someone else enjoy their experiences in Europe. I also write them to print a copy and save it in each trip physical folder of paper souvenirs, maps, etc. , reading through them occasionally and stepping back into a trip!

During the first year of Covid, looking at the forum was personally depressing, so I took a break. Now it’s enjoyable again, and I like to read new questions and responses over my morning coffee.

I also really appreciate how quickly people respond when I have a question, so I try to do likewise.

I find lurking on this site a fascinating cultural insight into North Americans!

Because I try to keep people from making big mistakes and because I have a lot of experience with Vienna to share.

I usually come back on this forum when I have an upcoming trip booked that I'm excited about. I quell the anticipation by reading these posts haha. Next trip is in Portugal in June- can't wait.

I started with this forum to research my first trip to Italy with family. I found the information so valuable. Then, I started reading it just to learn about different things and be part of a travel community. I've asked questions and and answered some. I became somewhat addicted to it and read it almost every day.
When Covid shut down travel, I took a break from the forum like another poster did. It just hurt too much to read about travel when I didn't know when it would happen again. Now, I'm back to reading it, probably too much. Is there a support group for us that are addicted to this forum?? haha

I'm here because the RS forum community discuss a wide variety of interesting travel-related topics and pose thoughtful questions like this one! I also appreciate the respectful, kind and sometimes playful tone of the online banter without the snark that is so prevalent on other online forums. I am especially in awe of the members who patiently help new travelers to navigate the minutiae of trip planning.

I'm here because I like to tell other people what to do. IRL it's not nearly as easy 😂

Added benefits include -
- meeting great people, some I've also met in person and a few that have become friends
- getting advice and tips for my own travels
- some really interesting stories, sometimes a good laugh

I don't think it's work since contributors do it for their own reasons, but it certainly does take a chunk of time to give good info and I appreciate everyone who takes the time.

I’ve been on this forum since it was the Helpline. I’ve learned from so many and I hope I’ve helped a few. I think the thing that has most impacted my life through the forum is how many good friends I’ve made. I started our local travel group 12 years ago because I noticed that Denver had one. Now there are multiple travel groups, so thanks to Lee for thinking of starting the first one. Meeting in person and on Zoom with others who enjoy travel as much as I do has been so rewarding.

When I read this thread's title, my first thought was that we were
going to be having a Hamlet-esque discussion on the reason for our
being :-)

I'm more comfortable using travel quotes from Snoopy or Winnie-the-Pooh, but since Eric was expecting Shakespeare...

“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it” from As You Like It.

Or a great travel quote if you take it out of its original context,

"The world's mine oyster," from The Merry Wives of Windsor.

But A.A. Milne was pretty good too;

"Rivers know this- there is no hurry. We shall get there some day," Winnie-the-Pooh. A perfect quote for the RS philosophy. 🙂

I lurked here for years before I felt comfortable participating. I've never considered myself expert enough or experienced enough to have the definitive answer to any question, but if I think I have a worthwhile contribution to make to the conversation, then I do. And thats how I look at it - a conversation with whoever happens to show up, sharing opinions and interesting stories. Like meeting friends and strangers at a pub.

Its entertainment and educational. I've filed away a lot of bits of information for future trips. Its become part of my post-retirement daily morning routine to check in and see what people are talking about. Same with forums on other non-travel subjects.

I joined the Forum in early 2013--I had already made 2 successful solo trips, to London and Victoria, BC, and was gearing up to tackle Estonia for the first time and realized that travel had become very important to me. If I'm not planning it or doing it myself I enjoy reading about what everyone else is doing, getting ideas and tips for better trips, and potentially helping others is very gratifying.

I'm here because I like to tell other people what to do. IRL it's not nearly as easy 😂

@ Chani, I did laugh! I do far too much of this IRL - and hopefully less here…..

And Andrea, the zoom meetings begun during 2020 have been something I really enjoy! I love putting faces with names (and travel experiences).

Entertainment

Entertainment

Seriously agree. Some days it is eminently entertaining and occasionally the best part of my day. Life has been somewhat boring during much of the pandemic and the forum can usually be relied on to temporarily relieve the boredom.

I'm also here because I learn more about the places I'm interested in traveling to from the contributors here than I do from generic guide books. I'm not as well traveled as some here so my own contributions are limited, especially since it's been several years since my last trip to Europe and most of my personal experiences and information are now out of date. But I do try to give my own take on places when opinions are asked for. I've been lurking since 2007 and posting since 2012. It's been good for me and I hope at least of few of my posts have been helpful to others.

Very helpful tips and information especially over the past two years and for those of us who actually negotiated travel to Europe last year. To help plan, to read a variety of opinions, to provide information based on personal experiences, and finally to find a more friendly forum than some of the really nasty people on the TripAdvisor forum.

I'm here so I can even learn about pooping challenges in Greece. What a topic! Entertaining but at the same time informative on what to expect when I eventually get to Greece. So many back door topics that I wouldn't have thought about if someone hadn't wondered about it first in this forum. I can't count how many times I've checked my insurance policies, credit car policies, etc. because of a question posted here.

Good question!
To me, it's mostly for a sense of purpose, and as an outlet for my strong interest in anything related to travel planning. Also, my job is often very quiet, so I confess that the forum occasionally keeps me busy on slow days.
And it is also a learning experience: as I come across other people's good advice, I gradually incorporate into my own advice and hopefully give better and better advice ;)

Such an interesting question, as usual.

I agree with almost everything others have replied. What often motivates me is that I really just like to know things and very much do not like finding out that HAD I known some fact I would have not gotten into trouble, or not missed out on a great thing to see or do, or just made different choices. Just this morning I am seriously annoyed to find out that years ago I was in a town in Italy for one night, just as a convenient place to sleep, and now I learn that the church in that town contains exactly the kind of 14th century frescoes I go to Italy to see. Grrrrrrr!

I don't in general like to help people --- I'm married to someone who goes way out of his way all the time to help people and I am not generous like that --- it's really in this specific way that I enjoy giving out information. It's easy and satisfying. My year-round volunteer job is almost 100% about researching and then giving out information, and for one week every year I am literally sitting at our information desk answering questions and solving problems. It's somehow important to me, sitting at that info desk, that the 1,000th time someone asks me where the bathroom is or puts their question in a really "stupid" or overly general way, I give them a good, patient answer, instead of saying "Look at the map" or making them feel stupid for asking. I try to be like that on this forum.

While planning travel or while actually traveling, I have been (and will be) that person who needs to know something and maybe doesn't know who to ask or exactly how to ask. So, when I know something that might be helpful to someone, I feel like sharing it.

High signal to noise ratio.

Low nastiness and general ego issues.

Low nastiness and general ego issues.

This is a common comment to my question, and I have to agree with it. This is the only website that I’m a regular contributor to. I haven’t tried to be a regular on any other travel sites, but I have tried on some of my other interests, particularly sports. But the civility is like night and day, and I’ve had to walk away from most. It’s disappointing that people choose to think it’s OK to be a bully or a smart-ass behind a computer screen. Thankfully this forum tends to be significantly more civil, helpful and intelligent than most. Pat yourselves on the back…

I love travel - love being somewhere new, love planning trips and dreaming of future travels. My husband loves to travel but doesn’t feel the need to plan and discuss it nearly as much as I do. This is a good outlet for me to communicate with others who also love it - and love to talk about it.

I love travel too, and miss it now. I appreciate the good info and advice I get on this forum, in response to my own questions and by reading responses to others. It's often entertaining. I'm sort of an explainer by nature (can be annoying, I know) and this is an outlet for my explaining tendencies. (My wife thanks you.) I don't participate in any other forums or message boards or social media, what I've seen of them has not attracted me and often repelled me.

Someone commented on how constructive and helpful and courteous posters are here, and I agree. It's really a community I'm glad to be part of. That's partly due to the webmaster and the spam-reporters, whom I appreciate. And I have to acknowledge, as I expect we all do, that Covid has deprived us of many other ways to connect with people and the world, and this forum helps some to fill that void.

Another good topic, Allan, and the Shakespeare is a bonus.

I have received so much assistance with the planning of trips for the past few years so I want to do the same for others on travel that I know best. I haven’t been on recently because of various personal issues but I’m back on and am enjoying reading threads and learning about people’s travels.

I learn things I would not have known otherwise and we also get to share our favorite travel places with others.

I agree with so many of the above replies ... but I'll also add for me I'm a little (well, maybe sometimes a lot) bored at work (actually work from home, which makes reading this forum easier to do since I can multitask on a conference call without fear of getting busted) ... but I'm sure I'm in the minority :-)

We can read reviews on Trip advisor but I feel with this forum we are more in touch on a personal level where we can ask "have you ever stayed at a particular B and B?" and receive a personal response. I also like to have personal experiences from people who have visited certain places, get honest feedback and hopefully we have been helpful as well. This forum has helped us to be smarter travelers. Before the internet and Rick Steves our first European experience makes Chevy Chase seem like a pro. We have evolved somewhat into more savvy travelers but still.have a few mistakes.here and there.

DQ ditto. For me the personal stuff and reviews is without context so kinda limited beyond providing a start point. The factual stuff tends to be buried in personal bias which limits its use. But it is all very entertaining.

Same here Dana. My husband loves to travel but doesn’t need to talk about it too much. The majority of my friends never get past the Jersey Shore for a week in the summer. And yes, the information I read here when I am planning a trip is so helpful. My cousins still talk about the Scavi Tour from our Rome trip which I read about here. When we were in Amsterdam and my cousin saw the line for Anne Frank’s house and said, no, not waiting, and I pulled out our prepaid reservation while walking to the front of the line, these are invaluable tips. I love the monthly zooms with Andrea in Sacramento and Kim in Washington DC (there aren’t too many east coasters). So many reasons. And yes, entertainment. Some posters are just so clever with words, they give me a quiet chuckle.

• This is a good outlet for me to communicate with others who also love it - and love to talk about it.
• The majority of my friends never get past the Jersey Shore for a week in the summer.

We have a tough time talking about travel with our closest group of friends because we all have such different travel desires. One couple has a cabin about a 2 hour drive from their home and they rarely venture further than that. Another couple wants nothing more than an all-inclusive where they can sit by the pool and be served drinks, and another thinks Vegas is the centre of the universe. None have a desire to plan ahead and feel no need to discuss travel plans, and none are really interested in hearing about our adventures. For me, this forum scratches an itch.

I'm here for the fashion advice. And the snarky comments!

Because I noted that there is not that much knowledge about the Nordics on this forum.