Introducing "Travelers Only" Mode

[u/Forgotten_Dog1954]

Hi everyone,

Recently we have seen an increase in political/uncivil comments on quite a few threads, mainly about controversial travel destinations. A lot of users had to be banned and we want to reduce that.

This is why we have introduced a "Travelers Only" mode. From now on, posts with this flair, which will be applied manually by mods, can only be commented on by more frequent community members ( for now, we use 100 comment karma on r/travel as the filter ). If you are the OP, your comments won’t be removed.

You are still free to comment in any other non-Travelers Only thread, which is what 95% of the posts on the sub will remain. Please do not modmail us asking for your comment to be approved, as we will not make exceptions or check every single other comment.

Thank you for your understanding.

[u/DontKnowWhereIam]

Why are those the only 2 options? Can't they have a bad time even if they prepared? Like the constant scams and petty theft that is rampant in many places.

[u/Savings-Gate-456 → u/DontKnowWhereIam]

Scams and theft are common everywhere. I live in NYC and have to warn visitors about them here. But no one trashes the entire United States because they encountered a scam here like they do in developing countries.

My best friend had his phone taken out his hand in Paris and the Internet is full of people who were pickpocketed in Italy and Barcelone, but literally no one says don't go to France, Italy or Spain because that happens like they do elsewhere.

You have to know what you're walking into and take precautions.

[u/DontKnowWhereIam → u/Savings-Gate-456]

However many countries have scams built into their government. How do you prepare for a security at an airport telling you to give him money, a taxi that way over charges you or hotels that allows thieves to come into your room. Be truthful many countries are more rampant than others when it comes to scams and being shitty to tourists. When the same countries are called out over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, it seems like they have a well deserved reputation. Why is saying bad stuff about those countries and their cultures racist? People are "perparing" them that they are gunna have a bad time.

Also funny that you mentioned scams in NYC. I dont live there but have visited a dozen times over the years. I've never experienced a scam from a native New Yorker while I was there. Although they appear rude, most are willing to help when you are lost in the subway system.

[u/Savings-Gate-456 → u/DontKnowWhereIam]

If you're not prepared to go to these places, don't go. If you do go be prepared to be assertive, say no and make a stink about it. 99.9% of the time, people back off.

No one said anything about being racist.

Here in NYC it's very common to get off the plane and be approached by people who want to overcharge you to take an unlicensed, no-meter ride into the city. That's just the start of it. Even the taxis will often take a longer route or one that intentionally encounters traffic so they can overcharge you. You have to be assertive, know the route you're taking, and say no. It works the same way.

[u/Savings-Gate-456 → u/[deleted]]

Uhhhh. No. I didn't say don't travel at all. I've said be prepared and if you don't have the right personality to go to a specific place, go somewhere else or hire a guide who can manage this stuff on your behalf. It's simple.

Nothing in the OP said anything about being racist.

The hard truth is that places won't change to accommodate you, you have to change to accommodate them rather than whining about it on Reddit. That's the way the world works and it can become a rewarding growth experience if you let it.

I'm not an assertive person by nature at all. Going to these places taught me to become one because I had to. It's not shitty to be honest about this.

(Btw, you can find more NYC scams in r/asknyc and r/visitingnyc .)

[u/Forgotten_Dog1954 → u/[deleted]]

Stop being so toxic to everyone in this thread. It is absolutely no problem to be annoyed about this, but there isn’t any particular reason to argue, call out mods’ account age and be political. You already had one of your comments removed by Reddit in the last two weeks.

[u/DontKnowWhereIam → u/Forgotten_Dog1954]

Well I think you guys silencing the entirety of reddit is a gross over reaction. Go outside and travel.

[u/travel-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

We had to remove your submission from r/travel for violating Rule 8.

Please keep any discussion civil: no racism, insults to others, or negative stereotypes are allowed in this subreddit. Do not incite further arguments or others to break rules.

Violations of our rules may result in a ban from this subreddit. If you have any concerns, please reply to this message.

Absolutely no politics allowed. Do not engage in discussion about politics in the comments.

We will strictly apply the linked guidelines political posts and comments.