Tag: dailyprompt-1910

Nothing, Babe: A Travel Philosophy

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Daily writing prompt
What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?
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DAILY PROMPT RESPONSE

To me, this is a loaded question. Like there’s just one place you’d never want to visit, as if you hear a name like Topeka and just decide: absolutely not.

I’ve been around. I’ve seen beauty in unexpected places and tension in spots that looked picture-perfect. So saying I’d never go somewhere feels rigid, and life’s too unpredictable for rigid rules.

But I won’t lie—there are places I instinctively avoid.

Some of that’s just gut feeling. I avoid places with names that don’t sit right—Bone Gap, Jim Falls, Slidell. Part of it is how they sound, part of it is associations I can’t quite shake. Sounds silly, but names carry weight. They trigger memory, emotion, or sometimes just a weird vibe that tells you to keep moving.

Then there are practical reasons. I don’t mess with places where monkeys outnumber people. That’s not fear—it’s realism. Monkeys throw things. I know myself well enough to admit I wouldn’t handle that gracefully. I don’t believe in animal cruelty, and I don’t want to find myself in a moral showdown with a macaque.

Then there’s the deeper stuff. As an American soldier, I’ve seen how quick misunderstandings can turn into something worse—especially when we didn’t know the customs or context. That always struck me as ironic, considering how much we pride ourselves on our ‘attention to detail.’ It taught me to respect where I go and to prepare before I get there. It also taught me that sometimes, respecting a place means knowing when not to go.

When my ex-girlfriend said, “No places with a history of cannibalism,” I didn’t laugh it off. That was her line, and I respected it.
But I couldn’t help myself—I looked at her and said, “So… just to be clear—California’s out, right? That whole Donner Party thing. Colorado too. Can’t forget Alfred Packer. Oh—and Virginia. Jamestown had a real rough winter.”
She stared at me, confused. “Wait… what happened in Virginia?”
I took a long sip of my drink, nodded slowly, and said, “Nothing, babe. Just history being weird again.”

Some places carry histories that deserve reflection, not vacation photos.

So no, I don’t have a definitive “never” on the map. But I have instincts, boundaries, and experiences that shape how I move through the world. That’s not fear—it’s awareness. And in a world this big, I think that’s fair.

the bucket list

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What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?

To me, this is a loaded question. Like there is just one place on this Earth, you would like to avoid. As if you randomly hear of a place and automatically decide never to travel there ever. Since I have traveled a great deal in my life, the question could be, where in the world you never want to visit again.

However, since that isn’t the question, I suppose I should act right and answer the question straight. HA! Anyone, who knows me, knows as an absolute certainty, except on the rarest occasions, I will not answer a writing prompt straight. Today is no exception.

So, here we are without any further preamble. I humbly present …

~the bucket list~

Places with strange names:

  • Topeka, Kansas – I don’t have a solid reason for this one other than I don’t like how they feel when I form them in my mouth. I’m saying aloud over and over right now. Just to make sure it wasn’t a strange occurrence that happens. Yep, I’m certain; still not happening.
  • Bone Gap Illinois – I’m unsure if this place still exists. It might have changed its name. As a child, we read the phone book. You read it right, “reading the phone book” presented hours of fun making fun of the strange names of people, companies, and towns. Who names their town that?
  • Jim Falls, Wisconsin – I stay away from this town simply because when I think of “Jim Falls,” “Where ?” Immediately pops into my mind. Then, ENTER the RABBIT HOLE. Then a seemingly endless list of questions forms in my head. “How is he?”, “What happened?”, “Has anyone fall-proofed his house?”Must I continue, or do you get the point?
  • Slidell, Louisiana – I knew a woman from there once. Yeaaahhh…NO!

Places that may have Cannibalism in their history:

Normally, this would be a thing, but I was planning a vacation with my lady, and she had a list of disqualifiers. Cannibalism was on the list. I can’t say this request is completely unreasonable. I’m a big guy. I have concerns. With a little googling, these names stuck out to me.

  • Cambodia
  • Liberia
  • Congo

Places with a large monkey population:

While you are shaking your head at my response. You know you heard of Planet of the Apes, both versions; don’t play with me. Monkeys like to throw things at people. I’ve been a person who enjoyed things being thrown at them. I know me; I don’t do animal cruelty. So, it’s just best I stay away. These places stood out.

  • Costa Rica
  • Brazil
  • Thailand

There you have it, my Top 3 of my bucket list of places not to go to ever.