To think that most people on a plane don't know where they are going?

[sallysummer]

When I talk to people they often have an appalling knowledge of geography - not knowing where Poland is, confusion which ocean is which etc; geography is my area of employment.

I think I could get on a plane and ask people to show me where they are going on a map and they couldn't - why do people not know where places are?

I failed geography at school. If I book a flight I know where I’m going.

But you can always see exactly where you are on the tv screen.
I usually fly sleazy jet, I count it as a good day that the plane has engines, never mind tv screens

My dad has always taken great pleasure in spending hours pouring over maps. I think I got the same gene. I used to work somewhere with a map library.... I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

If you asked me to show you where we were going on a map, I wouldn't show you. I'd also possibly pretend I didn't know what the weather was like or how long the flight was going to be.
Not because I don't know that information but because your attitude is so unbearably smug.

Many years ago. I went to Goa ( in India , formally , I believe a Portuguese colony )
A couple at the resort were furious , as they assumed Goa was in Portugal

You just stick your head out the window and ask for directions, no?

My mother's friend went to Cuba a few years ago. Mother asked me, quite seriously, "Is Cuba still in Russia or is it a country of its own now?"

Honestly, I was just

"Isn’t the precise point of going somewhere to find out about it?"

Yes, but you should do some basic research first. For one thing, you need to make sure you don't break any laws when you're there.

"A couple at the resort were furious , as they assumed Goa was in Portugal"

Oh dear!

Now you see, I’ve been on a plane to Sri Lanka but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to point to it on a map.

I mean I know it’s sort of near India and that India is sort of down there in the middle, sort of on the right of Africa. I think.

Hilda - because it's Communist I suppose. That's very funny.

A few years ago I told my mum I was going to Korea with work. North or south she asked? (I'm not in such a risky job that they'd send me to North Korea!).

Only ever had the TV screen on long haul flights.

OP I get what you're saying. I often visit relatives in different places in Ireland and admittedly I don't actually know where in the country these cities are... The plane just takes me there 🤦🏼‍♀️

You don't really need to know where some country is located on what ocean or which continent, as long as you know surrounding areas of where you are going and what you want to do/visit.

@Gwenhwyfer, possibly, but to be honest she seemed to be under the impression that it was a couple of miles down the road from Moscow!

That is of course if you are not really interested in where you are going, as long you have good time.

"You don't really need to know where some country is located on what ocean or which continent, as long as you know surrounding areas of where you are going and what you want to do/visit."

But if they haven't looked up which continent the country's in, it's unlikely they've done any other research isn't it? Including looking into any laws they might break or cultural sensitivities they may offend.
If I was going somewhere I think the first thing I'd do was google it, and in the old days I bought or borrowed rough guides, lonely planet guides and the like, learnt a few words, etc.

Listen I’ve met people in a lift who don’t know where they are going and don’t press any buttons at all and just stand and stare and expect it to move, so I am not at all shocked that people don’t know what sea they are crossing.

(Although on holiday DP and I always do look on a map and have a discussion argument about what sea we are standing in)

I've spoken to people who thought they were going to the Dominican Republic and ended up in Dominica. Surprised they worked it out really.

Made us wonder if many people going to St Lucia end up in South Africa (though both are wonderful)

You might not enjoy this then OP

Mechanics is my area of employment.

I think r.e. a car, I could ask people to show me how the engine works and they couldn't - why do people not know how the engine works?

What a pompous tit I sound....

LizzieBennettDarcy ooh, that does sound like heaven! I love maps. One of my favourite things to do as a child was get an OS map out and take myself on an imaginary journey. I can spend hours now pootling around on Google Earth. Consequently I am very good at knowing where places are. My DS however, would be unable to easily find anywhere outside of Western Europe on a map.

When you say most, do you mean "a very small number, but I disapprove of them so much that they loom large in my mind"?

Gwenhwyfar, of course, most people like you would look it up, find out about culture and really enjoy holiday in a foreign country. But some are different, they are just looking forward to getting drunk and having good times. Tbh, some, not all, British tourists are quite notorious.

To be honest, if someone shoves a map in my face when I'm on a plane I would also feign ignorance of where I'm going.

I know someone who booked a flight to la palma instead of las palmas (gran canaria) by mistake so went on holiday on a different island (had to book accomodation when there).