Has a natural disaster ever made you want to visit the place , maybe I am insane.

[dolittle]

God help the people of Maui but oddly it sometimes makes me want to see a place I know it sounds strange bit I think there are others of you who are like this . I once wrote on this site a post about me NOT having any interest in going to Hawaii and now I am re-thinking this. Thinking about it disaster has always been a part of travel think Pompeii . One area I would like to see is Mount Saint Helen's the aftermath of a volcano going off in the early 80s.  What do you think and what places would like to see.

[mom says]

Do I want to visit Lahaina to witness first hand the obliteration of a town and the heartbreak of the people who have to try to rebuild their lives? No. Just like I didn't want to visit San Francisco after the earthquake in '89, or Puerto Rico right after Hurricane Maria. 

 

But I have visited Pompeii. Twice. For the archeology.

[Aquahound]

I have a natural instinct to run toward disaster to help, but as a tourist?  No way.  Not now.  Not until well after the recovery efforts, cleanup, and they are willing to accept tourists to honor the memory.  

[dolittle]

28 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

I have a natural instinct to run toward disaster to help, but as a tourist?  No way.  Not now.  Not until well after the recovery efforts, cleanup, and they are willing to accept tourists to honor the memory.  

I am the same way I am drawn to Lighting ,wind and most of all floods .I hate to see human suffering anywhere but can not stop interest in these natural phenomenon.

[navybankerteacher]

Of course -- seeing Pompeii and Herculaneum  had been tops on my bucket list until largely satisfied on my first, second , and fifth trips to Italy.  

[jsn55]

Gary Leff just wrote about how important it is to visit Maui and spend money as a tourist right now.  The Hawaiians need the jobs that tourism brings, now more than ever.  I'm thinking of the wonderful people who took me whale-watching out of a port about 30 minutes south of Lahaina last December.  They need our dollars to stay afloat, and to help their family and friends.  I don't think there's anything odd in wanting to see what's what with first person eyes.

[sydney dog]

As someone who has suffered through a natural disaster (Sandy).  I wouldn't have a problem with tourists visiting after the area hit was recovered.  I was happy to see people visiting the shore towns after recovery and help get the local businesses up and running.  However, I wouldn't want people just coming in to the area to "see" the destruction, that would just anger me.  That said I am cruising out of NOLA in 2 months, but that happened in 2005...so in that case I think it is acceptable.  IMHO

[DarrenM]

10 hours ago, dolittle said:

God help the people of Maui but oddly it sometimes makes me want to see a place I know it sounds strange bit I think there are others of you who are like this . I once wrote on this site a post about me NOT having any interest in going to Hawaii and now I am re-thinking this. Thinking about it disaster has always been a part of travel think Pompeii . One area I would like to see is Mount Saint Helen's the aftermath of a volcano going off in the early 80s.  What do you think and what places would like to see.

No.

[K32682]

It is one thing to see the site of a disaster that happened centuries ago. It is macabre and creepy to get a vicarious thrill at the site of a disaster like Maui where there still may be unrecovered bodies. 

[sanger727]

58 minutes ago, K32682 said:

It is one thing to see the site of a disaster that happened centuries ago. It is macabre and creepy to get a vicarious thrill at the site of a disaster like Maui where there still may be unrecovered bodies. 

 

Agree. Pompeii is a great and extremely interesting site to see. No, I have no interest in visiting a current disaster area just for fun. IMO, going there to gawk at the misery the people are experiencing is incredibly disrespectful. If you are drawn to it, I'm sure there are organizations that you can volunteer with to help with the recovery.

Edited August 18, 2023 by sanger727

[StollyBolly]

We had a stop in Montserrat in January 2020.   The locals were ecstatic that tourists were back and bringing income to their island again.   The part of the island that had been devastated was a tour and very interesting to see  what nature can do.  
 

I agree Maui needs time to heal.   
 

 

[VMax1700]

Maui and its inhabitants need time to recover and rebuild.  The last thing they need right now is a load of tourists arriving and demanding service and attention.  I can just see the complaints. "I want my money back as the ruined houses I wanted to see have been demolished".  "Honey will you ask the hotel management to stop permitting that smell of burning to get into our room, it's upsetting my spa treatment". etc

[lenquixote66]

16 hours ago, dolittle said:

God help the people of Maui but oddly it sometimes makes me want to see a place I know it sounds strange bit I think there are others of you who are like this . I once wrote on this site a post about me NOT having any interest in going to Hawaii and now I am re-thinking this. Thinking about it disaster has always been a part of travel think Pompeii . One area I would like to see is Mount Saint Helen's the aftermath of a volcano going off in the early 80s.  What do you think and what places would like to see.

In 1965 one of my friends moved to Maui to take a job as a Professor of the University of Hawaii  at Maui.He has been trying to get me to visit him in Maui for many years but for some reason I never went.Now I do not know if he is still alive.

[Aquahound]

7 hours ago, K32682 said:

It is one thing to see the site of a disaster that happened centuries ago. It is macabre and creepy to get a vicarious thrill at the site of a disaster like Maui where there still may be unrecovered bodies. 

 

Agreed.  What happened in Lahaina and what is still happening today is indescribable.  I can't imagine enjoying myself as a tourist out whale watching, or whatever else, while people are mourning the loss of their loved ones and while those search and recovery teams are enduring the absolute horror of finding bodies in a condition no one should ever have to witness.  If people want to support the people of Maui, give to the Red Cross.

[no1racefan1]

I feel drawn to visit a place as a volunteer. When Puerto Rico got hit by that hurricane a few years ago, I desparately wanted to go volunteer wherever I was needed. I didn't get to do that because I couldn't take the time off. My DH and I went up to MT for a couple days camping and to help with Habitat for Humanity after the really bad flooding last year. I do feel the same desire to go to Maui, but not right now, when they are still grieving and haven't even located everyone. But next year, or the year after, I am very interested in going to help, if it's needed/wanted. I also feel a really strong desire to spend my vacation dollars in these places in the future, in hopes that it might help a tiny bit.

[boulders]

I have no desire to visit an area that has had a natural disaster. However, I seem prone to have natural disasters occur in places I plan to visit soon. I was booked to visit Maui on my cruise in 2 months. Final payment has passed and no refund for me. Years ago, I had made final payment on a guided tour to China just before the Chengdu earthquake hit. No refund for me there either. In both cases, the itinerary was changed from those places to what I consider an inferior stop.  Just a warning to those of you in Australia and New Zealand, I'm booked to go there in November. 

 

Edited to add: Up until 2 years ago, I lived on the Big Island of Hawaii. Two weeks before I was scheduled to close on the sale of my house there, the neighboring town was evacuated because of a brush fire. It was extremely stressful knowing that my house could be destroyed soon. Even though I never had to evacuate and the fire burnt out before it hit the neighboring town, it was an extremely stressful time. I developed heart issues because of the stress. My heart goes out to all those on Maui who have been affected. 

Edited August 18, 2023 by boulders

[ldubs]

For me just the opposite.  I spent my younger years responding to emergencies. Nothing appealing to me.   I will stay away.  

[KP@Sea]

Before I retired, my job took me to places immediately following several natural disasters (Katrina, Sandy, Michael…). Any curiosity I felt prior to those experiences was quickly quenched. 
I am drawn to Hawaii, but other than donating money and supplies there is not much I can offer. 

[DarrenM]

On 8/18/2023 at 12:37 PM, K32682 said:

It is one thing to see the site of a disaster that happened centuries ago. It is macabre and creepy to get a vicarious thrill at the site of a disaster like Maui where there still may be unrecovered bodies. 

This.

 

We were too close for comfort at the Greek Asylum seekers tragedy in June, for me to ever want gto rubber neck at a human disaster. Its sick.

[Smitheroo]

I think the OP is being honest about admitting his desire to see recent natural disasters and admits he doesnt know why. I'm not sure it helps to call this sick, creepy, or macabre. If he expressed this thought to me personally I'm not sure I would know how to answer but I know I wouldnt be using these words.   He may be experiencing an intense desire to commiserate with people involved in the disaster. I really doubt he is looking for tourist entertainment.  I know several people who admitted they wanted to go to NYC immediately following 9/11. They didnt know why.  I think they most likely wanted to help in some way, not knowing how, reacting to the shock felt by everyone.  I doubt they wanted to go on a guided tour of Ground Zero.   Advising why its not a good idea to go to the scene right now  can be  helpful, calling it sick isnt. 

[cruisemom42]

I’m currently on a cruise that departed from Reykjavik, Iceland. As many know, Iceland has frequent volcanic eruptions including one that was erupting about 4-6 weeks ago. I ran into someone on the cruise who took a tour that went to the site of this eruption. While it wouldn’t interest me, I don’t see anything macabre in it.

[K32682]

17 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

I think the OP is being honest about admitting his desire to see recent natural disasters and admits he doesnt know why. I'm not sure it helps to call this sick, creepy, or macabre. If he expressed this thought to me personally I'm not sure I would know how to answer but I know I wouldnt be using these words.   He may be experiencing an intense desire to commiserate with people involved in the disaster. I really doubt he is looking for tourist entertainment.  I know several people who admitted they wanted to go to NYC immediately following 9/11. They didnt know why.  I think they most likely wanted to help in some way, not knowing how, reacting to the shock felt by everyone.  I doubt they wanted to go on a guided tour of Ground Zero.   Advising why its not a good idea to go to the scene right now  can be  helpful, calling it sick isnt. 

 

The OP acknowledged in the title of the thread "maybe I am insane" and I would tend to agree with his personal assessment. Creepy and macabre are the words I used and they are entirely appropriate to describe anyone who wants a tourist experience in the immediate aftermath of other people's suffering. 

[dolittle]

35 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

The OP acknowledged in the title of the thread "maybe I am insane" and I would tend to agree with his personal assessment. Creepy and macabre are the words I used and they are entirely appropriate to describe anyone who wants a tourist experience in the immediate aftermath of other people's suffering. 

I did not mean or say I wanted to visit the wildfire site .I have no interest in seeing other people suffering . I think events can change your perspective of a place. I have been lucky to go to many places and have always had a complicated view of Hawaii . In the 90s after one too many trips to Disney World I asked my wife and teenage Daughter how about going to Hawaii this year both groaned and ''said nothing to do there'' but beaches . I had to admit they had a point when the pineapple factory is one of the big tourist spots it may lack some good attractions . I hope to some day get to Hawaii and I promise I won't be gawking or crepping on anyone.

[sanger727]

4 hours ago, dolittle said:

I did not mean or say I wanted to visit the wildfire site .I have no interest in seeing other people suffering . I think events can change your perspective of a place. I have been lucky to go to many places and have always had a complicated view of Hawaii . In the 90s after one too many trips to Disney World I asked my wife and teenage Daughter how about going to Hawaii this year both groaned and ''said nothing to do there'' but beaches . I had to admit they had a point when the pineapple factory is one of the big tourist spots it may lack some good attractions . I hope to some day get to Hawaii and I promise I won't be gawking or crepping on anyone.

maybe your first post was misunderstood. It sounds more like you are saying ‘I never planned to go to hawaii, but facing the reality that it could be uninhabitable someday is causing me to re-consider.’ That I think is a perfectly normal reaction. I think alot of people took you talked about the ‘natural disaster’ to mean you wanted to view the area where the disaster hit

[Smitheroo]

12 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

The OP acknowledged in the title of the thread "maybe I am insane" and I would tend to agree with his personal assessment. Creepy and macabre are the words I used and they are entirely appropriate to describe anyone who wants a tourist experience in the immediate aftermath of other people's suffering. 

I'm sure the OP will appreciate your understanding. I have to admit he set himself up for criticism based on the rude comments that I have received as well as others have received, on these forums so that doesnt surprise me.

 

You're reading into his words.  He didnt say he wanted a tourist experience. He didnt know *why* he had this urge. I'm sure he didnt really think he was insane.