Your time travel destination of choice?

[daft]

Let's say it's the year 2075 and time travel is a very expensive but extremely popular new vacation option available to citizens of united Earth.
If you could afford only one (or if you want to expand the topic, a few) 48 hour long trip into the past or future, what date(s), events and eras would you choose, and why?

 

[Zelig]

Single trip as far into the future as I dare, in hopes that they can cure my aging.

 

[schlaufuchs]

Would not time travel. The past is fun to study. The past is a [feces]hole to live in.

 

[Quintillus]

Zelig's idea is a very practical one if you can retain that benefit when you come back. Although hopefully you wouldn't wind up in a post-nuclear-war wasteland and die of radiation or a destroyed environment on your vacation. That would suck.

But the possibilities in the past... there's a lot of fascinating options. The Pax Romana era in Italy would have to rank up there. Mostly to take in the culture of the era, but I'm also a bit curious about authentic ancient Roman cuisine, which as I understand it differs heavily from modern Italian cuisine. Having read so much about Roman times, it would be very interesting to live in them for a short time. But for a vacation, I'd want the Pax Romana, not, say, the Roman Civil War.

For a much more modern experience, I'd consider the U.S. in the Roaring Twenties. A prosperous, largely optimistic, somewhat opulent time, at the dawn of the modern American lifestyle with automobiles, radio, and widespread electricity. I think it would be an interesting time and place to spend 48 hours.

If it were cheaper than space travel, then the Moon in 1969 would also be a nice time travel trip. But it wouldn't surprise me if space tourism were within the reach of the middle class (if not as often as regular vacations, at least once or twice in a lifetime) by 2075.

For a lot of other potentially interesting time periods, I feel the potential downsides wouldn't make it worth it as a vacation (as opposed to visiting as a historian). Egypt during the construction of the pyramids would be very interesting as a historian, but probably wouldn't be a great vacation compared to Egypt in the near future. Istanbul in the 1500s would likely be interesting, but I'd want to start out by visiting Istanbul in the present. And Owen's right that the living conditions of a lot of places in the past would not be enticing for vacations. Not only unsanitary conditions, but famines, more common warfare, and such. Medieval Europe is fun to study, but wouldn't rank near the top of my vacation lists. The Pax Romana is different enough, interesting enough, and peaceful enough that I'd be willing to accept the negatives of living nearly 2000 years before 2075 for a few days.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Several years before WWII. On a single mission.

To kill Hitler, duh.

 

[Krajzen]

I would do the same with Marx before publishing his great work.

Sorry Marx, I appreciate your trying to invent better society but your fanfiction caused approximately 100 000 000 dead people and was tragic for... Uhm... Russia, Eastern Europe, numerous African and Latin American countries, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, did I forget something?

If this wasn't possible I would kill Lenin in early WWI or do anything to avoid Russian Civil War (9 000 000 dead people).

If this wasn't possible I would kill Stalin as soon as Lenin died to avoid Ucrainian Famine, Great Purge, Gulag Archipelago and WWII.

If this wasn't possible I would kill Mao after his party destroying Nationalist China (because this regime was tragic on its own) to avoid Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution.

If this wasn' possible I would do whatever to avoid division of Korea.

If this wasn't possible I would do whatever required to avoid Cambodian Genocide.

If this wasn't possible I would sink conquistadors' ships before reaching America. Natives were destined to die from epidemics brought from the Eurafrasia but I think it would be possible to find less barbaric conqueror than conquistadors.

If this wasn't possible I would at least kill Polish king Sigmond III Vasa before his... controversial rule.

 

[Tee Kay]

I'd go back and stop my parents from meeting, so I wouldn't be created.

Paradox, etc

 

[Masada]

I don't think I'd want to go back to live. Observation would be alright. Short visits would be interesting. Otherwise, eh.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

I would travel to the 1920s to see my home town in its pre-war glory and beauty.
Going back really far freaks me out a bit. Not knowing customs or even the language to me seems like a good way to get killed.

I would do the same with Marx before publishing his great work.

Even though I don't like our economic system and dream of an alternative and believe in an alternative I actually applaud this endeavor. Because I think Marx' legacy has been a net-benefit for the legitimization of the "no-alternatives"-mindsets and in the end greatly strengthened the status quo, as well as crippled the search for alternatives.

Bring me his curly head.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

I'd go back and stop my parents from meeting, so I wouldn't be created.

Paradox, etc

I never really understood why there is the assumption that this is a paradox.
This seems to rest on the idea that one is somehow magically tied to ones past/origin.
But since you are already there, what is the problem with not having another you created? No need for that. You you already exist! Right there preventing your parents from hooking up or having sex that particular night. All that this does is that you won't be able to meet another you.
If you decided to not prevent your parents from having a TK and traveled back in tome to meet past you. There would be two yous. And if both yous traveled back further there would be three yous and so on... But your parents only had one TK! Paradox? Nope. Time travel in the past by definition means that there is more than there should be.

Stupid ass paradox

 

[Traitorfish]

I would do the same with Marx before publishing his great work.

Marx was already dead when volumes two and three of Capital were published.

 

[Ajidica]

Marx was already dead when volumes two and three of Capital were published.

Well, if that isn't proof of him going back in time and killing Marx, I don't know what is!

I'm sure the entirety of Capital Vol. 4 consists of Karl Marx giving detailed instructions on how to carry out mass murder and suffering in the communist way.

 

[Quackers]

Pre-Roman Britain. I want to see how people lived in this time. I want to visit Stonehenge when it was being built and ask them why they're doing it. I am also curious about what beliefs they had about the origin of the world, ethics, laws and so on.
As far as I know, we only have a bit of archaelogical evidence from this era. Hill forts mainly. We don't have any written records from this time. I also read recently that the whole modern pagan "druidism" movement is based on nothing from that time as no knowledge of it exists. I would like to get to the bottom of that.

 

[daft]

I'd get a Kevlar vest and helmet- provided you could travel with something else than your body alone and visit the Mesoamerican people before the Europeans came, I could become their deity and perhaps teach them a few things, like the wheel.

 

[Masada]

Pre-Roman Britain. I want to see how people lived in this time. I want to visit Stonehenge when it was being built and ask them why they're doing it. I am also curious about what beliefs they had about the origin of the world, ethics, laws and so on.
As far as I know, we only have a bit of archaelogical evidence from this era. Hill forts mainly. We don't have any written records from this time. I also read recently that the whole modern pagan "druidism" movement is based on nothing from that time as no knowledge of it exists. I would like to get to the bottom of that.

It's unsurprising that we don't have written records, since Stonehenge 1 dates to about the same period as the invention of writing (3100BC) while every subsequent iteration of Stonehenge down to the last stage Stonehenge 3 V (1600BC) predate the arrival of writing to Great Britain. For reference, Linear B which is what the Mycenaean used to write in came into use about 1450BC, so even that is younger than the finished Stonehenge product. It's also important to note that Stonehenge well predates the appearance in Britain of what we term "Celtic culture" (Hallstatt Culture) in 600BC.* I'm not sure what that means for Druids, but I suspect those weren't a thing at the time. As it is, we don't know much about them when they were a thing because they were a mystery cult that catered to elites that didn't like to advertise what it got up to.** I think it'd be interesting to know about the people who built it. I'm just not sure druids or Celts are going to be a thing while Stonehenge is being built. Like a millennium after, sure, but otherwise no. I actually find it sort of terrifying that I have no model in my head for who these pre-Celtic people are...

* I'm sure someone knows how to frame this better than I do.
** See above.

I'd get a Kevlar vest and helmet- provided you could travel with something else than your body alone and visit the Mesoamerican people before the Europeans came, I could become their deity and perhaps teach them a few things, like the wheel.

First, nobody thought the Europeans were Gods. Second, Mesoamericans knew about the wheel. It was just, sorta, useless given the terrain. The Spanish knew this and relied on donkeys as pack animals for most of the colonial period.

 

[Quackers]

It's unsurprising that we don't have written records, since Stonehenge 1 dates to about the same period as the invention of writing (3100BC) while every subsequent iteration of Stonehenge down to the last stage Stonehenge 3 V (1600BC) predate the arrival of writing to Great Britain. For reference, Linear B which is what the Mycenaean used to write in came into use about 1450BC. It's also important to note that Stonehenge well predates the appearance in Britain of what we term "Celtic culture" (Hallstatt Culture) in 600BC.* So the thing predates Celtic influence. I'm not sure what that means for Druids, but I suspect those weren't a thing at the time. As it is, we don't know much about them when they were a thing because they were a mystery cult that catered to elites that didn't like to advertise what it got up to.** I think it'd be interesting to know about the people who built it. I'm just not sure druids or Celts are going to be a thing while Stonehenge is being built. Like a millennium after, sure, but otherwise no

* I'm sure someone knows how to frame this better than I do.
** See above.

Yeah, I was going into quite an enormous time scale there. I would have to make many visits. Also: there are no written records made in Britain pre-Roman invasion, right? Also, who were the Britons of Pre-Celtic Britain?

 

[Terxpahseyton]

I'm not sure what that means for Druids, but I suspect those weren't a thing at the time. As it is, we don't know much about them when they were a thing because they were a mystery cult that catered to elites that didn't like to advertise what it got up to.

Random trivia: I read that such "Druids" among other things guarded the secret that fly amanita will not actually kill you so they could enjoy those magic shrooms without having to compete with others who may collect them.

Though my source for this is heresay, so perhaps this is a myth of its own, though as wikipedia states

Many older books list Amanita muscaria as "deadly", but this is an error that implies the mushroom is more toxic than it is

 

[Masada]

I don't know if that's true, I sort of doubt it though.

Yeah, I was going into quite an enormous time scale there. I would have to make many visits. Also: there are no written records made in Britain pre-Roman invasion, right? Also, who were the Britons of Pre-Celtic Britain?

That's correct we have no surviving written records. I don't know if that means that the British (and I'm using the term loosely) couldn't write or whether nothing simply survived. I'm thinking the former rather than the latter. As to your second question, that's quite easy: the same people as Celtic Britain. All that happened was that people came into closer contact with the continent and adopted continental material culture (the Hallstatt culture). Interestingly, I think Britain didn't get that much of La Tene culture which is something which is closely associated with pre-Roman Gaul. I think, and I'm not sure, that this meant that the Insular Celts were rather different to the Continental Celts in a lot of respects. Anyways, at some point it became attractive for people to speak Celtic, probably elites who owned all this mad Continental swag and wanted to sound like those Continental peeps, and that's how we ended up with the two Insular language families of Celtic.

 

[Traitorfish]

Although it's worth noting that nobody's actually sure how long the Celtic languages have been spoken in the British Isles, because as Masada says we've no Celtic sources. It's just sort of assumed that they came across with the Hallstatt culture because we don't have anything else to go on.

 

[Krajzen]

Well, if that isn't proof of him going back in time and killing Marx, I don't know what is!

Yeah I have just returned. Amazing journey. Unfortunately his commie friend had a copies of those works

I'm sure the entirety of Capital Vol. 4 consists of Karl Marx giving detailed instructions on how to carry out mass murder and suffering in the communist way.

As I said, Marx didn't obviously plan terrifying totalitarian systems and was not directly evil (...rather silly while making completely wrong assumptions about human psychology and humanity ) but in this particular case if his earlier death could prevent indirectly:
- approximately 100 000 000 dead people in 20th century
- economic devastation of half of the world (half of Europe, Russia, China, Mongolia, Trasoxania, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, various South American and African countries)
- probably WWII (Stalin and his brilliant politics)

Then, well, sorry man.

If the only way to kill Stalin was during his infancy, well, I would also support this ugly intervention.

Generally I am against 'the end justifies means' (...see how communist utopia ended) but in this hypothetical case death of one particularly unfortunate man (or just evil, in case of Hitler/Stalin) could save dozens of millions innocent people.