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My wife and I are squarely middle class and travel fairly regularly. Our travels can be from a two hour drive to Kingston, ON, the family cottage in Muskoka, to jumping on flight to Las Vegas or Manhattan. In May we took a week and got married in NYC, then spent an additional week on our honeymoon in Veradero, Cuba. Last week, we booked on a tour group to see the Packers trounce the Lions in Detroit this November. Before we met, I had travelled to Ireland and she had been to Japan.
I really don't get how destination is keyed to "social class". We choose our destinations based solely on interest level and time constraints.
I imagine time constraints are related to how much time you can afford financially to take off. Obviously someone living from pay-check to pay-check won't be able to take time off for a European vacation.
What are common travel destinations for different social classes in your area?
Travel is one of those luxuries that depends on disposable income and number of days off.
Therefore, the lower class and working poor do not seem to travel much beyond visiting family members and occasionally going to an amusement park or nearby state park.
A popular destination for working-class families around here seems to be Wisconsin Dells. Other places that seem to attract much of the working class include state parks, the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota, and family members in distant states. Men go on frequent hunting and fishing trips to the woodlands and lakes within an hour or two. They may go on the once-in-a-rare-while leisure trip to Disneyworld or on a couples' cruise on one of the low-brow lines like Carnival.
Among the middle-class, flying the whole family out for a vacation is more affordable, or used to be. Popular destinations abroad for middle-class families in Minnesota are, or have included, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cancun, and the Playa Riviera of Mexico; within the country, they may go on regular trips to such places as Florida, the western national parks (Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, etc.), as well as more close-in destinations such as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. They may own a cabin "up north" (referring to Northern Minnesota), where they often keep a motorboat moored. Cruise lines like Carnival are popular with them.
This also applies to many of the more affluent members of the working class.
The upper middle class (and middle class youth) seems to travel the most out of all the social classes (except the upper class), both for business and leisure. Leaving business travel aside, popular destinations for upper middle class families and couples are Hawaii, Italy, Costa Rica, and upscale Mexican destinations like Cabo San Lucas. Closer-in, they seem to have an affection for Door County, Wisconsin. They would seem to cruise on more upscale lines.
I don't know much about the travel habits of the upper class.
Where I live most people travel to places where they have family on religious/national holidays or they pick any destination of interest worldwide if they can afford it.
Ski resort and ski habits of people has significantly changed. 30 years ago or so, anyone could afford skiing. A lift ticket and ski rental was within reach of most middle class families. Fast forward 30 years. A lift ticket is ten times the cost for a day pass. 1980 you could go skiing for $12 a day! 2013, even cheap resorts are $85 a day. A normal resort, $120. That is not even factoring in cost of ski equipment, lunch, or ski clothing.
Skiing is now pretty much for the wealthy. Call golfing a white man's sport? How many black skiers can you name? It is rare to see minorities skiing, except for Asians.
I live in the vacation capital of the US--the Orlando area.
Those without means either don't go anywhere or maybe go to a place like Magic Midway or Old Towne in Kissimmee where you can pay by the ride or just walk around and look at stuff, or go to the beach for the day.
Those who are lower middle income to middle income tend to have annual passes to one or more of the theme parks, and typical vacations out of the area are to other parts of Florida, the mountains in GA or SC, or one of the beaches for a few days to a week or a cheap cruise.
Upper middle income travel any number of places including NYC, Las Vegas, Boston, NOLA, the Caribbean, Mexico, and a lot of cruises.
The lower end of upper income tend to go to Europe, Hawaii, cruises, pretty much anywhere.
The jet-setters go wherever is popular for jet-setters that season.
It has more to do with priorities than money. I am solidly middle-class - but have travelled far and wide around the world, often for weeks or months at a time. I prioritise travel over other things I could spend my money on ...
Again, it's priorities.
I agree.
As a youngster I vowed my life would be full of adventure and I would travel the world. My family was not affluent and we were right in the middle of the middle class.
By the time I was 21 had been to Europe four times, as well as Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
At this point in my life I have visited around 85 - 90 countries on six continents ... not just quick tourist visits but 3 1/2 months on one of my four trips to India and Nepal, three months in Israel, Egypt and Jordan, a month in Thailand, etc.
Maybe in the old days, and certainly not in the US, the land of new money and self-made millionaires...
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