Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A poster above mentioned Lisbon, Portugal as a great city to visit. I totally agree. We went there for 2 weeks last year and loved it so much. It doesn't have hordes of tourists, and really very few tourists from the U.S. Great meals, pleasant people, not expensive at all. And a very navigable city. We walked everywhere. Just had to bring really comfortable walking shoes. In particular, I remember one of the tile museums as being quite unique. And temperate weather as well.
When I was a little kid, I'd talk about traveling to neat places all the time. THAT was encouraged. Now as a middle aged adult, I travel around the US often. And now my family (especially brother) resents it bigtime.
I don't even bring it up anymore ever. And wanting to share it with them was part of being a family I thought.
Guess not. but as posted earlier by others, people have money but cry poverty and then don't travel. I have far less money but I'm always blowing it on cool road trips!
My wife, like a previous post, stopped telling her coworkers. She even lied to her coworkers if I traveled without her. (We had different schedules and as a teacher my vacations were set). I'd go to Miami for a few days and she tell her office mates, and they'd all think I was cheating on her, or something of the sort. None of those cackling old hens in the office did anything unless it was to stay at home and clean their houses. No one even understood why we'd leave all weekend on a weekend several hours away in NYC or Pittsburgh (yes, you can do any city cheaply if you try) and never stay home and do yardwork or be all wrapped up in family (our families did not live nearby). They also thought we were blowing money. We'd stay at Motel 6 near NYC, take public transportation, and spend the afternoon in Central Park or Coney Island for darn near free and the cackling hens back home thought we were living it up in Midtown Manhattan on shopping sprees, I guess. Those old bitties would spend more at a local tavern or at the local Applebees.
We just stopped telling people after a while. But our kids sure had a great time traveling over the years! But our kids' friends? Like their parents, they hardly ever left the town or even the county. Some people thought it was neat that we did what we did. A lot of weekends seeing stuff within driving distance. Most didn't get it and/or resented it. Especially our families where we grew up.
It is sad, for sure.
Regarding travel envy, it depends on the crowd. I work in a place surrounded by people who love to travel so we often talk about our travels, past and future, compare notes, etc. A couple of my co-workers are veterans when it comes to solo women travel, so I like chatting with them to get ideas, especially when I have another solo travel pending. The funny thing is, one of them is an expert on Europe since she's been to many, many, places in Europe multiple times, while another favors South America. So depends on where I'm going, I know whom to call .
One of my coworker's 67-year-old mother, not only travels alone all the time, she blogs her travel. She's been to everywhere, including Antarctica. I want to be like her mother when I grow up. I believe she's traveling to Brazil next for a month, as usual, solo.
Since any travel from our island is pretty expensive, there isn't so much envy, I don't think. Folks just accept that it is terribly expensive to travel. It is expensive enough that if they don't go anywhere they don't have to justify it to themselves by being upset at the folks who do travel.
Plus, why travel anyway? We don't visit, we live in Hawaii. That's sort of an unstated underlying thought, though, most folks living here try not to brag about it overmuch but there's kinda a certain smugness that creeps in anyway. I think that goes a long way to keep everyone from being envious about when their neighbors travel and they don't. Kinda like "the poor things went somewhere not as nice, so who needs to be upset?"
Spending three hours on the beach around here means it's the weekend or it's after school. It's not really a luxury. So, I guess it's all just different viewpoints.
I would hate living in Hawaii and not be able to travel elsewhere. It'd be like being in jail. Alcatraz.
However, it's not easy to save up for a big trip even once a year when you don't make a lot of money. Rent, bills, car insurance, etc sucks up a lot of money out of a paycheck. I would love to take a few trips a year but it's simply not feasible.
The reality is is that many many people have to pay the bills first. I put money away every paycheck into a separate account for travel but sometimes I need to take money out of that account. Don't assume that people waste their money on frivolous things simply because they're not traveling every few months like a lot of people on this forum seem to do.
And, as has been pointed out on other threads, Americans are allowed much less vacation time compared to people in other countries.
And, as has been pointed out on other threads, Americans are allowed much less vacation time compared to people in other countries.
yep, that's largely true. I think in corporate America, it is almost career suicide to ask for a 2 week vacation, not to mention a 3 week one in most companies, unless it is during the time the company is almost shutdown for business (such as during Christmas season).
On the other hand, people in Europe gets 6 or 7 weeks of vacation every year, often in large time chunks. Even here in Canada, it is more generous. I took 5 weeks off last year and my manager Oked it right away, and I don't have to worry about my career is "jeopardized" in any way.
America is a highly productive country, but at the cost of quality of living, especially when it comes to travel. Unless you are a teacher or something, it is hard for a regular employee to travel far, so many people simply can't travel much before retirement (after that, most may not have enough money, or may not be healthy enough to).
yep, that's largely true. I think in corporate America, it is almost career suicide to ask for a 2 week vacation, not to mention a 3 week one in most companies, unless it is during the time the company is almost shutdown for business (such as during Christmas season).
On the other hand, people in Europe gets 6 or 7 weeks of vacation every year, often in large time chunks. Even here in Canada, it is more generous. I took 5 weeks off last year and my manager Oked it right away, and I don't have to worry about my career is "jeopardized" in any way.
America is a highly productive country, but at the cost of quality of living, especially when it comes to travel. Unless you are a teacher or something, it is hard for a regular employee to travel far, so many people simply can't travel much before retirement (after that, most may not have enough money, or may not be healthy enough to).
You think quite wrong. Many of my friends who work for corporate America take 2-3 week trips every year and have continued to climb the corporate ladder.
Many corporations offer 5+ weeks of PTO annually. My husband is up to 37 days, not including holidays and bereavement. He is in I/T.
America is a highly productive country, but at the cost of quality of living, especially when it comes to travel. Unless you are a teacher or something, it is hard for a regular employee to travel far, so many people simply can't travel much before retirement (after that, most may not have enough money, or may not be healthy enough to).
Lol. How the heck would a Canadian know anything PERSONALLY about US corporate policy, vacations, economy, retirement, or health?
Oh wait, are you talking out of your as$?
Let me guess, you are going to bring up the vaunted socialized medical system Canada has. I will raise you being a physician in Michigan seeing patients from Canada paying out of pocket for treatment not covered by the Canadian medical system.
America is a highly productive country, but at the cost of quality of living, especially when it comes to travel. Unless you are a teacher or something, it is hard for a regular employee to travel far, so many people simply can't travel much before retirement (after that, most may not have enough money, or may not be healthy enough to).
Yes, there is a law of diminishing returns, but in reverse. The less time off allowed, the less time one has to do much of anything, even if one does make it overseas. Unforetunately, this applies to people who would like to travel.
Thinking back over the years, I've spent my limited vacation time visiting family, more often than not. Family ties are important to me, and the short time off is useful for that.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. 
