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Have you experienced this from coworkers, those that can't travel or will not travel? Mostly this originates from those with families/kids who are not able to travel and those that give various other reasons why they can't travel.
There is a single guy at work who earns 6 figures and says he cannot afford to travel to Europe because it's "so expensive", I am like excuse me? what do you do with all your money? So he says that it's not enough vacation time since he gets sick a lot and needs sick time. But we get 3 weeks a year off in this place...surely it's enough to go somewhere Excuses.
I usually take 2 major vacations a year, a 2-week vacation around Nov and a smaller 1-week vacation around May. This in a company where virtually nobody takes time off. So, there is a tremendous amount of envy for the fact that I am "always traveling" and "it must be nice to have so much money, so much time, so much vacation" etc. etc. The truth is that now I am a full time employee and don't travel as much in this company. Prior to this I was a consultant and traveled at least 6 weeks out of the year since I got much more time off.
It just seems that many Americans hardly travel at all. If they take some time off it's a couple days here and there to stay home and chill. Which is fine, to each his own, but I don't understand envy. Each person has choices and they have to live with them. And if you don't/can't travel then don't hate on others for doing so.
I think most Americans' life is extremely boring. All about work, kids and their activities, and their suburban house. Watching a movie in the cinema is a major entertainment plan. Spending 3 hours on the beach is such a luxury thing.
I don't think travel is a lifestyle, it is more about the curiosity to know what's like on the other side of the world, how different people live their lives and how things are done in other nations. Unfortunately many American family men/women are not interested in that. They would rather spend the money keep updating their fr**ing suburban homes with endless things to fix.
As to being able to afford to travel, well, if you squander money on $10 lunch burgers and $4 coffees every single day, and wonderful "night life" on the weekends, as well leasing the latest model of cars or spending 40% of income on a damn house half of the space you don't need, of course you won't be afford to travel to Italy or Argentina.
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.
People in the US are subjected to a lot of misinformation about traveling, for example you are told that you shouldn't travel when your children are young because it is more expensive, or it's a waste of money because they won't remember, or there is a fear of being scorned by other travelers when they see a small child on a plane, or they think they are limited to "child friendly" vacations locations like Disneyworld which is ridiculously expensive. I would suspect that it would be cheaper for a family of 4 with two small children to go to Europe for a week than to go to Disneyworld but no one would ever suggest such a trip to them.
For adults in general I think that we aren't told very often about mid-price international travel, on this board most of the time suggestions tend to indicate that 4 and 5 star is the only way to travel and that by trying to do a trip on a lower budget is seen as a waste.
Another thing is that is hard for people who live near airports where cheaper fares can be found to remember how much more expensive it is for people who don't. In the DC area, I am spoiled for choice, in addition to having 3 major airports within 50 miles, I can get to 4 additional major airports within a 4 hour drive. There are people who have to drive 4 hours just to get to an airport that will cost them an arm and a leg to get anywhere.
One benefit of hearing about mistake fares is that more and more people are becoming more interested in being in the know about travel deals. Even if they don't score one of the errors they will start checking the post the errors and also be exposed to travel deals that the airlines do put out.
Finally while international travel is great, you've also have to admit there are some pretty great places to visit in the US and it's possible that they are trading doing 2 longer international trips with 5 or 6 "long weekend" trips in the US.
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.
Not to be a downer but I've heard that folks in Hawai'i had BETTER love Hawai'i because going beyond their own islands will be really expensive - either to the mainland, Asia, or Australia. It's paradise...but the same paradise for years on end.
I've been to Maui twice now and I'm sure I'll return but I have other destinations as well.
Location: Scott County, Tennessee/by way of Detroit
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k374
Have you experienced this from coworkers, those that can't travel or will not travel? Mostly this originates from those with families/kids who are not able to travel and those that give various other reasons why they can't travel.
There is a single guy at work who earns 6 figures and says he cannot afford to travel to Europe because it's "so expensive", I am like excuse me? what do you do with all your money? So he says that it's not enough vacation time since he gets sick a lot and needs sick time. But we get 3 weeks a year off in this place...surely it's enough to go somewhere Excuses.
I usually take 2 major vacations a year, a 2-week vacation around Nov and a smaller 1-week vacation around May. This in a company where virtually nobody takes time off. So, there is a tremendous amount of envy for the fact that I am "always traveling" and "it must be nice to have so much money, so much time, so much vacation" etc. etc. The truth is that now I am a full time employee and don't travel as much in this company. Prior to this I was a consultant and traveled at least 6 weeks out of the year since I got much more time off.
It just seems that many Americans hardly travel at all. If they take some time off it's a couple days here and there to stay home and chill. Which is fine, to each his own, but I don't understand envy. Each person has choices and they have to live with them. And if you don't/can't travel then don't hate on others for doing so.
I get that from my brother in law...talking about people who won't travel..he's one of them...but he hears our plans of a cruise or flying somewhere and he always says to me MUST BE NICE.....but he won't get on a plane because of his claustrophobia...it's weird... does he feel bad for wanting to go but can't get on the plane?
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.
smug? for what? Hawaii is nice for a winter vacation, but I doubt most people want to live in a hot and humid place year around with very little culture.
Not everyone WANTS to live on a tropical island. I would much prefer living in a sophisticated city with some seasons than Hawaii. You get bored staring at the beach and ocean sooner or later.
It simply comes down to a matter of different priorities. You place a higher priority on vacationing than they do. That's all.
That is totally fine, we are talking about why these people have envy against those who choose to travel also why they act like they are somehow forced to partake in their choices and would rather travel but they cannot... it's not that they cannot, it's because they CHOOSE not to or have made other choices in their life that they prefer over traveling.
Finally while international travel is great, you've also have to admit there are some pretty great places to visit in the US and it's possible that they are trading doing 2 longer international trips with 5 or 6 "long weekend" trips in the US.
only if you are into just nature. If you like vibrant urban centers with culture and history and architecture, you are screwed being stuck in the US. Even San Francisco feels sterile and boring.
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So he says that it's not enough vacation time since he gets sick a lot and needs sick time. But we get 3 weeks a year off in this place...surely it's enough to go somewhere 
Excuses.
