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I’ve never understood why traveling is considered a status symbol.
I’ve honestly met more people who will look down their nose at you for not caring about international travel than those who will look down at you for your zip code.
I don’t get it.
Very true. You can see it on display in this thread of how those who travel a lot believe everyone else is less sophisticated and informed than them.
I also believe that a large part of the "how can you afford to travel?" question comes not just from the specific trip, but the number of trips and time off work. The typical person asking gets maybe 2 weeks off during the year. So they might consider one trip a year reasonable. Expensive perhaps but doable. But when someone talks about multiple trips per year the person hearing is wondering about not only the cost of all those trips, but affording the time off from work. Taking months off a time is not something most people can do.
Very true. You can see it on display in this thread of how those who travel a lot believe everyone else is less sophisticated and informed than them.
I also believe that a large part of the "how can you afford to travel?" question comes not just from the specific trip, but the number of trips and time off work. The typical person asking gets maybe 2 weeks off during the year. So they might consider one trip a year reasonable. Expensive perhaps but doable. But when someone talks about multiple trips per year the person hearing is wondering about not only the cost of all those trips, but affording the time off from work. Taking months off a time is not something most people can do.
I have encountered a considerable amount of jealousy from those who do not travel.
In fact, I make a point of seldom talking about traveling unless I'm in a forum like this one, unless I am with a group that likes to talk about traveling, or I'm with a couple of close personal friends.
My wife recently retired from her job at work. I believe that many of her coworkers were jealous of the fact that we usually took about two major a trips a year (usually out of the country). The mistake she made was telling her coworkers where she was going. Anyway, there were a number of reasons she chose to retire, but I think the jealous attitude of her coworkers was part of it.
In my experience, travel seems to cause people to be more jealous than doing something like buying an expensive new car. People seem to largely overlook that.
I would encourage anyone taking big trips though to think twice before sharing your travel plans at work. You may want to tell them you're just staying home and doing yard work.
I would encourage anyone taking big trips though to think twice before sharing your travel plans at work. You may want to tell them you're just staying home and doing yard work.
Trying to maintain lies to many people I'm around every day about where I was for two weeks, before and afterward, doesn't sound like a good idea. I'd much rather man up and deal with anyone who's got envy issues than try to balance lies like that.
Yeah we meet Dutch folks all the time who speak English almost like natives, bit of a Germanic accent but they have no problems in fluency with English. Swedes too, I've never met anyone under about age 40 from Sweden who didn't speak English really well.
And I agree on English, it's all you need to know to travel. We see Chinese/Japanese/Korean people struggling through English to communicate with locals in other Asian countries Philippines/Thailand/Vietnam/Laos/Myanmar/etc. English is the language of travel, business, navigation, etc. and anyone born and raised as an English speaker (especially with an American accent) is really lucky in that regard.
Yes, really lucky. But you need to be lucky enough to have the funds to travel.
I live abroad (in France) and have lots of (paid) vacation time and so I travel a lot. Lately more and more people ask me how I can afford to travel so much and tbh I can't help but get offended. Am I the only one? Are people even right to ask this question? I feel like how I pay for things is none of their business.
Well, it wasn't the most polite thing to ask, but getting offended is a waste of energy.
When we went to South Africa and Amsterdam last Spring, a friend asked if we had won the lottery. I laughed. In truth, South Africa is pretty cheap, and we had enough Hilton Honors points that we never had to pay for a hotel. Our safari was a bargain and we got a deal on plane tickets.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoodHombre
Yes, really lucky. But you need to be lucky enough to have the funds to travel.
costs about the same amount as staying home.
If you have no other payment obligations than a house payment or rent...
rent out the home and GO.
If you don't have $2000 - $5000 extra funds...
1) Sell some extra stuff (So you don't have to store it)
2) Get a PT gig to accumulate some $$$
3) Find a cheaper way to travel (I used to do a lot of hitch-hiking). My veggie cars are practically free to drive (and purchased for under $100)
4) for USA (and many other countries) Free Camping dot Com or similar.
5) Eat via grocery stores (culled produce, it is FINE, just not pretty)
Need more time off work... ?
Change jobs and travel between assignments, or take a LOA.
One job I did alternating 4 day work weeks and 4 day weekends. (good time for local or 'fly-drive' trips.)
Trying to maintain lies to many people I'm around every day about where I was for two weeks, before and afterward, doesn't sound like a good idea. I'd much rather man up and deal with anyone who's got envy issues than try to balance lies like that.
Totally agree. Who needs a reputation as a liar. If you don't want to discuss your travel plans, just tell your coworkers you'd rather not talk about it at this time.
At the risk of setting you off into a frenzy of emoticons and excessive angry punctuation with choppy little sentences, it isn't as easy as just telling people to go change jobs to one that allows time for travel between assignments and if people took a LOA then not earning a paycheck for that time period sinks your "costs about the same" thing since they are losing that paycheck.
I live abroad (in France) and have lots of (paid) vacation time and so I travel a lot. Lately more and more people ask me how I can afford to travel so much and tbh I can't help but get offended. Am I the only one? Are people even right to ask this question? I feel like how I pay for things is none of their business.
Not offended but annoyed. It's none of their business.
If you have no other payment obligations than a house payment or rent...
rent out the home and GO.
If you don't have $2000 - $5000 extra funds...
1) Sell some extra stuff (So you don't have to store it)
2) Get a PT gig to accumulate some $$$
3) Find a cheaper way to travel (I used to do a lot of hitch-hiking). My veggie cars are practically free to drive (and purchased for under $100)
4) for USA (and many other countries) Free Camping dot Com or similar.
5) Eat via grocery stores (culled produce, it is FINE, just not pretty)
Need more time off work... ?
Change jobs and travel between assignments, or take a LOA.
One job I did alternating 4 day work weeks and 4 day weekends. (good time for local or 'fly-drive' trips.)
Many options.
I am not interested in very frugal travel, like camping, Couchsurfing, working holiday(volunteer).
When I can't afford a decent vacation(4-star hotels, dine out every day), I won't go. There's nothing wrong with staying at home. Sleeping on my own bed is ten times better than camping, not having to pack and unpack is relaxing, cooking a light breakfast at home is easy and healthy, reading a book in my chair is also a very rewarding experience.
Luckily, I have more time to travel than most people.
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