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.
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.
Have been to the Netherlands and only once ran into someone who didn’t speak English, and fluently.
That being said, I did have a couple of Dutch people (all of whom spoke English fine) who thanked me for asking them up front if they spoke English, saying it was polite of me to have done so and that they appreciated it.
"Do you get offended when people ask you "How can you afford to travel...?""
I wish I had the guts to tell them "How can you afford the $200 a month cable bill with 200 channels and HBO/ShowTime?" Or how can you afford a 3000 sqf house with high property taxes, high heating/cooling costs on a salary that is similar to mine. Or how can you afford to drive a leased luxury car with lease payments of around $400 a month. Or how about several daily sugar laden, high calorie poison drink from Starbucks costing $4-6 each. Or a $1000 iPhone for every family member. The list goes on and on
But honestly, I have not heard this question asked very often. Most people around here travel at least once a year...
I don’t get offended but I’ll probably joke that I’m spending my kid’s inheritance, plus I proceed to tell them how I travel hacks to get the best mileage out of my money. First class and business class on points.
My husband has been joking that I’ve found what others pay to figure that I had the best deal after all. haha.
I don't see what is offensive about that question.
Sounds like they'd like to know the secret so they can emulate you.
It is offensive because typically no one asks you how can you afford to pay your bills, have two kids, your house etc. For some reason they ask this question about travel... To me, taking at least one vacation a year away from home is as essential as paying my bills or paying for day care...
It is offensive because typically no one asks you how can you afford to pay your bills, have two kids, your house etc. For some reason they ask this question about travel... To me, taking at least one vacation a year away from home is as essential as paying my bills or paying for day care...
Except of course it depends on the bills. Is travel as essential as cable? That's a personal preference. Majority of people posting on a Travel forum are going to say travel beats cable every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Is travel as essential as rent/mortgage or your electric bill? Nope. That's just reality.
Plus you are incorrect that no one ever asks how you can afford to pay other bills - lots of people question the house/neighborhood a person lives in, for instance - I joke that I'm the poor person in my upper middle class neighborhood (and reality is that I am on the lower income side for the area) and people do say things like "Oh, it must be nice to live in X" with a very apparent snide attitude about it. Same thing with the car you drive, the clothes you wear, the handbag a woman carries and so on. People who want to snark and criticize find things to snark and criticize over. In some cases, that includes travel.
But mostly I think people who say how can you afford to travel are less about the snark and really would like to travel more themselves and either need to be told point blank that it comes down to priorities and choices to have the money along with giving some good tips and hacks to make travel more accessible.
Come on. It's a friendly way of saying "Travel must have pretty high priority in your household budget." A quick glance at my house, car, furniture, electronics and clothes already puts those in a not-very-secret scale.
Yes there are a lot of people here throughout the world who use ask such questions either you are travelling somewhere or buying something new they definitely ask such questions. What you do? How much money you earn? How you save? Why you buy them ?
I just ignore meeting such people and try to focus on my work and enjoyment.
It is offensive because typically no one asks you how can you afford to pay your bills, have two kids, your house etc. For some reason they ask this question about travel... To me, taking at least one vacation a year away from home is as essential as paying my bills or paying for day care...
I think it has to do with that houses and kids are not considered luxuries, where as travel is. In other words, you NEED a place to live. You don't NEED to travel.
But yes, it is offensive, and no one's business other than yours.
Last edited by Jdawg8181; 02-04-2019 at 10:27 AM..
Come on. It's a friendly way of saying "Travel must have pretty high priority in your household budget." A quick glance at my house, car, furniture, electronics and clothes already puts those in a not-very-secret scale.
I agree. On the CruiseCritic boards, people post the cruises they've taken in their sig lines. Some are mind-boggling- like 3 cruises per year over the last 10 years and it did make me curious about how so many people were traveling that much. Someone started a thread with just that question and the answers were pretty interesting. I'm sure some are living off credit cards and balance transfers and have no savings, but many lived near a port (this could take advantage of last-minute deals and didn't have to pay airfare), they worked the loyalty programs, they had lower priorities for spending on cars, clothes, etc. It's pretty much the same way I've been able to afford travel, other than living near a cruise port.
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.
