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.
This is a question that has been on my head ever since I joined these boards (well long before but this is the only place that focus on it) and have seen so many posters talking about their expericnes over seas. I just read this thread and this poster said something along the lines of "I have lived in the Caribbean and traveled to 5 nations/territories (multiple islands) thus far. I briefly studied in the UK and traveled to 8 European nations in total". How!?
What is it exactly that people could do for a living at where they are able to afford the cost of flight, room and board and traveling expenses and food. If you studied aboard--that is still very expensive! Cost of tuition is more not to mention you generally have to make an upfront payment fee to the school to even be considered. Just how much credit do you have ? I am sorry but these trips sound as if they are reaching into the 5-10 thousand marks and for people like me that is really pushing it beyond the limit. Credit ? I doubt many 'smart' people would willing put themselves in that much debt for this.
How are you guys able to take time off of work for such a long period of time and not in the least bit be concerned about money or other issues. I am asking because (much like everyone else) I desperately want to travel more but I severely lack the funding to do so. I am a college student who just recently got released from a temp job who has about 3 months left on a car payment. I wont even mention how I see my living situation changing soon.
So please inform me. You guys are clearly doing something I am not. If you do not wanna spill 'The Secret" then damn it (!) PM me because I wanna be in on this secret society!
Location: Near Tours, France about 47°10'N 0°25'E
2,825 posts, read 5,261,618 times
Reputation: 1957
Some people travel a lot for their job, I used to travel a lot when I was a kid/teenager with my father who did many trips for his work. Also many people here might be older than you, and as such had more time to have done more travels in their lives. Also, I tend to thing that people who post here are interested in travelling and interested in other cultures are usually people of higher education than the average (then maybe better paid job)
So please inform me. You guys are clearly doing something I am not. If you do not wanna spill 'The Secret" then damn it (!) PM me because I wanna be in on this secret society!
The 'secret' is probably to go into a lot of debt...
I wouldn't compare your lifestyle against anonymous posters in the World subforum. Most of the working people I'm around don't vacation much for lack of money and/or time, and these are middle-class people with decent incomes. I haven't taken an international trip in years because I have financial goals I want to meet.
1. Selection bias: Those individuals most likely to have traveled the world, for whatever reason, are more likely to frequent this forum and are thus disproportionately represented here.
2. Dishonesty: Individuals posting to support political, ideological or personal agendas are underpinning their arguments using false claims regarding their travel experience.
I was born into a travelling family, first as an army Brat then my Father became a Diplomat which meant constant travel and of course quite a bit of money as well. However I am now estranged from my Father ( have been since I was 17) and most decidedly middle class these days and still travel a lot. Hubby and I do not spend money on gadgets or clothes, no designer anything , we don't drink and we don't smoke so all our spare cash is spent on travel or going out ( theatre, cinema, concerts, etc...).
We do home exchanges so we can spend a month in California for example, in a beautiful large home, with no costs apart from flights. We exchange cars also. We do this as many times as we can. We do put some money aside every month which covers our flight costs and the rest is living expenses which would have at home anyway.
When I left home and did not have money I just hunted the cheapest deals for flights, camped, hiked, hitch-hiked, took buses and lived fairly frugally just so that I could travel. I registered as a "flight courrier" ( where you can get free flights if you deliver stuff for people) and also used connections, pen-pals etc... to get places. It took some organisation but I did travel all over the world.
In terms of vacation time the minimum in the UK is 4 weeks paid holiday PLUS national holidays ( that is whether you are a janitor or a CEO). Hubby actually gets 32 days plus if he works overtime he can get up to three days flexi leave a month PLUS national holidays. So I have learnt to stretch and stretch this utilising every single drop of vacation we have. We NEVER would dream of spending any leave time at home. I would see that as a total waste.
I Europe it is so easy to get really cheap flights ( out flights to Northern Spain in May cost me the grand sum of "$100 for the two of us return) and there are plenty of websites for cheap accommodation or things like couchsurfing for example.
I would rather have more leave and less money.... Because we always find a way to get away....
The American system of leave is something which leaves most Europeans aghast I think. I know it really has put us off moving to the US. What is the point of earning money if you have no time to spend it...
Travel is in my blood, I started life with great wealth , it gave me the travelling bug but once I lost all the money I carried on travelling, I would sacrifice a lot of things just to travel. To me there is nothing like being on the road. It is an addiction and I am not sure I want to ever go "cold turkey". It would probably kill me !
PS: We have NO debt, never have and do not intend to ever do ( apart from a small mortage which ends in 3 years) . And we even have savings. I would never go into debt, I am far too freaky about that kind of thing. I have never even gone overdrawn on my current account. I am incredibly fussy about always paying for things in full. We use the credit card because it is convenient but since I was 18 it has ALWAYS been paid in full each month. I have NEVER paid a cent in interest. That to me would be wasting my money on the banks and no way.
Why would anyone lie about their traveling experiences? I have been to the United States and 14 European countries. That is certainly nothing to brag about. I think it comes down to priorities (experiences versus material objects). I think Americans seems to value the latter.
Priorities. If you have wanderlust and want or need to fulfill it, you will just have to set that is one of your life priorities, and use your money and your time to do that, instead of lesser things. It helps if you also have another hobby that can be pursued while traveling. Mine is birdwatching.
You have to start early, too. Arrange your professional career and your family planning in order to make travel fit into it. A lot of people, by the time they are 25, have already made lifelong commitments that clash with travel.
I've traveled a fair amount, and also lived abroad, but I'm definitely not rich. I've always loved foreign languages and cultures, and used to seethe with envy when I was younger and saw people who had traveled a lot (and didn't appreciate it like I would have! ).
But I would say if you want to travel, my advice would be:
1) Date a foreigner, and if things get serious, return with him/her to the home country and teach English (ideal if you don't have any obligations/debt in your home country, but perhaps not a realistic option for most folks ).
2) More realistically, save up $$$ and vacation days at work for a year or so; use the time to find where you really want to go, study up on the culture and history, and learn some of the language
3) Once you're ready, fly off-season, pack light, use hostels, picnic or eat in cheap buffets, use public transportation and walk a lot. Hang out with locals, drink what they drink, and venture away from tourists traps (but don't forget that some "cliched" destinations, like the Eiffel Tower, have to be seen). Once you've landed somewhere and taken care of accommodations, wandering around looking at (and smelling and hearing) everything is usually pretty cheap.
Generally speaking, I find that if traveling is really a priority, many Americans can find a way to afford it. I sometimes hear people lament the fact that they can't afford to travel while sitting in front of their flat screen TV or driving their new SUV to work. My wife and I are fairly frugal because we'd rather enjoy traveling than fancy cell phones, for example. Of course, if you have a highly-demanding job, lots of debt, or kids in tow, that complicates things greatly!
I've met a few people who don't care for traveling, but for me it's a real passion. If you really want to do it, I imagine you'll find a way. Good luck!
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.
I have never even gone overdrawn on my current account. I am incredibly fussy about always paying for things in full. We use the credit card because it is convenient but since I was 18 it has ALWAYS been paid in full each month. I have NEVER paid a cent in interest. That to me would be wasting my money on the banks and no way.
).
