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Back in college I used to think just like you, but now in the real world I can definitely understand those "boring office type's" vacation choices. I sometimes do the same, i.e. travel to a nice resort destination. If you have a busy job sometimes all you want to do is do nothing and relax. Traveling to exotic destinations is fun (I'll go to Malaysia soon), but it is also stressful. Positive stress, but stress nonetheless. Not very relaxing. Foreign languages, cultures, you go to a restaurant and don't know a single thing on the menu etc.
Sometimes I just want to have no stress at all and a resort-type vacation is perfect for that!
It would never occur to be to call other people's vacations boring just because I would choose a different type of vacation. Don't be so judgemental! It's their life, not yours and they are free to spend it in any way they want.
Lots of "office types" who are married with kids, or even busy couples w/o kids, they don't want to put a huge amount of time into planning their vacations, or scheduling them.
There aren't many working middle aged folks who have the time, money, or inclination to take vacations that are too arduous, though... .
Yes, if you are young and single it must be easy to over look parents who are raising families. I doubt that many take their kids to hostels while back packing in exotic destinations.
I've been watching a friend travel Europe via Facebook and it made me think of this thread. They have 2 weeks to spend and the trip has been a whirlwind of trains, planes, and automobiles as they go from place to place, country to country, to see as much as possible. It's exhausting just to read! They haven't been settled in one spot more than 2 days before they are off to another early flight to the next place. I understand trying to pack as much Europe into one trip as possible, but it just doesn't seem fun or relaxing to me.
As a kid, we always took big road trip vacations, 2 weeks across the country, seeing everything we could along the way. Never more than one night in the same hotel. Constant unpacking and packing, unloading and loading. As an adult I did the same types of trips. Staying in the same hotel for 2 nights in a row was unheard of! My 2011 trip to Vegas was the first time I had stayed in one place for 5 nights. I remember how amazing it felt to be able to put my soap and shampoo in the shower and not have to move it for nearly a week! To not be constantly packing and unpacking felt like a luxury.
So, to to me, there's nothing boring about going to an all inclusive and slowing down for a week. To be able to unpack and just take each day as it comes. No schedule. No trains or flights to catch. Just a week to stay put and just be.
They say that to be bored you must be boring. I can see how that might be true.
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Since I 'm in favour of slow tourism, I can understand that point of view, only I like to do my homework myself, it's pleasurable I believe, and travel independently. For instance for my first time in SA next winter, (one month), I planned 2 weeks in Capetown and 2 wekks Garden Route and that's not even close to the time that would be necessary to really get to know that corner of SA.
I recall a book that discussed state parks as destinations. Perhaps such could be included in a road trip? That might be one way to think outside the box.
So, to to me, there's nothing boring about going to an all inclusive and slowing down for a week. To be able to unpack and just take each day as it comes. No schedule. No trains or flights to catch. Just a week to stay put and just be.
They say that to be bored you must be boring. I can see how that might be true.
It seems like there are two great motives for taking a trip: 1) to relax or 2) to find excitement. Depending upon your lifestyle at home, you will choose either 1) or 2)... I guess mapping out a vacation that includes some of either is a lot rarer.
Personally, I couldn't find a whole week of sun, surf, daiquiris and spa visits "boring". Far from it.
I've worked in several corporate office environments, and when people go on vacation it is almost always one of the following:
1.) Cruises
2.) All-inclusive resort in Cancun or somewhere in the Caribbean
3.) Colorado
I've been all over Europe and East Asia, staying in hostels much of the time. My coworkers look at me like I'm nuts or they assume that it must cost a small fortune to visit "exotic" locations, although I have never spent more than $4k on a 2-3 week trip anywhere.
I assume they are just as boring in real life as they are in the office, so they lack the creative thinking required to visit places "outside the box."
WOW..Literally words out of my mouth. You forgot to add Hawaii in that list... (j/k nothing wrong with that)
I been to 14 countries in asia and the Caribbean. Stayed in hostels, I know exactly how it is.
People think I'm weird I stay in hostels vs hotels. I been through both and I usually do a 90% hostel stay then 1-2 night at a 5 star hotel to end the vacation . I been on cruises too.
I had the most fun in hostels, taking public transportation, riding on motorcycles/scooters/bikes/smelly ferries, etc.
So in my conclusion it just depends on the person. Not a lot of people are the adventure type and they end up staying in fancy hotels and a "local" food joint is actually a tourist trap. Nothing wrong with it but they will NEVER ever understand.
I need to admit that years ago, I barely had money and had a hard time budgeting a vacation because I didn't know better and I was one of those people. I spent $$ on vacations I couldn't exactly afford but sacrificed a lot. Funny thing is nowadays, I earn double what I made and making decent amount but I ended up going the opposite directions. I can easily afford high end hotels/food but I opt-out. I remain content at hostels and finding places by asking locals.
But don't get me wrong, sometimes I do like to go on cruises too because it's stress-free and very convenient. There's just a balance depending on how you feel, at least for me. For example if I want to go on a small trip on my birthday, I'd probably take a 1 week cruise. No shame on getting wasted all day and getting pampered. But on that same year, I probably took a 2-3 week backpacking trip.
I've been watching a friend travel Europe via Facebook and it made me think of this thread. They have 2 weeks to spend and the trip has been a whirlwind of trains, planes, and automobiles as they go from place to place, country to country, to see as much as possible. It's exhausting just to read! They haven't been settled in one spot more than 2 days before they are off to another early flight to the next place. I understand trying to pack as much Europe into one trip as possible, but it just doesn't seem fun or relaxing to me.
As a kid, we always took big road trip vacations, 2 weeks across the country, seeing everything we could along the way. Never more than one night in the same hotel. Constant unpacking and packing, unloading and loading. As an adult I did the same types of trips. Staying in the same hotel for 2 nights in a row was unheard of! My 2011 trip to Vegas was the first time I had stayed in one place for 5 nights. I remember how amazing it felt to be able to put my soap and shampoo in the shower and not have to move it for nearly a week! To not be constantly packing and unpacking felt like a luxury.
So, to to me, there's nothing boring about going to an all inclusive and slowing down for a week. To be able to unpack and just take each day as it comes. No schedule. No trains or flights to catch. Just a week to stay put and just be.
They say that to be bored you must be boring. I can see how that might be true.
Have you ever done a cruise? We did one 2 years ago - Italy, Greece and Turkey. I wasn't sure how I'd like it but I loved that I only had to unpack once for 10 days and each day got to explore a new location without having to pack, unpack and haul my bags around. We're doing another cruise in October, 10 days, and will have 3 days at sea to relax in between our sightseeing days. We're also spending 2 days in the city before we leave and 5 days after we return from the cruise. Going to Europe is not the place to go to relax so I will make the most of the sea days when there is no place to go. I like a variety of vacations, love a good road trip, but for where we are in our lives at this moment, this trip is exactly what we need to feed our souls.
Have you ever done a cruise? We did one 2 years ago - Italy, Greece and Turkey. I wasn't sure how I'd like it but I loved that I only had to unpack once for 10 days and each day got to explore a new location without having to pack, unpack and haul my bags around. We're doing another cruise in October, 10 days, and will have 3 days at sea to relax in between our sightseeing days. We're also spending 2 days in the city before we leave and 5 days after we return from the cruise. Going to Europe is not the place to go to relax so I will make the most of the sea days when there is no place to go. I like a variety of vacations, love a good road trip, but for where we are in our lives at this moment, this trip is exactly what we need to feed our souls.
I have never done a cruise, it's not for me. I want to be on MY schedule, not on the schedule of the ship as far as excursions go, plus getting off the ship the same time as 100s of other people? Not my idea of a good time. We were in Puerto Vallarta a couple of years ago and were downtown when a cruise ship docked. Thankfully we were on our way out to avoid that crowd! I was happy to get back to our resort where it was much calmer and quieter. I know a lot of people LOVE cruising, but it's just not for us. I'll stick to my "boring" all inclusive resorts
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I have never done a cruise, it's not for me. I want to be on MY schedule, not on the schedule of the ship as far as excursions go, plus getting off the ship the same time as 100s of other people? Not my idea of a good time. We were in Puerto Vallarta a couple of years ago and were downtown when a cruise ship docked. Thankfully we were on our way out to avoid that crowd!
Not all cruise ships are huge; some have as few as 100 passengers. And river cruises, in particular, often spend a day or more in the same port, to allow passengers ample time to sightsee.
If your only experience of cruising is looking at the mega-ships when they come into port, it's possible you just aren't looking at the right sort of cruises for you! I HATE large-ship cruises (wild horses couldn't drag me onto a typical Caribbean cruise), but the small ships are an entirely different experience, and one much more to my tastes. You might find you enjoy small-ship cruising, too.
Which circles back to the OP's original post: different vacations suit different folks. We aren't all looking for the same experience (and what a boring world it would be if we were!).
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you've got a point here
(j/k nothing wrong with that) 
