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When we vacation in the US we tend to road trip, we got tired of US airlines with their awful service, late flights and ridiculous prices.
Traveling overseas we fly with a big carrier to get there then use smaller airlines (Ryan air, Easy Jet) to get around once there, can't beat a $9.99 flight from London (Stanstead) to Dublin or many other European destinations. and yes they charge extra for baggage but its still a ways short of the $3-400 it costs to fly from our regional airport to Chicago or Detroit, both only an hours flight away.
On our last two trios to Europe (Switzerland, Italy and France then Germany and Greece) we felt (except for Greece) that everyone we came into contact with wanted our money and not us. We have also traveled the Amazon, South and Central America, Asia and various islands i the Atlantic (Bermuda, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Curacao and Aruba)
We decided to spend our money where it is wanted and to help our economy, not another countries.
We spend the vast amount of our time visiting US National Parks.
The only exception has been Canadian National Parks
It is truly amazing how beautiful and different each National and State park can be.
Our National and State Parks are our greatest treasures, in my opinion. The less well known public lands out west are incredible as well.
I must say that I've always experienced that attitude much more in the U.S. than Europe. Of course, when I'm in Europe I almost never visit big cities and prefer to stay in villages, smaller towns, and places off the beaten path; the people are much warmer and you can really experience the culture. The Republic of Georgia and the Czech Republic are the only two places where I've ever been invited into someones home just because I could speak a few words in their native language. You definitely won't find that in the States.
Vietnam is the only place I've ever been where I encountered overtly aggressive vendors.
Since my 20's I always had this fear I wouldn't make it to 30, so travel while you can. Then I didn't think I'd make it to 40, so do all the foreign travel you can before it's too late. Then I didn't think I'd make it to 50, so better hit all those foreign spots you've always wanted to see.
Now 67, all my foreign travel is way behind me now, and it's only domestic now, mostly the West Coast, and any foreign travel takes me often to Tijuana/northern Baja.
Glad I saw it all before the Global World took over, where even foreign cities are looking more and more like domestic cities in the U.S. Boring!
I used to feel exactly the way that the original poster does, but my views have changed. My wife and I were married for 9 years before my daughter was born, during which time we made a solid income and were privileged enough to travel internationally, although we were always very budget conscious. During that time, we took something like 9 European vacations. At the time I felt like domestic travel was not particularly exciting and we ALWAYS chose Europe over spots in the U.S.
Then my daughter was born in 2013, and I moved into a public sector job, and our budget and needs changed. Although we have taken her on 2 great international trips, we have had an absolutely wonderful time exploring the USA with her, and particularly the beautiful American west. We had just as great of a time exploring the Pacific Northwest with her as we did in Italy, and both she - and we - were hugely impressed by how beautiful and fun our country can be. (We also did a California coastal trip with her and had a terrific time in San Antonio).
For 2018 we have trips planned to Arizona in February and Utah in August, and we're super excited and expect to have a great time. So our views have changed very much over the years, and I now realize that we live in an amazingly beautiful country that very much deserves exploration. There are also terrific places to see overseas, and we're very fortunate to even be able to consider both options. Keep on traveling...
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Klassyhk
Stealth,
A flight less than $500? That's a dream come true for me. I keep hearing about these cheap flights abroad but it's like finding Bigfoot. The eyewitnesses seem like nice enough people but there's never any tangible evidence that it exists. On what sites have do you find these deals? You can DM if you prefer.
...?
Airfarewatchdog, google flights, kayak.... and of course the weekly specials that are sent every weds from legacy carriers.
Being retired... and with ‘flex time’ (since 1960’s), and a homeschooler.... I go whenever I get the chance.
Email on weds. Gone (international) by Friday. I only use carry-on, and buy clothes at Op shops at each location, then ‘re-donate’ when I leave.
Even better for cruising.... met a Dutch and USA couple on a Dubai-Venice relocation.... they got outside cabins / 18 days... $500. I had paid $1200 and thought that was good.
Yes, definitely check Emirates... I used to use their ‘relocation’ BKK > HGK flight for $75. 2x /week
I can see how one would become bored if they had no curiosity or sense of adventure or were fearful of new experiences. There are great opportunities for travel in the US but you have to get off the interstate and get out of the cities once in a while. There's 35,000 museums in the USA. There's 58 national parks and 129 national monuments...many people only see a handful.
Maybe try visiting places other than cities? There's so much incredible landscape here in the U.S.! I travel abroad, as well, but I can never get sick of our wide-open spaces
Generally speaking it costs more to fly abroad than in the US, anyone claiming otherwise needs their head checked.
I love the bizarro logic that flying overseas can be cheaper because there are sale dates that lower the prices, which completely ignores that there are also sales dates on domestic airfares that would in turn still be cheaper than flying overseas.
It depends on where you live and what destinations interest you.
If you live in Texas, flights to Cancun are generally affordable except for the high season. Whereas flying to Seattle may cost more.
I've always had the travel bug but not the finances to match.
Long time ago I did get to Europe (via the "hippie express"--Icelandic) and stayed with people I knew. That was great because they helped us rent a car (actually we bought it and sold it back--that was cheaper!) and lent us a tent for camping. Camped in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and one of our friends acted as a guide so that we saw neat castles, villages, and things that were off the beaten path.
Spent three days back then in England, mostly London tourist spots and saw Stonehenge when it was mostly deserted, unlike today.
Next year we drove and camped throughout the USA from the east coast to the west coast and back again, stopping in most of the national parks.
Then no money, no travel for a long time. Now in retirement, I save each year to go to England, the place I love the most. I have given up on places like China and Japan. Will never have the funds for that. But England--airfare is down, car rental is cheap, can stay at low budget motels or old fashioned English hotels cheap, food is excellent in the pubs or on the motorway at W.H. Smith. We also load up on sandwiches from the grocery store and, if the place we stay offers full English breakfast, that will hold us all day!
I like to stay off the beaten path and I enjoy traveling around in Cornwall, especially on the gorgeous coastline. I made sure to visit Plymouth, site of the Mayflower departure, Salisbury to see their great Cathedral, and love visiting stately homes.
No longer do I care to visit other places in the US and anyway the airfare is just too expensive. I'd love to stay in Florida during the winter but airfare is high from here and then you have to stay somewhere--cheaper and much more interesting to go to England.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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There are so many international carriers doing excellent deals from USA
some I have never heard of.. but my spouse took one to the German markets and it made the round trip (well under $800)
Icelandic and Iberia have been offering sweet deals.
Check Wego.com for consolidator fares (But I prefer to book direct with the main carriers)
We just get to a Euro Hub and take Ryan or similar from there, often for <20 Euro.
Just avoid weekends (tho Saturday afternoons can have cheap and empty flights)
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