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My advice to Linda, since I am a full on lover of travel, would be to understand that the trip you take in your 20's will be a totally different trip that you take in your 30's, 40's etc. So if at all possible really try to go on a big trip as soon as you can afford it. I would explain the difference between being a tourist and being a traveller. The later is much more rewarding. I would tell her to be brave and push herself out of her comfort zone and don't worry so much about the level of accommodation since the memories you will treasure won't be the list of hotels, but the places, people, food and experiences you had. You can worry about the " fancy" stuff later in life. In fact, staying at pensions or other cheaper accommodation ( there is more than hostels ) gives you more of a feeling of a place than some expensive hotel.
Trust me, I don't care about "fancy" stuff at all. I don't need to be in a ***** hotel to have a good time. All I ask for in terms of accommodation is that it's clean and that I have some level of privacy. I'm just not comfortable sharing my room with a bunch of people I don't know or staying overnight with someone I've only ever met online.
Like I said, I do plan to travel a lot more as soon as I can afford it. And I have no problem getting out of my comfort zone. I moved to the other side of the country to study at an international (English-speaking) University. I went to Namur, Belgium for a semester to study at a French-speaking University and took all my exams in French (when there was the option to take some of them in English for exchange students). I am doing these things for myself, though. I'm not doing it to impress others. I don't see the point of going to a whole bunch of countries for one or two days just to be able to say you've been there. I once did a 24h school trip to Paris when I was 15 (leave at 4 AM, arrive at 10 AM, leave again at 10 PM and arrive at 4 AM) but looking back on it, I don't remember much of it at all. We were basically running from tourist attraction to tourist attraction. You cannot really experience Paris - or other major cities - in one day, in my opinion. Many non-European tourists come to Europe and travel from country to country, spending maybe one or two days in each. And a lot of them think this makes them an expert on all of those countries because they've been there, lol. That's not my idea of a fun holiday but to each his own.
I totally agree about the part in bold. But to Linda, travel cannot be rewarding unless she has a first-class, five-star experience. Thus, she has resigned herself to being a dreamer until later in life.
Trust me, I don't care about "fancy" stuff at all. I don't need to be in a ***** hotel to have a good time. All I ask for in terms of accommodation is that it's clean and that I have some level of privacy. I'm just not comfortable sharing my room with a bunch of people I don't know or staying overnight with someone I've only ever met online.
Like I said, I do plan to travel a lot more as soon as I can afford it. And I have no problem getting out of my comfort zone. I moved to the other side of the country to study at an international (English-speaking) University. I went to Namur, Belgium for a semester to study at a French-speaking University and took all my exams in French (when there was the option to take some of them in English for exchange students). I am doing these things for myself, though. I'm not doing it to impress others. I don't see the point of going to a whole bunch of countries for one or two days just to be able to say you've been there. I once did a 24h school trip to Paris when I was 15 (leave at 4 AM, arrive at 10 AM, leave again at 10 PM and arrive at 4 AM) but looking back on it, I don't remember much of it at all. We were basically running from tourist attraction to tourist attraction. You cannot really experience Paris - or other major cities - in one day, in my opinion. Many non-European tourists come to Europe and travel from country to country, spending maybe one or two days in each. And a lot of them think this makes them an expert on all of those countries because they've been there, lol. That's not my idea of a fun holiday but to each his own.
Your school trip to Paris reminds me of my school trip to Washington D.C. We only saw the touristy sites for a brief period of time before making the 8-hour trip home. So you know what I did when I got older? I went back to D.C., numerous times, to explore other areas of the city to get a more in-depth experience. If I were living in your neck of the woods, I would make several short trips to Paris, with each trip covering new ground. That's also what I did in NYC. The first time I went there, I saw all of the touristy sites (Statue of Liberty, ESB, Times Square, etc.) Then I explored other areas of Manhattan. Then I went to the outer boroughs, Long Island, and New Jersey. Obviously, this wouldn't be possible in further-away cities like San Fran, London or Tokyo, so I ended up spending 2-4 weeks in each of those places. (This was well after I turned 23, btw... I don't think it's "pathetic" or "lame" if somebody doesn't get around to those types of far-away places until they're older.)
This thread is really making me want to travel somewhere, not sure where though.
You better go somewhere. To expand your horizons. Or you're "pathetic". Go to Tallinn, or somewhere.
As been said, it's not that most young people can't handle their budgets or don't want to travel, but have other priorities. Especially now with the neverending recession, most young people barely make enough to survive! Then you'll have to study, work part time, no summer holidays, and maybe loans. Go tell a 23 yo university student who makes 400€ a month to spend 500€ on a holiday to Prague to "expand the horizons." No way, if you want to eat the next two months.
Even if you're working, it's not that easy. I've been in low-paing jobs and If I chose to travel, it was always away from something else: a new TV or a new set of tires to your car. And everyone doesn't always have a companion to travel with. I don't want to go alone, and if a pal can't join me or I don't have a GF, I don't go.
And it's not only the cost of the plain tickets. Ok, you can get away cheap, but it's not everybody's thing to go to youth hostels or sleep at airports. There's a huge gap between the hostel and a 5 star hotel. When I'm going on holiday, I want it to be a holiday, not to resemble a Marine Corps boot camp.
Ok, here's an example. Say I'll get the plane tickets to Berlin for 50€, gonna spend 5 days. The bus to and from the airport: 5€. Same in Berlin, another 5€. I get this really crappy motel for 30€ a night: 150€. I have to eat out (very cheap) every day, say for 12€ a day: 60€. Local transport in Berlin, 5€ a day: 25€. Museum admission tickets, one taxi fare, a few beers, a few sodas, a nightclub admission, new slippers as the old ones broke, a newspaper, some souvenirs, 25€ a day, 125€.
Sum it all up: 420€ at least. That's a month's rent.
The horizon-thing, I don't get it. If you go for a week to the Canary Islands or Ibiza or another tourist trap hellhole, what horizons are you gonna expand? Your liver's? I can't see how chilling on the beach or surfing at Key West expands anything.
And I've been to 16 countries I think, and would like it to be 36. I'd love to go to the USA, but you know what? I can't afford it. Maybe later when I can.
Souvenirs? Taxi fare on top of public transportation? Paying for museums when there are numerous museums that you can see for free on your hypothetical trip (http://www.pfefferbett.de/en/berlin_...ree/museums/)? "Having" to eat out everyday? Seems like there are a lot of expenses that could be reduced or completely cut out of the budget. It's similar to people who whine about how they can't afford $7 beers and $4 hot dogs at the ballpark. If your finances are tight at the moment, bring your own damn snacks and eat and beforehand! On trips, pack your bags with some granola bars like I did when I was a poor college student. Going without those things shouldn't affect your ability to enjoy yourself if you are not a total lame. And you could go for a only couple days the first time around, and then return for a longer stay (if you enjoy your chosen city) when you are older and more financially established. That's what I have done. Better yet, you could get a taste of several countries in those five days, see which ones you like, and then return for a longer trip at a later time.
From personal experience, I can tell you that those "whirlwind" trips I took during my youth helped me appreciate the more expensive vacations that I take nowadays. Having said that, I do not regret for a minute roughing it a little when I was younger. I had lots of fond adventures, good and bad, that I will always remember.
Your "tourist trap" and "party city" examples are classic strawmen. There are many cities in Europe that do provide a culturally-enriching experience if that's what you seek.
Whats the point of travelling somewhere if you're not going to eat the local cuisine? If you're not going to go to museums (not all are free) or other fun stuff that is available? If I go to say, Riga for example, I want to go eat out somewhere, go to the shooting range or do the bobsled run, not spend 3 days just walking the streets eating crackers and cheese I brought from home. Got nothing against staying in hostels though, those places are fun.
Will I be expanding my horizons if I go on the party cruise to Stockholm?
Whats the point of travelling somewhere if you're not going to eat the local cuisine? If you're not going to go to museums (not all are free) or other fun stuff that is available? If I go to say, Riga for example, I want to go eat out somewhere, go to the shooting range or do the bobsled run, not spend 3 days just walking the streets eating crackers and cheese I brought from home. Got nothing against staying in hostels though, those places are fun.
As I wrote to Lindav earlier in the thread, you could still sample the local cuisine without having to eat out every meal. The poster above wrote that he would "have" to eat out every single day. I know this wouldn't be the case for me if I were on a budget. But that doesn't mean that I would go the entire trip without eating out either.
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Will I be expanding my horizons if I go on the party cruise to Stockholm?
Depends on who you meet.
Anyway, I really don't have the time to argue back-and-forth the rest of the week (here or anywhere else on C-D) so I'll let you all carry on if you wish.
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