Why never been out of the country?

[Anonymous]

We went to Europe this summer. DH bought the tickets last December, after a LOT of price-checking. He got one-stops, not direct flights. The tickets were $950 each, before all the taxes. Almost $5,000 for four people.

This obviously didn't include the train tickets between cities (no tour buses for us). And two hotel rooms at each stop, because of the tiny bed/tiny room issue in the cheaper places we stayed at. And 3 meals a day at a crappy exchange rate.

Next year -- beach house here we come!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OK then. Humor us. How much do you spend on (a) hotels and (b) food for an entire family when you go to Brazil? Because we will need to add that to the $2,000 in airfare for 4 persons that you cited earlier. And then we will need to compare that TOTAL to the Delaware beach house.

Then after you've provided some "real" costs instead of the very limited costs you mentioned earlier -- then you can explain why you started this thread. To make yourself feel sophisticated?

I'm the PP who said we went to Brazil with $500 tix. I'm not the OP.


This beach destination is $65 per day 2 ppl max in the room with bfast included (free parking and shuttle to and from the airport free)



Farmhouse vacation style if you like fishing in the river $55 per day 2 ppl in the room. Bfast included and they have a shuttle from the hotel. This is in the midst of Pantanal so it's quite a drive from the airport.



If you like mountain style vac this is the place:

Hotels start at $70 for 2 and in this area it's standard to include various city tours with meals in specific restaurants.

If you're really interested I'd suggest you to get in contact with a local travel agent. They know much more. Brazil is not only Rio de Janeiro, you know....

[Anonymous]

PP here, forgot to say... when you rent a car in Brazil with Hertz or whatever it's VERY VERY EXPENSIVE. Instead, you gotta check the local used car dealers and rent one of their cars. It's much cheaper.

I don't think you can do that through Expedia thou...

[Anonymous]

While I appreciate the effort, I don't want to go to Brazil so I can sit on the beach or fish. Isn't the whole argument being made on this thread that we need to "meet other people" and "experience different cultures"? I can sit on the beach and fish at my $1K beach house in Delaware, thank you very much.

I like the mountain area, but exactly how far off the beaten track is it? In fact, how far off the beaten track are the beach and fishing places? While Pantanal looks lovely, it seems like a logistical challenge to get there, and lots of additional $$ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantanal), so your "quite a drive" seems like a bit of an understatement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh please! We went to Brazil last Thanksgiving and the tix were $550 per person non stop.

You guys should learn how to search for deals if you really want to go.

Price is such a lame excuse!

Then you've obviously never been on a tight budget. Price is a very legitimate "excuse" if you're on a tight budget. $550 per person pays rent, food, and bills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I appreciate the effort, I don't want to go to Brazil so I can sit on the beach or fish. Isn't the whole argument being made on this thread that we need to "meet other people" and "experience different cultures"? I can sit on the beach and fish at my $1K beach house in Delaware, thank you very much.

I like the mountain area, but exactly how far off the beaten track is it? In fact, how far off the beaten track are the beach and fishing places? While Pantanal looks lovely, it seems like a logistical challenge to get there, and lots of additional $$ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantanal), so your "quite a drive" seems like a bit of an understatement.

Sweet heart, when I say fishing it's like this:


Nothing compared to your fancy fishing equipment. Or your filthy tackle box.

And if you don't wanna get wet but still want to experience the culture:

There are local markets all over the place where you can watch them doing their crafts. It's standard in Brazil. Beach destination means craft/fish market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please! We went to Brazil last Thanksgiving and the tix were $550 per person non stop.

You guys should learn how to search for deals if you really want to go.

Price is such a lame excuse!

Then you've obviously never been on a tight budget. Price is a very legitimate "excuse" if you're on a tight budget. $550 per person pays rent, food, and bills.

Oh come on! What's $500 for DCUM's standards?

[Anonymous]

Haven't we debunked the idea that people should be traveling to Brazil over Thanskgiving to get that $500/person airfare? Because Thanksgiving is a time of family get-togethers, and because kids would have to miss school? So we're back to $800+ airfares to Brazil over the summer, and $3,600 airfare for a family of 4 before you even start to think about hotels and food.

I hate to burst your bubble, but for much of DC, a difference of $1,000 or $2,000 is very significant.

Getting that crappy beach house for $900 is still a lot more affordable for most of the real world, than even a rock-bottom fare of $2000 to Brazil over Thanksgiving, sleeping on the beach, and dumpster-diving for food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people don't like airports and their intrusiveness
some people don't have the $$
some people are homebodies
I know of a lawyer family in the metro area who have never traveled outside maryland/Pennsylvania/VA; so it's not likely $ alone...I meet people in their 20"s who have never been on a plane...

I went to undergrad in upstate New York, 200 miles from New York City. Some locals living in that town have never travelled to New York in their entire lifetimes - and it was a four-hour-drive, at best. When I asked some of them "Why?", the answer was "Never wanted to".

So I believe it's not just about the money (although, international travel can be prohibitively expensive for a lot of people), it's about a person's interest in what's going on at the other side of the fence, so to speak. Some people are amazingly apathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I appreciate the effort, I don't want to go to Brazil so I can sit on the beach or fish. Isn't the whole argument being made on this thread that we need to "meet other people" and "experience different cultures"? I can sit on the beach and fish at my $1K beach house in Delaware, thank you very much.

I like the mountain area, but exactly how far off the beaten track is it? In fact, how far off the beaten track are the beach and fishing places? While Pantanal looks lovely, it seems like a logistical challenge to get there, and lots of additional $$ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantanal), so your "quite a drive" seems like a bit of an understatement.

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Recife+Antigo+-+PE,+Brazil+(Recife+Airport)&daddr=Porto+de+Galinhas+-+Brazil&hl=en&ll=-8.348747,-34.925537&spn=0.823388,1.244202&sll=-8.315141,-34.96776&sspn=0.507531,0.799255&geocode=FUsAhP8d5h7r_SG6mgPOFzochA%3BFQd1fv8ddvfp_Smdq8R2SpKqBzGkvgBK2kpmRg&mra=pd&vpsrc=6&z=10

58min drive in a comfy van doesn't seem bad to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people don't like airports and their intrusiveness
some people don't have the $$
some people are homebodies
I know of a lawyer family in the metro area who have never traveled outside maryland/Pennsylvania/VA; so it's not likely $ alone...I meet people in their 20"s who have never been on a plane...

I went to undergrad in upstate New York, 200 miles from New York City. Some locals living in that town have never travelled to New York in their entire lifetimes - and it was a four-hour-drive, at best. When I asked some of them "Why?", the answer was "Never wanted to".

So I believe it's not just about the money (although, international travel can be prohibitively expensive for a lot of people), it's about a person's interest in what's going on at the other side of the fence, so to speak. Some people are amazingly apathetic.

ITA.

I lived in Southern MD for a while and several people mentioned to me I was the first foreigner they've ever seen in real life.

I didn't know if I laughed or cried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Sweet heart, when I say fishing it's like this:
...

And if you don't wanna get wet but still want to experience the culture:

...

There are local markets all over the place where you can watch them doing their crafts. It's standard in Brazil. Beach destination means craft/fish market.

Honeybunch, it looks lovely. But you need to stop with the fantasies that this is available to everybody. Your airfare quote of $500 was BS for people who have family obligations over Thanksgiving, instead I'll shoot low and guesstimate $800 per plane ticket for July or August, so $3,600 airfare for a family of four. I'll take your hotel quote for now, and accept that it's $70 for a 2-person room, so $140 a night for a family, so $700 for five nights, or almost $1000 for a week. And we haven't even talked about the cost of food, or how to get to that lovely fishing destination.

So far, your "cheap" Brazil vacation is up to $4,600 for five nights. Without food, or transportation from the airport to the SOUTHWESTERN CORNER of Brazil.

In what world is this just as "doable" as a $900 beach house?

Your problem, honeybunch, is that you don't live in the real world. Or know real people, for whom a difference of $1,000 is a real, big, difference. This makes you an elitist snob. And also, frankly, a bit of a jerk for providing such misleading and incomplete examples.

[Anonymous]

Ooops, for five nights in that lovely fishing destination, it would be $4,300, not $4,600 which is the price for a week.

But still a lot higher than $900 for the beach house. Honeybunch.

[Anonymous]

Yup, I know people like this too.

But how many people in Brazil have no desire to travel to Sao Paolo, or outside the country? I'm guessing there's a group in every country like this. It's not an exclusively American problem.

[Anonymous]

I have no desire to fish or watch people I don't know do crafts. If I am on a beach I want a waiter bringing me cocktails.