Are upper middle class family gatherings now just luxury travel pissing contests?

[Anonymous]

That sounds so boring, OP.

[Anonymous]

I love talking about travel and getting ideas from others? How is this a bad thing? Family should be able to talk about stuff and not have it be considered bragging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe you just weren’t this prone to jealousy before?

Who's jealous? It's just shallow and boring conversation. Shallow and boring is fine among professional work associates but family are only together a couple of times a year and THIS is the most spirited dialogue now? It's sad.

Travel is not “shallow and boring conversation.” What do you want to discuss? Little Larlo’s soccer? Little Larlo is going into AAP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d be interested, especially if people went to places I’m not likely to ever go to. If they can tell information about the food, sights, people, climate, and culture, then I’d like to hear it big they’re just talking about points and what they spent in a hotel and how they paid X for some souvenir, then I’m not interested.

It's the same status-signaling babble over and over. You fly somewhere, you eat and booze, repeat. Everyone tripping over themselves to brag about the recent and next trips, how they are so worldly they know all of these authentic hidden gems, everyone chimes in with one-upmanship feigning as sharp insights. It devolves into a cordial but nauseating and cliche-filled pissing context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe you just weren’t this prone to jealousy before?

Who's jealous? It's just shallow and boring conversation. Shallow and boring is fine among professional work associates but family are only together a couple of times a year and THIS is the most spirited dialogue now? It's sad.

Travel is not “shallow and boring conversation.” What do you want to discuss? Little Larlo’s soccer? Little Larlo is going into AAP?

You piss money away flying places to eat & booze to try to appear interesting. It's just mindless consumerism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d be interested, especially if people went to places I’m not likely to ever go to. If they can tell information about the food, sights, people, climate, and culture, then I’d like to hear it big they’re just talking about points and what they spent in a hotel and how they paid X for some souvenir, then I’m not interested.

It's the same status-signaling babble over and over. You fly somewhere, you eat and booze, repeat. Everyone tripping over themselves to brag about the recent and next trips, how they are so worldly they know all of these authentic hidden gems, everyone chimes in with one-upmanship feigning as sharp insights. It devolves into a cordial but nauseating and cliche-filled pissing context.

+1

I don't know what's worse, hearing the same stories about Greece and Italy, or the people who brag about going to places where tourists don't go, because somehow they're not tourists. A major yawn.

[Anonymous]

I grew up talking about travel, never in a bragging or competitive way. But I wouldn’t talk about it with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People talk about what they've been up to and their interests. If you perceive it as bragging, that's probably your own insecurities.

It is bragging.

OP didn't say one relative was going on about their travels, but everyone was sharing. That's a common interest.

[Anonymous]

When I hang with my extended family, it's more about people's jobs, college, kids' sports, tech, etc.

My brother and his wife are literal millionaires and I had Thanksgiving with them last night. Here's what was discussed: some place in Northern Spain I've literally never heard of before, one couple who has a house in Marin, Sausalito, Hawaii, and Paris. A guy who has been to Japan six times. People hanging out with celebrities (two people there from LA - one is a millionaire), wine, plastic surgery, surprise trips to England and Spain, and food. I was the only person there who has never left North America, and there were six children there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That sounds so boring, OP.

How is it boring? Do you think I want to hear about the mundane details of your daily life? No, I’d much rather hear about an exotic part of the world.

[Anonymous]

Ok. Politics not good to discuss. Health? No.
Kid bragging? Not in front of them.
MC people talk about gardening but you'll be having landscapers probably,
So travel a safe topic of mutual interest to most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I hang with my extended family, it's more about people's jobs, college, kids' sports, tech, etc.

My brother and his wife are literal millionaires and I had Thanksgiving with them last night. Here's what was discussed: some place in Northern Spain I've literally never heard of before, one couple who has a house in Marin, Sausalito, Hawaii, and Paris. A guy who has been to Japan six times. People hanging out with celebrities (two people there from LA - one is a millionaire), wine, plastic surgery, surprise trips to England and Spain, and food. I was the only person there who has never left North America, and there were six children there.

I just looked it up - 76 percent of all Americans have traveled to at least one country - I understand many may have traveled to Canada and Mexico, but I do think you are in the minority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe you just weren’t this prone to jealousy before?

Who's jealous? It's just shallow and boring conversation. Shallow and boring is fine among professional work associates but family are only together a couple of times a year and THIS is the most spirited dialogue now? It's sad.

Travel is not “shallow and boring conversation.” What do you want to discuss? Little Larlo’s soccer? Little Larlo is going into AAP?

Little Larlo likes soccer and bonding time with his close friends far more than sitting in an airport, customs line, taxis, hotel, hotel pool, weird food, and being dragged around to tourist attractions so his insecure status-signal obsessed striver mommy (and daddy) can have vapid content to brag about on social media and at social gatherings.

[Anonymous]

If others in the group don't have the funds for that type of luxury travel and/or show no interest in discussing travel, then yes it is a rude to keep bringing it up. If the group is situated similarly financially and enjoys discussing travel then why not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That sounds so boring, OP.

How is it boring? Do you think I want to hear about the mundane details of your daily life? No, I’d much rather hear about an exotic part of the world.

Why, are you taking notes? You are not even active listening, you're just itching for an opening to brag about your own travels. It's all so superficial. This travel trend has like brainwashed everyone in our orbit.