Anyone else lost excitement for travel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a lot of PPs are just getting older, more set in their ways, and less tolerant of deviations to their set routine. The concept of travel wasn’t magically better when you were in your 20s, you were just more open to new experiences and less curmudgeonly.

BS. It’s totally different. Way more expensive and crowded. So much more crowded. How can you even say it’s the same?

This post just has a “kids these days” vibe all over it.

Saying it's crowded is not really giving a "kids these days" vibe. I will give you a "kids these days vibe." Not only is stuff crowded but I roll (my old Gen X-er) eyes when I see a (usually) youngin' take 20 freaking pics/selfies in the same spot for perfect Instagram pic and then walk away without actually looking around/enjoying the site. Bah humbug!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a lot of PPs are just getting older, more set in their ways, and less tolerant of deviations to their set routine. The concept of travel wasn’t magically better when you were in your 20s, you were just more open to new experiences and less curmudgeonly.

BS. It’s totally different. Way more expensive and crowded. So much more crowded. How can you even say it’s the same?

But it was crazy crowded in the popular places 20 years ago as well. And expensive too. And the travel was a hassle. In fact, I dealt with way more lost luggage and delayed/missed flights back then than I have in the past 10 years. And we didn’t have Apple air tags! Or convenient little cell phones and unlimited calling plans and data to help track stuff down and deal with travel issues. Or Google maps.

I remember when it was normal to circle in the sky for HOURS before landing bc there weren’t any open runways or gates at the local airport. I haven’t encountered that in years.

Air travel is still a hassle but it is much improved. Especially now that there’s wifi and in flight entertainment. We didn’t have that 20+ years ago. Imagine how kids entertained themselves on international flights back then, lol. Parents these days have it far easier.

Back then I visited Paris, Rome, Amalfi coast, London etc. Those places were tourists hotspots and hella crowded 20+ years ago too. Long lines to see the sites in Italy, France etc. Amsterdam was crowded, all the little coffee shops and museums.

Travel has changed but the crowds and popularity and expen$e are as much an issue to deal with nowadays as it was back in the day. It’s kind of a form of mass hysteria. People want to go see what others have deemed is important. No one wants to miss out on these places. And the more they are talked about, the more people want to go. The travel beast feeds itself.

NP. I simply don’t agree. I honeymooned in June (aka high season) in Positano 20 years ago and it definitely wasn’t crowded at that time, nothing like what I read about on these and other travel boards now. It was peaceful and you could get in to all the restaurants, book a boat cruise with ease etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a lot of PPs are just getting older, more set in their ways, and less tolerant of deviations to their set routine. The concept of travel wasn’t magically better when you were in your 20s, you were just more open to new experiences and less curmudgeonly.

BS. It’s totally different. Way more expensive and crowded. So much more crowded. How can you even say it’s the same?

This post just has a “kids these days” vibe all over it.

Saying it's crowded is not really giving a "kids these days" vibe. I will give you a "kids these days vibe." Not only is stuff crowded but I roll (my old Gen X-er) eyes when I see a (usually) youngin' take 20 freaking pics/selfies in the same spot for perfect Instagram pic and then walk away without actually looking around/enjoying the site. Bah humbug!

Where do you live that 20 somethings don’t also use their phones to take selfies? If you are in the DC area, don’t you notice crowds in museums and around the monuments as well?

Seems like your gripe is not with travel but with interacting with human beings generally?

[Anonymous]

I'm still loving traveling. And you can find less crowded places if you go outside the tourist spots, it's truly not that hard.

[Anonymous]

Considering the impact of air travel in particular on the environment today, only selfish ignoramuses love to travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a lot of PPs are just getting older, more set in their ways, and less tolerant of deviations to their set routine. The concept of travel wasn’t magically better when you were in your 20s, you were just more open to new experiences and less curmudgeonly.

BS. It’s totally different. Way more expensive and crowded. So much more crowded. How can you even say it’s the same?

This post just has a “kids these days” vibe all over it.

Saying it's crowded is not really giving a "kids these days" vibe. I will give you a "kids these days vibe." Not only is stuff crowded but I roll (my old Gen X-er) eyes when I see a (usually) youngin' take 20 freaking pics/selfies in the same spot for perfect Instagram pic and then walk away without actually looking around/enjoying the site. Bah humbug!

Where do you live that 20 somethings don’t also use their phones to take selfies? If you are in the DC area, don’t you notice crowds in museums and around the monuments as well?

Seems like your gripe is not with travel but with interacting with human beings generally?

You only reconfirmed what the other poster is saying. The smartphones have definitely altered the travel experience for better or for worse.

When we had *gasp* cameras with *gasp* film, we had to be selective in what pictures we took. Film cost money, you had 24, maybe 36 negatives per roll, then it cost money to print them. But phones allow you to take pictures so easily so it does seem like we're now viewing trips through the phone. I realized this a few trips ago and now I actually prioritize not taking pictures on trips. And it has been beneficial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a lot of PPs are just getting older, more set in their ways, and less tolerant of deviations to their set routine. The concept of travel wasn’t magically better when you were in your 20s, you were just more open to new experiences and less curmudgeonly.

BS. It’s totally different. Way more expensive and crowded. So much more crowded. How can you even say it’s the same?

This post just has a “kids these days” vibe all over it.

Saying it's crowded is not really giving a "kids these days" vibe. I will give you a "kids these days vibe." Not only is stuff crowded but I roll (my old Gen X-er) eyes when I see a (usually) youngin' take 20 freaking pics/selfies in the same spot for perfect Instagram pic and then walk away without actually looking around/enjoying the site. Bah humbug!

Where do you live that 20 somethings don’t also use their phones to take selfies? If you are in the DC area, don’t you notice crowds in museums and around the monuments as well?

Seems like your gripe is not with travel but with interacting with human beings generally?

You only reconfirmed what the other poster is saying. The smartphones have definitely altered the travel experience for better or for worse.

When we had *gasp* cameras with *gasp* film, we had to be selective in what pictures we took. Film cost money, you had 24, maybe 36 negatives per roll, then it cost money to print them. But phones allow you to take pictures so easily so it does seem like we're now viewing trips through the phone. I realized this a few trips ago and now I actually prioritize not taking pictures on trips. And it has been beneficial.

Congrats. You’re clearly superior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a difference between travels now and back in the day when it wasn't a zillion people somewhere. When I look at Rome's Trevi Fountain OMG. Just OMG. I was there this summer with my kids and I didn't want to be. I was there as a student years ago and it was amazing. you can't even see the fountain in the sea of people now!!

As for going to places not a tier 1 or 2 town - I mean part of travelling is to these tier 1 or 2 towns for the beauty and something that makes it a tier 1 or 2 so I'm not sure why you would only go to the places nobody goes to? Sure, sometimes you find a diamond but there is a reason why people go to Paris. There was a year I did Paris 3x just because I had the opportunities. Now, I wouldn't take my kids there. You can see it better online. I would go to Normandy and travel the N towns. I would go to Mt St Michel in the off season.

I don't know how you see anything unless you go in the offseason to some of these amazing destinations. As for the road less travelled, it would of course be amazing to see Antarctica but I struggle at the morality of disturbing a place where it's actually awesome because people aren't there LOL!

I just think there are WAY to many people travelling these days and it makes everything suck. The only thing I prioritize now is going to places where my kids likely won't be able to enjoy in 10-15 years because of global changes.

What are the N towns?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Considering the impact of air travel in particular on the environment today, only selfish ignoramuses love to travel.

You again...
just stop already you sound unhinged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a lot of PPs are just getting older, more set in their ways, and less tolerant of deviations to their set routine. The concept of travel wasn’t magically better when you were in your 20s, you were just more open to new experiences and less curmudgeonly.

It was better. We weren't herded around and processed, we didn't have to prebook fastpasses or time slots for the top tourist sites, and we weren't glued to smart phones.

I was backpacking around when many Eastern European citizens were prevented from traveling by their governments and citizens of many developing countries couldn't afford to travel. The fact of the matter is that the number of tourists was smaller.

Now places like Amsterdam, Venice and parts of France are trying to work out how to limit tourist numbers because the cities can't cope. That's nothing to do with being curmudgeonly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a lot of PPs are just getting older, more set in their ways, and less tolerant of deviations to their set routine. The concept of travel wasn’t magically better when you were in your 20s, you were just more open to new experiences and less curmudgeonly.

It was better. We weren't herded around and processed, we didn't have to prebook fastpasses or time slots for the top tourist sites, and we weren't glued to smart phones.

I was backpacking around when many Eastern European citizens were prevented from traveling by their governments and citizens of many developing countries couldn't afford to travel. The fact of the matter is that the number of tourists was smaller.

Now places like Amsterdam, Venice and parts of France are trying to work out how to limit tourist numbers because the cities can't cope. That's nothing to do with being curmudgeonly.

DP here. So go somewhere else! If you want top tourist spots, they will be crowded. There are always lovely and more authentic places to go if you don’t want a crowd. Travel isn’t a checklist. It should be fun!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering the impact of air travel in particular on the environment today, only selfish ignoramuses love to travel.

You again...
just stop already you sound unhinged.

Found “but…but the planes are still going” poster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a difference between travels now and back in the day when it wasn't a zillion people somewhere. When I look at Rome's Trevi Fountain OMG. Just OMG. I was there this summer with my kids and I didn't want to be. I was there as a student years ago and it was amazing. you can't even see the fountain in the sea of people now!!

As for going to places not a tier 1 or 2 town - I mean part of travelling is to these tier 1 or 2 towns for the beauty and something that makes it a tier 1 or 2 so I'm not sure why you would only go to the places nobody goes to? Sure, sometimes you find a diamond but there is a reason why people go to Paris. There was a year I did Paris 3x just because I had the opportunities. Now, I wouldn't take my kids there. You can see it better online. I would go to Normandy and travel the N towns. I would go to Mt St Michel in the off season.

I don't know how you see anything unless you go in the offseason to some of these amazing destinations. As for the road less travelled, it would of course be amazing to see Antarctica but I struggle at the morality of disturbing a place where it's actually awesome because people aren't there LOL!

I just think there are WAY to many people travelling these days and it makes everything suck. The only thing I prioritize now is going to places where my kids likely won't be able to enjoy in 10-15 years because of global changes.

What are the N towns?

very racist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a lot of PPs are just getting older, more set in their ways, and less tolerant of deviations to their set routine. The concept of travel wasn’t magically better when you were in your 20s, you were just more open to new experiences and less curmudgeonly.

It was better. We weren't herded around and processed, we didn't have to prebook fastpasses or time slots for the top tourist sites, and we weren't glued to smart phones.

I was backpacking around when many Eastern European citizens were prevented from traveling by their governments and citizens of many developing countries couldn't afford to travel. The fact of the matter is that the number of tourists was smaller.

Now places like Amsterdam, Venice and parts of France are trying to work out how to limit tourist numbers because the cities can't cope. That's nothing to do with being curmudgeonly.

DP here. So go somewhere else! If you want top tourist spots, they will be crowded. There are always lovely and more authentic places to go if you don’t want a crowd. Travel isn’t a checklist. It should be fun!

I do go other places now. I was in France recently and visited towns and natural sites that most of people on DCUM have never even heard of, and do the same around the mid-Atlantic US states. I avoid Paris and other major hotspots.

I'm just responding to the people who say travel hasn't changed - I think I was lucky to be backpacking when I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a lot of PPs are just getting older, more set in their ways, and less tolerant of deviations to their set routine. The concept of travel wasn’t magically better when you were in your 20s, you were just more open to new experiences and less curmudgeonly.

It was better. We weren't herded around and processed, we didn't have to prebook fastpasses or time slots for the top tourist sites, and we weren't glued to smart phones.

I was backpacking around when many Eastern European citizens were prevented from traveling by their governments and citizens of many developing countries couldn't afford to travel. The fact of the matter is that the number of tourists was smaller.

Now places like Amsterdam, Venice and parts of France are trying to work out how to limit tourist numbers because the cities can't cope. That's nothing to do with being curmudgeonly.

Ok. You have my blessing to stay home and complain. Feel better?