When did this become the norm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First time I’ve ever read about aggressive travel. What a sad view on something that’s supposed to be enjoyable and educational.

If l had more time off and more money l would choose to travel about 1/4 of the time. Because l enjoy it.

That's because it's not an actual thing. Just a term someone here came up with to describe someone travelling in a way they decided they didn't like.

It’s in your face aggressive travel like everything else now. It’s a great description actually. It’s ‘look at me, I am so wordly’ travel, ‘I am better than people who stay home’.

I like competitive travel because it more specifically captures what I dislike about it. I love travel, I just don't like this culture where people always seem to be trying to one up each other and it's about proving how worldly you are instead of just doing something you enjoy.

Again, I don't understand why you would assume nefarious intent. Why isn't someone going on a trip just "doing something they enjoy"? How do you know they are "trying to one up each other"?

Sure maybe someone found out about a place via an Instagram post or whatever. Not sure how different that is, really, from reading about it in a guidebook 15 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First time I’ve ever read about aggressive travel. What a sad view on something that’s supposed to be enjoyable and educational.

If l had more time off and more money l would choose to travel about 1/4 of the time. Because l enjoy it.

That's because it's not an actual thing. Just a term someone here came up with to describe someone travelling in a way they decided they didn't like.

It’s in your face aggressive travel like everything else now. It’s a great description actually. It’s ‘look at me, I am so wordly’ travel, ‘I am better than people who stay home’.

I like competitive travel because it more specifically captures what I dislike about it. I love travel, I just don't like this culture where people always seem to be trying to one up each other and it's about proving how worldly you are instead of just doing something you enjoy.

Again, I don't understand why you would assume nefarious intent. Why isn't someone going on a trip just "doing something they enjoy"? How do you know they are "trying to one up each other"?

Sure maybe someone found out about a place via an Instagram post or whatever. Not sure how different that is, really, from reading about it in a guidebook 15 years ago.

Why can’t people just enjoy themselves on vacation without the constant need for validation? Do you need to announce it to everyone? Take multiple international trips per year? Why? Is constant posting to SM relaxing? Constant posing for pics? Is that relaxing? International traveling, with a family nonetheless, is not relaxing to me. It’s like running marathons, another insane trend. Is it really fun? Aren’t you tired? Or are you just doing it because you are easily influenced by others and you want to share every detail with others. If no one knew or cared that you were going to Tuscany, Lisbon, Galapagos Islands, Venice, Osaka, Croatia, Cairo, Marakesh or Iceland, would you still go? If no pictures were posted and no one gave a crap would it mean the same to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First time I’ve ever read about aggressive travel. What a sad view on something that’s supposed to be enjoyable and educational.

If l had more time off and more money l would choose to travel about 1/4 of the time. Because l enjoy it.

That's because it's not an actual thing. Just a term someone here came up with to describe someone travelling in a way they decided they didn't like.

It’s in your face aggressive travel like everything else now. It’s a great description actually. It’s ‘look at me, I am so wordly’ travel, ‘I am better than people who stay home’.

I like competitive travel because it more specifically captures what I dislike about it. I love travel, I just don't like this culture where people always seem to be trying to one up each other and it's about proving how worldly you are instead of just doing something you enjoy.

Again, I don't understand why you would assume nefarious intent. Why isn't someone going on a trip just "doing something they enjoy"? How do you know they are "trying to one up each other"?

Sure maybe someone found out about a place via an Instagram post or whatever. Not sure how different that is, really, from reading about it in a guidebook 15 years ago.

Why can’t people just enjoy themselves on vacation without the constant need for validation? Do you need to announce it to everyone? Take multiple international trips per year? Why? Is constant posting to SM relaxing? Constant posing for pics? Is that relaxing? International traveling, with a family nonetheless, is not relaxing to me. It’s like running marathons, another insane trend. Is it really fun? Aren’t you tired? Or are you just doing it because you are easily influenced by others and you want to share every detail with others. If no one knew or cared that you were going to Tuscany, Lisbon, Galapagos Islands, Venice, Osaka, Croatia, Cairo, Marakesh or Iceland, would you still go? If no pictures were posted and no one gave a crap would it mean the same to you?

But not one poster on this thread has said that this is their motivation for travel. Not one! Maybe there are people doing this, but maybe you need to stop assuming that this is why people are traveling!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First time I’ve ever read about aggressive travel. What a sad view on something that’s supposed to be enjoyable and educational.

If l had more time off and more money l would choose to travel about 1/4 of the time. Because l enjoy it.

That's because it's not an actual thing. Just a term someone here came up with to describe someone travelling in a way they decided they didn't like.

It’s in your face aggressive travel like everything else now. It’s a great description actually. It’s ‘look at me, I am so wordly’ travel, ‘I am better than people who stay home’.

I like competitive travel because it more specifically captures what I dislike about it. I love travel, I just don't like this culture where people always seem to be trying to one up each other and it's about proving how worldly you are instead of just doing something you enjoy.

Again, I don't understand why you would assume nefarious intent. Why isn't someone going on a trip just "doing something they enjoy"? How do you know they are "trying to one up each other"?

Sure maybe someone found out about a place via an Instagram post or whatever. Not sure how different that is, really, from reading about it in a guidebook 15 years ago.

Why can’t people just enjoy themselves on vacation without the constant need for validation? Do you need to announce it to everyone? Take multiple international trips per year? Why? Is constant posting to SM relaxing? Constant posing for pics? Is that relaxing? International traveling, with a family nonetheless, is not relaxing to me. It’s like running marathons, another insane trend. Is it really fun? Aren’t you tired? Or are you just doing it because you are easily influenced by others and you want to share every detail with others. If no one knew or cared that you were going to Tuscany, Lisbon, Galapagos Islands, Venice, Osaka, Croatia, Cairo, Marakesh or Iceland, would you still go? If no pictures were posted and no one gave a crap would it mean the same to you?

But not one poster on this thread has said that this is their motivation for travel. Not one! Maybe there are people doing this, but maybe you need to stop assuming that this is why people are traveling!

They don’t need to say it, their actions speak for themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People are sheep, if I hear about one more person going to Portugal or Japan I am going to scream. A few years ago, it was the National Parks, it seemed like everyone was going to Yellowstone or Grand Tetons or whatever. The constant need to keep up with everyone else, going to the same vacation spots, same poses, same SM captions…Traveling loses its appeal when it becomes so common and predictable. It’s annoying waiting in lines and competing for photo ops. Too many damn people doing the same thing.

And it’s terrible for the locals and environment. People don’t want to go to the same places so they start venturing out without a care to how it will impact the place. Then said place (Costa Rica, Portugal, National Parks, etc) gets overrun with tourists. Housing gets expensive bc of Airbnbs. The environment suffers. I mean people now are vying to go Antartica, which should be off limits to tourists. I think (not so far away) future generations are going to look at the pictures of all these escapades and shake their heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree it's crazy. I LOVE to travel, but we can only afford one trip each year and it's usually not crazy. I try to be mindful that I may be envious, but truly I see some families where the kids really seem like they need to just have some family time at home. Or weekends with playdates. They are not super enthused about the constant travel on every long weekend or break. There is a TON to do in DC so it's not like you'd be bored. I also think about the environmental impact and wonder if these families consider that.

This is where we land. We also sometimes do a big international trip and then the following year just do a few smaller domestic trips and don't do any big destination. Sometimes I do envy specific trips but I don't actually envy people who are doing trip after trip. We like our house a lot, have a pretty great routine with lots of fun stuff built in (time with friends, museum trips, weekend hikes, pool time in summer). Why would I have put so much effort into our home and life here if I wanted to spend asuch time as possible elsewhere?

I could have written this. We are the same. We take an international trip once every couple years. That’s enough for us. We could do more, but for us going every few years makes it feel special. While our kids have enjoyed the couple of overseas trips they’ve been on, some of their favorite vacations growing up were a beach house in North Carolina with their cousins and grandparents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are sheep, if I hear about one more person going to Portugal or Japan I am going to scream. A few years ago, it was the National Parks, it seemed like everyone was going to Yellowstone or Grand Tetons or whatever. The constant need to keep up with everyone else, going to the same vacation spots, same poses, same SM captions…Traveling loses its appeal when it becomes so common and predictable. It’s annoying waiting in lines and competing for photo ops. Too many damn people doing the same thing.

And it’s terrible for the locals and environment. People don’t want to go to the same places so they start venturing out without a care to how it will impact the place. Then said place (Costa Rica, Portugal, National Parks, etc) gets overrun with tourists. Housing gets expensive bc of Airbnbs. The environment suffers. I mean people now are vying to go Antartica, which should be off limits to tourists. I think (not so far away) future generations are going to look at the pictures of all these escapades and shake their heads.

Agree. I am all for travel and acquiring new life experiences, etc. However, it has been taken to an extreme, like everything. People can’t just run a 5k, no, they have to run a marathon or ultramarathon. Kids can’t just attend school now and study independently, no, they need to get tutored and prepped. Everyone is reaching, grasping, clawing to get a piece of the pie. Everyone is a star, an entitled special snowflake. If celebrities can travel to Ibiza and Marakesh and Provence, so can I. I am as entitled as anyone else, even if I have no life savings, as long as I project an attractive SM image, that’s what matters. You can’t take it with you they say, so why not spend it all trying to live like a celebrity? I blame SM and globalization. And again, not all of these people are doing it for likes or validation, or are living above their means, but many are. It’s very superficial.

[Anonymous]

What are some of your favorite unexpected vacation spots? I've enjoyed Gloucester, VA Fairhope, Alabama, and Pittsburgh, PA.

I grew up abroad in a bucket list country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When do you think it become the norm for people to travel so aggressively? I feel like everyone we know travels for every school break and for long periods in the summer (like 2-3 weeks in Europe). These aren’t small driving trips either. The families we know go from very expensive ski vacations (have you ever added up the cost of flights, lodging, lift tickets, gear rentals, etc. for family of 4-5 to ski for a week in CO or UT? It’s nuts) in the winter to luxury beach vacations in the Caribbean for spring break. Or, if they want to “mix it up,” they’ll do Costa Rica for spring break and an African safari for their summer trip.

I looked up the price for the villa rental a friend stayed in and the private boat tour they did and it was not cheap. And again then add in flights, food, etc. for 4-5 people. Then like I said they’ll go on a long trip this summer too which will probably be even more expensive due to the length of the stay.

We live in an affluent suburb so I understand I live in a bit of a bubble. However, I grew up in a similar bubble and I really don’t remember this, do you? Back when I was a teen, people traveled much less. Even rich families stayed home more. They might take one “big” trip and then a less expensive beach trip drivable somewhere on the East Coast rather than 4 trips to international destinations.

1) rich are richer than ever,
2) social media means you’re fully aware of everything they do
3) dovetailing on two, bragging about everything you do has been normalized by social media and reality TV
4) dovetailing on two and three, intense pressure to keep up and belong when you see and hear everyone else taking lavish trips. it’s a status and class symbol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People aren't tied to a desk. People don't pay for air or hotel, they use points. It's easier to travel. People prioritize travel. International real estate is more obtainable.

We have a house in Europe. We spend 8 week in the summer there and 2-4 other weeks throughout the year there. We bought outside of town because we couldn't take anymore of the insta tourists.

You are not MC/UMC. Who the hell can take 10 weeks off per year? You are not relatable.

Did I say anything about taking time off from work?

DH works while we are there. He just needs to be near a phone throughout the day. And be able to get on a computer for an hour or so in the evenings.

That is not the reality of remote work for most people.

That is career dependent. DH isn’t “remote”. That’s how his job was even before Covid and remote work was popular.

So then you aren’t actually traveling. You have multiple residences.

We are traveling.
So if someone spends the summer or part of at their beach house they aren’t traveling.

Our house is in southern France we use it as a home base and travel all over Europe from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When do you think it become the norm for people to travel so aggressively? I feel like everyone we know travels for every school break and for long periods in the summer (like 2-3 weeks in Europe). These aren’t small driving trips either. The families we know go from very expensive ski vacations (have you ever added up the cost of flights, lodging, lift tickets, gear rentals, etc. for family of 4-5 to ski for a week in CO or UT? It’s nuts) in the winter to luxury beach vacations in the Caribbean for spring break. Or, if they want to “mix it up,” they’ll do Costa Rica for spring break and an African safari for their summer trip.

I looked up the price for the villa rental a friend stayed in and the private boat tour they did and it was not cheap. And again then add in flights, food, etc. for 4-5 people. Then like I said they’ll go on a long trip this summer too which will probably be even more expensive due to the length of the stay.

We live in an affluent suburb so I understand I live in a bit of a bubble. However, I grew up in a similar bubble and I really don’t remember this, do you? Back when I was a teen, people traveled much less. Even rich families stayed home more. They might take one “big” trip and then a less expensive beach trip drivable somewhere on the East Coast rather than 4 trips to international destinations.

1) rich are richer than ever,
2) social media means you’re fully aware of everything they do
3) dovetailing on two, bragging about everything you do has been normalized by social media and reality TV
4) dovetailing on two and three, intense pressure to keep up and belong when you see and hear everyone else taking lavish trips. it’s a status and class symbol

The thing is, it’s not just the ‘rich’ doing this, it’s MC and UMC, even poor people are taking cruises and going to Bahaman resorts. Yes, poor people, people on welfare must also try to project an image of worldliness and sophistication. Have you seen cruise passengers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People aren't tied to a desk. People don't pay for air or hotel, they use points. It's easier to travel. People prioritize travel. International real estate is more obtainable.

We have a house in Europe. We spend 8 week in the summer there and 2-4 other weeks throughout the year there. We bought outside of town because we couldn't take anymore of the insta tourists.

You are not MC/UMC. Who the hell can take 10 weeks off per year? You are not relatable.

Did I say anything about taking time off from work?

DH works while we are there. He just needs to be near a phone throughout the day. And be able to get on a computer for an hour or so in the evenings.

That is not the reality of remote work for most people.

That is career dependent. DH isn’t “remote”. That’s how his job was even before Covid and remote work was popular.

So then you aren’t actually traveling. You have multiple residences.

We are traveling.
So if someone spends the summer or part of at their beach house they aren’t traveling.

Our house is in southern France we use it as a home base and travel all over Europe from there.

Yeah, so you’re rich, normal everyday Americans don’t own homes in Southern France, just fyi. People like you always have traveled and always have had the best of everything, good for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People aren't tied to a desk. People don't pay for air or hotel, they use points. It's easier to travel. People prioritize travel. International real estate is more obtainable.

We have a house in Europe. We spend 8 week in the summer there and 2-4 other weeks throughout the year there. We bought outside of town because we couldn't take anymore of the insta tourists.

You are not MC/UMC. Who the hell can take 10 weeks off per year? You are not relatable.

Did I say anything about taking time off from work?

DH works while we are there. He just needs to be near a phone throughout the day. And be able to get on a computer for an hour or so in the evenings.

That is not the reality of remote work for most people.

That is career dependent. DH isn’t “remote”. That’s how his job was even before Covid and remote work was popular.

So then you aren’t actually traveling. You have multiple residences.

We are traveling.
So if someone spends the summer or part of at their beach house they aren’t traveling.

Our house is in southern France we use it as a home base and travel all over Europe from there.

Yeah, so you’re rich, normal everyday Americans don’t own homes in Southern France, just fyi. People like you always have traveled and always have had the best of everything, good for you.

What you don't have a Provencal chateau also? Everyone I know has one.

[Anonymous]

Travel has become a “bigger” part of life, particularly for middle and upper middle class, during the last 10-15 years. I don’t think the cultural shift should be viewed negatively like OP suggests. There is no point pining for the way of the world in 1985. Things change. It’s okay. Book a trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Travel has become a “bigger” part of life, particularly for middle and upper middle class, during the last 10-15 years. I don’t think the cultural shift should be viewed negatively like OP suggests. There is no point pining for the way of the world in 1985. Things change. It’s okay. Book a trip.

I don’t really want to, I don’t find long connecting international flights with my annoying kids appealing, sorry. I would rather go to the nearest beach alone and just enjoy quiet and solitude. However, when I socialize with others I tend to be viewed as an outcast or weirdo if I state my true feelings, so I decide to just politely listen to all of their travel adventures. My kids hear about friends going abroad and want to know why we don’t go. I simply don’t want to, I have already and am old and tired. It’s anticlimactic now, it’s more of a nuisance than anything.