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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have a health ailment, you're basically tagged as a boring loser if you don't travel extensively.

I love to travel but hard disagree with you! I know some interesting people who dislike flying and being away from home. Its a great thing that people have diverse passions and temperaments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only the very rich are doing LUXURY travel. The people in our UMC immigrant group are not paying luxury prices out of pocket. Usually it is off-season group travel and/or loyalty points etc.

LOL - now we're gatekeeping not only travel, but how luxurious it is and how you paid for it. Travel if you want to, brag if you want to. Also feel free to ignore and roll your eyes at someone who is way over the top. Very much agree that it's at least an interesting topic for conversation compared to many others.

[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.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have a health ailment, you're basically tagged as a boring loser if you don't travel extensively.

Yikes. Guess I’m boring right now. I’d love to travel but have to lay off some debt first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have a health ailment, you're basically tagged as a boring loser if you don't travel extensively.

That’s weird. Extensive travel is often a way for boring losers to have something to talk about. We can see through it though.

What, pray tell, are acceptable topics of conversation in your eyes?

I mean, travel can be an acceptable topic among others—I don’t know, books, movies, music, food—but you made it sound like in the absence of travel, you’re marked a boring loser. That’s pretty small minded, and I’m guessing you consider yourself rather worldly.

You’re attributing posts to me that I didn’t write. You’re talking to many people. And I believe you were the only person in this thread who called anyone a “boring loser.”

[Anonymous]

Eh, I love hearing about people's travels. I love to travel and I appreciate the tips and impressions about destinations I might want to travel to in the future. I also live vicariously through them a bit since I'm not able to travel as much as I'd like these days.

I also find that travel is one of the easiest topics to chat about when you are just acquaintances. I don't follow sports and politics is too dicey and the weather is boring, so kids and travel usually top the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have a health ailment, you're basically tagged as a boring loser if you don't travel extensively.

Yikes. Guess I’m boring right now. I’d love to travel but have to lay off some debt first.

Just being honest. Travel and subsequent travel bragging has infected everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have a health ailment, you're basically tagged as a boring loser if you don't travel extensively.

Yikes. Guess I’m boring right now. I’d love to travel but have to lay off some debt first.

Just being honest. Travel and subsequent travel bragging has infected everyone.

Not everyone. Some of us still have manners and are able to chat with people even if they don't travel. My husband has two aunts I love visiting with during family gatherings who never travel. I just talked about other things with them. I have never thought either of them are "boring losers" because they've never been overseas, for instance.

And travel conversations can be boring too. Some people travel extensively but only stay in resort hotels and do run of the mill things. It's not that interesting. Some people are dynamic speakers and can make it interesting, but many people are not. Listening to someone tell you about the dining options at some Caribbean resort is not that exciting.

Interesting people are interesting and dull people are dull and it doesn't really matter what they do or talk about. If you are dull or a bad conversationalist, traveling extensively will not change this, it will just mean you are droning on about travel (often in an self-important way that is even a further turnoff) instead of about your job or your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have a health ailment, you're basically tagged as a boring loser if you don't travel extensively.

That’s weird. Extensive travel is often a way for boring losers to have something to talk about. We can see through it though.

You sound so envious. Please share with us your decadent and sophisticated life of culture, sans travel. We're all on the edge of our seats to learn how interesting 24/7/365 in suburban Maryland is. lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have a health ailment, you're basically tagged as a boring loser if you don't travel extensively.

Yikes. Guess I’m boring right now. I’d love to travel but have to lay off some debt first.

Just being honest. Travel and subsequent travel bragging has infected everyone.

Not everyone. Some of us still have manners and are able to chat with people even if they don't travel. My husband has two aunts I love visiting with during family gatherings who never travel. I just talked about other things with them. I have never thought either of them are "boring losers" because they've never been overseas, for instance.

And travel conversations can be boring too. Some people travel extensively but only stay in resort hotels and do run of the mill things. It's not that interesting. Some people are dynamic speakers and can make it interesting, but many people are not. Listening to someone tell you about the dining options at some Caribbean resort is not that exciting.

Interesting people are interesting and dull people are dull and it doesn't really matter what they do or talk about. If you are dull or a bad conversationalist, traveling extensively will not change this, it will just mean you are droning on about travel (often in an self-important way that is even a further turnoff) instead of about your job or your kids.

Meaning you're walking on eggshells and dumbing down the convo around family who are too poor and/or unhealthy to travel. While everyone of means and health gets the real you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have a health ailment, you're basically tagged as a boring loser if you don't travel extensively.

That’s weird. Extensive travel is often a way for boring losers to have something to talk about. We can see through it though.

You sound so envious. Please share with us your decadent and sophisticated life of culture, sans travel. We're all on the edge of our seats to learn how interesting 24/7/365 in suburban Maryland is. lol

God bless the unlucky souls who get for cornered by this one at holiday parties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Travel is “trendy” now and everyone is all about traveling while they are still young and childless, or traveling to expose their kids to the world, or traveling now that theyre retired and have time and money. So of course it’s a topic people discuss when they get together if they’ve recently been on a trip. Just like if everyone is an avid reader and tries to read 100 books a year (also a trendy thing) they’d talk about books.

I think not mentioning your recent big trip to Paris that you just returned from , out of not wanting to brag, is actually really condescending to the people you’re with. Like “oh, I shouldn’t make the peasants jealous!”

Honestly I would be so unimpressed if someone told me about their trip to Paris since I was last there 100 countries ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eh, I love hearing about people's travels. I love to travel and I appreciate the tips and impressions about destinations I might want to travel to in the future. I also live vicariously through them a bit since I'm not able to travel as much as I'd like these days.

I also find that travel is one of the easiest topics to chat about when you are just acquaintances. I don't follow sports and politics is too dicey and the weather is boring, so kids and travel usually top the list.

Same! I love to hear about trips people go on from camping to Disney to cruises to insane l luxurious ones. I find travel interesting. But I mean, I like to hear what people do in general from their hobbies to events they've attended. I just like finding out about people's lives and what makes them happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Travel is “trendy” now and everyone is all about traveling while they are still young and childless, or traveling to expose their kids to the world, or traveling now that theyre retired and have time and money. So of course it’s a topic people discuss when they get together if they’ve recently been on a trip. Just like if everyone is an avid reader and tries to read 100 books a year (also a trendy thing) they’d talk about books.

I think not mentioning your recent big trip to Paris that you just returned from , out of not wanting to brag, is actually really condescending to the people you’re with. Like “oh, I shouldn’t make the peasants jealous!”

Honestly I would be so unimpressed if someone told me about their trip to Paris since I was last there 100 countries ago.

But no one is telling you to impress you. If your friend told you about their trip to Paris and they were excited about it, wouldn't you be genuinely interested in it? I would be even though I also went to Paris about 100 countries ago. I would be happy for my friend, ask questions about their trip, see if they did any of the things I did all those years ago, etc. I can't imagine being all "oh....I'm so much more traveled than you are. I'm going to look down on you for being excited about a trip I deem beneath me". What an odd way to go through life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Travel is “trendy” now and everyone is all about traveling while they are still young and childless, or traveling to expose their kids to the world, or traveling now that theyre retired and have time and money. So of course it’s a topic people discuss when they get together if they’ve recently been on a trip. Just like if everyone is an avid reader and tries to read 100 books a year (also a trendy thing) they’d talk about books.

I think not mentioning your recent big trip to Paris that you just returned from , out of not wanting to brag, is actually really condescending to the people you’re with. Like “oh, I shouldn’t make the peasants jealous!”

Honestly I would be so unimpressed if someone told me about their trip to Paris since I was last there 100 countries ago.

But no one is telling you to impress you. If your friend told you about their trip to Paris and they were excited about it, wouldn't you be genuinely interested in it? I would be even though I also went to Paris about 100 countries ago. I would be happy for my friend, ask questions about their trip, see if they did any of the things I did all those years ago, etc. I can't imagine being all "oh....I'm so much more traveled than you are. I'm going to look down on you for being excited about a trip I deem beneath me". What an odd way to go through life.

PP here. Fair enough. I guess it would depend on how they presented person presented it. I was more responding to the person who referred to obnoxious bragging about a Paris trip as offensive to the peasants (their words, not mine). Personally I would be more impressed by a trip to a place in rural South Dakota or Arkansas that I haven’t yet visited.