Losing the love of travel

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently switched from your typical 1 week vacation to 4-5 weeks and it has been a game changer for me. I either stay in one city for the entire trip or I'll stay at an Airbnb for 2 weeks and then travel around the country for the remaining 2-3 weeks. It's much more relaxing and a great way to scope out potential retirement spots.

Im glad that works for you but I would absolutely hate being away that long. We went on a 14 day trip as a family and everyone agreed it was simply way too long for us.

14 days was too long?!

[Anonymous]

A pp mentioned a lack of distinctiveness and I agree with this. I am mid 50s and have travelled and worked overseas a lot. Most shops aren’t that different in asia or Europe to what we have here. Most souvenirs in every country are mass produced in China and not particularly unique.

I also see museums differently to how I used to, particularly how much of poorer countries have been plundered to create the exhibits (eg British Museum).

And of course the crowds. Visiting Venice feels like going to a theme park. No one really lives there anymore. It is just a giant hotel with tourists wandering around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently switched from your typical 1 week vacation to 4-5 weeks and it has been a game changer for me. I either stay in one city for the entire trip or I'll stay at an Airbnb for 2 weeks and then travel around the country for the remaining 2-3 weeks. It's much more relaxing and a great way to scope out potential retirement spots.

Im glad that works for you but I would absolutely hate being away that long. We went on a 14 day trip as a family and everyone agreed it was simply way too long for us.

I agree with the 14 days. We traveled to Hawaii and California for one month. Hawaii was beautiful but more bugs than we were prepared for. California was amazing and we could have explored more had we established a better place to stay.

Overall 7-10 days is about our max as a family. Then it is nice to get back to our comforts, routines and not live out of a backpack.

Traveling is fun when you need it. I enjoy it more with other people, retreats, or some meaningful intention. The United States is a beautiful country and there is so much to explore here.

[Anonymous]

Like some PP, arrange around an activity or theme, eg safari in Botswana, cycling or hiking tour, Galapagos, trips organized by universities or national geographic-
Also look at UK organized groups as they’re cheaper

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently switched from your typical 1 week vacation to 4-5 weeks and it has been a game changer for me. I either stay in one city for the entire trip or I'll stay at an Airbnb for 2 weeks and then travel around the country for the remaining 2-3 weeks. It's much more relaxing and a great way to scope out potential retirement spots.

Im glad that works for you but I would absolutely hate being away that long. We went on a 14 day trip as a family and everyone agreed it was simply way too long for us.

14 days was too long?!

I'm a seasoned traveler and have come to realize that 14 days is a bit too longer. 1 week is too short, two weeks, which really means about 15/16 days due to departing on Friday and returning on Sunday two weeks later, always feels like a few days too long. 10/11 days is the ideal. The last 2-3 days of a two week trip always feels like killing time waiting to come home as I feel the itch to return to normalcy and my own bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A pp mentioned a lack of distinctiveness and I agree with this. I am mid 50s and have travelled and worked overseas a lot. Most shops aren’t that different in asia or Europe to what we have here. Most souvenirs in every country are mass produced in China and not particularly unique.

I also see museums differently to how I used to, particularly how much of poorer countries have been plundered to create the exhibits (eg British Museum).

And of course the crowds. Visiting Venice feels like going to a theme park. No one really lives there anymore. It is just a giant hotel with tourists wandering around.

Without the imperialists taking items back (which often were sold by locals anyway), those artifacts probably wouldn't exist any more. I know that's the case with the Elgin marbles. Be grateful these things have been preserved for humanity.

[Anonymous]

I still love to travel, but one of the joys of traveling for me has always been food. For better or worse, you can get just about any ethnic food in my neighborhood that’s as good as anything overseas.

I still want to go abroad once in awhile, but I’m just as happy in the mountains of New Hampshire, on a beach on Cape Cod or North Carolina, or out west, which is my favorite place on earth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A pp mentioned a lack of distinctiveness and I agree with this. I am mid 50s and have travelled and worked overseas a lot. Most shops aren’t that different in asia or Europe to what we have here. Most souvenirs in every country are mass produced in China and not particularly unique.

I also see museums differently to how I used to, particularly how much of poorer countries have been plundered to create the exhibits (eg British Museum).

And of course the crowds. Visiting Venice feels like going to a theme park. No one really lives there anymore. It is just a giant hotel with tourists wandering around.

Without the imperialists taking items back (which often were sold by locals anyway), those artifacts probably wouldn't exist any more. I know that's the case with the Elgin marbles. Be grateful these things have been preserved for humanity.

Agree, people forget this too easily. So much would have been destroyed (as we see in the Middle East). And cultures are not static either, places like Turkey were conquered quite a few times over the thousands of years with invading new populations, so the moral ownership of antiquities isn't as straightforward as some would like to think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A pp mentioned a lack of distinctiveness and I agree with this. I am mid 50s and have travelled and worked overseas a lot. Most shops aren’t that different in asia or Europe to what we have here. Most souvenirs in every country are mass produced in China and not particularly unique.

I also see museums differently to how I used to, particularly how much of poorer countries have been plundered to create the exhibits (eg British Museum).

And of course the crowds. Visiting Venice feels like going to a theme park. No one really lives there anymore. It is just a giant hotel with tourists wandering around.

This is exactly how I feel. And in general, I no longer enjoy going to major cities because everything feels the same. The Gap, Starbucks, H&M, etc. I prefer smaller cities and towns for this reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a lot of the north American west I haven't seen. I traveled a lot when I was young and have flown to Europe and the British Isles a handful of times over the last decade.

I research national parks out west. I am going to one next month.

I think about the north American west every day. I used to think about foreign travel every day and now wonder if I'll ever care to fly to another continent again.

This is me. I still like to travel and have been fortunate to see a good part of the world. I am still looking forward to a bit of overseas travel, but my best trips and those I look forward to the most are out west.

Yes to this. Now that my kids are tweens and old enough to appreciate travel more, we are planning an international trip with them, and we just gots them passports. But I am also challenging myself to do more things near home, partly because I'm in my mid 40s and the jet lag kills me, but also because we (all of us) tend to get wrapped up in our lives without really appreciating where we are. And we live in a really naturally beautiful region near several national parks in Washington state, and we don't get out to enjoy it enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a lot of the north American west I haven't seen. I traveled a lot when I was young and have flown to Europe and the British Isles a handful of times over the last decade.

I research national parks out west. I am going to one next month.

I think about the north American west every day. I used to think about foreign travel every day and now wonder if I'll ever care to fly to another continent again.

This is me. I still like to travel and have been fortunate to see a good part of the world. I am still looking forward to a bit of overseas travel, but my best trips and those I look forward to the most are out west.

Yes to this. Now that my kids are tweens and old enough to appreciate travel more, we are planning an international trip with them, and we just gots them passports. But I am also challenging myself to do more things near home, partly because I'm in my mid 40s and the jet lag kills me, but also because we (all of us) tend to get wrapped up in our lives without really appreciating where we are. And we live in a really naturally beautiful region near several national parks in Washington state, and we don't get out to enjoy it enough.

^
But I will say that National Parks are also more crowded than ever. We went to Mount Rainier last summer, which requires advance booking now just to drive into the park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same here. Early 50s, been to at least 70 countries. Not much desire to do it any more. I still have to travel this year, for work, to places on many people's bucket lists but I feel kind of "meh" about it even though they are amazing places. I've been to those places many times before.

Is 70 countries supposed to be a lot? Doesn’t seem like a lot. I think all the people here claiming to have loved travel didn’t really love it. If you love it, nothing can stop you from doing it.

You sound snobby and insufferable.

I thought 70 was a lot. Five or ten can be a lot of you spend a lot of time there, or if you go to one country repeatedly.

Who is the bigger traveler - someone who goes through nine European countries in ten days on a bus or someone who spends six months in one country visiting all corners?

Neither.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A pp mentioned a lack of distinctiveness and I agree with this. I am mid 50s and have travelled and worked overseas a lot. Most shops aren’t that different in asia or Europe to what we have here. Most souvenirs in every country are mass produced in China and not particularly unique.

I also see museums differently to how I used to, particularly how much of poorer countries have been plundered to create the exhibits (eg British Museum).

And of course the crowds. Visiting Venice feels like going to a theme park. No one really lives there anymore. It is just a giant hotel with tourists wandering around.

Without the imperialists taking items back (which often were sold by locals anyway), those artifacts probably wouldn't exist any more. I know that's the case with the Elgin marbles. Be grateful these things have been preserved for humanity.

Okay, but it’s time for England to give back the Elgin Marbles. Greece can take care of them now. Do you really dispute this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just took our first lazy holiday where we didn't attempt to see anything. I had literally never just laid on a beach for an entire day. I didn't even read a novel! I just turned sixty and my husband and I have decided we are still interested in travel but only for the purposes of relaxing. Perhaps no more tourism. Pretty sure that makes us uneducated or something, but I'll take it.

This would be literal torture for me. My ADHD would burn me up from the inside.

DP here. Yes the relax types and the ADHD types can't travel together. This is why I can't travel with my MIL. She wants to schedule the hell out of everything.

I have severe ADHD and can't stand planned activity trips or trips built around a specific activity. Give me a good food, nothing planned and I am a happy camper. Love relaxing vacations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A pp mentioned a lack of distinctiveness and I agree with this. I am mid 50s and have travelled and worked overseas a lot. Most shops aren’t that different in asia or Europe to what we have here. Most souvenirs in every country are mass produced in China and not particularly unique.

I also see museums differently to how I used to, particularly how much of poorer countries have been plundered to create the exhibits (eg British Museum).

And of course the crowds. Visiting Venice feels like going to a theme park. No one really lives there anymore. It is just a giant hotel with tourists wandering around.

Without the imperialists taking items back (which often were sold by locals anyway), those artifacts probably wouldn't exist any more. I know that's the case with the Elgin marbles. Be grateful these things have been preserved for humanity.

Okay, but it’s time for England to give back the Elgin Marbles. Greece can take care of them now. Do you really dispute this?

NP- Art and artefacts from imperialist/non imperialist countries are displayed all over the world. How else would people get to experience other cultures without traveling, which is a great privilege many don't have? Maybe some little UK kid (not necessarily a "white and rich imperialist" child) will develop a love for Greece thanks to exposure at the British museum. I understand when it comes to certain specific stolen high profile artifacts, but dismantling entire collections would not be beneficial.