Anyone else lost excitement for travel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t lost my desire to travel, but it surely doesn’t feel as special as it used to be. Like a lot of people, what I like about travel is food. Now, and I guess this can be a good thing, is I don’t have to travel to get great Italian, Korean, Japanese, or even Afghani food- not that I’m going to Afghanistan anytime soon.

Maybe it’s not as easy to come by and reaquires a little effort, but you can find Italian food here, in the states, every bit as good in Italy. Fun fact, you can also find mediocre Italian in Italy- mostly in the tourist hubs, but I did have a couple pedestrian dishes.

I also agree with the notion that with so much of the world at our fingertips- internet, YouTube, Instagram, that once we arrive somewhere it feels too familiar. This is self-inflicted and maybe I need to unplug and plan less for my next trip.

In short, I still love to travel and cherish it mostly for the shared experience with family. These trips can be overseas or just a simple week at a local beach.

But do you regularly get to eat this food in the US?

I don't. Between money and time I rarely eat out. I have 3 kids, a husband and a job and I'm not jaunting around DC (let alone around the US) to eat great food. I'm usually making a 15 minute dinner on route to one of 5 sporting events that my kids are playing in that week. The joy of vacation (that never gets old) is actually having the time (and spending the money) to enjoy a great meal--and hopefully several in one week.

[Anonymous]

OP, I agree with much of what you said, and I'm a travel veteran of 40+ countries along with 12 years of expatdom. And I'm typing this while on vacation in Germany right now. The older I get, the more I find the travel logistics a hassle, including dealing with airports, jet lag, rushing from station to hotel and killing time till check in at 3 PM. And walking through local streets to find them crowded with the same Thai/Vietnamese/Lebanese/pizza/Italian restaurants you now find globally. I've seen so many museums that I can't get excited by them any more unless it's a truly special exhibition like the Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam earlier this year. And it's true Europe has lost a great deal of its distinctiveness in the last 20 years, becoming both more global and with more immigrants everywhere.

There are still a few places on my bucket list but I am increasingly attracted to some kind of activity as the focus, such as a hiking or cycling trip with a day or two at the end in a city or even forsaking cities altogether. And, frankly, I'd rather spend two weeks each summer in my favorite New England coastal town just relaxing and swimming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t lost my desire to travel, but it surely doesn’t feel as special as it used to be. Like a lot of people, what I like about travel is food. Now, and I guess this can be a good thing, is I don’t have to travel to get great Italian, Korean, Japanese, or even Afghani food- not that I’m going to Afghanistan anytime soon.

Maybe it’s not as easy to come by and reaquires a little effort, but you can find Italian food here, in the states, every bit as good in Italy. Fun fact, you can also find mediocre Italian in Italy- mostly in the tourist hubs, but I did have a couple pedestrian dishes.

I also agree with the notion that with so much of the world at our fingertips- internet, YouTube, Instagram, that once we arrive somewhere it feels too familiar. This is self-inflicted and maybe I need to unplug and plan less for my next trip.

In short, I still love to travel and cherish it mostly for the shared experience with family. These trips can be overseas or just a simple week at a local beach.

But do you regularly get to eat this food in the US?

I don't. Between money and time I rarely eat out. I have 3 kids, a husband and a job and I'm not jaunting around DC (let alone around the US) to eat great food. I'm usually making a 15 minute dinner on route to one of 5 sporting events that my kids are playing in that week. The joy of vacation (that never gets old) is actually having the time (and spending the money) to enjoy a great meal--and hopefully several in one week.

Then make time as part of your regular life. Hire babysitters. Skip a sporting event. Surely skipping a sporting event is easier than traveling as a family of five to a different country.

[Anonymous]

Started traveling exclusively business class, and it makes the worst part of traveling nicer

[Anonymous]

You need to get off the beaten path. If visiting another country, spend two nights in the major city, then the rest in Gods country.

[Anonymous]

I still love travel, but it’s become a lot harder for me to afford it. I’m happiest when I am traveling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meeting people in other cultures isn’t something Amazon can replace.

But I do understand.

Those people do not care about meeting you. What does meeting strangers for a few moments, that you will never see or speak to again do for you or your children?

If you want to visit new places and see the world, that’s fine and well. But people make me cringe when they talk about “going where the locals go”, “meeting the locals”. The inhabitants of other places and cultures are not there for our entertainment.

We tend to go to a place for at least a week so we have time to get to “know” locals. I have several I keep in touch with, and a couple have traveled to the US and stayed with us for a few days. YMMV

[Anonymous]

Due to the terrible impact of tourism on the environment I have stopped traveling in its conventional form and started working for free on organic farms (WWOOFing) during my holidays and these are the best vacations I ever had. I've met wonderful people and learned way more than every international trip can offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meeting people in other cultures isn’t something Amazon can replace.

But I do understand.

Those people do not care about meeting you. What does meeting strangers for a few moments, that you will never see or speak to again do for you or your children?

If you want to visit new places and see the world, that’s fine and well. But people make me cringe when they talk about “going where the locals go”, “meeting the locals”. The inhabitants of other places and cultures are not there for our entertainment.

We tend to go to a place for at least a week so we have time to get to “know” locals. I have several I keep in touch with, and a couple have traveled to the US and stayed with us for a few days. YMMV

This is not the norm. But it is admirable.

Traveling, for me, has become a hassle. I have visited more than 70 countries over the past 50 years. And it isn't as much fun anymore. Blame it on what you want, but it was much more fun to see the David on a moment's notice rather than having to get tickets and wait in line. The British Museum and the Louvre are tourist clogged nightmares. I go only to one country anymore where I have good friends and meet new people. I speak the language fluently and go on local "vacations" with friends. Otherwise, I will go to very remote sites in order to go scuba diving or hiking. Or if there is a specific reason to go somewhere. But general tourism doesn't appeal that much anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I agree with much of what you said, and I'm a travel veteran of 40+ countries along with 12 years of expatdom. And I'm typing this while on vacation in Germany right now. The older I get, the more I find the travel logistics a hassle, including dealing with airports, jet lag, rushing from station to hotel and killing time till check in at 3 PM. And walking through local streets to find them crowded with the same Thai/Vietnamese/Lebanese/pizza/Italian restaurants you now find globally. I've seen so many museums that I can't get excited by them any more unless it's a truly special exhibition like the Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam earlier this year. And it's true Europe has lost a great deal of its distinctiveness in the last 20 years, becoming both more global and with more immigrants everywhere.

There are still a few places on my bucket list but I am increasingly attracted to some kind of activity as the focus, such as a hiking or cycling trip with a day or two at the end in a city or even forsaking cities altogether. And, frankly, I'd rather spend two weeks each summer in my favorite New England coastal town just relaxing and swimming.

Huh. I don’t consider anyone a travel “veteran” unless someone’s at 50+
Twelve years is nothing in expatdom…most are at 20+ with children attending uni abroad.

[Anonymous]

Travel isn’t for every person, every family, or every budget. There are increasingly more virtual options to have a wide variety of experiences.

That said, I LOVE travel. But I’m childless with a remote job with generous PTO.

[Anonymous]

I personally had a really disappointing trip this year to Portugal, and I'm still trying to figure out exactly why. Part of it was that it felt really touristy, but I've enjoyed other places that are also touristy. I also didn't find the food that good (not terrible but I wasn't impressed) but perhaps we ate at the wrong places. But honestly I think it was just the mindset/age of the people I was with - we are older now, and trips just aren't as wild and carefree anymore. There's no outlandish stories or crazy run-ins or hijinx. It was a fine trip, but just that... fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t lost my desire to travel, but it surely doesn’t feel as special as it used to be. Like a lot of people, what I like about travel is food. Now, and I guess this can be a good thing, is I don’t have to travel to get great Italian, Korean, Japanese, or even Afghani food- not that I’m going to Afghanistan anytime soon.

Maybe it’s not as easy to come by and reaquires a little effort, but you can find Italian food here, in the states, every bit as good in Italy. Fun fact, you can also find mediocre Italian in Italy- mostly in the tourist hubs, but I did have a couple pedestrian dishes.

I also agree with the notion that with so much of the world at our fingertips- internet, YouTube, Instagram, that once we arrive somewhere it feels too familiar. This is self-inflicted and maybe I need to unplug and plan less for my next trip.

In short, I still love to travel and cherish it mostly for the shared experience with family. These trips can be overseas or just a simple week at a local beach.

But do you regularly get to eat this food in the US?

I don't. Between money and time I rarely eat out. I have 3 kids, a husband and a job and I'm not jaunting around DC (let alone around the US) to eat great food. I'm usually making a 15 minute dinner on route to one of 5 sporting events that my kids are playing in that week. The joy of vacation (that never gets old) is actually having the time (and spending the money) to enjoy a great meal--and hopefully several in one week.

I don’t eat great ethnic food regularly in the U.S. Like you, I’m busy. My point is if I wanted to do so, it wouldn’t be hard.

Eating out is still one of the joys of travel. It’s as much about the food as it is the experience- enjoying it with family or friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I agree with much of what you said, and I'm a travel veteran of 40+ countries along with 12 years of expatdom. And I'm typing this while on vacation in Germany right now. The older I get, the more I find the travel logistics a hassle, including dealing with airports, jet lag, rushing from station to hotel and killing time till check in at 3 PM. And walking through local streets to find them crowded with the same Thai/Vietnamese/Lebanese/pizza/Italian restaurants you now find globally. I've seen so many museums that I can't get excited by them any more unless it's a truly special exhibition like the Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam earlier this year. And it's true Europe has lost a great deal of its distinctiveness in the last 20 years, becoming both more global and with more immigrants everywhere.

There are still a few places on my bucket list but I am increasingly attracted to some kind of activity as the focus, such as a hiking or cycling trip with a day or two at the end in a city or even forsaking cities altogether. And, frankly, I'd rather spend two weeks each summer in my favorite New England coastal town just relaxing and swimming.

Huh. I don’t consider anyone a travel “veteran” unless someone’s at 50+
Twelve years is nothing in expatdom…most are at 20+ with children attending uni abroad.

Stop trolling.

[Anonymous]

I used to travel for shopping and food. But now that many stores and products are easy to get on the Internet and sightseeing is crowded and annoying, I travel for wildlife and weather. I live somewhere with consistently awful weather and travel helps me get through it.

The trips during the time when destinations were becoming more globalized and travel became more congested were unsatisfying, but I couldn’t put a finger on why at the time. Now that I’ve changed my reasons for traveling, I enjoy trips again.