LMC travel lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never understood the appeal of living like a local. The best vacations are nothing like how locals live.

No, that’s not a vacation. That’s artificial and you learn nothing.

OP here. I never really said I “live like a local.” But when I go on, ahem, “vacation” I like to go where I’m fluent in the (second) language, spend extra time, get to know people, and return and see them again. And I always take my time. There’s nothing better just doing nothing for a day or two when you’re traveling because you know there’s no rush. Or when you’re walking down the street and people see you and wave to you because they know you. And you have phone numbers and you exchange WhatsApp messages with your new and old friends when you’re back in the states.

It’s just a different, and better experience. To me when you have an “itinerary” and “must sees” and you’re in some fancy hotel and it’s all about “where are we going to eat?“ that’s not fun to me. That’s work — just of a different kind. Boring. No thank you.

How much PTO do you get in a year?

I retired young. Haven’t worked in 10+ years.

Too funny. I married well and have never worked.

Not that well apparently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never understood the appeal of living like a local. The best vacations are nothing like how locals live.

No, that’s not a vacation. That’s artificial and you learn nothing.

OP here. I never really said I “live like a local.” But when I go on, ahem, “vacation” I like to go where I’m fluent in the (second) language, spend extra time, get to know people, and return and see them again. And I always take my time. There’s nothing better just doing nothing for a day or two when you’re traveling because you know there’s no rush. Or when you’re walking down the street and people see you and wave to you because they know you. And you have phone numbers and you exchange WhatsApp messages with your new and old friends when you’re back in the states.

It’s just a different, and better experience. To me when you have an “itinerary” and “must sees” and you’re in some fancy hotel and it’s all about “where are we going to eat?“ that’s not fun to me. That’s work — just of a different kind. Boring. No thank you.

You’ve strayed far from your original post and managed to get more obnoxious with every update. Enjoy your travels and we’ll enjoy ours.

Agree 100%. And this getting to know people and living like them is just do phony and pretentious. Unless you’re going to Burkina Faso or Haiti, most people around the world are living pretty much the same. Drinking a different wine and walking to a small out of the way market, for a loaf of bread, doesn’t make you enlightened.

That you really think this is true means you haven’t done it.

Says the “traveler” who it sounds like just goes to Italy and St. Thomas 🙄

Nothing wrong with Italy (I love it) or the islands, but if you’re going to cosplay as Anthony Bourdain, and really expand your worldview, you might want to try harder.

Lol you’re confusing me with “married well.” I’m not her. I’m the OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never understood the appeal of living like a local. The best vacations are nothing like how locals live.

No, that’s not a vacation. That’s artificial and you learn nothing.

OP here. I never really said I “live like a local.” But when I go on, ahem, “vacation” I like to go where I’m fluent in the (second) language, spend extra time, get to know people, and return and see them again. And I always take my time. There’s nothing better just doing nothing for a day or two when you’re traveling because you know there’s no rush. Or when you’re walking down the street and people see you and wave to you because they know you. And you have phone numbers and you exchange WhatsApp messages with your new and old friends when you’re back in the states.

It’s just a different, and better experience. To me when you have an “itinerary” and “must sees” and you’re in some fancy hotel and it’s all about “where are we going to eat?“ that’s not fun to me. That’s work — just of a different kind. Boring. No thank you.

You quoted me, op/pp, and you’ve made a lot of weird assumptions.

FTR, I don’t have an itinerary or busy agenda. I prefer to play it by ear and my daily goal is to simply have a fun day.

We do enjoy eating, but we rarely make reservations. We like finding local bakeries and fun places. We love live music and seek it out in small venues.

I have WhatsApp #s for lots of folks we’ve met abroad. So? I’m FB friends with cool drivers we hired and hung out with in Kotor and St. Kitts and guys we chartered boats with in St. Thomas and Split. I also have friends who work on cruise ships and in hotels. So?

It sounds like you like to visit the same places time and again and that’s fine. A relative owns a villa in Tuscany and goes there twice a year for extended periods. I only lasted a week before I wanted to move on. I can lounge on a beach or boat all day, but I need a change of scenery at some point.

I don’t think you realize that your bizarre definition of “travel” isn’t actually a thing. You want it to mean a higher level of authenticity but the reality is the common usage means something else.

Do you ever go anywhere besides the Caribbean and Italy? That’s all you ever refer to. How boring.

I’m using examples.

Fwiw, I’ve been to two dozen spots in the Caribbean. There’s no place more fun and relaxing imho.

And I’ve been all over Italy because I love the country, food, architecture, and vibe. It’s another place where you can just relax without having to plan anything.

But I’ve been all over Europe and done some traveling in central and South America (not my cup of tea).

I’m baffled by your use of the word “boring.” I mean, returning to the same destinations where you know everyone and you seemingly just hang out in some random neighborhood where only the cool travelers go and you don’t actually sightsee sounds more boring than my two-week island hopping trips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never understood the appeal of living like a local. The best vacations are nothing like how locals live.

No, that’s not a vacation. That’s artificial and you learn nothing.

OP here. I never really said I “live like a local.” But when I go on, ahem, “vacation” I like to go where I’m fluent in the (second) language, spend extra time, get to know people, and return and see them again. And I always take my time. There’s nothing better just doing nothing for a day or two when you’re traveling because you know there’s no rush. Or when you’re walking down the street and people see you and wave to you because they know you. And you have phone numbers and you exchange WhatsApp messages with your new and old friends when you’re back in the states.

It’s just a different, and better experience. To me when you have an “itinerary” and “must sees” and you’re in some fancy hotel and it’s all about “where are we going to eat?“ that’s not fun to me. That’s work — just of a different kind. Boring. No thank you.

You quoted me, op/pp, and you’ve made a lot of weird assumptions.

FTR, I don’t have an itinerary or busy agenda. I prefer to play it by ear and my daily goal is to simply have a fun day.

We do enjoy eating, but we rarely make reservations. We like finding local bakeries and fun places. We love live music and seek it out in small venues.

I have WhatsApp #s for lots of folks we’ve met abroad. So? I’m FB friends with cool drivers we hired and hung out with in Kotor and St. Kitts and guys we chartered boats with in St. Thomas and Split. I also have friends who work on cruise ships and in hotels. So?

It sounds like you like to visit the same places time and again and that’s fine. A relative owns a villa in Tuscany and goes there twice a year for extended periods. I only lasted a week before I wanted to move on. I can lounge on a beach or boat all day, but I need a change of scenery at some point.

I don’t think you realize that your bizarre definition of “travel” isn’t actually a thing. You want it to mean a higher level of authenticity but the reality is the common usage means something else.

Do you ever go anywhere besides the Caribbean and Italy? That’s all you ever refer to. How boring.

I’m using examples.

Fwiw, I’ve been to two dozen spots in the Caribbean. There’s no place more fun and relaxing imho.

And I’ve been all over Italy because I love the country, food, architecture, and vibe. It’s another place where you can just relax without having to plan anything.

But I’ve been all over Europe and done some traveling in central and South America (not my cup of tea).

I’m baffled by your use of the word “boring.” I mean, returning to the same destinations where you know everyone and you seemingly just hang out in some random neighborhood where only the cool travelers go and you don’t actually sightsee sounds more boring than my two-week island hopping trips.

Island hopping the Caribbean is so cliche

[Anonymous]

Having been to Punta Cana, there's a wide variety of resorts there. Some would totally qualify as the kind of "LMC vacation" that people here scoff at. Some are actually nice. You get what you pay for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's an odd list of places. I expected it to be:
Stay at relatives in a different state within driving distance.
Camp in a state or national park.
Stay with an old friend who lives in an interesting place.
Day trip to Hershey Park or Kings Dominion. (Orlando is way too much money and probably involves plane tickets)
Grab your swimsuits and go to the county pool.

+1. This was my LMC experience growing up. Disney? Just no. Maybe a Six Flags. Driving through national parks and grabbing a Motel 6. Traveling with a cooler in the back with sandwich fixings and a bag of oranges.

This was my childhood and my parents actually had money. My parents went to Europe alone a few times but when it came to family trips it was always the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's an odd list of places. I expected it to be:
Stay at relatives in a different state within driving distance.
Camp in a state or national park.
Stay with an old friend who lives in an interesting place.
Day trip to Hershey Park or Kings Dominion. (Orlando is way too much money and probably involves plane tickets)
Grab your swimsuits and go to the county pool.

Which shows that you didn’t read the article. No one “dreams” of a day trip to Kings Dominion or going to the county pool. These are ways to afford aspirational destinations for people who are lower income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's an odd list of places. I expected it to be:
Stay at relatives in a different state within driving distance.
Camp in a state or national park.
Stay with an old friend who lives in an interesting place.
Day trip to Hershey Park or Kings Dominion. (Orlando is way too much money and probably involves plane tickets)
Grab your swimsuits and go to the county pool.

Which shows that you didn’t read the article. No one “dreams” of a day trip to Kings Dominion or going to the county pool. These are ways to afford aspirational destinations for people who are lower income.

I’m in a KD fan group, and yes, some people dream of a trip to KD. Some are thoosies hunting down coaster credits, and others are broke single moms asking passholders to share their free bring a friend tickets so they can do something nice for their kid’s birthday. As a LMC kid my travel aspirations were indeed theme parks.