Reply to S/O of destinations that jumped the shark - has travel jumped the shark for you?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, it’s both. I’m late 40s, traveled a lot in my 20s and early 30s before kids, relative to other families have traveled a lot with kids, and I feel the same way.

Economic and cultural shifts in the last 20-30 years mean the places I once experienced as fulfilling because they were different from home and offered stimuli that I didn’t have in my everyday life are now much more similar to my daily life.

And my having experienced a lot more means the newness of a travel experience is much harder to find.

I find two things help. First, when traveling with my kids, choosing places and activities that let me do something with them that places the focus on their discovery, and focusing my attention on being present (and grateful) for that. For example, when we have visited a place that I’ve been before (Ireland was a recent example for us, too), creating opportunities for each kid to discover and plan activities. Do I care about the Cliffs of Moher? Not even a little bit. Was my son thrilled and gave us the sweetest history lesson? Yes, and it was great fun to do that with him.

Second, when traveling without kids, getting really clear about why I’m going. Like another poster said, often that’s about nature. I’ve always been a big hiker and my kids are still fairly young so the chance to do an itinerary I can’t (yet) with them is always awesome. But sometimes it’s about a super cool hotel or restaurant or exhibit. Or about who I’m traveling with. Or about renting a place and staying put and savoring the minutiae of daily life. For me, that’s different than how I traveled when I was younger, which was more like “I’ve never been to Japan; it sounds awesome; let’s go to that place and do things there.”

Finally, I feel the wear and tear of travel more now. I used to always say yes - to the work event that would get me to a new place, to the friend invite, to the airfare bargain. Now sometimes I just don’t take the trip, or I return to a few not far places that I know I really love, and that helps.

Part of this makes me sad - I wish I could be thrilled by any new place like I used to - but it has also slowed me down in ways I appreciate. Do I still fantasize about being an empty nester and taking some Big Trips I can’t fit into life now? You bet; and I’m trying to stay healthy to be able to make that happen. [/quote]

I (not OP) can relate to almost everything you said).

When I took my daughter to Giverny, it was so charming to watch her sketch the lily pads from Monet’s famous bridge. She was drawn to that place because we had read a cute children’s book about the frogs that live there.

I am almost 70 now, and find myself more nervous about say, having a medical problem overseas. Stairs are harder. But I feel like I have at least a few years left for solo exploration of our globe. Something still comes alive in me when I am on a new place, challenged to figure out the train schedule or make sense of a menu. [/quote]

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