Wanderlust

We travel for more education and to develop empathy. Our travel is wide ranging however and as a former peace corps volunteer - I encourage my family to give back in someway.

But we have run the gamut of experiences from eco friendly accommodations to hostels to private villas/bungalows with chef and housekeeping. But we mostly travel to keep our eyes open.

It is fun/ interesting to see different parts of the world and to meet new people all over.

Anonymous wrote:Because we work so many hours and sit in so much traffic that our local region is stressful and we desire escape.

This is me. I love to escape DC. I love not working and being able to see new things.

Sadly, as soon as I come back to DC from a trip, the anxiety and feelings of dread return. My family won’t leave this area, so I plan vacations/escapes.

Travel literally sets my soul on fire. I can't even explain it. When I'm in a rut or slump in life, my husband is like YOU NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE. I've met so many amazing people around the world (locals, not wealthy travelers) and it's just such an all encompassing feeling of warmth and belonging when you are in a foreign place and people welcome you like family.

I travel VERY differently than 99.9% of DCUMers though so can't answer for the majority.

We don’t, why do you.

I travel because the activities I enjoy can't be done locally. I scuba dive and snowboard. Mid atlantic diving or snowboarding is not fun. Once the kids are out of the house I will be moving to a place where I can easily do one of these activities and I'll travel for the other one.

Anonymous wrote:The DMV is ugly. I want to look at pretty things.

Agreed!

Summer in the DMV is the absolute worst. I would love to live in a place I didn't constantly want to escape, but unfortunately, work keeps us here for now so we travel whenever we can.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The DMV is ugly. I want to look at pretty things.

+1

+2

Ugly and sprawling/crowded and awful weather. I lived in the DMV for a decade and thought about travel every day.

Now I live in a place with more natural beauty and I think about travel way less. Planes and hotels are an expensive hassle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The majority of Americans don’t own a passport.

This was true in the past but is no longer true, with passports needed for land and sea entry. Instituted post-9/11.

https://www.americancommunities.org/who-owns-a-passport-in-america/#:~:text=Nationally%2C%2056%25%20of%20American%20adults,own%20a%20passport%20and%20why.

Ok, 56%. Not a gigantic margin, but interesting factoid to know.

Because the everyday is boring, and I enjoy having a sense of discovery when I go someplace new and learn about food, art, culture that I would otherwise be ignorant of.

Anonymous wrote:The DMV is ugly. I want to look at pretty things.

+1

Anonymous wrote:Depends on your mindset. Plenty of immigrant babysitters sock away enough earnings to visit their home country every year. Most of us somehow afford whatever priority we have.

Plenty of immigrant babysitters have a house in their country of origin.

I don’t? I generally travel about once every 7-8 years. Last year I traveled for a funeral. Not everyone can afford to travel.

The DMV is ugly. I want to look at pretty things.