- Either could not afford or
- Kids activities and tutoring or
- Hosting house guests or
- Household chore and errands or
- No PTO and lots of work at office or
- Had to do extra work before leaving and piled up work when I returned so vacations helped my employer but not me or
- Was sick.

Travel for leisure is happening now when I have left the workforce, kids have launched and we have decent money…. And now the spirit is unwilling.

In my family and social circle, it seems to be the norm to take a nice trip 3-4x a year with a few long weekend getaways thrown in. We have never done that and I will admit to being jealous of those who can. We take 1 week at the beach every year. Once every few years I get a long girls weekend (but never fancy) or a weekend trip related to an event like a bar mitzvah or wedding. DH has from day 1 complained we can’t afford to travel because we should be saving for a rainy day. But now he is late 50s and I think he will never feel comfortable traveling. He has unlimited leave and isn’t afraid to use it. He takes it to stay home and work on a project or just lounge around. I think some people just don’t value vacations and he is one of them. I don’t need fancy trips but a nice trip once every few years would be appreciated.

We only took long weekends for a number of years. Last year we took the longest vacation of my life: two whole weeks! Money, lack of paid time off and kids' health all figured into it.

My wife has been bugging me to get a passport and I've been procrastinating because we have no plans to use it.

I move to DC in 1996, but I have lived yet in a different bubble.
In my bubble, we don't have any benefits like PTO, healthcare, or retirement.
The only time I could take a vacation or have an extra day off, was when I twisted my ankle, got a flu, got hit by a car, or was let go. Same for every co-worker of mine and most people in service industry.
I couldn't even fight for minimum wage or money I had earned. Imagine asking for a PTO or taking a day off for no reason.
Effort was made not to have to take a day off. Then we made an effort to find someone to cover for us. Last resort was a day off and then we came back to some mental whip-lashing how ungrateful we were.
Working all the time became a norm after so many years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We travel all the time. Typically two international trips (spring break and summer) and a couple of domestic trips (NYC, NOLA, Chicago) every year. When I’m busy, I’m extremely busy (8-10 hour days for a month straight), but then I’m really slow. So we plan trips for the slow periods.

Yeah, we know, typical DCUM lady. The point is that you are an extreme outlier and regular people (nurses, etc ) cannot do this even if they could afford it due to time off policies.

I grew up in Appalachia, put myself through college on a scholarship, and worked FT while getting two advanced degrees so that I could make money to take those trips. Sorry not sorry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:50% of americans have less than $500 in their savings account. Most americans can't afford to vacation.

What?! That’s not true

It is true. DC is a bubble. Most americans live pay check to pay check. The median US salary is $60k. The US is great for the wealthy, but that doesn't apply to most americans.

PP is correct. https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/01/24/how-much-money-americans-have-in-savings.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We travel all the time. Typically two international trips (spring break and summer) and a couple of domestic trips (NYC, NOLA, Chicago) every year. When I’m busy, I’m extremely busy (8-10 hour days for a month straight), but then I’m really slow. So we plan trips for the slow periods.

Yeah, we know, typical DCUM lady. The point is that you are an extreme outlier and regular people (nurses, etc ) cannot do this even if they could afford it due to time off policies.

What?!? We do not know the same nurses.
- employed at local hospital

I don’t care to go away very often. My DH goes without me. Kids are out of the house.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:50% of americans have less than $500 in their savings account. Most americans can't afford to vacation.

What?! That’s not true

It is true. DC is a bubble. Most americans live pay check to pay check. The median US salary is $60k. The US is great for the wealthy, but that doesn't apply to most americans.

I used to go on vacations, twice a year. Abroad and to the Caribbean. All around the world. Then I had kids and my spouse walked out on us. I haven’t had a vacation since. My kids have never seen the beach. It’s sad.

Anonymous wrote:We have twins and always take a ski trip out West in the winter and an international trip over the summer. We also go on a couple of local long weekend trips here and there. It’s important for us to make memories and have these experiences with the kids because they grow up so quickly.

We do the same.

Anonymous wrote:50% of americans have less than $500 in their savings account. Most americans can't afford to vacation.

What?! That’s not true

I think this is more about work culture (especially if you work for older managers/leadership) than actual PTO or savings.

I like to travel and generally eke out 4-5 weeks/year, but it’s very hard. Leadership in organizations I’ve worked in tend to think that’s excessive and that people should be working more. Sigh.

Anonymous wrote:We travel all the time. Typically two international trips (spring break and summer) and a couple of domestic trips (NYC, NOLA, Chicago) every year. When I’m busy, I’m extremely busy (8-10 hour days for a month straight), but then I’m really slow. So we plan trips for the slow periods.

Yeah, we know, typical DCUM lady. The point is that you are a extreme outlier and regular people (nurses, etc ) cannot do this even if they could afford it due to time off policies.

F500. I don't keep tabs but people take time off and vacations both international and domestic all the time. I take a 2-week European trip every summer, another week somewhere mid-year, a few days around Christmas, and a day here or there.