Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love to travel. The crowds everywhere though push the enjoyment factor to the limit. Standing for 2+ hours in line everywhere or having to time out to the minute the day that tickets for your planned visit date drop is not fun.

It really helps to avoid following the latest IG trends. We just got back from a lovely vacation in Costa Rica, but went to an area with fewer tourists. It was awesome. We felt like we had the place to ourselves, but still had spectacular views, wildlife and food. We literally spent one whole day at a national park beach that looked straight out of Lost and didn't see another person all day. Just monkeys, macaws, and lizards. There was only one morning the whole week where we had to deal with other tourists and, if I was to do it again, we would have skipped that activity (a tour of Manual Antonio). The rest of the week was glorious. No lines. No waits. So peaceful.

I"m not on IG so how do I know what's trending?

Don't be dense. It's the places everyone you know has been to lately. Iceland, Italy (particularly the Almafi Coast), Belgium, Paris, Turks, etc. If you go to a more popular country, you need to pick a less touristed area or deal with crowds.

Anonymous wrote:still love to travel but it is truly really different from two decades ago due to social media (that's been huge; i don't use it much but it absolutely killed a degree of exploration, wonder, spontenaity, all of it), and brand globalization (ie, flying around the world to see a starbucks as soon as you get off the plane).

Oh, this is so true. Okay. I’m a PP and now get what OP means about the global aspect.

Yeah, I’m still not used to seeing Instagram people trying to get the perfect shot at the Eiffel Tower or in front of the Mona Lisa…

One cafe owner came out and screamed at people because his cafe in Paris is so pretty that all these people take a photo there but don’t buy anything…

I don’t look at Insta often and think it’s sad that social media can make people feel tired of traveling!

I don’t like tsa, crowded airplanes or surely customs people and cab drivers. I’d rather go sailing around cape cod.

The problem you describe with always doing the same things you could do at home is a problem due to your choices and not due to travel itself.

I don’t like TSA or cramped airline seats, but I like to see new places.

I would not spend time riding horses or surfing in another country. I’d want to see the museums, eat local food, talk to residents and shopkeepers who live there, and experience new things.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love to travel. The crowds everywhere though push the enjoyment factor to the limit. Standing for 2+ hours in line everywhere or having to time out to the minute the day that tickets for your planned visit date drop is not fun.

It really helps to avoid following the latest IG trends. We just got back from a lovely vacation in Costa Rica, but went to an area with fewer tourists. It was awesome. We felt like we had the place to ourselves, but still had spectacular views, wildlife and food. We literally spent one whole day at a national park beach that looked straight out of Lost and didn't see another person all day. Just monkeys, macaws, and lizards. There was only one morning the whole week where we had to deal with other tourists and, if I was to do it again, we would have skipped that activity (a tour of Manual Antonio). The rest of the week was glorious. No lines. No waits. So peaceful.

I"m not on IG so how do I know what's trending?

still love to travel but it is truly really different from two decades ago due to social media (that's been huge; i don't use it much but it absolutely killed a degree of exploration, wonder, spontenaity, all of it), and brand globalization (ie, flying around the world to see a starbucks as soon as you get off the plane).

Agree OP, we also travelled a lot and lived in Europe for 3 years in our 20s. I loved every minute of that time in my life. Going back now with kids just isn’t the same. We have travelled extensively with kids in Europe but now focus on off the beaten path (or time) travel. We have really enjoyed the US and Canada national parks, but even there we go off-season and to lesser known areas.

I’m becoming more cognizant of the impact of tourism and it’s hard to justify a lot of it. The impact on the environment, the locals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love to travel. The crowds everywhere though push the enjoyment factor to the limit. Standing for 2+ hours in line everywhere or having to time out to the minute the day that tickets for your planned visit date drop is not fun.

It really helps to avoid following the latest IG trends. We just got back from a lovely vacation in Costa Rica, but went to an area with fewer tourists. It was awesome. We felt like we had the place to ourselves, but still had spectacular views, wildlife and food. We literally spent one whole day at a national park beach that looked straight out of Lost and didn't see another person all day. Just monkeys, macaws, and lizards. There was only one morning the whole week where we had to deal with other tourists and, if I was to do it again, we would have skipped that activity (a tour of Manual Antonio). The rest of the week was glorious. No lines. No waits. So peaceful.

+1 the most people we saw on our Costa Rica trip was at Manual Antonio. Would pass next time...

Anonymous wrote:I love to travel. The crowds everywhere though push the enjoyment factor to the limit. Standing for 2+ hours in line everywhere or having to time out to the minute the day that tickets for your planned visit date drop is not fun.

It really helps to avoid following the latest IG trends. We just got back from a lovely vacation in Costa Rica, but went to an area with fewer tourists. It was awesome. We felt like we had the place to ourselves, but still had spectacular views, wildlife and food. We literally spent one whole day at a national park beach that looked straight out of Lost and didn't see another person all day. Just monkeys, macaws, and lizards. There was only one morning the whole week where we had to deal with other tourists and, if I was to do it again, we would have skipped that activity (a tour of Manual Antonio). The rest of the week was glorious. No lines. No waits. So peaceful.

Yes I think a lot of it is that I’ve tracked most of Europe and I find a lot of the destinations outside of Europe pretty intimidating with the kids (especially this age, with the travel time and price of flights for a family of 4). I would love to go to Africa, Asia, Australia and South America with them but I wonder if they are too young (5 and 7) to really have an enjoyable trip. I don’t really need off the grid. Trips they have done well at include NYC, Costa Rica, Hawaii, San Diego- they enjoy outdoor activities and places that have a lot of things to do for children. Activities like zip lining, a boat trip, cooking class etc. They are not chill in a park while we have coffee kids at all. I feel like we need so many activities or other kids they can play with. Even skiing after being in ski school for 6 hours I expect them to be ready to chill and they just never are! Any good recs for this that aren’t insanely expensive?

So many places, in Europe especially, have been ruined by over tourism. Everyone I know who went to a major, or even secondary, European city this year said it was shoulder-to-shoulder tourists just about everywhere, and many of them got Covid, too. You need advance tickets for many sights, which kills spontaneity and makes the day a logistical puzzle. I feel fortunate that I go to go to a lot of those cities in my 20s and 30s, but now the thought of going to Paris or Rome just makes me tired. Air travel is much more of a hassle, too. Yes, there are plenty of other places that are less-touristed, but it dampens my enthusiasm all the same.

I love it, but have a terrible time traveling too and from; I have ptsd and the airport/flying sets it off. Now that I can't take benzos, it is even harder. I do it, but every time my DH says "You just shouldn't do this to yourself." So nowadays I try to just take long trips to make it worth it.

I regained my love for travel. For a few years, I was in a rut, always going to the same place in Europe to visit family. Then Covid hit, so we couldn’t travel. To add to that, limited PTO. It seemed like it wasn’t even worth it anymore. Recently, I’ve started enjoying it again, going to places other than the same European spot. Planning a trip to Asia next year and am super excited about it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A little bit. I used to LOVE to travel in my 20s.

I think all the social media has made travel so performative these days. I spend so much time researching the trip and seeing thousands of photos of everything, reading blog posts that describe the process, reading reviews, etc. that by the time I get there it just feels like going through the motions and I've seen it all before.

Some of the excessive research is necessary with kids - I don't have nearly the flexibility that I did in my 20s to just show up in a city and find a bed somewhere for a night. But I don't think it's ALL necessary, my kids are pretty easy going and fun to travel with.

I'm experimenting with my next couple of big trips... Doing barely any research. I don't want to know what to expect and I want my days to still hold a little mystery and possibility. We'll see if that helps.

Yes, this! I tried explaining this feeling to my husband, who does almost none of the planning, and he was surprised, go figure.

I have two teenagers who really enjoy traveling, so I will keep planning trips with them while I can, but I am feeling really unmotivated about it.

Conversely, if you don't plan you're likely to miss some places, and hit some of them at the wrong time.

For example, we did a day trip to Sintra last summer. We knew the Pena Palace wasa must do. We take thr 45 minutes train to grt to Sintra, then the 20 minutes bus to Pena, then find out the timed entry is sold out for the whole day. With thr right planning, er would have bought advanced tickets.

Yes, this is the rub. And you can't always "discover" food. When everyone is hungry and you settle at a mediocre cafe or whatever it is a real disappointment. I don't know what the answer is, OP. I like home.