Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OP question is where DO middle class families vacation not where DID middle class families go on vacations (in the 80s-90s). Different expectations and experiences.

Okay, well, we are more like UMC I guess (HHI income of almost $200K), but most of our trips are pretty frugal. We camp a lot— Assateague, Shenandoah, Prince William Forest, etc. We have visited the historic triangle and Norfolk area, staying in inexpensive hotels and visiting historic sites rather than amusement parks. We’ve driven up to Niagara Falls and found very cheap hotels off-season. Stuff like that.

For longer trips, we usually drive and stay with/visit family.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are definitely considered in the upper class bracket based on income, but I want my children to have modest summer trips like I did growing up. We go to VA beach for a few days and stay right on the water with beach views— pricey but it’s 3 nights max. This is the only travel we do in summer. They’re surrounded by their friends who jet set all over Europe and even go exotic places during the school year, and yes it makes them jealous, but my husband don’t think they are going to enjoy it enough to make the expense worth it. They can travel the world when they’re older if that’s what they want to do. I’d much rather invest our money in things that matter to us now, like house improvements. I think traveling with kids is a huge pain in the butt with very little return unless your kids are truly into other cultures and appreciating history.

It depends on the age of the kids and their temperaments.

As a teacher and someone from a huge extended family, I see a considerable difference in the perspectives of kids who’ve visited another country and those who haven’t (regardless of family income).

Anonymous wrote:The OP question is where DO middle class families vacation not where DID middle class families go on vacations (in the 80s-90s). Different expectations and experiences.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up lower middle class. Nearly all of our family was local, and I had a parent who had anxiety about traveling and long distance car trips, so it was mostly the beach for us. Weekly house rentals before peak season were reasonably priced so that’s what we did. If we had to go peak season for whatever reason, it would be for 2-3 days in a budget family motel. We ate most meals in the house but made sure to do 1-2 out as a family, perhaps pizza or an early bird special.

These trips were humble but I loved them so much I still do them with my kids. At their ages, overseas travel is just too difficult. Easy and fun is more important than whatever limited worldview they might gain traipsing through some European tourist trap. We’ll get there eventually just not right now.

Not sure why, but just that you said "These trips were humble but I loved them so much" made me tear up. You sound like a really nice person.