Has anyone mentioned the obvious? Don’t live in elite striver bubbles where you always feel less than, no matter how much you earn or spend.

Our life got so much better when we moved from one of these ”top” communities to a mixed income suburb. There was no difference in the schools, besides the fact that they’ve got middle class and poor kids in them.

Anonymous wrote:Many of us didn't travel as kids, but now have the means to take amazing adventures as adults. If your kids complain, then they should work hard and choose careers that will afford them the income to travel. It's motivating. I'm more worried about my kids who are totally spoiled with amazing trips. They don't even know how good they have it.

+1

Anonymous wrote:I know 3 women under the age of 50 who have passed away suddenly just this year, and it impresses upon me the reality that tomorrow isn’t promised. If I have the ability and means to take a vacation, I will!

It’s less about vacation and more about quality time.

I know 3 women under the age of 50 who have passed away suddenly just this year, and it impresses upon me the reality that tomorrow isn’t promised. If I have the ability and means to take a vacation, I will!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids much prefer to visit grandparents over break than to go on any fancy vacation thatcweve done in the past

Same

We see grandparents on non breaks. We see them for holidays and summer. They visit us. I don’t think you have to choose between family and vacations.

I have to fly 4 people across the country to see grandparents, and they rarely visit us. That requires a minimum of a week travel, and we probably do this twice per year. It costs a lot and takes up a lot of time.

I guess an advantage of growing up poor like me is that not traveling often doesn’t bother me in the least. Grow up OP.

Anonymous wrote:Many of us didn't travel as kids, but now have the means to take amazing adventures as adults. If your kids complain, then they should work hard and choose careers that will afford them the income to travel. It's motivating. I'm more worried about my kids who are totally spoiled with amazing trips. They don't even know how good they have it.

I mean it’s not just about income, it’s also time. I’m surprised that people have the luxury to take so much time off. I wish it were the norm in this country like it is abroad.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Honestly, that sounds utterly exhausting. I can afford all this but I get tired of so much travel.

Same here. Money not an issue but won't travel just to impress someone else.

We travel a lot. I don’t travel to impress others. I love to travel.

Same. It's our thing, everyone has their thing. Yes we have the money to do it but all that to say, we don't do it to impress other people or have something to talk about before or after breaks.

So no social media posts?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, that sounds utterly exhausting. I can afford all this but I get tired of so much travel.

Same here. Money not an issue but won't travel just to impress someone else.

We travel a lot. I don’t travel to impress others. I love to travel.

Same. It's our thing, everyone has their thing. Yes we have the money to do it but all that to say, we don't do it to impress other people or have something to talk about before or after breaks.

Anonymous wrote:the CO2 emissions of these people are destroying the planet. Be proud that you are not one of these world destroyers (or a least to a lesser extent).

We travel. Abroad only to my home country to visit family. So I know we are contributing to it global warming. I do think Gen Z and younger generations might not look to kindly on some of these travelers in the future. Things like cruises to Antarctica, going to Hawaii (when Native Hawaiians beg tourists to stay home), etc will look tacky/in poor taste. Places with over tourism are wanting to put restrictions. I think some tourism is fine but there is too much now. It’s sad bc I think it will eventually be relegated to the rich.

Anonymous wrote:As a family we prioritize travel over all other splurges. I find it so awkward when another parent I know brings it up a lot and always says something self-deprecating about their trips or how they don't travel. She clearly has a complex and it makes it awkward. So just don't be that person.

It actually sounds like a you problem.

Anonymous wrote:I want to travel with my kid more than we can, but we do take trips: camping, long weekends in other cities, farm stays, train trips. We don't ski or go to Europe but we do cool things.

We also try to travel with grandparents or meet them somewhere fun. I know that's not possible for everyone but two birds / one stone.

We are similar. We want to travel but don't have a huge budget or tons of time off, so we do a lot of driving distance trips and invite the younger set of grandparents to join us. We spend a few long weekends camping or staying in cabins in Maryland and PA state parks as well, just to get out of the daily grind.

Not everybody enjoys going on vacation. It can be a big source of stress for many

OP, why haven’t you taken a vacation? It sounds like it would be something that would bring you great joy. It doesn’t need to be a once-in-a-lifetime budget or destination, but there are a million ways to get a change of scenery if you feel like it is worthwhile for you.

We prioritize travel at this age, thinking when they are teens, they won't want to go places with us any more. My 4th grader already would prefer to sit at home.

I'll also add the families who literally travel every break including 2 months in the summer, don't seem to have local family. That 2 month trip is back to their home country. It's a tradeoff.