I have traveled abroad and quite a bit in the U.S. There are many more places that I would like to go to see abroad, but airports are starting to give me anxiety. I really want to do more traveling around the U.S. because we A) love to take road trips B) enjoy experiencing the different regions and people in our own country and C) it's much easier to do with a 3 year old....at least, our 3 year old!

The views I have heard in this area are humorous. I totally agree there are some who do the tour bus in a narcissistic fashion. For bragging rights, it seems. Funny! We have been VERY fortunate to see MANY places (NOT from a tour bus), but I would not condemn those who have not been.

I admire those who take the initiative. It is more difficult for me to admire those who have either had mummy or daddy send them for a semester/year/whatever abroad; or those who have had a job (for example) do all the heavy work for them (i.e.: moving, relocation services, networking). Ideally a travel experience would entail independent, informed planning and cultural experiences, which may or may not include seeing all the sites. But I don't condemn someone for saying the best this or that they ever had was (fill in the blank). Not every experience is YOUR experience, thankfully.

The irony is that those who feel "travelled" are usually the first to claim their experience somehow superior. Funny and so very typical. Nothing like acting well traveled.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ILs never stop traveling, and I just don't get the obsession. Sometimes it seems like they do it to feel superior, take pictures, and be able to tell other people they travel extensively. They come back exhausted, and they don't use their knowledge of other countries to become less racist and classist themselves, or to make the world a better place. It's just an exercise in narcissism.

My aunt and uncle are like that.

Each time they travel, it's as though Edith and Archie Bunker have landed in a "foreign" country.

Yes, I know people like this! They go on and on about how they had the best sushi in Japan, the best pizza in Italy, blah blah. You really can't know the culture of a country unless you've lived there. Seeing the Eiffel Tower in person does not make you cultured. It makes you a tourist.

Wait, so now it doesn't matter if we've TRAVELED abroad, we have to have LIVED abroad in order to be "cultured?" Give me a freaking break. You're quite the pretentious twat.

Please explain the math:

A beach house for max $2,000-$3,000 (less if you share, and many are available for $1,500 if you're willing to live a few blocks away from the beach)

vs.

$1,500 * 4 to fly the family out to Vietnam so you can all squeeze into a single $12 a night room at an inn which must have been really off the beaten path (how do you get the family to that inn, and where the heck in rural Vietnam was it?)

It just doesn't compute. I love travel, and speak several languages, two of them fluently.

But traveling as a single college student is very different from traveling as a family. Costs for a single person are 1/3 to 1/4 those of taking a family, plus I stayed in places as a student that you couldn't take kids to (like the red light districts in some areas - cheap, but not suitable for my family!)

I'm not going to blame somebody for not being able to afford to take a whole family on vacation.

Anonymous wrote:

Probably not. And my travel is not occasional. If you aren't interested in having a global perspective, I'm not interested in you. It's not classist, it's about caring about the world around you.

Oh, my last trips were India, China, and Egypt. I hope my daughter inherits the same love of people of the world, and not sitting on her couch collecting "things"

What makes you an elitist, classist jerk is the fact that you can't/won't see that lots of people can't afford to travel abroad.

On this thread alone I've seen several people say they want to travel, but can't. Sorry, but the Delaware beach house comparison is ludicrous - at max you're paying $3,000, which is going to be less than the cost of hauling a family of four to Costa Rica, and then supporting them there for a week or two. And to the person who talked about $12 stays in Vietnam, how long ago was that, and would you really take your kids to the sort of places we all stayed in during college travel? At least multiply it by the number of people in your family, so you get $48.

I've lived in Europe and travelled extensively in Asia, Central and South America. Some of this was on my own dime, and some of it was for work. If I ever start sounding like you, re people who can't AFFORD to travel as I have, please shoot me.

I think you quoted the wrong poster.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTH? I traveled 4 continents and 12 states when I was an AP and not even counting all the places I went with the family I worked for.

I was on the $139.05 salary and my family back home is not rich.

It's a matter of priority. Don't say you can't when the truth is you don't WANT.

No. I WANT to travel abroad, I really do. I'd love to visit different countries. And someday I hope I actually will.

But fact is, I can't. Not right now. No time, no money.

People who refuse to be friends with others just because those others have not had a chance to travel are ridiculous, BTW.

I traveled six continents when I was single and poor as dirt. In Vietnam, I stayed in beautiful inns that were $12 US dollars a night. Equador was mind blowing, and family friend. Very dirty and not like anything I had ever experienced. Maybe that is why I liked it. I got to experience it.

I have done the math, and it would cost us more to do Disney than it would for me to take my now young family to some of these places. Costa Rica is AMAZING for families, and if you do it right (I also get emails about travel deals), it can be done *cheaply*.

That said, I realize that most family budgets right now can't include travel. But if it does, don't feel you are limited to the continental United States.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ILs never stop traveling, and I just don't get the obsession. Sometimes it seems like they do it to feel superior, take pictures, and be able to tell other people they travel extensively. They come back exhausted, and they don't use their knowledge of other countries to become less racist and classist themselves, or to make the world a better place. It's just an exercise in narcissism.

My aunt and uncle are like that.

Each time they travel, it's as though Edith and Archie Bunker have landed in a "foreign" country.

Yes, I know people like this! They go on and on about how they had the best sushi in Japan, the best pizza in Italy, blah blah. You really can't know the culture of a country unless you've lived there. Seeing the Eiffel Tower in person does not make you cultured. It makes you a tourist.

Anonymous wrote:I am not the PP that mentioned my daughter. You can have your impression of me and I can have mine of other people. That's what makes us all different.

Everyone I know who is constantly running around the world has no reason to stay home.

Also, always loved the old Death Cab song:

I think that it's brainless to assume
that making changes to your window's view
will give a new perspective

Anonymous wrote:To all the haters, I actually have quite a few friends. I will admit however I do not enjoy and even cringe at many people in the general public. For the woman who mentioned that I probably have a lot in common with the general public, sure there are things in common but there are many difference which make a friendship impossible. I don't give a crap if you think I am an elitist snobby bitch, I enjoy my life.

And yet with all of those friends and all of those worldly experiences, here you are trolling DCUM on a Friday night with the rest of us. Or perhaps you are posting from Bangladesh?

Anonymous wrote:To all the haters, I actually have quite a few friends. I will admit however I do not enjoy and even cringe at many people in the general public. For the woman who mentioned that I probably have a lot in common with the general public, sure there are things in common but there are many difference which make a friendship impossible. I don't give a crap if you think I am an elitist snobby bitch, I enjoy my life.

Keep saying that and maybe you'll convince yourself.

I am not the PP that mentioned my daughter. You can have your impression of me and I can have mine of other people. That's what makes us all different.

Anonymous wrote:To all the haters, I actually have quite a few friends. I will admit however I do not enjoy and even cringe at many people in the general public. For the woman who mentioned that I probably have a lot in common with the general public, sure there are things in common but there are many difference which make a friendship impossible. I don't give a crap if you think I am an elitist snobby bitch, I enjoy my life.

Wait, aren't you the same PP who just said upthread that you hope your daughter inherits your same love of people around the world????? How ironic.

Do you similarly cringe at the people you meet on your far-flung travels who also cannot afford to travel?

You ARE and elitist, snobby bitch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A coworker once told me they'd rather use the money to buy tangible things than to travel. So very sad.

Like food, clothing and shelter?

Actually, more like iPods, smartphones, and expensive tvs.

That is the exact opposite of the way DH and I feel. We wished our parents had taken us out of the country growing up, and now that we did that on our own a few times, we are looking forward to taking our kids when they get older. We decided we'd rather travel than have a bunch of things. Or some gigantic house.
And for the pps mentioning spending so much money on a beach vacation- I agree! I can't believe how much it costs to rent a house for a week at the beach. I guess that's why we haven't done that yet!

Anonymous wrote:To all the haters, I actually have quite a few friends. I will admit however I do not enjoy and even cringe at many people in the general public. For the woman who mentioned that I probably have a lot in common with the general public, sure there are things in common but there are many difference which make a friendship impossible. I don't give a crap if you think I am an elitist snobby bitch, I enjoy my life.