It was me who had to find somewhere for the dog, deal with the mail, pack up the kids, secure the house, organize the flights, hotel, passports etc. As a result it was hard to see the eventual trip as a vacation.

I know what you mean, OP. I live in a well-off area and it seemed like everyone was traveling to a tropical location during winter break, skiing on the FCPS 4 day weekend, and still planning more trips for spring break.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is an exclusive trip?

We travel a lot, probably 10x per year. I don't work. Travel is my passion. I loved to travel when I was younger and childless. I enjoy travel with family, friends, kids, etc. I have always traveled more than my friends, when I was in my twenties and now in my forties.

Everyone has different priorities. I'm not into jewelry. I have the least amount of jewelry amongst my friends but I probably travel the most. I would much rather go on a vacation than buy a bracelet.

Cool story. You realize most people have to work? And you are comparing the cost of travel to a bracelet? What kind of bracelet are we talking about here? DCUM is so clueless. Like "oh I just prioritize travel and don't have fancy things." Like yo, you guys realize that a large part of the population doesn't have fancy things and still can't jet set around the world several times a year?

I’m not sure if she does realize that but she is a frequent poster on here about her not working and all her travel with her kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We typically take 3 international trips a year but here's the deal:

- Our home is paid off, so no mortgage.
- Our cars are paid off
- We have no children
- We both work decent paying jobs
- We now live in a lower COL area than DC (Chicagoland, so not a gigantic difference but it is lower than NOVA)

Way to bury the lede! Should have started with this one - its the only one that really matters.

Lead?

No. Try google if you don’t know.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We typically take 3 international trips a year but here's the deal:

- Our home is paid off, so no mortgage.
- Our cars are paid off
- We have no children
- We both work decent paying jobs
- We now live in a lower COL area than DC (Chicagoland, so not a gigantic difference but it is lower than NOVA)

Way to bury the lede! Should have started with this one - its the only one that really matters.

LOL -I thought the same thing. Guess what!! A lot of us were very frequent travelers when we didn’t have kids.

Likewise, I was a frequent traveler in my unmarried twenties when I was prepared to stay in youth hostels, eat bread and cheese, and take the overnight train. It's much more complicated with a family.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We typically take 3 international trips a year but here's the deal:

- Our home is paid off, so no mortgage.
- Our cars are paid off
- We have no children
- We both work decent paying jobs
- We now live in a lower COL area than DC (Chicagoland, so not a gigantic difference but it is lower than NOVA)

Way to bury the lede! Should have started with this one - its the only one that really matters.

Lead?

Rookie.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's so weird me to that people on DCUM have been on multiple international vacations. I never have (business travel, yes). But popping over to Europe for a long weekend? Cannot relate.

Why do you think it's so weird? Maybe you need to grow up & realize not everyone is as narrow minded & limited as you are.

It's interesting that this discussion thread isn't really considering the environmental impact of all this jetsetting.

Unpopular opinion...These people don't give a F. It's all about expending their minds, having fun, etc. I know that people claim that traveling makes you more open minded and cultured but from experience (as someone from a developing country), these folks are some of the most selfish and narrow minded people out there.

Anonymous wrote:What is an exclusive trip?

We travel a lot, probably 10x per year. I don't work. Travel is my passion. I loved to travel when I was younger and childless. I enjoy travel with family, friends, kids, etc. I have always traveled more than my friends, when I was in my twenties and now in my forties.

Everyone has different priorities. I'm not into jewelry. I have the least amount of jewelry amongst my friends but I probably travel the most. I would much rather go on a vacation than buy a bracelet.

Cool story. You realize most people have to work? And you are comparing the cost of travel to a bracelet? What kind of bracelet are we talking about here? DCUM is so clueless. Like "oh I just prioritize travel and don't have fancy things." Like yo, you guys realize that a large part of the population doesn't have fancy things and still can't jet set around the world several times a year?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We typically take 3 international trips a year but here's the deal:

- Our home is paid off, so no mortgage.
- Our cars are paid off
- We have no children
- We both work decent paying jobs
- We now live in a lower COL area than DC (Chicagoland, so not a gigantic difference but it is lower than NOVA)

Why are you frequenting a parenting forum

sounds like someone is jealous!

Dp. You can't compare traveling with kids vs traveling without. Not jealous at all. Just stating facts

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We typically take 3 international trips a year but here's the deal:

- Our home is paid off, so no mortgage.
- Our cars are paid off
- We have no children
- We both work decent paying jobs
- We now live in a lower COL area than DC (Chicagoland, so not a gigantic difference but it is lower than NOVA)

Way to bury the lede! Should have started with this one - its the only one that really matters.

Lead?

Anonymous wrote:We travel a lot more than our friends, though we have approximately the same amount of money. I just think Americans generally don’t like to travel, as far as I can tell. I suspect for them the reasons they give are just excuses for not doing something that they don’t particularly want to.

My evidence is that most of them, when they do actually go somewhere, head to a gated all inclusive in the Caribbean where they can be walled off from any grnuine interactions with anyone except the bar tenders.

How much genuine interaction do you really have with unrelated locals when you head over to Europe or South America or Asia? How many foreign travelers/strangers do you welcome into your home in the US?

For the most part, people who I met while traveling were other travelers.

It's pretty difficult to interact with local people other than those making money off tourists.

Our neighbor was renting out their house as an airbnb for a while, and I sure wasn't interacting with any of those clients.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's so weird me to that people on DCUM have been on multiple international vacations. I never have (business travel, yes). But popping over to Europe for a long weekend? Cannot relate.

Why do you think it's so weird? Maybe you need to grow up & realize not everyone is as narrow minded & limited as you are.

It's interesting that this discussion thread isn't really considering the environmental impact of all this jetsetting.

Anonymous wrote:It's so weird me to that people on DCUM have been on multiple international vacations. I never have (business travel, yes). But popping over to Europe for a long weekend? Cannot relate.

Why do you think it's so weird? Maybe you need to grow up & realize not everyone is as narrow minded & limited as you are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So jealous of some family that take 5 exclusive trips a year. It is just too expensive for us. We have kids and with the cost of college rising we just don't have enough. And travel prices are so expensive now. I don't know how people do it. My husband and I both work tirelessly and still can't get by.

I love to travel, but "5 exclusive trips a year" sounds exhausting.

+1. I could travel that much (or more) if I wanted to, but why? I just got back from a two week trip and I had intended to plan a trip for the spring, but all I want to do is stay home right now. And then in the summer, everything will be crowded….

That is the way DH is. He has a demanding job. He earns a seven figure income. He likes to be home in our comfortable house. He comes on a few weeklong trips with us. I travel solo with the kids often. He may join us for the weekends in the summer while we are away for longer periods of time. He can travel as much as he wants to. He prefers not to and uses work as an excuse.

Anonymous wrote:OP: stop comparing yourself to people who may have more money than brains, and maybe you won't feel so inferior.

We enjoy travel, but the truth is it can be a hassle. And some of the places people on this board propose traveling to with kids sound ridiculous. Antarctica (basically uninhabitable), Iraq (war zone), the Amazon (can't be good for the rainforest). Really?

We travel. We have money and brains. I value experiences with our family more than anything.