Author Topic: Anybody else NOT into travel?  (Read 28533 times)

cube.37

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #50 on: June 22, 2017, 11:02:53 AM »
I love traveling. My wife and I dont enjoy things like museums at all, but prefer to walk around the busy city streets and devour any food we find. (immodium is a necessity on our trips).

I'm of the opinion that traveling to a foreign country is a great experience to have at least once in a lifetime. It gives great perspective, and opens your eyes to see that you are relatively insignificant, and that America (in my case) is just one piece of a much larger puzzle.

NewPerspective

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #51 on: June 22, 2017, 12:03:05 PM »


I think that's particularly true here.  Want to replace your decrepit living room furniture with something modestly attractive and comfortable?  Consumerist sucka.  A little judicious duct tape will get you another 5 years out of that sofa, but not too much cause duct tape isn't free you know.

Want to take a vacation traveling through a different continent?  You really have your priorities in order.

I get that the road to happiness isn't paved with stuff, but I spend most of my time in my home, and having it look decent and be comfortable does bring me joy.
[/quote]

I totally agree,  I'd rather throw money into our house than take a big trip.  I know they say memories are priceless but, eh, I really enjoy seeing my pretty house every day.

pekklemafia

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #52 on: June 22, 2017, 12:44:24 PM »
Quote
I feel like saying you dislike traveling is akin to saying you hate puppies.

lol! yes.

I feel "safe" saying I'm not into it only because I can provide the "backpacked a bunch of years through various parts of the world and regularly relocate" schtick. Otherwise I get the stink eye haha.

And Pigeon, yup! I have no idea why travel is an exception here.

Me, I'm just "you do you, I do me." So if a person loves travel, go for it! But those of us who don't aren't necessarily shy, boring, nonadventurous, weak, uncultured, fearful, xenophobic, lacking curiousity, etc. Some of us just get super filled up where we are!

Also agree! Except I've never done the backpacking thing...

I love being at home now, especially now that we own a home and we are making it our ultimate happy place. I used to think I should travel, but now I realize I was just looking for a temporary escape from my everyday life.

I also think traveling is a (here's the dreaded P word) privilege and that doing so/having that experience doesn't make you a better person... it just means you had the money to buy a plane ticket. You want to find out about other people's cultures and how they live, or get a different perspective on life? I'm willing to bet there are more than a few of your neighbors (if you live in a city, anyway) who have a story to share. They might be a different ethnicity than yourself, different age, come from a different economic background; there's opportunity for learning and connection right there.


Michread

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #53 on: June 22, 2017, 02:10:08 PM »


I think that's particularly true here.  Want to replace your decrepit living room furniture with something modestly attractive and comfortable?  Consumerist sucka.  A little judicious duct tape will get you another 5 years out of that sofa, but not too much cause duct tape isn't free you know.

Want to take a vacation traveling through a different continent?  You really have your priorities in order.

I get that the road to happiness isn't paved with stuff, but I spend most of my time in my home, and having it look decent and be comfortable does bring me joy.

I totally agree,  I'd rather throw money into our house than take a big trip.  I know they say memories are priceless but, eh, I really enjoy seeing my pretty house every day.
[/quote]

I agree!  My home is my sanctuary.  Traveling is expensive and stressful.

GreenSheep

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #54 on: June 23, 2017, 06:46:05 AM »
I clicked on this thread thinking I would get a glimpse into how "those crazy people who don't like to travel" think, but I see more of myself here than I expected.

Like probably a lot of people, I spent years wanting to travel but not having the time or money to do so. Then I had both the time and the money, so I went all over the world. I loved it, and there are still parts of the world I want to see someday... but now I find myself less inclined to travel, mostly due to all of the annoyances mentioned by several others above. I do think I was trying to escape my stressful job, and trying to catch up on enjoying life after spending a lot of years in school and working too hard, by taking exciting vacations. (I still work, but not as much, and on my own terms.)

It's true, at least for me, that the better you make your day-to-day life, the less you have that burning desire to travel all the time. I love my home, the surrounding area, my family, and my own home-cooked food.

I don't know about other countries, but Americans tend to take our own beautiful country for granted. I used to work in Page, Arizona, and I saw busloads of foreign tourists every day, heading for the beautiful lake, rock formations, canyons, etc. But mention Page or Lake Powell to someone who lives in Phoenix (5 hours away, in the same state), and you get a blank stare. Even my own husband, who has lived in Arizona for 30 years, has never seen the Grand Canyon. :-o (But he's been to Japan, Iceland, Central America, Europe, etc.)
« Last Edit: June 23, 2017, 06:47:40 AM by GreenSheep »

mm1970

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #55 on: June 23, 2017, 10:49:34 AM »
I clicked on this thread thinking I would get a glimpse into how "those crazy people who don't like to travel" think, but I see more of myself here than I expected.

Like probably a lot of people, I spent years wanting to travel but not having the time or money to do so. Then I had both the time and the money, so I went all over the world. I loved it, and there are still parts of the world I want to see someday... but now I find myself less inclined to travel, mostly due to all of the annoyances mentioned by several others above. I do think I was trying to escape my stressful job, and trying to catch up on enjoying life after spending a lot of years in school and working too hard, by taking exciting vacations. (I still work, but not as much, and on my own terms.)

It's true, at least for me, that the better you make your day-to-day life, the less you have that burning desire to travel all the time. I love my home, the surrounding area, my family, and my own home-cooked food.

I don't know about other countries, but Americans tend to take our own beautiful country for granted. I used to work in Page, Arizona, and I saw busloads of foreign tourists every day, heading for the beautiful lake, rock formations, canyons, etc. But mention Page or Lake Powell to someone who lives in Phoenix (5 hours away, in the same state), and you get a blank stare. Even my own husband, who has lived in Arizona for 30 years, has never seen the Grand Canyon. :-o (But he's been to Japan, Iceland, Central America, Europe, etc.)
One of my favorite road trips with hubby and kid #1 was from CA to the Grand Canyon to Page to Phoenix to Tucson and back home.

dougules

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #56 on: June 23, 2017, 03:52:07 PM »
Quote
I feel like saying you dislike traveling is akin to saying you hate puppies.

lol! yes.

I feel "safe" saying I'm not into it only because I can provide the "backpacked a bunch of years through various parts of the world and regularly relocate" schtick. Otherwise I get the stink eye haha.

And Pigeon, yup! I have no idea why travel is an exception here.

Me, I'm just "you do you, I do me." So if a person loves travel, go for it! But those of us who don't aren't necessarily shy, boring, nonadventurous, weak, uncultured, fearful, xenophobic, lacking curiousity, etc. Some of us just get super filled up where we are!

It is true that "I don't like to travel" is frequently code for "All those other places are hellholes full of terrible people."   That really does sound to me about like hating puppies.  But yes, plenty of educated open-minded people just simply don't get anything out of traveling.  It's easy to lump the two groups together unfairly.   

I used to buy into the BS of travel making you a better person and bringing you to enlightment while saving the world.  I still think it can be educating, but I've met plenty of open-minded people that haven't been anywhere and plenty of closed-minded people that have been to every corner of the globe.  If you like traveling, you don't need to justify it by acting like you're saving the world.

If you get down to it, I don't like actual traveling as in the actual process of getting to somewhere.  It's just that it's worth it to me to see somewhere new.  I can completely see where other people just would think it wasn't worth it. 
« Last Edit: June 23, 2017, 03:59:38 PM by dougules »

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #57 on: June 23, 2017, 04:05:56 PM »
^ A funny thing is when people who urge traveling to expand their horizons won't go into their local Sikh temple, try a paleo meal, attend a different denomination in their own religion, use a squat toilet on their neighbour's farm... Similar to what GreenSheep said about exploring local geography, by the time we've explored every social, demographic, and physical activity available in our home area, we can feel pretty thrilled, engaged, captivated.

AlanStache

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #58 on: June 23, 2017, 08:08:06 PM »
It is true that "I don't like to travel" is frequently code for "All those other places are hellholes full of terrible people."   That really does sound to me about like hating puppies.  But yes, plenty of educated open-minded people just simply don't get anything out of traveling.  It's easy to lump the two groups together unfairly.   

I used to buy into the BS of travel making you a better person and bringing you to enlightment while saving the world.  I still think it can be educating, but I've met plenty of open-minded people that haven't been anywhere and plenty of closed-minded people that have been to every corner of the globe.  If you like traveling, you don't need to justify it by acting like you're saving the world.

+1

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #59 on: June 25, 2017, 04:02:42 AM »
Chiming in with the happy at home crowd.

Like Spartana, I hate hotels.  An expensive way to have no space, no privacy, no home facilities and too many rules about when you arrive and when you leave.

A while back I read that more Londoners had been to New York than to Newcastle (a city in the north of England with a vibrant local culture and arts scene, and with stunning coastal and hill scenery and historical monuments from the Romans onwards all around), which chimes exactly with what GreenSheep said about Arizona and ignoring what's on your doorstep.


cdttmm

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #60 on: June 25, 2017, 07:32:26 AM »
Count me in as someone who is happier at home. I'm not into the planning that's required to do any kind of extensive traveling. I do enjoy visiting places that I can drive to in less than a day. But I'd much prefer to sleep in my own bed at night so even those excursions are relatively short-lived.

Linea_Norway

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #61 on: June 25, 2017, 01:41:27 PM »
I am not a big traveller. I can't image flying to the other side of the world. I also think I would prefer to stay in my own culture (European) for things like hygiene and food. I also like being at home. We also own a mountain cabin, which provides a form of travelling, but to a familiar, cosy place.
But what we do a lot, is hiking with a tent. I enjoy doing that, either in a car holiday and staying on campsites, but preferably with a backpack in the mountains. But when there, I prefer to stay around the tent, while my DH makes long trips away from the tent with his fishing rod. But we usally move to another location every day or every other day.
Once a year we book a trip to the south in September, either on Crete or in Italy. Nice to swim in a warm sea. But as you (OP) say, I hate sitting in hot, crowdy airports waiting for a delayed plane, and arriving at the airport at home after midnight and having to drive 1,5 hour home. Not nice at all. I do like to go out for dinner, especially on Crete, but preferably in that one restaurant that is really good and where we usually eat. There are so many uninspiring restaurants. We tend to take care of our own breakfast and lunch, reducing the numbers of times we need to eat out. But I would have preferred it at all if we could just have picked the great food from a buffet, instead of waiting for preparation and waving at waiters when we want to leave.
« Last Edit: October 25, 2017, 10:13:00 AM by Linda_Norway »

aGracefulStomp

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #62 on: June 27, 2017, 08:59:23 PM »
I thought I was until I went overseas 2 months by myself and I would have had a better time if I had stayed home and gone camping with mates.

Realised the thing I like about travelling is the memories you create with your travelling companion, and generally sharing the experience with someone.

It's definitely readjusted what I plan to do in FIRE, which I thought was going to be 70% travel.


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Cranky

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #63 on: June 28, 2017, 05:30:31 AM »
I'm a homebody. People are shocked when I say that I do not *love* travel. (I also do not ever want another puppy.) I personally find that "adventure" is a code word for "boy, this is going to be uncomfortable!"

Having said that, I have people that I want to see and they don't live down the street, so I've done some traveling over the years. And my dh grew up in a family that loved travel, and he would like to take a Big Trip at some point, so I guess I will suck it up. LOL

Cranky

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #64 on: June 28, 2017, 06:17:13 AM »
If I don't get to sleep in my own bed, that's traveling! LOL And when we go to visit people, we do always take in some of the local sights, museums, neat places to hike, but those things are fun because I'm doing them with the people I love.

(The puppy comment is because someone upthread mentioned that not liking to travel was akin to not liking puppies, for some people, and I freely admit that I'm not a fan of either. )

I've had a number of people react pretty vigorously to my comments that I do not love to travel - one person assured me that I just hadn't traveled enough, or I *would* love it. I'm pretty old. I've been to quite a few places. Doing more of something I don't love - life is just too short for that!

AlanStache

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #65 on: June 28, 2017, 06:48:46 AM »
I've had a number of people react pretty vigorously to my comments that I do not love to travel - one person assured me that I just hadn't traveled enough, or I *would* love it. I'm pretty old. I've been to quite a few places. Doing more of something I don't love - life is just too short for that!

I have received the "Oh you dont like traveling-well you just need to travel more-I love traveling therefore you should too-once you have traveled more you will love it".  Is there anything else that this type of "logic" gets applied to?  Like if I told someone that did not like fishing that they just had not fished enough or played enough Scrabble or eaten enough brussels sprouts it would just be dumb.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #66 on: June 28, 2017, 08:15:24 AM »
^ Someone told me that about pot :)     "What, you have terrible experiences of disorientation, hallucinations, psychosis? You just need to smoke more of it!" Um, can I just not, please? TY.

It's all the boundaries thing. Some people struggle to recognize that different people are, well, different people.

Linea_Norway

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #67 on: June 28, 2017, 08:21:03 AM »
In the past we have had the habit of once a year going for a long weekend to a city abroad, like Dublin or Stockholm or so. I have noticed that I tend to get itchy pretty soon. Such a trip is usually about walking through shopping streets with many other people. I just don't enjoy cities so much. Hotels in cities are usually not fantastic quality either, especially if you are looking for a good price. We have stopped doing this for years now and I am not missing it.

Cookie78

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #68 on: June 28, 2017, 08:29:45 AM »
I've had a number of people react pretty vigorously to my comments that I do not love to travel - one person assured me that I just hadn't traveled enough, or I *would* love it. I'm pretty old. I've been to quite a few places. Doing more of something I don't love - life is just too short for that!

I have received the "Oh you dont like traveling-well you just need to travel more-I love traveling therefore you should too-once you have traveled more you will love it".  Is there anything else that this type of "logic" gets applied to?  Like if I told someone that did not like fishing that they just had not fished enough or played enough Scrabble or eaten enough brussels sprouts it would just be dumb.

It gets applied to babies. All the time!

AlanStache

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #69 on: June 28, 2017, 08:43:53 AM »
...
It gets applied to babies. All the time!

That would explain why Mormons have such large families, "you dont like kids?  Just go have a few more - you will love them!!!".

NoraLenderbee

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #70 on: June 28, 2017, 04:21:51 PM »
I've had a number of people react pretty vigorously to my comments that I do not love to travel - one person assured me that I just hadn't traveled enough, or I *would* love it. I'm pretty old. I've been to quite a few places. Doing more of something I don't love - life is just too short for that!

I have received the "Oh you dont like traveling-well you just need to travel more-I love traveling therefore you should too-once you have traveled more you will love it".  Is there anything else that this type of "logic" gets applied to?  Like if I told someone that did not like fishing that they just had not fished enough or played enough Scrabble or eaten enough brussels sprouts it would just be dumb.

It gets applied to babies. All the time!

Haha! And brussels sprouts, too. "You just haven't had them they way *I* make them!"

BlueMR2

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #71 on: June 28, 2017, 05:34:46 PM »
I know before posting this that I am in the extreme minority here, but is anyone else not into travelling? DH and I are homebodies. We can always find lots to do at home. We also like to take day trips, go to the zoo, museums, arboretums, Ren Faires, craft faires, local music festivals, etc. Frankly, neither one of us enjoys driving; back roads are fine, but highways fill us both with anxiety. We don't mind trains, which we take into the city for cultural events, but airports are overwhelming. DH could probably sleep anywhere, but I tend to sleep best in my own bed. There's also the environmental impact of travel in general, especially air travel, that gives me pause to consider.

Not into traveling either.  I was in the past, but it got boring.  Everyplace is really basically the same as every other.  I can have tons of fun around home a lot cheaper.  The environmental aspect is a concern as well for us.  Plus, I won't fly Commercial anymore.  It's reached the point of being too painful.

Warlord1986

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #72 on: June 29, 2017, 06:33:17 AM »
Spartana is right. The blue marble is a pretty diverse planet and there is plenty to see. The West Coast is much different from the East Coast and the South is much different from the North. The world is fantastically beautiful.

The TSA and waiting in airports are crummy, but airports offer some of the best people-watching opportunities.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #73 on: June 29, 2017, 06:50:13 AM »
I had the same thought as BlueMR2 at one point. After travelling 22 hours, I arrived and thought, "Wait, this is basically a combination of [place 1] and [place 2]." All three places were extreme distances from each other on the planet. Once everywhere started reminding me strongly of somewhere I'd already been -a jungle in x, a rainforest in y, a metropolis in z- I figured I needed to get much more selective about trips.

Cranky

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #74 on: June 29, 2017, 06:53:20 AM »
Well, that opens up a whole different debate - not everyone is "outdoorsy" and wants to see the scenery. "If you've seen one tree, you've seen them all..." and all that.

[NB - I personally enjoy seeing the view, but don't really want to do a great deal of sweating or freezing, so I'm more of a spectator of the outdoors. But I've known people who really only enjoyed cruise vacations or shopping.]

Inaya

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #75 on: June 29, 2017, 07:59:07 AM »
Well, that opens up a whole different debate - not everyone is "outdoorsy" and wants to see the scenery. "If you've seen one tree, you've seen them all..." and all that.

[NB - I personally enjoy seeing the view, but don't really want to do a great deal of sweating or freezing, so I'm more of a spectator of the outdoors. But I've known people who really only enjoyed cruise vacations or shopping.]
I'd take a big city skyline over a natural view any day. I mean I have nothing against beautiful vistas and sunsets and whatever (I'm from New Mexico--it's all vistas and sunsets all the time). And I can definitely appreciate the beauty. I just think skylines happen to be more interesting (and in many ways more beautiful). My mom is the total opposite, however, and doesn't understand why I love big ugly buildings so much.

dougules

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #76 on: June 29, 2017, 10:52:35 AM »
Well, that opens up a whole different debate - not everyone is "outdoorsy" and wants to see the scenery. "If you've seen one tree, you've seen them all..." and all that.

[NB - I personally enjoy seeing the view, but don't really want to do a great deal of sweating or freezing, so I'm more of a spectator of the outdoors. But I've known people who really only enjoyed cruise vacations or shopping.]
That's true. The reasons people travel are going to be vastly different so their responses to different places will be different. To me, who totally understands the not liking to travel thing and never went anywhere on vacation when working (not enough time, too much hassle and expense, etc...), I see vast differences between most places whether cultures, architecture, nature, eactivities I can do, etc..and find it all pretty fascinating.

I think in general people have a tough time understanding people who like things that are different.  People who don't travel get judged as ignorant, and people that do get judged as silly.  People who like cities don't understand why anybody would want to live in the boondocks, and people who want to live in the country can't understand why anybody would want to go to a chaotic concrete jungle.  I really believe that people can be pretty different from each other, and it seems like folks have a tough time realizing how many things are personal preference. 

AlanStache

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #77 on: June 29, 2017, 11:19:50 AM »
Well, that opens up a whole different debate - not everyone is "outdoorsy" and wants to see the scenery. "If you've seen one tree, you've seen them all..." and all that.

[NB - I personally enjoy seeing the view, but don't really want to do a great deal of sweating or freezing, so I'm more of a spectator of the outdoors. But I've known people who really only enjoyed cruise vacations or shopping.]
That's true. The reasons people travel are going to be vastly different so their responses to different places will be different. To me, who totally understands the not liking to travel thing and never went anywhere on vacation when working (not enough time, too much hassle and expense, etc...), I see vast differences between most places whether cultures, architecture, nature, eactivities I can do, etc..and find it all pretty fascinating.

I have hiked PNW rain forests and the NM desert and kayaked the everglades and while clearly different nature is still just nature - rain jacket vs sun hat, same basic deal.  I have wondered around many big cities on four continents and they are all very similar, the biggest differentiator seems to be how useful English is.  I was also an exchange student in HS.  People are basically people - slight variations on the settings but same basic OS.  Please understand I have had great fun in many places.  I know I am very forchinate to have traveled half as much as I have but maybe I just see the spectrum of what is out there as being smaller that others.

Maybe I just need more brussels sprouts or am especially jaded lately, or need to hit FI so that a proper level of relaxation can sink in deep into my bones over an extend trip to see what 'travel people' see.

Or maybe I dont see any challenge or uniqueness in most all places people talk about going to.  With the cc in my wallet and my US Passport I could be in 98% of the the worlds midsized citys by Sunday morning with little more effort than sitting on an airplane-drink in hand.  Few years back I was looking at going to North Korea; it seemed like one of the very few places that is truly different.  It also would have taken some work and some self discipline to obey the rules while in country so many I need challenge too?  The might have happened but some expenses came up.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #78 on: June 29, 2017, 11:25:08 AM »
That's how it is for me, too, AlanStache: not such extreme variance in places now, and so easy to be in most places.

When I started travelling internationally, we had no internet, no cell phones, etc. Plane travel cost a lot. We had to figure stuff out, learn a language or do awesome gestures to get around, rely on spoken words stumbled upon randomly for tips and clues and leads, crash at the home of any local who took us home. I miss that, lol.

mm1970

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #79 on: June 29, 2017, 01:30:06 PM »
Yes. The packing, the getting to and from, the unavoidable discomforts, all not for us at this time. I find it more trouble than it is worth. I love the comforts of home and the area we live. Maybe this will change once we are both retired and not raising a small child. Who knows.

I think one reason many people love to travel is they want to get away from whatever it is they don't like about their life. Travel forces them to be in the moment and present, wherever they are, and with whatever they are doing. They think they can only have that feeling while traveling, so it becomes almost an addiction, because it feels awesome to be truly present. What many don't realize is it is a much greater joy to learn to be present and content all the time, in your current life. It's much harder to do, but so much more rewarding if achieved.

I realize there are other very valid reasons to travel of course, but I see this a lot with people I know IRL in they way they perceive traveling.

I struggle with this.  I think many people do.  My neighbors travel a LOT and it's interesting how "relaxed" they get as soon as they leave town.  I used to visually relax whenever the wheels came up on the plane.  Then I had kids.

I don't think that I relax like that anymore.  But I still need time off work and I *feel* it when it's been 3 months (like now) and it's still 3 more weeks till I get time off.

How do you enjoy the moment? I don't know.  At home, we have responsibilities.  It's hard to step away from them.  I think that's the problem. I  have other friends who don't vacation much (can't afford it), but every weekend they go on an adventure.  They camp, they drive up to the watering hole about 30 minutes from home, they have many beach days and ... we don't.  I don't know why.  It's work?  My kids don't want to go.  Packing up the car is a pain.  And it's a small car.  My husband REALLY hates packing for camping, esp. if it's only for 1-2 nights.  (Nevermind that you have to book a campsite 6 months in advance).  And then, if you take a day off, all it does is push all of your chores (grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, etc) to the weekdays.

LiveLean

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #80 on: June 29, 2017, 02:38:14 PM »
I used to work with a lot of Major League Baseball players and initially was amazed how few of them traveled in the their extensive offseason given their unlimited resources and a 4-to-5 month break. But a lot of them pointed out that after crisscrossing the USA from March through September, if not October, they didn't want to go anywhere.


joonifloofeefloo

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #81 on: June 29, 2017, 02:41:46 PM »
When I started travelling internationally, we had no internet, no cell phones, etc. Plane travel cost a lot. We had to figure stuff out, learn a language or do awesome gestures to get around, rely on spoken words stumbled upon randomly for tips and clues and leads, crash at the home of any local who took us home. I miss that, lol.

By my last post, just realizing I liked travel when it felt like an adventure, and that it no longer feels adventurous to me!

To me the exciting part was having no idea how I was getting from place to place, not knowing the language and needing to learn it, having no idea what I was about to stumble upon...   I didn't really care about simply "being in a different location."

pbkmaine

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #82 on: June 29, 2017, 02:44:28 PM »
I used to work with a lot of Major League Baseball players and initially was amazed how few of them traveled in the their extensive offseason given their unlimited resources and a 4-to-5 month break. But a lot of them pointed out that after crisscrossing the USA from March through September, if not October, they didn't want to go anywhere.

Yep. I was a road warrior for more than 20 years. I have been in every one of the lower 48 states on my business trips and frequently accompanied DH to Europe on his. It was fun at times, but enough, already.

Linea_Norway

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #83 on: June 30, 2017, 02:14:08 AM »

I realize there are other very valid reasons to travel of course, but I see this a lot with people I know IRL in they way they perceive traveling.

I struggle with this.  I think many people do.  My neighbors travel a LOT and it's interesting how "relaxed" they get as soon as they leave town.  I used to visually relax whenever the wheels came up on the plane.  Then I had kids.

I don't think that I relax like that anymore.  But I still need time off work and I *feel* it when it's been 3 months (like now) and it's still 3 more weeks till I get time off.

How do you enjoy the moment? I don't know.  At home, we have responsibilities.  It's hard to step away from them.  I think that's the problem. I  have other friends who don't vacation much (can't afford it), but every weekend they go on an adventure.  They camp, they drive up to the watering hole about 30 minutes from home, they have many beach days and ... we don't.  I don't know why.  It's work?  My kids don't want to go.  Packing up the car is a pain.  And it's a small car.  My husband REALLY hates packing for camping, esp. if it's only for 1-2 nights.  (Nevermind that you have to book a campsite 6 months in advance).  And then, if you take a day off, all it does is push all of your chores (grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, etc) to the weekdays.
[/quote]

It is a fact that packing camping gear is a bit if a hassle. Can you not plan some more long day trips? Just prepare a coolbox the day before (making sandwiches, freezer the cooling elements, cooling drinks) and preparing beach towels or hiking shoes. Then next morning, get up early, drive to that place and get home late again. This way, you avoid having to pack all the camping stuff. And you can do this for example on one day of the weekend and spend the other day doing chores. It is a good habit to do many chores on weekdays indeed, so that you don't need to spend your Saturday on grocery shopping.

Another option is simple camping. Just the tent, sleeping bags and camping mattresses, but bringing easy food, so you don't need to bring so much gear. I have been an outdoorsy person for many years, but recently I learned something from other outdoor friends. Use plastic boxes for storing your cooking gear. And maybe some boxes for other gear as well. When packing for a trip, you'll only need to grab a few boxes and don't need to spend a lot of time gathering all gear. This has been convenient on car/tenting trips, canoeing trips and cross-country skiing trips. For a backpack hike this won't work, as boxes take too much space.

Cranky

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #84 on: June 30, 2017, 06:04:49 AM »
I found nothing about traveling with kids to be relaxing! It was all the work of being at home, just a lot less convenient.

Now my kids are grown, and we've made home so nice that it's really not that appealing to go sleep someplace else!

My dh does enjoy Doing Something, so I try to find Something for many summer weekends, with the proviso that we're home in time for bed. This weekend we're going to Pittsburgh, next weekend I think we'll go to the Lavender Festival. Just little day trips.

Davids

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #85 on: June 30, 2017, 07:14:27 AM »
Everyone is different. If you do not like to travel and prefer other hobbies that is perfectly fine. Depending on where you go traveling can be a hassle to get there and even once you're there. I love to travel but if someone prefers not to travel then I do not fault them for that.

Linea_Norway

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #86 on: June 30, 2017, 01:40:58 PM »
Well, that opens up a whole different debate - not everyone is "outdoorsy" and wants to see the scenery. "If you've seen one tree, you've seen them all..." and all that.

[NB - I personally enjoy seeing the view, but don't really want to do a great deal of sweating or freezing, so I'm more of a spectator of the outdoors. But I've known people who really only enjoyed cruise vacations or shopping.]
That's true. The reasons people travel are going to be vastly different so their responses to different places will be different. To me, who totally understands the not liking to travel thing and never went anywhere on vacation when working (not enough time, too much hassle and expense, etc...), I see vast differences between most places whether cultures, architecture, nature, eactivities I can do, etc..and find it all pretty fascinating.

I have hiked PNW rain forests and the NM desert and kayaked the everglades and while clearly different nature is still just nature - rain jacket vs sun hat, same basic deal.  I have wondered around many big cities on four continents and they are all very similar, the biggest differentiator seems to be how useful English is.  I was also an exchange student in HS.  People are basically people - slight variations on the settings but same basic OS.  Please understand I have had great fun in many places.  I know I am very forchinate to have traveled half as much as I have but maybe I just see the spectrum of what is out there as being smaller that others.

Maybe I just need more brussels sprouts or am especially jaded lately, or need to hit FI so that a proper level of relaxation can sink in deep into my bones over an extend trip to see what 'travel people' see.

Or maybe I dont see any challenge or uniqueness in most all places people talk about going to.  With the cc in my wallet and my US Passport I could be in 98% of the the worlds midsized citys by Sunday morning with little more effort than sitting on an airplane-drink in hand.  Few years back I was looking at going to North Korea; it seemed like one of the very few places that is truly different.  It also would have taken some work and some self discipline to obey the rules while in country so many I need challenge too?  The might have happened but some expenses came up.

Alan, you've hit on something to which I've given a lot of thought. A place that might feel "exotic" to us is no big deal to the people that live there all the time. I happen to live in the suburbs of an historic city, but it still seems funny to me that anyone would go to the trouble and expense of booking a flight and then staying in a hotel room for a week in order to wander around said city. I take day trips there myself, but as a travel destination it just seems kind of lame, lol. I wonder if Parisians, Berliners, Londoners, etc. feel the same way. "Eh? What's the big deal? It's just another big city with museums, restaurants, and other attractions." I realize mine is an extreme view, but it's valid in its own way.

I think visiting one city for a whole week is a very long time. Although we have done that when I was at school at the age of 17. That was in Rome, where there is a great deal to see. For for my subsequent city trips I have always experienced two days as long enough.

Missy B

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #87 on: June 30, 2017, 02:57:10 PM »
I think one reason many people love to travel is they want to get away from whatever it is they don't like about their life. Travel forces them to be in the moment and present, wherever they are, and with whatever they are doing. They think they can only have that feeling while traveling, so it becomes almost an addiction, because it feels awesome to be truly present. What many don't realize is it is a much greater joy to learn to be present and content all the time, in your current life. It's much harder to do, but so much more rewarding if achieved.

I realize there are other very valid reasons to travel of course, but I see this a lot with people I know IRL in they way they perceive traveling.

(Gah! I need to stop reading through these threads so quickly. I keep missing really good points.) This post right here speaks volumes, imo. In fact, I wrote something very much like this in my journal, the one I keep IRL, when I was trying to sort out my own reasons for not being into travel like so many of my friends and family. I tried to determine what it is that constant travelers are searching for abroad that they can't discover at home, especially my friend who becomes frantic when she doesn't have a "major" vacation planned each year.  She's an extreme extrovert and it took years before I could make her understand that I actually enjoyed staying at home, lol, whereas she becomes anxious and antsy when faced with four walls and her own company.  Maybe it comes down to being an introvert vs extrovert thing after all?

I think there's something to that. Extroverts have an easier time, and benefit from, meeting new people all the time.

And I very much agree with the previous point about people who travel to get away from their life. I've had to explain this repeatedly to people, that I don't need to spend $1000 to 'get away' for a week... what I need is to not have to answer the cell phone, check email, track appointments and other's expectations of how I should spend my time. I like where I live and the life I'v created, and I like to be able to enjoy my garden, hobbies, and apartment when I have a stretch of time for myself.
And it's interesting, too, how often people assume you're available if you're 'in town' when they wouldn't bother you if you were 'out of town'.

So I don't travel much now. One flight since 2001, 25 minutes duration to Vancouver Island. When I finally retire, I'd like to do some slow travel, with loose plans to get to Europe by cruise ship which, starting from Canada's west coast, will probably take 2+ weeks. I hope to arrive well-rested and partially time-adjusted.

Someone had made a comment about modern travel being a pointless exercise, and I get what he was pointing at. When travel is used well it creates not just experiences, but connection. I think real connection to other people and places -- where you change each other a little or a lot, is an important reason to travel. Travel used for escape or distraction or competition is a poor use and and completely unworthy of the oil it takes to make it happen. (Not justifying the C02 for better uses either, just saying)
There's a lot of connection-less 'tick it off the list' bragging rights tourism everywhere; it was a big issue in Europe with the Da Vinci Code tours, and I certainly see it here in Vancouver BC. (The worst is Wreck Beach, and I'm surprised more tourists don't fly home with broken noses).

Lance Hiruma

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #88 on: June 30, 2017, 04:48:46 PM »
Oh we love to travel and we do that a lot, business or leisure. Approaching 100 countries and counting. I think we are often excited about new experiences, places, cultures, foods, people, animals...We plan to do slow travel once we retire. And based on the research, health care can be a lot cheaper in many countries.

Icecreamarsenal

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #89 on: July 14, 2017, 09:51:08 PM »
Well, that opens up a whole different debate - not everyone is "outdoorsy" and wants to see the scenery. "If you've seen one tree, you've seen them all..." and all that.

[NB - I personally enjoy seeing the view, but don't really want to do a great deal of sweating or freezing, so I'm more of a spectator of the outdoors. But I've known people who really only enjoyed cruise vacations or shopping.]
That's true. The reasons people travel are going to be vastly different so their responses to different places will be different. To me, who totally understands the not liking to travel thing and never went anywhere on vacation when working (not enough time, too much hassle and expense, etc...), I see vast differences between most places whether cultures, architecture, nature, eactivities I can do, etc..and find it all pretty fascinating.

I have hiked PNW rain forests and the NM desert and kayaked the everglades and while clearly different nature is still just nature - rain jacket vs sun hat, same basic deal.  I have wondered around many big cities on four continents and they are all very similar, the biggest differentiator seems to be how useful English is.  I was also an exchange student in HS.  People are basically people - slight variations on the settings but same basic OS.  Please understand I have had great fun in many places.  I know I am very forchinate to have traveled half as much as I have but maybe I just see the spectrum of what is out there as being smaller that others.

Maybe I just need more brussels sprouts or am especially jaded lately, or need to hit FI so that a proper level of relaxation can sink in deep into my bones over an extend trip to see what 'travel people' see.

Or maybe I dont see any challenge or uniqueness in most all places people talk about going to.  With the cc in my wallet and my US Passport I could be in 98% of the the worlds midsized citys by Sunday morning with little more effort than sitting on an airplane-drink in hand.  Few years back I was looking at going to North Korea; it seemed like one of the very few places that is truly different.  It also would have taken some work and some self discipline to obey the rules while in country so many I need challenge too?  The might have happened but some expenses came up.

Alan, you've hit on something to which I've given a lot of thought. A place that might feel "exotic" to us is no big deal to the people that live there all the time. I happen to live in the suburbs of an historic city, but it still seems funny to me that anyone would go to the trouble and expense of booking a flight and then staying in a hotel room for a week in order to wander around said city. I take day trips there myself, but as a travel destination it just seems kind of lame, lol. I wonder if Parisians, Berliners, Londoners, etc. feel the same way. "Eh? What's the big deal? It's just another big city with museums, restaurants, and other attractions." I realize mine is an extreme view, but it's valid in its own way.

As a native New Yorker, I can speak for New Yorkers: most of us don't take it for granted, and realize how special it is.  It may be true of Parisians, Berliners, Londoners, Tokyoans, Rio de Janeirans, Moscovites, etc.
*Forchinate?  C'mon man.

AlanStache

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #90 on: July 15, 2017, 12:44:09 PM »
...
As a native New Yorker, I can speak for New Yorkers: most of us don't take it for granted, and realize how special it is.  It may be true of Parisians, Berliners, Londoners, Tokyoans, Rio de Janeirans, Moscovites, etc.
*Forchinate?  C'mon man.

meh.  Funny how spelling something phonetically is wrong and noteworthy.  Sorry but honestly I have better things to do than triple check behind my learning disability in some BS forum post.  If a word does not get a red underline there is literally a 2% chance I will see a phonetic misspelling, it is just not something I see.  Why that did not get flagged I have no clue.  But that Gold Star you earned on a 5th grade spelling test is finally paying off!

Icecreamarsenal

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #91 on: July 15, 2017, 03:05:57 PM »
...
As a native New Yorker, I can speak for New Yorkers: most of us don't take it for granted, and realize how special it is.  It may be true of Parisians, Berliners, Londoners, Tokyoans, Rio de Janeirans, Moscovites, etc.
*Forchinate?  C'mon man.

meh.  Funny how spelling something phonetically is wrong and noteworthy.  Sorry but honestly I have better things to do than triple check behind my learning disability in some BS forum post.  If a word does not get a red underline there is literally a 2% chance I will see a phonetic misspelling, it is just not something I see.  Why that did not get flagged I have no clue.  But that Gold Star you earned on a 5th grade spelling test is finally paying off!

How unfortunate you chose to respond this way.  More than likely the Gold Star you didn't earn on the 5th grade spelling test has held you back more than you'll ever know.  Not the way I want it, just how it is.  Let's end the light-hearted ribbing back and forth here.

AlanStache

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #92 on: July 15, 2017, 05:00:21 PM »
...
How unfortunate you chose to respond this way.  More than likely the Gold Star you didn't earn on the 5th grade spelling test has held you back more than you'll ever know.  Not the way I want it, just how it is.  Let's end the light-hearted ribbing back and forth here.

You think I am unaware of how my life has been affected by this?  I cant spell, I am not dumb.  One of the biggest things in life it has held me back from doing is posting more in online forums for the very reasons that are being demonstrated now. 



joonifloofeefloo

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #93 on: July 15, 2017, 07:06:03 PM »
Ouch.

AlanStache, thanks for speaking up about LDs. I hope you'll feel comfy posting here eternally. (I have a pretty severe LD myself. It just happens to not impact spelling. My fancy spelling marks didn't do much for me in navigating the rest, though!)

Cassie

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #94 on: July 16, 2017, 01:38:46 PM »
I have known some very intelligent people with no LD that still can't spell well. Sometimes spell check does not flag something it should.  I have always been a great speller and don't know why.  But Math not so much:))

whatupjeffy

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #95 on: July 16, 2017, 08:34:11 PM »
I like travelling. Maybe you have not found a wonderful place where intrigues you to travel. I like staying at home a lot. However, many people have that moment when you want to leave far away and experience new thing. World is wide so i want to travel around and experience more things before i die

Lmoot

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #96 on: July 17, 2017, 06:44:43 AM »
I like traveling, I just don't like to do a whole lot when I travel. I like to see the sights, but I'm not so much in group touring, or doing excursions, or participating in local festivals or customs, or "going out" (I carry my introvertness with me). I just like to walk; whether that is down the street, through markets, go for a hike, through museums. I just like the casual exploration.

 My ideal vacation would be an extended trip on the Orient express. Just looking out of the window, sipping coffee or tea or cocktails, eating good food, and going out to stretch my legs during stops. I just like to observe and be quiet. And I can do that here at home too. I enjoy finding ways to make my home base like a little sanctuary for myself and just try to generally live a peaceful existance wherever I am.

MoMan

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #97 on: July 17, 2017, 09:10:23 AM »
I feel grateful that my favorite place in the world is my backyard/garage wood shop. I think if you offered me a choice between a 3-week all-expenses-paid, luxury vacation to Europe or a 2-week uninterrupted stint in the garage, I would choose the latter. I tend to view vacations as hassles; especially when it involves air travel. I have grown to despise flying, mostly because of all the regulations, coupled with increasingly hostile/entitled behavior of fellow travelers. I resent having to stand in lines for virtually everything. And the requisite lines increase exponentially with international travel (we just got back from Havana, Cuba).

I guess I cured my travel bug when I graduated college. My older sis offered me a backpacking trip thru Europe in exchange for rebuilding her fence and deck over the summer. I spent 9 weeks alone wandering western Europe in 1988. It was a good adventure, but I was ready to return home.

When I announced to my wife my desire to RE at 55, she said she could be supportive as long as I could still afford the occasional trip with her. So that is one of the prices I must pay. And it really isn’t the financial price that I mind so much. Right now, I am still working full time, so taking trips cuts into my garage goofing off time. As soon as we leave home, I can’t wait to get back home! But once I retire, I should get my fill of unlimited garage time, so perhaps I won’t mind the time away as much.

BFGirl

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #98 on: July 17, 2017, 09:33:25 AM »
I always enjoy learning something new when I travel, but it's not really something I seek out.  I wouldn't mind exploring some more of the US when I'm retired.  When I go on a "vacation" these days, part of me wishes I had just stayed home and enjoyed my time at home which I don't get nearly enough of, but I'm not always going on "vacation" for me, but for others.  Going to plan more "staycations" in the future.

mm1970

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Re: NOT into travel?
« Reply #99 on: July 18, 2017, 10:45:08 AM »
Quote
I have grown to despise flying, mostly because of all the regulations, coupled with increasingly hostile/entitled behavior of fellow travelers. I resent having to stand in lines for virtually everything.

Ah yes, the wonders of flying.  My family hates road trips too (except me).

We are soon heading out on a trip on a plane.  The worst is the nickel-and-diming.  So I had my spouse check our tickets - and yes, we have seat assignments on the way out, and even in the same row!

But not the way back.  If we want seat assignments, or to choose our seats, that will be $33 please.  Each. For 4 of us. There aren't that many seats left.

Eh, no thanks.  Yes, I am betting pretty strongly that
1.  They will seat us together.  If they don't:
2.  Nobody is going to want to sit next to my 5 year old for two hours.
3.  Within 5 minutes of sitting next to my chatty 11 year old, who can talk video games for HOURS, non-stop, I'll have plenty of offers to switch!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!