56% of American adults have a valid passport, but other European countries, such as England and Wales, have higher percentages of passport holders, at 82% and higher.
It’s not how much something costs but how one chooses to spend their money. And for the life of me, I cannot understand people who don’t travel. To me, It’s about learning and living and some choose to stay comfortable in their bubble which is their prerogative. I choose to experience life.
A family of four can choose to spend $6000 for a week in Disneyworld while they could buy four economy international airfares, stay in budget hotels, and expand their horizons.
As people who see my FB know, we love to travel and look for deals and I always mention how fortunate we are.
In the mid-1970s, shortly after China was open to tourists, my mother had a rare opportunity for a teacher’s trip. I weighed having the house to myself or having the experience of my young life. I chose to have the house for parties and have regretted it, but I finally made the trip 40 years later.
After a 1989 trip to Greece with a friend, beginning in 1990, Hope and I ventured to Italy; Florence, Rome and Lugano, and a few Caribbean trips to places like St. Bart's, Anguilla, St. Maarten and Mustique. We discovered cruising in 2002 when Hope’s mom took us on a Seabourn cruise, and we were hooked.
We are fortunate (there’s that word again!) to have seen China, Japan, Dubai, Greece, Panama, Costa Rica, Chile, Antarctica, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, the U.K., Ireland, Scotland, Norway, the Netherlands, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Alaska, Canada, Korea (and the DMZ), France, India, Sri Lanka, Argentina, The Falklands, Mexico, Uruguay, Guatemala, Barbados, Malaysia, The B.V.I’s, The U.S. V. I.’s, Doha, Turkey, Vietnam, Thailand, Monaco, and Malta. In the next year, Greenland, Portugal, Gibraltar, Morocco, and the Canary Islands. We have sailed the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, and The Straits of Hormuz.
Not bragging. Thankful might be the best word.
Back to expense versus experience. While travel can be expensive, it can also be for those who discover ways to make it reasonable. ‘Been there, done that’ is not sarcasm; but rather a choice to explore.
Some hate flying and I get that. There is so much to see here at home in the US. For us, it’s been New Orleans, New York, Massachusetts, the Finger Lakes, Colorado, California, New Mexico, Slab City (look this one up), The Salton Sea, Seattle, The San Juan Islands, Texas, Jackson, MS (Hope was there!) and a few others.
And yes; Disneyworld and Universal many times, so no dissing the most magical places on earth!
The world map is a map of our lives and our passions.
So leave home for a bit. You can always come back.
We do.
Right now Ken and I are in the UK for a wonderful trip. All our years together we found ways to take the family on vacations, even when we didn't have a cent to our name. The 4 person tent, air mattresses and sleeping bags did the trick as well as taking folks up on their lovely invitations to visit many wonderful places around our country and Canada (prior to 9/11 as we didn't need any passports or special card at that time). I enjoy finding bargains for travel including that this current trip didn't cost anything for the airfare because of our Visa card benefits. We also joined a travel club years ago that has given us 3 and 4 star accommodations in the US and abroad for $200/week. We also never feel the need to eat at 5 star restaurants in the evening. We even make our own breakfasts when we are able. I agree that travel is an education, especially in meeting people from many parts of the globe. I love hearing about their countries, culture and lives and, when I can, communicate in their languages (especially the Romance languages because I speak Spanish although Yiddish helps in Germany and Hebrew in Israel). Just when I think the world is falling apart, it is so nice to meet kind and wonderful people. I feel blessed and grateful to be healthy enough to make these trips. Thanks for sharing your perspective.