Travel...... [Archive] - QLC Message Boards

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 11:36 AM

winneythepooh7

12-27-2006, 11:41 AM

I've never been to Europe either. My parents never wanted to take us there growing up, and didn't really have the $$$ for it.

I have been to Alaska, California, Nevada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and many of the states.

My fiance and I want to go to Northern Italy on our honeymoon. We also want to do a "tour" so we have better accomodations and such.

I know it's going to be hella expensive, so it's still in the works, and not yet a reality.

I'd love to do a whirlwind trip to Europe, but it's hard finding the time and the $$$ to do so.

PVD99

12-27-2006, 11:45 AM

I've visited other foreign places (rome, london, munich) but I have never lived in a foreign country. I really would love to but I think I'd rather live somewhere English speaking. I've been to many places in the US as well. Ninety percent of these trips were with my family(paid for by family) and I'd love to do a trip on my own. I still haven't been to Paris and that's a goal of mine. I'd like to go there with a man, though. :p ;)

I would suggest going to a foreign country though - it will open your eyes. Rome was a huge culture shock for me. I'm definitely a homebody and I am not sure if I'd be suited living in a foreign country. It's nice to see what is out there, though.

Winter Storm

12-27-2006, 11:48 AM

I am not well traveled. Mainly because my parents NEVER traveled and my friends money is funny and that leaves me with few options for travel buddies.

The farthest west I've been was Vegas. The farthest south, Florida. I've been to New York once. Chicago, on business maybe 5 times and the surrounding states around Maryland (VA, DC, PA).

I've never been to Europe or left the country for that matter. I'd love to travel and go everywhere but again, who can go with me? My friends don't have the financial freedom I have or have other obligations.

One day.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 11:56 AM

How many of you have traveled to the opposite coast from where you grew up (to live or just to visit)
I live in CT, never been anywhere west of central PA. I have been to most of the east coast states, including New Brunswick, Canada.

How many of you have been to Europe or another country?
Went to France and Switzerland as a senior in HS with my school's choir.

Also…..were these trips when you were younger with your family, or ones that you did on your own?
The only trips I've been on since being a grown up (haha) were to Florida with friends, DC with my brother, and to Maine with my fiance.

I personally have never been to Europe, and I have driven down the entire East Coast to go to Florida, and Ive been to all the states around me, but Ive only lived in MA and RI.
I wouldn't have gone to Europe if it weren't for my school trip. I've lived in CT, RI, and MA. I have been to Maine, NH, VT, NY, NJ, PA, Maryland, DC, Virginia, Florida. I've traveled through Delaware, Michigan and Georgia.

Im just curious if this is the norm (me) or if traveling and moving quite a bit is. I guess currently Im feeling pretty poor that I havent been to Europe, and that I havent been to many states.
I don't think anything is normal.

Im also curious how to make this happen, travel is SO expensive (flight, hotel, meals, plus any fun you might want to have)
Lots of saving and planning. I was able to do DC a few years ago b/c I had 2 weeks off, paid, from my job over the holidays, and we found a cheap hotel.

sundaycomics

12-27-2006, 11:58 AM

States I've been to:

-Michigan (grew up there)
-D.C. (went to college there)
-Pennsylvania (live here now)
family trips when I was a kid:
-Illinois
-Iowa
-Indiana
-Ohio
-Kentucky
-Alabama
-Tennessee
-North Carolina
-South Carolina
-West Virginia
-California
-New York (upstate)
-Rhode Island
-Connecticut
-Massachusetts
since going off to college:
-Wisconsin
-Minnesota
-Maryland
-Virginia
-New Jersey
-Delaware
-NYC
-Georgia (but just the Atlanta airport so I don't really count it)

honeymoon:
-Puerto Rico
-St. Thomas
-Dominica
-Barbados
-Aruba

That and Ontario.

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 12:04 PM

It does seem like Im in the minority here.

Ive never traveled with friends (mostly because they dont want to travel or dont have the money or the time from work)

Seems as though Ive done less travel than everyone who has posted. All my travel has been with my family.....to FLA to visit my grandparents, to DC for a wedding and NYC for a vacation.

The only places Ive gone on my own are Florida, and RI. I drove to FLA for a spring break when I was 20....and I went to college in RI. Other than that Ive never really been anywhere.....

Its really bothering me, but taking time from work or finding the money is tough. I really feel like I shoudl have done this in college when I had the time to spare, but I was too busy working.......
I feel like Im just not going to see anything in my lifetime due to work and money being issues.

Im always asked why I didnt travel, and my answer was because my parents wouldnt have let me......they would have been pissed, and even now when I talk about it they give me looks.....yet when they were 22 and 24, they went to Europe for 3 WEEKS (for their honeymoon) So if they did it whats the big deal about my doing it?

I feel so nieve and inexperienced, like I missed out.
I was having drinks with some high school friends, and my BF was there, and they were all talking about europe and other states, and I couldnt contribute a thing, they all pointed at me and basically called me a townie. =(

Sad thing is, they're right.

EmberMae

12-27-2006, 12:06 PM

I'm very fortunate that my parents have given me opportunities to travel. In high school they allowed each of my siblings and I one trip to whatever country we wanted with a school or student group. I went to Australia and New Zealand. It was amazing but unfortunately I was only 14 and immature and getting over my first boyfriend so I didn't get as much out of it as I could have if I'd been older. I've also been to Mexico and various Carribean islands, Alaska, and most of the states except the north west, deep south, and plains states.

I don't see how I'll be able to travel much at all once my parents stop paying for it. I'm getting married next October, still haven't decided on the honeymoon yet. I'd like to have a honeymoon, but the place i'd most like to go is europe, particularly the british isles and paris but i'm afraid it will be too cold that time of year and I have no idea if we'd be able to come up with the money anyway. We might just do some domestic location within driving distance and save up for the europe trip in a few years. My fiance has never been outside the country at all so he definately wants to go.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 12:09 PM

I don't see how I'll be able to travel much at all once my parents stop paying for it. I'm getting married next October
Your parents pay for you to travel now?

My fiance has never been outside the country at all so he definately wants to go.
Neither has mine. I think we're going to Hawaii, although he really really wants to go to Australia and NZ. So do I, but it's just too hard with getting that much time off from work. We'd like 3-4 weeks down there.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 12:11 PM

Cider, my family trips were done b/c we have a lot of extended family and family friends around the east coast. So we'd visit and do touristy stuff. It wasn't like my parents were all "So where do you kids wanna go???"

In college, my friends couldn't afford to go anywhere, so I didn't travel with them either. And I worked over my breaks because I didn't have anything else to do, lol.

mishl982

12-27-2006, 12:12 PM

I don't think I'm that well travelled. The farthest I've travelled is to Vietnam with my family to visit my parents' families. Other than that I've only been to California, Canada (when I was a toddler so I don't remember it) and a few states up and down the east coast. Nothing too exciting or often.

Winter Storm

12-27-2006, 12:13 PM

I feel so nieve and inexperienced, like I missed out.
I was having drinks with some high school friends, and my BF was there, and they were all talking about europe and other states, and I couldnt contribute a thing, they all pointed at me and basically called me a townie. =(

Sad thing is, they're right.

Tell them all to fuck off. Everybody doesn't have the same opportunities. Some are given more, as with EmberMae and some are given less. My parents for instance, never went ANYWHERE. So as a child, I never went anywhere besides CT to stay with cousins for the summers.

If your friends don't have $$$$ to travel, like mine, then you won't be able to travel because how much fun would Vegas or Hawaii or San Deigo be all alone. I know I travel alone for business and I don't really enjoy it because there is no one there to share anything with.

The opportunity to travel will come a different times for people and we'll get our time. Don't get all down about it. I'm sure there are other things you have accomplished that some wish they had. That is the way I look at it.

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 12:16 PM

My family went to Bermuda each year because it was required by my grandparents....and my parents couldnt afford to do more than that each year....so while they wanted to take me to do things like go see the Grand Canyon, or to San Diego, we couldnt afford it, and there was no vacation time to take (my Dad has his own business and would rarely take time off but to go to Bermuda)

My friends even now dont want to travel or dont have the money.....I always say hey lets go to London for an extended long weekend, or lets go to CA, or lets go to Mexico....and they just wont get involved with it.

I think Im more pissed that just about everyone I know has been to Europe with their family, or to study abroad or even for a vacation, and Ive never been once.

Ive never been to vegas and I feel like everyone I know has......

I guess I feel like I missed out, and now I feel really poorly about it because the time I could have gone has passed, and now its all about scheduling time and saving money....and the places I want to go those that will travel with me have gone before and dont want to go there again.....

winneythepooh7

12-27-2006, 12:17 PM

I agree with WS. Some people don't get to see the world until they are older and retired.

I also don't have many friends to begin with, let alone friends who can travel. Everyone is at the stage now where they are having babies, not leaving the country or even the county.

I could always do Social Work abroad, but I choose to stay here with my fiance and work something more "traditional".

cache

12-27-2006, 12:19 PM

I enjoy travelling, even with not much money. Some of the best trips are unplanned roadtrips to wherever.

Niagara Falls just for dinner and watching fireworks
Mall of America for Christmas shopping
Grand Canyon to break in my new car

I used to enjoy planned trips, and still do occasionally, but I am starting to be more of the spontaniety persuasion, because less planning means more randomness and oftentimes very memorable experiences.

But don't get me wrong, the Heineken brewery tour in The Netherlands, or trying to talk American school French to a Parisian provide plenty of memories themselves...but the expense of those trips make them seem like less dollar value than the random trips.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 12:19 PM

my Dad has his own business and would rarely take time off
Mine too. My parents didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up, so all of those factors contributed to very budget friendly vacations, if we went anywhere at all.

I think Im more pissed that just about everyone I know has been to Europe with their family, or to study abroad or even for a vacation, and Ive never been once.
If I wasn't a singer, I wouldn't have gone. Ever.

Ive never been to vegas and I feel like everyone I know has......
I've never been, and it's not on my list at all really.

I guess I feel like I missed out, and now I feel really poorly about it because the time I could have gone has passed, and now its all about scheduling time and saving money....and the places I want to go those that will travel with me have gone before and dont want to go there again....
Uh, those people suck. I would love to see the places I've been to before, with new people, things change, there are always new things to see that you never saw on previous trips, etc.

Sounds like your peeps are sticks in mud!!!!

Winter Storm

12-27-2006, 12:21 PM

Hey! Hadn't we played around with the idea of having a travel club around here, for the folks like me that just don't have anyone to travel with. I didn't get to take one damn trip in 2006 cause I had no one that could go. Meanwhile, my PTO days just piled up and I took no real vacations. I am pretty much always down for some traveling. I just need people to go with.

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 12:21 PM

They tell me to find travel groups and travel with them, so I dont have to rely on my friends....but traveling with strangers hardly seems fun and what 20 somethings will be in a travel group...I fear it will all be retired persons.

I doubt I have accomplished stuff they wish they had....they all have great jobs, have traveled, graduated college with a good solid group of friends (I didnt and made friends after so Im not envious on that front just have a different life)

I guess for some reason lately I feel like I missed out on so much growing up and continue to miss out.

I never snuck out of my house as a kid or snuck anyone in. I rarely went out and hung out with friends because I didnt have any. In college I never went out because my parents told me I would need to rent an apartment when I got out for the summer, so I saved all my pennies and worked my ass off on breaks so Id have enough, then they would tell me they were joking yet I had already missed out on parties, friends and activities.

I didnt go to parties until I was a senior in college, I never did anything that raised my adrenaline or tried anything to challenge myself or do something risky (like drive fast on the highway, or stay out past curfew)

I was a goody two shoes, and because of it I never took risks, and I feel like everyone I know took all these risks and did all these fun things and I did, was too scared to and that time has passed, I cant go back.

This is mostly due to my parents control....but its also because of my inablility to see I could stand up to them and do these things and let them be pissed at me....but I was so scared of that. Im less scared of it now....but its still there....thats why I havent just traveled.

Im just so angry about so many things lately....and I know I cant go back and do these things, but its also hard to see how I can do these things now and in the future.

My BF is pretty well traveled, he was a bit of a daredevil....he has lived, he has done things....and when I talk to him sometimes I feel liek crap because I havent done much and my stories and life just seem so lame and tame.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 12:23 PM

Contiki is a tour company that's for 18-35 yr olds. I had looked into them awhile back. NO OLD PEOPLE!

You aren't an old person, you aren't married, you don't have pets or kids to tie you down. Who says you can't be a little crazy now?

mishl982

12-27-2006, 12:24 PM

It's okay to feel like you missed out, but I wouldn't dwell on it or worry about it. Try going to travel on your own or keep bugging your bf (or friends) about going away even if just for a weekend. It worked for me, haha.

winneythepooh7

12-27-2006, 12:24 PM

Winter Storm

12-27-2006, 12:27 PM

cache

12-27-2006, 12:29 PM

If this helps at all:

I see people my age driving a nice car with tinted windows, rims and a nice stereo system. And I am not jealous at all. I look at it like that person is probably so deep in debt just to have a car to show off, while all that money of mine is going towards savings and retirement. So, let them enjoy their car now, because when we are both 50, it will be me who is preparing for retirement, while he is still paying off debt and looking at 20 more years of work.

I'm sure there's plenty that you are far ahead of others on, even if it can't be measured by miles traveled or dollars saved.

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 12:30 PM

I cant really be crazy because I have $ responsibilities that I cant mess up, and I have a job that I cant just take 3 weeks to travel.

Maybe thats part of it too. Ive never been crazy. Ive always been reliable, responsible, working hard....never really live and let live.

Ive been bugging my BF for a year to travel somewhere with me. He tells me plan it and he'll go. Im certainly not capable of paying his way.....we'd need to go dutch, but Id love to just sit at the computer and book a flight and hotel for a trip to London or wherever for the spring.......we would just need to book at the same time to be on the same flight bla bla bla.

Ive told him about $200 trips flight and hotel to go to Vegas from Sunday - Tuesday.....Id TOTALLY do that. But he has been NUMEROUS times, and says he isnt interested in going back........but none of my friends want to either and going alone...like its been said SUCK.

We've gone away for weekends or day trips all around New England....those are the things he wanted to accomplish upon moving here, and he is close to finished in a year.

He is from Hawaii.....so thing is we can pay for flight there, and we'd have places to stay.....but we'd need about 10 days to go and island hop......getting that time is an issue.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 12:30 PM

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 12:32 PM

Winter Storm

12-27-2006, 12:34 PM

Winter Storm

12-27-2006, 12:35 PM

I guess I dont konw how to be 'irresponsible'. I worry too much. I cant dream of calling into work, or just hopping a plane and calling out sick from some other state or country.....

Maybe Im just incapable of going a bit crazy.....

Just like when I drink, sure Ill get tipsy, but I wont overdo it and get sick.

Traveling and letting loose does not mean you have to be irresponsible. I've never called outta work to take a last minute trip. I've always planned well in advance and had all my ducks in a row.

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 12:40 PM

I have a play side, but its not very let loose.

I plan where to go and times to be there and organize all my friends. Im the point of contact if there are multiple cars to make sure everyone meets up etc.

Then once out, I dont drink much usually because Im the DD, and because I dont want to get sick or feel gross the next day.

My friends call me 'crazy' but Im really a huge planner and ducks in a row person, I cant just kick back and let a night go wherever it might.

Im ridgid I guess? I mean when my friends were telling me I was a townie, they were saying I totally live in a box, and have walls and am rigid......again I think they're right.....

cheshrcarol

12-27-2006, 12:40 PM

I've been to France twice because my school offered 10 day exchange trips in 9th and 12th grade. Honestly, that was the best traveling ever because we didn't stay in hotels and got to meet a ton of people our age and see tons of stuff.

In the US I've been to FL more times than I can count. I've been to the states that immediately surround NY - NJ, VT, MA, CT (lived there for a summer), ME, PA, driven through NH and DE. I've also been to VA, SC, GA and NC. But I've never been west of the East Coast. Hopefully this summer I plan to remedy that by leaving for an internship.

My dream is to one day be able to travel. I want to see everything. I love Europe with it's history and musueums, and I find the culture of Asia to be so interesting. I have a friend who wants to go to Korea one day because that's where she was born, so maybe I'll do that with her. Basically I'm up for anything one I have the financial means.

Winter Storm

12-27-2006, 12:43 PM

Im ridgid I guess? I mean when my friends were telling me I was a townie, they were saying I totally live in a box, and have walls and am rigid......again I think they're right.....

Well, like I said before, you could always break out of that. It is under your power.

Everyday...new opportunity...

EmberMae

12-27-2006, 12:45 PM

Your parents pay for you to travel now?

We do a family vacation once a year, they still pay for me to come. My parents are pretty generous, they've also paid for my sister's best friend to come on vacation with us twice, and a Korean exchange student they had, and my fiance once. I don't know how long they will continue letting me come with them, but up until a few months ago I had no steady income. Up until I was about 13 we didn't travel much, b/c we didn't have the money, all of the vacation money comes out of my mom's inheritance which started paying out at that point, my great grandfather was a farmer and bought a lot of land when it was dirt cheap.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 12:47 PM

cheshrcarol

12-27-2006, 12:56 PM

Jen, family vacations still come with a price to pay :neutral: . My parents will still pay for my brother and I to go to FL with them. But traveling with them means that at 28 years old, I still feel like I'm 12. They rent one car, which I don't really get to drive. We do stuff as a family or I do stuff with my mom and it's seriously like I've regressed 15 years.

And at least for my family, it's not like we're going to some new and cool place all the time. Now that my parents have bought a condo in Tampa, that's the only place they ever go. Even my mom is so sick of the place she's thinking about selling.

ETA: part of the reason I find this so constricting is that I've been goign on vacations with friends since I was a freshman in college. I'm the type A one who usually plans everything and kind of runs stuff. So to go from that to sitting in the back seat and making no decisions (although they do ask our input) drives me a little nutty.

mishl982

12-27-2006, 12:56 PM

ETA: I don't know how people can still travel with their families...how do y'all get the same time off and all of that?
Lots of planning ahead! LOL

I still take family trips but the extent of that is like a beach that is only 3 hours away with cheap hotel rooms and only once a year. (and cramming 5 people in a room, lol)

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 12:56 PM

I still travel with my parents, and they pay for me.......
They took me to NYC, and every year to Bermuda to see my grandmother.....

But its not like they would let me bring a friend if they could pay their way, or a BF or even a fiancee.

They just started on this trip per year somewhere.......I think going to DC for the wedding sparked it.

I guess mostly, its nice they take me, and I get to go, but its not the type of experiences I want to have when I travel. They want to go to bed early, they dont want to explore night life, so its tough for me, but yes I do get to go.
When we were in NYC I met up with one of my friends from camp, and they were upset about the hour we were going out and freaked about my just going without them........

My Dad has his own business, and now he takes time whenever he wants...so basically they tell me around when they would like to go and I schedule my time off around that.
My mom doesnt work so she doesnt have to 'take time off'

MetFanL

12-27-2006, 12:57 PM

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 12:57 PM

Carol and Cider: Then why do you still go if it's not great?

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 01:02 PM

My family still does a once a year trip to the beach. We all try to go for at least part of the time and, sometimes, my parents will stay for 2 weeks while we can only stay for one. They cover the place, we just need spending money and chip in for food and beverages. I usually treat for dinner once or twice, too. My parents just want us to be there, so they cover it. I think, this year, we're going back to doing the BIG extended family vacation. We used to rent an entire place for all of the families and I think we're going to start doing that again. They're so fun.
My mom mentioned something on Christmas...about her siblings and their families (so basically all my aunts, uncles and cousins and us) renting a big house somewhere up north (VT or NH) for the week between XMas and NY. Maybe next year? Who knows.

I really think my parents like being away from us. Probably b/c my brother still lives at home and I only live across town.

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 01:06 PM

Im 26.....so Im past the consideration of youth in their terms.

I still go because they pretty much tell me Im going and I look at it as when they are gone I can look back on the time I did get to spend with them while they were still spry.

Plus, they pay for me to stay in a nice hotel, pay for nice dinners, and to visit things I wouldnt be able to afford (in NYC my Dad paid for us to go to the MOMA, Empire State Building, for a Broadway Show, and several other opportunities)

We dont eat at places like McDs or Fridays....we go to 4 star places for dinner and typically 3 or 4 star for lunch....breakfast is usually something simple and I always suggest diners because I love them they have the best food and its cheap.

I wouldnt be able to do these things if I went, and they always tell me they want to bring me so I can do these things and not worry.....so sacrificing going out for a few nights and doing these things is what gets me to go.

I figure then I can go back to the place at some point without them and enjoy the nightlife....and eat at McDs, since Ive already done the other stuff.

cheshrcarol

12-27-2006, 01:14 PM

Carol and Cider: Then why do you still go if it's not great?Well, it's not all bad. I was just pointing out that it is NOT the same as having a full expenses paid vacation with your friends.

We do have fun, and I love their place in FL. It's right on the water (not the ocean/beach) and next to a nature preserve. So it has incredible views with tons of wildlife and occasionally dolphins that come up into the bayou (an inlet of water from the gulf). They even have stretches next their building where you have to watch out for the alligators, lol. It's also 5 minutes from some of the most gorgeous beaches in the world, has the most incredible weather, and there's a pool and a hot tub at the complex.

wordsmith

12-27-2006, 01:16 PM

Recently I feel like Im the only one out of my friends etc who isnt really well traveled or who hasn’t done much.

Im curious from these boards (since it’s a much better cross section of people than my friends are)

How many of you have traveled to the opposite coast from where you grew up (to live or just to visit)

I've actually never seen the Atlantic Ocean stateside (I've seen it from other countries, though). But I've been to the East Coast a few times, just the DC area, if that even counts. I've also been to California and Washington state. I grew up in the midwest, so either coast is a haul.

How many of you have been to Europe or another country?

I studied in Ireland and South Africa when I was a college student.

Also…..were these trips when you were younger with your family, or ones that you did on your own?

All my traveling abroad, I've done on my own and/or with other groups of students. In the U.S. I've traveled on my own and with my family.

I've been to a lot of states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Washington, California.

Im also curious how to make this happen, travel is SO expensive (flight, hotel, meals, plus any fun you might want to have)

I traveled a lot, and inexpensively, as a college student, both domestically and abroad. I was in some musical ensembles as a student musician, and we had annual tours around the country, and one international tour, so I went a LOT of places as a performer, and the cost was figured into my tuition for school. I also did several study abroad programs via school, and was able to qualify for financial aid to do so. As a result, I traveled much more cheaply than I could have on my own, post-school.

Most of my domestic travel has been driving, versus air, so that cuts down on cost, and I love a road trip. When I have flown in-country, I generally organize my trips around flight deals (like going to Austin for the QLC meetup when Southwest had $79 flights). I also travel VERY cheaply, as a student, I did homestays and hostels, not hotels. When I was studying in Ireland, we were at a performing arts school, and they had big bowls of fruit and breakfast things for us every morning, in class, so we always filled up on that stuff, which reduced the money we needed to spend on food. Typical student stuff. Now, when I travel, I tend to either do it in groups to share lodging costs, or travel places where I know people who would like a visitor and are in a position to host.

By far, most of my travel was via student programs or my music ensembles...that's the only way it's been as extensive as it has or as affordable. I could never do any of it now, so I'm glad I did it when I could.

EmberMae

12-27-2006, 01:16 PM

ETA: I don't know how people can still travel with their families...how do y'all get the same time off and all of that?
This summer I was unemployed. 2005 I was a teacher and had the summer off. The years before that I was still in school and had the summers off. Next year I'm not sure. But if they go to Canada like they've been talking about I will work it out somehow because I really want to go.

The trips definately come with strings attached. I don't get to make any decisions about where we go, what we do, where we eat. I'm just along for the ride. It's still better than not being able to travel at all so I enjoy and appreciate it for what it is.

fuzmiq

12-27-2006, 01:24 PM

Save up and do it! It is so worthwhile.
I don't make alot of money, but in 2004 I saved up $2000 and went to India for three weeks with my best friend.
then in 2006, i went to costa rica...actually really inexpensive but you have to like the outdoors to enjoy it...and I don't.
I wanted to go somewhere every year. But it didn't happen this year.
I am graduating in April and I want my grad gift to be a trip to Italy or Brazil.
We shall see.

wordsmith

12-27-2006, 01:24 PM

Cider, if it makes you feel any better...I get jealous/whatever when I see that people in our age group still get to go on vacations with their parents, who are also paying for them.

As soon as I was in HS, my parents put the end to family vacations. They are still very generous people, but no more trips.

Hah, my family didn't START taking vacations until I was in about eighth grade...that was the year my dad's childhood best friend bought a cabin on a lake in northern Wisconsin, and said we could use it whenever, just bring our own food and clean up after ourselves, and it was ours for free (as well as use of the boats, jet skis, kayak, canoe, etc.). Before that, vacations were outta the budget. But we went to the cabin as a family at least once a summer for a long weekend every year for about ten years.

ETA: I don't know how people can still travel with their families...how do y'all get the same time off and all of that?

It's easy for my parents, because my mom works for a school district and has summers off, and my dad's self-employed...but my siblings and I can never jive our schedules, which is why family vacations haven't happened since 2001 or so. I tend to still go along with my parents on stuff, if it's long weekends, since I'm the main one around who's still interested in traveling with them. But no way could we organize my work schedule, my sister's, and both my brothers and their wives these days.

My mom and dad have gone up to the cabin on their own a few times since we stopped going as a fam, but my mom doesn't like it, she says she gets homesick for her kids, and it was more fun when it was all of us gathered around, having fun, and not just her and my dad.

I actually love traveling with my parents, they're both intellectuals and do interesting things, not touristy cliche crap I hate. I've travelled with friends, and my friends will drive me up the wall if I'm stuck with them for a length of time...my parents won't, to be honest. I'd way rather travel with family than friends.

red

12-27-2006, 02:02 PM

i have been to a lot of places. lived in france in high school, went to college in canada, been all over canada and the US, etc. don't ask how i ended up back in nyc, LOL. i guess i am a sucker. but we always went on trips since my grandmother taught for the defense department and she would be stationed in various places around the world. so we'd go and visit her when i was a kid. but lots of people are not well traveled. my husband was well into his thirties before i took him to europe.

i've traveled on my own a lot too, and i used to travel for my old job. travel can be very cheap if you do it right. like you say you came to NYC and your dad paid for XYZ, but i could tell you that friday nights you get into the MOMA for free, the Met you give a donation of your choice, you can stand on line at the TDF booth and get cheap tickets for broadway shows, etc. you don't have to eat 4 stars every night. some of the best food i eat in NYC is from little hole in the wall places. and i am a big food lover so it's not like i don't know food. a lot of fancy restaurants also do special promotions, where the dinners are reasonably priced:

http://gonyc.about.com/cs/restaurants/a/restaurantweek.htm

the latest thing that we do is that we use our CC miles to fly. the dollar has sucked since W got elected, so now is a really expensive time to visit europe, but there are still other places in the world that are affordable. we used miles for our honeymoon after my husband got laid off and it was really very doable.

this Feb will be our third free trip on miles- we're going to hawaii again. hawaii is AWESOME and last year we went for 8 days, so it's not true that you need 3 weeks. yeah, it would be nice, but not many people can take off that kind of time. we are going with my parents actually- we're sharing a 2BR condo with them and we rent our own car. we did it last year and it was really fun. we had dinner with my parents and went snorkeling a few times, but otherwise we did our own thing. renting our own car is key though. my parents don't like to do all of the things we do- like they don't want to spend the day surfing or do a duathalon.

pisces if you want hawaii tips i am happy to offer suggestions for your honeymoon. winney, northern italy is beautiful. that is where my family is from, and if you have time to go to the coast, it is really spectacular.

i suggest you sign up for the weekly emails for last minute airfares from the various airlines (i know american and delta do them) and also check out travelzoo. they have some great deals.

i can sympathize, as my husband's family is very controlling, but at some point you need to live your own life and make your own decisions.

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 02:42 PM

The fact is, I went with my parents and those are the things THEY wanted to do an on their timeline....they wouldnt wait in line on a Friday night to go to the MOMA...they want to go during the day and be in the hotel at night.....so that wouldnt work with them.

If I was going on my own of course I would look into those things, just like dinner promotions places might have....but my parents dont need to, and thus dont and just go where they want and dont have to worry about the price tag.....so my ordering a $30 meal isnt an issue......though if I was going myself even with a promotional thing, Id be spazing about the total bill etc.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 02:44 PM

Red--I will PM you about Hawaii--thanks! Did you guys go there for your honeymoon? (I can't remember)

wordsmith

12-27-2006, 03:00 PM

red

12-27-2006, 03:06 PM

exactly. but i'm sure that you have a reason why that won't work too!

nikorock28

12-27-2006, 03:10 PM

Cider, I haven't travelled that much also. I lived in Southern California all my life until 16 months ago, when I moved to Arizona. The only other states I have been to are Nevada (one trip to Vegas as a kid and six the past couple years because I play poker... but, it is only a 4 hour drive) and Hawaii. I think I went to Hawaii when I was 11 on a family vacation, but I really don't remember too much about it. That is the only time I have been on a plane. Despite growing up in So. CA, I have never been to Mexico.

summarn01

12-27-2006, 03:15 PM

I haven't traveled outside the US in my life but would love to go to Europe, Australia, or New Zealand. I honestly just never had the time off from work, the money, or someone willing to go with me.

I have traveled west of where I grew up. I grew up in S Florida. I go visit my brother and his family out in Colorado at least once a year.

I also have an opportunity to do travel nursing so I am thinking of doing that so I see more of the US and get paid to do it.

My parents have traveled to London and my dad has been to Spain and Australia on business.

Amy

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 03:16 PM

Also, people...think about when you're older, like in your 40s and 50s. Hopefully by then, the kids (if you have any) will be getting out on their own, you'll be established in your careers, making enough money and you'll still be in good physical shape.

My parents have traveled more in the past 5 years than they did before that. All over the US and Canada.

wordsmith

12-27-2006, 03:28 PM

I've thought about that, but honestly, even if I never get to travel anywhere outside the country again in my life, I'm glad that I went at the time that I went...I went to Ireland for the first time when I was only 18 years old, on my own, and had never been anyplace to speak of, and really nowhere by myself. I can't even begin to describe how life-changing it was just in that regard...making my own way in a foreign country, learning about myself and things I never realized I could do, being, for myself, on the edge separating childhood and adulthood, all that. It was really probably the most confidence-building thing I ever did, and it came at a time when it was really, really needed.

I think you get different things out of traveling at different stages of life, and I'm sure it would be awesome to travel later in life, too, but there are just things about going in my younger years, the person I was then, that really made it super meaningful to me.

red

12-27-2006, 03:33 PM

Also, people...think about when you're older, like in your 40s and 50s. Hopefully by then, the kids (if you have any) will be getting out on their own, you'll be established in your careers, making enough money and you'll still be in good physical shape.

well considering the fact that i am almost 30 and my husband is 37 and we don't have kids yet... i'm glad we traveled when we did.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 03:34 PM

well considering the fact that i am almost 30 and my husband is 37 and we don't have kids yet... i'm glad we traveled when we did.
Yeah, this scares me...since C and I are not having kids for at least 5 more years...we need to get our traveling in now! But we need money. LOL *sigh*

But then again, when I worked at the bookstore, there were older couples (60s and 70s) coming in to get all sorts of travel guides. As long as you feel able, age doesn't matter when traveling.

cache

12-27-2006, 04:06 PM

well considering the fact that i am almost 30 and my husband is 37 and we don't have kids yet... i'm glad we traveled when we did.

I understand taking kids under the age of ~5 might not be a good idea, but I want my kids to see the world so they can understand different cultures and lifestyles. I have never thought of having kids as a hindrance of travel except as I mentioned while they are under 5yo.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 04:07 PM

Have you been around kids over 5yo? I don't think I could do it. Unless my kids were little angels. I went out for the day with my two cousins (9 and 8yo) and it was horrible.

AshleyJordan

12-27-2006, 04:11 PM

How many of you have traveled to the opposite coast from where you grew up (to live or just to visit)
Born and raised on the east coast, have seen the entire west coast

How many of you have been to Europe or another country? Been to Canada, Jamaica, France, Spain, Israel and the West Bank

Also…..were these trips when you were younger with your family, or ones that you did on your own? Except for Canada, which was right next door, I've done all these trips on my own, since 2001, for business and pleasure.

LakeJay

12-27-2006, 04:14 PM

I'm from the east coast but yes, I have visited the west coast. My first time was the summer between 6th and 7th grade. I accompanied my cousins from Switzerland who were visiting the US for the summer. We were in southern California. Since then I have visited LA, SF, Seattle (briefly) and Vancouver. Vegas too if you want to count that.

I've been to Switzerland and Italy. That was about a year after I graduated college. I visited those same Swiss cousins and also visited Venice and Rome. I was accompanied by my cousin from Kentucky. Also India and Sri Lanka for work and Philippines for family visits.

All through out my life, my trips have been pretty split between going with family and on my own. Most of the family trips were road trips. And even those that I have done somewhat recently (Toronto/Chicago/Louisville/Florida/ Boston/VA Beach, etc.) have been road trips with or without family. I think any trips that would take more than a day to do, I have flown ie. KC, Vegas, CA, etc.

Honestly I've been fortunate to have a big family in pretty decent locations so lodging is never really an issue. And for those places where there is no family, I look for bargains as much as possible.

Personally I think I travel more than the average person and I am a bit older than a majority of the people here so I wouldn't be considered the norm. Plus I have no qualms using my credit cards. It's a trade off. I don't own a house and may not soon and I do have debt but I do like travelling and visiting family. I say you do things at your own pace.

CityGal

12-27-2006, 04:43 PM

How many of you have traveled to the opposite coast from where you grew up (to live or just to visit)

When I went to Vegas for my 21st, I traveled to a small town about 30 miles from the CA/NV to go skydiving.

How many of you have been to Europe or another country?

Since my family is from the Caribbean, I have traveled to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico (although just the neighboring area around the airport in San Juan). This summer I visited one country in Europe on my own.

Also…..were these trips when you were younger with your family, or ones that you did on your own?

I have only traveled to the Caribbean, NJ,and PA with my family...otherwise most of my trips have been alone or with friends. In February, I will be traveling for the first time to Colorado with friends to go skiing. Also, I completely understand the feeling of not being well-traveled. I have met several people who have lived in other countries and other states in the US and in a way it makes me feel like I must be doing something wrong if I cannot afford to do all these things. This past summer I met two 16-year-olds who have gone all over the world with their parents. That made me feel extra poor.

To the OP, like yourself I have traveled up and down the eastern seaboard. Most of my frequent trips to neighboring states has been courtesy of Fun Wah Bus Corp.-- a very inexpensive Chinatown bus company.

Places I have been to in...
United States
New York (lived here all my life)
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
DC
Massachusetts
North Carolina
Florida
Delaware/Virginia/Maryland (never really stopped in these state except for gas stations)
Connecticut
Illinois
Nevada
Puerto Rico

International
Dominican Republic
UK (only Heathrow airport to transfer flights)
Italy

wordsmith

12-27-2006, 04:46 PM

I understand taking kids under the age of ~5 might not be a good idea, but I want my kids to see the world so they can understand different cultures and lifestyles. I have never thought of having kids as a hindrance of travel except as I mentioned while they are under 5yo.

I would definitely not count out travel with kids (my one family vacation growing up, a big sprawling Griswold-style road trip I was 7, my brothers were five, and my sister was 10 months old, and it was a blast). And I LOVED that my parents took us all kinds of places as kids, even if it was just weekend jaunts and daytrips, mostly. But as far as foreign travel, my concern, and the hindrance, is that it is damned expensive, and adding kids to the mix adds to the cost tremendously.

AshleyJordan

12-27-2006, 04:46 PM

International

UK (only Heathrow airport to transfer flights)

LOL, in that case I've seen London, Boise, Athens, and Cyprus. . .

wordsmith

12-27-2006, 04:47 PM

I have met several people who have lived in other countries and other states in the US and in a way it makes me feel like I must be doing something wrong if I cannot afford to do all these things. This past summer I met two 16-year-olds who have gone all over the world with their parents. That made me feel extra poor.

Don't feel badly, this really isn't the norm. They're just fortunate.

wordsmith

12-27-2006, 04:50 PM

LOL, in that case I've seen London, Boise, Athens, and Cyprus. . .

Yeah, if we're gonna put down airports, sign me up for Amsterdam, Reykjavik, Dublin, Limerick, Heathrow, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Chicago (O'Hare AND Midway), Minneapolis, Miami, Houston, Austin, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Seattle-Tacoma, and Sacramento.

Actually, I should have put Amsterdam on my earlier list, because I had a six-hour layover, and was traveling with somebody who spoke Dutch, so we took a train into the city and stomped around, went to Anne Frank's house, etc. I did actually leave the airport.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 04:55 PM

Airports: Hartford, Providence, Newark, New York (JFK), Detroit, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore-Washington, Dusseldorf, Munich, Frankfurt, Geneva, and Paris (De Gaulle).

AshleyJordan

12-27-2006, 04:57 PM

I'm sure there are other airports I'm missing. . . but usually I'm so miserable and exhausted at layovers I try desparately to forget them!!!

CityGal

12-27-2006, 05:16 PM

OP, I find that it is best to travel during off seasons because flights and other things are so cheap. For example, within the next few months the airline prices for a lot of places will be dropping drastically compared to summer prices. Hopefully, I can squeeze in a weekender to Spain. ***sigh*** And don't rule out hostels. Staying in a luxury place is awesome but ultimately it is just a space to crash for the nights.

I would be totally down for a travel club. Although traveling by myself is cool, I would like to be able to talk to the same people for more than one day. If you are really serious about a QLC travel club, PM with some ideas.

Looks like I am outnumbered in airports. ha.

Ciderhillnh

12-27-2006, 05:37 PM

I dont need to stay at a posh hotel, thats just how my parents travel. So if they take me, they put me up in the same hotel obviously.

As for airports, you think this would ADD to the list.....but I always fly direct, so no layovers.
so Dulles, Logan, Miami, and Bermuda.

LOL my list is so poor and laughable.

AshleyJordan

12-27-2006, 05:39 PM

If I only stayed in "posh" places, I probably would've gone on one vacation in my entire life! I understand that that's your parents' way of traveling, to each their own.

wordsmith

12-27-2006, 05:57 PM

If I only stayed in "posh" places, I probably would've gone on one vacation in my entire life! I understand that that's your parents' way of traveling, to each their own.

Haaa, the ONLY times I've EVER stayed anywhere posh was on the occasions when my choral ensemble was put up in fancy digs. Never when I'm paying outta pocket. I'm a budget traveller, all the way.

pisces2473

12-27-2006, 06:20 PM

LaFille

12-27-2006, 08:48 PM

unfortunately i haven't traveled very much in the US at all... as far south as kentucky and as far west as milwaukee (random, i know)

before last year, i had never gotten on a plane. then i moved to france to teach esl... i was BY FAR the least 'well-travelled' out of all the americans i knew there. believe me, i know how it feels when everyone else is talking (almost competitively) about places they've been and things they've seen when you feel like you are behind. and like i mentioned in another thread, some of these people talked about places like they were 'collecting' them, which totally goes against my personal philosophy towards traveling. don't feel like never having traveled makes you less 'worldly' or more naive than your friends.

also, you mentioned having a lack of traveling partners... worst comes to worst you can always fly solo. you may be freaked out the first 5 minutes, but it's actually quite a freeing experience.

vxmike

12-27-2006, 10:27 PM

Recently I feel like Im the only one out of my friends etc who isnt really well traveled or who hasn’t done much.

Im curious from these boards (since it’s a much better cross section of people than my friends are)

How many of you have traveled to the opposite coast from where you grew up (to live or just to visit)

How many of you have been to Europe or another country?

Also…..were these trips when you were younger with your family, or ones that you did on your own?

I personally have never been to Europe, and I have driven down the entire East Coast to go to Florida, and Ive been to all the states around me, but Ive only lived in MA and RI.

Im just curious if this is the norm (me) or if traveling and moving quite a bit is. I guess currently Im feeling pretty poor that I havent been to Europe, and that I havent been to many states.
Im also curious how to make this happen, travel is SO expensive (flight, hotel, meals, plus any fun you might want to have)

I've been to almost every state except Alaska, Hawaii, and the Northweastern coast. I've lived on both sides of the country.

Haven't been outside the US except Canada.

Almost all my travel has been in the last five years. I'm always taking a trip whenever possible, and I traveled quite a bit when I was unemployed for two years.

Travel doesn't have to be that expensive either. With the right internet shopping you can usually find reasonable flights. Hotels are ridiculously expensive, but I usually try to travel with friends if possible to share the cost. If I'm by myself I often sleep in my car to save on hotel costs. As for meals just don't eat out every meal...go to the grocery store and buy food. I was on vacation traveling for six weeks this past summer and only spent about $1500 total including food, gas (drove 11,000 miles), lodging and fun.

My next plans are mostly internation from here. On the list is Europe, South America, Australia (flight is too expensive though), and Africa. I plan to take off a year from working in a few years and travel exclusively.

vxmike

12-27-2006, 10:29 PM

I'd love to travel and go everywhere but again, who can go with me? My friends don't have the financial freedom I have or have other obligations.

This limits me more than anything. Nobody has both the money and the time, and I'd rmuch rather go with others than by myself.

asm198

12-28-2006, 12:00 AM

I grew up in the midwest, so both coasts are "opposite" coasts for me. The furthest to the east that I've been is Cape Cod and the furthest west has been Las Vegas.

My family never traveled, so I did most of my traveling in high school on school trips. Louisville, Minneapolis, Houston, etc. In college, all of my traveling was to go to fraternal conventions and road trips to other chapters.

I'd have to say that, among my real life friends, I've traveled more than they have. But, the costs were almost always fairly cheap because there was a group of us to share expenses. I've never been out of the US, not even to Canada or Mexico, however.

I've also only lived in the state I currently live in and the neighboring state. I like to travel and would like to go to Europe, Canada, and Australia. Money is the only thing stopping me from doing that, but hopefully one of those will be remedied in the next year. I'm thinking about honeymoon destinations and those are some of my picks.

I was pretty fortunate growing up that I was involved in a ton of clubs in high school and my parents always paid for me to go to any convention that any group had, no matter where it was. They didn't get to travel when they were younger because of my brother, so they made sure that I was able to do what they couldn't. In college, they also paid for all of my trips to other states/schools/and fraternity conventions. Neither of my parents had ever traveled on a plane, so it was a big deal when I had my first plane ride. It was important to them that I got to experience what they couldn't and I'll always be grateful for that.

Ciderhillnh, you have said that you are always the responsible one and I get the feeling you are kind of tired of that. I used to be that way, always being careful, never being crazy and carefree, etc. All that stopped for me when my dad died. I was 19 and home for Christmas break when he died suddenly. I remembered how he used to talk about the things that he wanted to do and couldn't because of family obligations or money issues when he was younger and he would always tell me to enjoy life and not be so worried about things. I traveled more the semester after he died than I ever had and did things that I never thought I'd ever do because I was afraid to do so. I'm pretty afraid of water, for instance. If I can't touch the bottom, I basically won't go in the water. Well, I went with some friends to white water raft in N. Carolina that semester and had an absolute blast. Me, the girl who doesn't like being in water much, was navigating class 3 rapids.

Since he died, I've white water rafted, flown alone for the first time (to meet virtual strangers), and taken three road trips on a motorcycle. I've been to Yellowstone on a bike, Sturgis, and a regional biker gathering. Heck, I was proposed to on a surprise plane ride over the city I live in, in a plane that seats 4.

I say, if you want to do something, figure out where you want to go, figure out the costs to do it, and just book the trip. Don't think about it. That's how I booked my Vegas trip. I wanted to go because some friends were going, I talked to my fiance about it, hemmed and hawed about it, and finally just hit 'book' on the online reservation thing. It was too late once it was confirmed to back out. We went and had a blast. It was one of the best vacations we've ever had, just hanging out with friends and exploring the city. I say, just do it and don't think about it.

SunDevil

12-28-2006, 01:00 AM

I have been all over the US, except for NYC and the Northeast, and Oregon/Washington in the Northwest. I still would like to go to both of those places in the summer, but I have plenty of time. I haven't been to Europe yet, but would rather go with someone else.

In the past 11 years, I've only been outside the US for about 5 days. 3 in Canada when I was ~16, 2 in Mexico last year. I've been to both coasts

I'm going half-way around the world in 2 weeks for about a month, and I have all these different emotions about it. I know it will be a great trip, but everything will be different. I will be thousands of kilometers away in stead of miles. I do have do work most days, but it is an all-expense paid vacation (so I can't complain). There is no way that I would be able to thrown down $5000 and go there on my own, even though I have always wanted to. ;) :D :0

I'll take lots of pictures!

Ciderhillnh

12-28-2006, 09:16 AM

ASM.....yes I am tired of always being responsible and planned out etc.

Thats great that you just booked a flight to Vegas....but also as you said you went with your fiancee and met up with friends....one of my main problems is that my BF doesnt want to go places he has already been, and my friends arent going to travel to Vegas so that I can visit them....

I understand the idea of traveling alone is freeing and a big experience, Im just not really interested in traveling alone, its not appealing, Id rather go with people (friends, BF) so I have someone to talk to about the experience and share with them.

Chameleon

12-28-2006, 09:39 AM

I understand the idea of traveling alone is freeing and a big experience, Im just not really interested in traveling alone, its not appealing, Id rather go with people (friends, BF) so I have someone to talk to about the experience and share with them.
[I say this knowing it won't make a difference, but C]hances are that you'll meet people who are also travelling who you can share the experience with. I travelled to New York alone and stayed at a hostel and was able to meet other travellers that way (19 hour walking tours seem to have a bonding effect). You've mentioned how fearless you are about meeting new people at bars, why would it be any different while travelling? Have you ever been to a bar alone? Do you could do it if you HAD to?

You could also post on Craigslist in the city you are going to see if anyone is interested in being your guide, I travelled to Montreal alone and had someone show me around. I also was lucky enough to find a bar right across from the hotel I was staying at where the patrons and owners treated me like family. When you travel alone, you also get to set your own schedule, you don't have to bully anyone into doing the things you want or be forced into going places you don't want to.

Being alone shouldn't be a terrifying thing. You are the only person that's guaranteed to be around, you've got at least like your own company and being alone with your thoughts. I'm not saying it's not great to have someone to interact with, I'm just saying it can be great to experience things on your own sometimes and just trust your own instinct and opinion without having to consider or yield to someone else's.

pisces2473

12-28-2006, 09:41 AM

Whatever. She's just going to whine why she can't do things, no matter HOW many options or how much advice we give her.

sparklyrocks

12-28-2006, 09:50 AM

I feel I'm fairly well-travelled for my age. For reference, I just turned 22.

I didn't travel at all growing up, since my parents never went anywhere. We couldn't afford to anyways, because Mom and Dad were working class immigrants with four kids to raise. I did get to go to Hong Kong and Guangzhou a couple of times and Toronto once to visit relatives. But we never went anywhere just for the sake of travel, and I remember being upset because everyone I knew had at least been to Disneyland. The first time I went anywhere without a parent was in 11th grade, when I was awarded a school trip to Ottawa. I've since fallen in love with travel, and I've travelled with friends to NYC, Hong Kong, and London, and on a cruise along the Mexican Riviera.

I have been to Europe many times on short visits but the sole reason is the nature of my work, otherwise I probably still will not have been there for several years. My job has taken me to Dallas, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Halifax in North America, and to London, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Bath, and Paris in Europe.

Within the next few years I expect to go on another cruise, as well as visiting Rome, Sydney, Beijing, and a repeat trip to either Hong Kong or NYC. However, it's a priority for me, and everyone's priorities are different. For example, I don't have a car, and I never go out at night partying and drinking. I don't wear designer clothes and I don't smoke. My favorite thing to spend money on is travel.

Ciderhillnh

12-28-2006, 09:51 AM

Im fearless when out at bars because Im there with my friends, if a person doesnt want to talk to me, I can just go back with my crew. Im also out at places that I go to often and know my way around or at least know patrons that also go there semi regularly.

When traveling its all new, and in those situations Im definitely not as confident.
I dont go to bars alone, never have, never had the need to, always have had someone to go with, and if I didnt I wouldnt go....Id find something else to do solitarily.

I have no issue being alone, I just have issue being alone in a social setting where its pretty much the norm to be with people when you're there (bars, clubs, big concerts).

I think too I spent so much of my childhood/early adult life ALONE that at this point Ive been there done that, learned who I was at an early age (while most people were very social and NOT alone much at that stage) that now I want to be around people.

Also traveling alone isnt the smartest thing to do as a female, and meeting up with a stranger in a strange town/city I dont know....just sounds like a recipe for disaster. Im sure people do it all the time and nothing terrible happens, but me, I play it safe and wouldnt take the chance.
Now if I went with a friend, then yes Id contact people in that city and see if they wanted to take US for a tour, because...cheesy as it is...safety in numbers.

Im also HORRIBLE with directions. I dont even drive in Boston, I dont know how to get to the places I go to ALL the time because I have someone else drive (because I get lost so easily)
Traveling alone.....not having someone to help with directions.....that terrifies me. I totally freak out if I get lost. At least here, with someone in the car with me, we can recognize something and find our way home, the likelyhood of being able to do that in another state or country?

Im pretty easy going about what people want to do/see. There isnt much that I wouldnt want to do. And as far as setting my own schedule....I get up pretty early and can stay up pretty late, which accomodates pretty much any schedule of people I might travel with.

Chameleon

12-28-2006, 10:52 AM

That sucks about the whole getting lost thing, sounds like it can be very limiting. I guess it's fair to say you are screwed until you find wealthier friends that are willing to go to the places you want to go.

ETA: You mentioned in another thread that you are often the designated driver, that must be really entertaining for your inebriated friends to always get lost.

Ciderhillnh

12-28-2006, 10:57 AM

I havent found it limiting here in MA, because Ill drive anywhere else, just not in Boston. The roads are all crazy and you cant get from point A to point B and streets arent labeled.

In DC and NY I had no issue, it was easy because of the grid format. But again I was with people and didnt walk around alone.

Am I the only person on here who freaks out when they get lost and arent good with directions or sense of direction?

J-girl

12-28-2006, 11:00 AM

Well it seems like you want to travel just to populate your resume. You definately seem to lack the sense of adventure that most travellers have i.e. you are scared of going alone/getting lost when most people have told you travelling alone is not a big deal. I am planning on doing that myself in Feb or March if I cant get anyone to come with me. Everyone has their own life/schdeules. Some of my friends work nights/weekends.

You can always do Contiki or Trafalgar tours where no one gets lost unless one is really stupid.

You might want to drive around Boston first and get over the fear of getting lost.

Chameleon

12-28-2006, 11:01 AM

I wouldn't say I've got the best sense of direction but I do get really anal ret about writing down directions, often drawing the streets around my destination so that I know how to get to my destination even if I miss a turn. I don't know how people got around before internet maps and GPS, I couldn't survive without it!

Ciderhillnh

12-28-2006, 11:08 AM

Its not about a resume of travel, I really do want to see many places in the US and abroad. Not just to say Ive been there but because Im interested in the history, architecture, culture, food etc.

I didnt realize that you needed a huge sense of adventure to want to travel and see things and that getting lost was fun??? I find getting lost VERY stressful.

I tried driving around Boston to learn it, I ended up in the worsed part of the city at a very bad hour and having a major anxiety attack while trying to get out of there......1.5 HOURS later I finally found a main road and was able to find the highway about 45 minutes after that. Not fun.

I think Boston just freaks me out because the roads ARE NOT labeled. They actually stopped putting up street signs on some roads, because locals would pull them down.....people here wont help you with directions either, its the mentality that if you dont konw where you are, screw ya not my problem I know where Im going....only IM a LOCAL and dont know where Im going!

Chameleon

12-28-2006, 11:14 AM

Get GPS system, I think you can find them for around $300. I know you don't have any money right now (which is useless to point out since you don't have any money for travel now anyway with the condo situation but we are still talking about it) but it will be well worth avoiding bad areas of town and the associated anxiety attacks.

ETA: I think some phones have GPS systems on them too, that might be a cheaper option that travels well.

Ciderhillnh

12-28-2006, 11:18 AM

Yeah I dont have $300 right now. But I think there is also something to be said for getting aroudn WITHOUT something electronic telling you exactly where to go (I dont learn unless I do it myself and someone telling me turn here and there hasnt helped me learn yet)

Yes I have the condo issues, but Ive been selling household items and personal belongings to try and make up for it, and I might actually have some left to take a trip once I move (as a reward to myself for all this BS). Add to that the part time gigs Ive been trying to take on.....and it might actually work out

The reason I started the thread was because of how my friends made me feel the other night and my friends arent a huge demographic like this board, so I was trying to get a sample of what travel has taken place among 20 somethings.

J-girl

12-28-2006, 11:23 AM

I have an excellent sense of direction (or atleast I think). The best thing to do is get a big thick map book. So you actually KNOW where everything is physically located atleast in your hometown.

So now if I go to another city, I like to look at one of those free maps they give you at information booths and figure out where everything is. Its actually a lot of fun!

Chameleon

12-28-2006, 11:24 AM

Yeah I dont have $300 right now. But I think there is also something to be said for getting aroudn WITHOUT something electronic telling you exactly where to go (I dont learn unless I do it myself and someone telling me turn here and there hasnt helped me learn yet)

Seriously, how is that working out for you? That is are really silly argument because you can talk to friends without something electronic but you still text, email and post on these boards right? If you couldn't see would you say you wouldn't wear glasses or get laser eye surgery because there's something to be said about using the eyes you were born with? There is something to be said about being able to go around by yourself without using friends as a crutch.

Okay, you can't travel and you were wondering if your friends were being dicks or not. Fair enough. Your friends were being dicks and shouldn't have made fun of you for not travelling.

Ciderhillnh

12-28-2006, 11:32 AM

Yes but the fact is my friends are outside of electronics. I see them once a week and talk to them often not via Email or texting.

My argument isnt about electronics et al, but about the fact that one should be able to get on WITHOUT it and mostly use it in moments of despiration (which doesnt make $300 worth it to me)

Have you ever tried to navigate through Boston? I know others who have lived here their whole lives, some even grew up IN the city, and they get lost 9 times out of 10 trying to get somewhere. Its known as one of the HARDEST cities to navigate........

J-girl, maps are great, I just suck at reading them and figuring out the YOU ARE HERE portion and how to get to where I want to be.

sondra_finchley

12-28-2006, 11:33 AM

My parents moved us around alot when I was a kid, so I guess maybe I got used to being thrown into new situations. We never went on family vacations unless it was to come back to the Midwest to see family, but I travelled starting young with a competitive soccer team. When I was 19 I started going overseas a lot due to various foreign boyfriends or to visit other friends/colleagues over there. Ive mostly just been to Europe, but last night the boy (and one I hope to be with for a long time) and I were poking around looking at flights for Tokyo or Hong Kong in May for my birthday- places Ive wanted to go for a very long time. Flight planning is my hobby!

My list ( feel free to PM if any questions)

US

Wisconsin (2.5 years and about 10 summers)
Alaska (10 years)
Rhode Island (9 months)
Nevada- Las Vegas and Reno (12 years)
California
Oregon
Washington
Illinois
Minnesota
New Mexico
Hawaii
Alabama

Ive also done the drive from Las Vegas to Milwaukee through (Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa) and the drive from Milwaukee to Providence (Indiana, Ohio, Penn., New York, Conn, Mass) as well.

International

(I have yet to go to Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Milan, or Brussels)

Canada (Vancouver several times)
England (London, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool, Nottingham, Bath- 2 years in London)

Belgium (Ypres)
France (Bordeaux, Biarittz and some other internal areas I cant remember right now)
Netherlands (Utrecht, Amsterdam)---- these three countries were all done on a road trip in a tiny car with a Dutch friend and his ladyfriend. We stopped in Ypres cause I like WWI things.

Italy- Verona, Bassano del Grappa, two other small towns up in that area

Germany- Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Mainz (this last summer for the world cup)

Spain- San Sebastian (day trip from Bordeaux)

Austria- Vienna

Lithuania- Vilnius

Denmark- Copenhagen (5 trips not including airport transfers to/from south of Sweden)

Sweden- Lund, Malmo, Stockholm, Strangnas, Eskilstuna, most of rural Skane province (4 trips and 4 months this summer)

Norway- Oslo (for 9 hours taking the ferry from Copenhagen)
__________________________________________________ ____________

To the OP-

There is nothing to be scared of travelling on your own. I used to be like that until someone taunted me about it and I made the decision to break through it. Do it easily at first- my first trip alone was the stopover for 4 days in Vienna when I was enroute to Vilnius to visit a friend. I gave myself a break but also took myself out for dinner one night, went and rented a bike to ride along the Danube, and figured out the museums and how to get around town. It made me feel more confident of myself and I still think it was fun- no other people to go around on their schedule. Just make sure to carry a book and music with you- there were some interesting characters on the train for sure, but no one I couldnt handle. Make up your mind to do it and pick an "easy" destination that is on your list- go to Dublin or London or something one long weekend. The flight isnt that long, the language is the same, and there are plenty of sights to keep you busy, yet you will have a small limited amount of time so it wont feel overwhelming. If you want to do this or feel like you should, then you can- it just takes small steps. It can take some guts to travel on your own, but it can also be really rewarding.

Ciderhillnh

12-28-2006, 11:39 AM

Chameleon

12-28-2006, 12:04 PM

Or you just have two lost people.

As usual, this is pointless. It's not worth it for you to buy a device that would help you get over your crippling fear of getting lost and enable you to things on your own in the labyrinth that is Boston and probably every major city in the US. However, we will see post after post about how your life is horrible when you simply chose time after time to whine about it, rationalize even the most dysfunctional of situations and make excuses instead of actually doing anything. I give up, Cider, your life really blows and you don't have any chance of making it better. That's what you want to hear, right? Or do you just keep these self-defeating posts to get people to notice you? I don't understand this at all.

pisces2473

12-28-2006, 12:10 PM

Chameleon, we need to give up on Cider. She's not gonna listen...she's being "blunt and honest."

Ciderhillnh

12-28-2006, 12:16 PM

I never said my life was horrible. Im actually very happy in many aspects of my life. Sure some things need to change but for the most part things are great (good group of friends, fun things to go out and do, in a relationship thats moving forward and progressing)

There are items that need to change....some simple (new job), some a tad more complicated ....but solveable with some effort (the whole condo/moving issue), and others are more nagging but take much more effort time money and energy (travel)

To me Id rather take the $300 for a GPS and put it towards a vacation and navigate WITH the people Im going WITH (once I find those people grrrrr)

If you look at the original posting, I wasnt posting looking for advice, I was looking to see who had traveled and where they had traveled to.

Im sorry if you take issue with my fears and reasons for my fears, but Im pretty sure if you had something you were scared of you wouldnt just pick up and DO IT, there would probably be some hesitation on your part, or a need of a certain thing that might make you feel more comfortable to actually TAKE ON your fear.

For me, its traveling with people I know that helps me with my fear of getting lost.
Of course its also finding people willing to travel to then go to the places I desire....but I at least can identify that if I have people to travel with, Ill be more likely to book something and go.

Chameleon

12-28-2006, 12:37 PM

Im sorry if you take issue with my fears and reasons for my fears, but Im pretty sure if you had something you were scared of you wouldnt just pick up and DO IT, there would probably be some hesitation on your part, or a need of a certain thing that might make you feel more comfortable to actually TAKE ON your fear.
I have fears, everyone does. I choose not to be controlled by them once I've realized I don't have to put up with it, and I choose to take action and not be crippled by them or use my friends/signicant others/family members as crutches especially when those people aren't good for me. It's what people who have a desire to change and improve their lives do. It's not easy by any means and it doesn't mean I conquer them on one try but I do try. You choose to hide from it or you choose to face it.

This is as simple as knowing where you are going, doing something that simple on your own. It's not like you have agoraphobia or something that will take a shitload of aversion therapy to fix. You'd rather fumble around with a friend than find a very simple solution that will free you. If it works for you, quit the "Woe is me" act. If it doesn't, do something about it.

wordsmith

12-28-2006, 12:39 PM

Maybe too part of the fear is that Ive never been on a plane with anyone BUT my family.
Ive never taken a trip with a friend EVER on a plane (driving sure)......but the thought of navigating an airport here, and then say in London....alone....it makes my heart palpatate just thinking about it.

At least lost with someone, you have 2 people to figure it out.

I can't navigate in and out ofairports, either, it's highly stressful to me (the one time I've ever picked somebody up at the airport ranks as one of the most stressful things I've ever done). So when traveling alone, I always fly out of an airport that a train goes to or a shuttle service drives to. Or I have a friend who is comfortable driving to and from airports drive me. There are ways around this.

mishl982

12-28-2006, 12:42 PM

I flew alone for the first time ever just about 2 months ago. Piece of cake. Sure I was scared and nervous (okay so security sucked because they confiscated my makeup, but that's my fault) but it all worked out and I got from point A to point B.

cache

12-28-2006, 12:52 PM

Call me twisted...but I love airports. When I had a layover in Phoenix the other day, I was walking from one terminal to the next, and noticed that the customer service line in one terminal was like 100 people long, and in the other terminal there was no waiting. So I walked back to the other terminal and told some people abut the secret short cut. For no reason other than I had some time to kill...and I was trying to work off the Cinnabun I had just eaten:D

wordsmith

12-28-2006, 12:56 PM

I like flying alone, it's just stressful for me to drive to airports. Flying alone has nothing to do with it, it's the actual getting there. It's prob. not bad enough to be a phobia, but it's close.

But navigating airports once I'm there is a piece of cake to me, because they're designed to be navigable, and it's pretty simple to get where you need to be, there are monitors everywhere. I just wish that the ones I fly out of were easier/less stressful to get to in the first place.

Chameleon

12-28-2006, 01:01 PM

I have a fear of heights and get really nervous during turbulence, I HATE small planes but I've never been scared of airports. I used to be terrified of boats because of the instability but a friend got me on a jetski and I quickly got over it once on it. It took a lot for him to talk me on to it though.

I've lived in Nigeria, Norway and Texas. In Norway, our high school teams would travel to different countries for competition so I've been to France, Germany, Belgium and Holland. My parents didn't really like the idea of touring but I got to go Manchester, England for a couple weeks one summer and they let me go on a driving tour of Wales with my best friend and her family. I got admitted into a summer program in Maryland and travelled to the US on my own the summer of my junior year. They gave me an escort through the airport which was humiliating being led around with a 5 year old who was travelling on her own.

In college, the track team took a trip to Puerto Rico. I didn't travel much in college, had an internship outside of Chicago the summer after my junior year. The few times I've travelled with friends, it's been a bit of a clusterf*ck so I prefer travelling alone. A good deal of travel has been for or hindered by visa issues but hopefully that will be resolved in the next few months. Doesn't really explain why I haven't been to more States though.

I've travelled alone to San Francisco, San Diego (job interview), Chicago, Atlanta (visa stuff), New York, DC, Seattle and Montreal (visa stuff, tried to learn a few words of french, still was able to get around). I took a road trip to New Orleans with a militant vegan who put me off road trips for a couple of years. I will admit getting by by the skin of my teeth in New York, I had friends that I thought I could trust, didn't quite work out that way.

sondra_finchley

12-28-2006, 01:03 PM

Charles de Gaulle was NOT designed to be navigable by ANYONE :P

I figure if someone from a country with no knowledge of any of the languages posted at the airport can figure it out, than so can I. Though I did get kinda lost at O'Hare last week picking up the boy- sometimes I dont always understand which way the arrow is pointing. If I am going somewhere and I dont know the airport, I usually look it up first to get an idea, but most airports are built with the same layers in the same order.

SunDevil

12-28-2006, 08:45 PM

GPS devices can be found for under $100. If I go off my normal route around here, I will get lost. The roads go every which way here. And it is easy to go the wrong way and not realize it. In Phoenix, you could usually make out the mountains during the day, or the red lights on the TV antennas at night.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2341848&Tab=1&NoMapp=0
$99

http://www.magellangps.com/products/product.asp?segID=355&prodID=1265
Here are some other models that are a little different, and might be more expandable in the future.

It is well worth the money to know where you are, and which direction you want to go. Although it doesn't help you all the time when you are inside buildings and airports.

Starsailor

12-29-2006, 10:56 PM

Traveling is definitely something I promote, wherever it happens to be (domestic or international), but it goes without saying that it is (often incredibly) expensive. Traveling alone has its pros and cons. For me, traveling alone can be a very exciting and liberating process. I felt quite accomplished when I flew internationally for the first time, or navigated my way on local transportation without a hitch. It can also be very scary, but that's part of it. But, I also like having someone close to me to share the experience with. On many of my alone excursions, I find myself longing for that. Sometimes it just doesn't seem as good without a friend or family member to...affirm it, I guess.

Counting both places I've lived in and visited (independently and not; some much more briefly than others):

England - London, March, Peterborough, York, Stratford, Brighton, Ely, Cromer, Norwich, Nottingham, Great Yarmouth, Cambridge, Oxford, and other various small towns/villages I'm forgetting
Ireland - Dublin
Northern Ireland - Belfast
Virginia
West Virgina
Texas
Tennessee
Maryland
New York
Pennsylvania
Delaware
Oklahoma
Missouri
North Carolina
Ohio
Arkansas
New Jersey

Many, MANY more places I hope to add to this list!!

If traveling, or doing so alone specifically, terrifies you, but being able to do so is something you want...start out really small maybe? Gradually work up the courage to go further distances, honing your skills (map reading, etc)...you could really grow to LOVE it :)

ebruening

12-30-2006, 10:51 AM

How many of you have traveled to the opposite coast from where you grew up (to live or just to visit)

I live in the central plains area of the U.S. I've been to both the East Coast (I count Florida as the "east coast") and the West Coast (twice to L.A.)

How many of you have been to Europe or another country?
I've been to the following countries while in college:
Mexico, Canada, Malta, Greece, Italy, England, France, Ireland, Scotland

I went to the French Riviera and Spain the summer following my Dec. college graduation.

Also…..were these trips when you were younger with your family, or ones that you did on your own?
I went to Mexico with my family when I was 18. I visited England and France with my family when I was 21.

I went to Canada on a roadtrip with good friends when I was 19.

I went to Malta for a semester of study abroad, and visited Italy and Greece on my two-week semester break while I was there.

I went to Ireland for a few months to finish my student teaching in County Galway, and I visited Scotland on a weeklong break I had while I was there.

After my sister finished her summer study program in Italy, I met her in Nice, France, and we both traveled southern France and into Spain.

Im also curious how to make this happen, travel is SO expensive (flight, hotel, meals, plus any fun you might want to have)
Well, Mexico, England, and France were cheap for me, because my parents funded all those trips.

Canada was a bare-bones roadtrip experience with friends. We camped the entire trip, and it was prior to gasoline becoming so expensive. I spend $400 total on a weeklong trip.

My airfare to Malta was provided by my parents, as were my living accomodations and tuition for the semester. Any "fun money" I needed while I was there came out of my pocket. I funded my own trips to Italy and Greece. I saved up for a few years prior in order to afford that trip, and I stayed in hostels the whole time. Airfare throughout Europe isn't too terribly expensive, or so I've found.

My parents paid for my college tuition while I was student teaching. However, my trips to Ireland and Scotland were totally self-funded. My plane ticket from the U.S. to Ireland wasn't too expensive ($700), and when I flew from Ireland to Glasgow, Scotland, my ticket cost somewhere around $60 U.S. I stayed in hostels during my trip to Scotland, and I boarded in a private residence while I lived in Ireland. (I was actually paid by the school to substitute teach while I was there, so that covered my room and board for the last month.)

I was fortunate during college, because my parents encouraged me to study abroad, and were nice enough to pay for my college tuition. That way, I wasn't forced to work during my college years, although I did work quite a bit on the weekends. I would say that because my parents covered my college tuition, I didn't have the financial obligations that many of my friends had while in school. Many of my friends simply couldn't afford to leave their jobs for a semester, in order to study abroad or travel the world.

You can find reasonably priced lodging almost anywhere - I stayed in hostels during my vacations abroad, and when I visited Boston and N.Y.C. this summer. Granted, the downside to those lodgings is that they aren't quite as nice as "regular" hotel rooms. I don't mind traveling with just a backpack, so it makes sense to me to travel in that manner.

In the U.S., airfare is very pricey. Getting to Europe from a major city - say, Chicago - is expensive, but not as much as, say, traveling from Omaha to Europe. If you live near a major airline hub, I'd say you'll likely find cheaper tickets than someone living in an out-of-the-way area, such as myself.

It is possible to see a European city, such as London or Paris, in as little as 3 full days.

I wouldn't say it's "abnormal" to have never traveled outside the U.S. I have plenty of friends who haven't ever been outside the central Midwest. It's not that they don't want to, it's just that they don't have the money to take plane flights to exotic locales.

redsail

01-02-2007, 03:15 PM

My family didn't travel much when I was growing up. We took a couple road trips as a family but I really wanted to just stay home and play around, so I didn't get much out of the trips except family time.

I've lived in Texas my whole life (predominantely Houston).
I never really had a deep interest to travel and see the world until I was fortunate enough to travel for work. I was staffed in Germany for 3 months and got to take weekend trips to Milan, Zurich, Lucern, Paris and the Netherlands.

Been to NY, CA, MA, FL, Vegas, Chicago, Philli, and Denver.
I've been to Hawaii twice (once for honeymoon, and again for my best friends wedding). I can't wait to go again someday.

Traveling alone isn't terrible. Some of my travels with people didn't turn out so well since I was not interested in just getting hammered at the local pub every night, so I was off on my own in museums and shops. So, if you ever get to go somewhere with your bf or friends, make sure they want to do what you want to do. Otherwise you might just get on each other's nerves and not have as much fun.

Orca

01-09-2007, 10:56 AM

How many of you have traveled to the opposite coast from where you grew up (to live or just to visit)
I'm from England but I've been to both US coasts

How many of you have been to Europe or another country?
Obviously, I live in Europe so I've been to lots of European countries. My sister lives in France for years (but has now gone to Taiwan to teach English. I am saving up for a visit!) so I've been there dozens of times. But bear in mind this is no big deal because I reckon on a clear day, from a tall building we could probably have waved at each across the channel! Despite living in different countries, geographically we were very close to each other.

I think I've been to
Spain (as all Brits have. There are whole British towns out there)
Germany
Switzerland (lots of times)
Italy
Norway
Sweden
Russia
Holland
Belgium (several times)
Bulgaria
Austria
Ireland
Perhaps a few more in transit. Cophenhagen airport once for sure. Luxembourg central station too.

If Scotland, Wales and NI count as different countries I've visited them too (but going to Scotland and coming back only takes about 2 hours from where I grew up).

Outside of Europe I have been to
USA - states NY, CA, NC and Washington DC
Australia
New Zealand
I have seen Canada from the US side of Niagara falls :)

Also…..were these trips when you were younger with your family, or ones that you did on your own?
Never went on a plane till i was 19 but had been to Ireland with my parents and twice to Switzerland with the girl guides (same as girl scouts)

Im just curious if this is the norm (me) or if traveling and moving quite a bit is.

I am sure I've read somewhere that 90% of Americans don't have passports. in which case you are among the majority. I believe the law is about to change so you will need passports to go to Canada and Mexico too, so maybe more people will get them. Also bear in mind that in the US you get hardly any holidays. I am in an entry level job and I get 25 days a year plus the 8 national holidays (Christmas day etc). All other European countries get way more than that. So that must really restrict the number of places you can go. I mean is it worth going somewhere for 5 days when you will spend the first 2 days getting over jet lag?

You really need to get over your fear of travelling alone and being lost. I have been to Russia alone as a 23 year old female who does not speak the language (though I did study it in school years ago and can read the letters). Nothing happened to me. I had a great time. I made friends with a group of Australians who I met on my flight so I did some things with them, and some alone. Most places are not a murder-a-minute (that's the US according to CSI ;) ). In fifty years time you might still be saying you never travelled anywhere and blaming other people for not going with you. You are in charge of your own life. There are quite a lot of tour groups for young people, including Contiki mentioned by someone else. In these groups you share a room with another solo female traveller so you don't pay a single supplement.

Outside the US you generally don't need to drive to get around most places. In fact I'd advise you not to. I'm still too scared to drive in London (not to mention the fact that I don't own a car anyway) because the traffic can be crazy, there is an £8 a day congestion charge and no parking. You can walk, or use public transport. Heathrow airport handles millions of passengers every year and as far as I know no-one had been lost wandering round there for years. You watch too many movies. You just get off the plane and follow everyone else. Since the queue at immigration can be up to 3 hours long, you have plenty of time to work out where to go next (and following those big blue arrows on the floor which say "trains" can help). Most people on the streets in London are tourists, who are also lost. Getting somewhere is half the fun. Don't stress about it too much.

A disturbing number of you have been to Manchester on holiday. You must be mad, or all crazed football (soccer) fans.

Starsailor

01-09-2007, 11:07 AM

Manchester, booooo! LFC all the way ;) I should be in Liverpool in march, that'll be brill.

Orca

01-09-2007, 12:42 PM

Manchester, booooo! LFC all the way ;) I should be in Liverpool in march, that'll be brill.
Liverpool got thrashed by Arsenal at the weekend you know. I've actually never been there but I've been to Manchester and it's just clone town UK. Nothing special about it. No reason to take photos.

Starsailor

01-09-2007, 12:54 PM

Yeah, just like in November, but that's the way it goes. My boyfriend is a Reds fan too and has been to home matches a few times. I've never been and think it would be cool to go to Anfield. We're hoping to do a tour of the grounds.

J-girl

01-09-2007, 12:58 PM

I have seen Canada from the US side of Niagara falls

Sorry, that doesnt count :) :D

eclipse9678

01-09-2007, 02:21 PM

How many of you have traveled to the opposite coast from where you grew up (to live or just to visit)

I grew up on the east coast and now live in CA.

How many of you have been to Europe or another country?

Mexico, Canada, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan

Also…..were these trips when you were younger with your family, or ones that you did on your own?

My mother's family lives in Asia, so I've been traveling back and forth with my siblings since I was little. Towards the end of high school, I took several road trips down the east coast with friends. I also drove across the country when I moved to CA. I did the college backpacking through Europe trip. Spent a summer in France. I've been back to Europe a few times since college - usually with one other friend or by myself. I usually go see family in Asia every year or two.

Im also curious how to make this happen, travel is SO expensive (flight, hotel, meals, plus any fun you might want to have)

Any extra money I save goes to travel. I rarely go clothes shopping unless I need to and I don't go to the bars, etc. I'd rather use the money to travel. I start to get really antsy if I don't travel somewhere new (in the States or abroad) every six months or so. I guess it's because I have traveled so much since childhood. I love to experience different cities, landscapes and cultures. I'm fortunate enough to have a job that sends me to many different places throughout the US and occasionally overseas. Travel is a passion for me and it has shaped who I am.

arrow

01-09-2007, 02:40 PM

How many of you have traveled to the opposite coast from where you grew up (to live or just to visit)

I lived in Seattle for a summer, and now I've lived in NYC for 3.5 years. I grew up in MI.

How many of you have been to Europe or another country?

Lived in England for 4 months total, traveled around Europe for 2. Since I lived an hour away from Canada, going there was no biggie. We'd go there for picnics. Never been anywhere else besides North America and Europe, though.

Also…..were these trips when you were younger with your family, or ones that you did on your own?

The trips I mentioned were on my own, but my family used to take cross-country trips now and again. Mostly up and down the east coast of the US, but one time out to the rockies.

Im also curious how to make this happen, travel is SO expensive (flight, hotel, meals, plus any fun you might want to have)
Lets see... Seattle I lived with my (ex) bf's aunt and worked. England, I got a BUNAC visa and worked. For Europe, I used the money I made in England to travel, and I didn't have to pay for the airfare. Airline and train discounts for taking redeye; I also took the bus around Europe far more than the train b/c it was WAY cheaper. I chose to stay longer in fewer places than to rush to as many locations as possible. I save for travel. I'm stingy. I go where there are friends or family I can stay with.

mxolisi

01-09-2007, 11:34 PM

How many of you have traveled to the opposite coast from where you grew up (to live or just to visit)

I grew up in the Midwest and have visited about 35 states. I'm missing a big chunk of the Great Plains/Pacific Northwest/Mountain States. I now live on the East Coast.

How many of you have been to Europe or another country?

I've been to Argentina, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Canada, France, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Korea, Italy, Luxembourg, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Switzerland, Togo, Uruguay, Vietnam

Also…..were these trips when you were younger with your family, or ones that you did on your own?

My first trip to Europe (France, Italy, Switzerland) was with my parents when I turned 18. That was my first time out of the country and on a plane (besides driving to Canada!). The rest have all been on my own, either for work or pleasure.

Im also curious how to make this happen, travel is SO expensive (flight, hotel, meals, plus any fun you might want to have)
My fiance and I love to travel and we figure we can hit the more expensive destinations when we're old and feeble. If we can get over the hurdle of a $500-900 plane ticket, then once we get to our destination we can live on a pretty small budget, with occasional splurges. We try to hit places where the dollar is strong, or where tourist infrastructure isn't too built up so we won't be charged exhorbitant rates for transportation or lodging. Neither of us makes more than $40k but we manage to take an international vacation each year and still stash away quite a bit in savings to buy a house in a few years. It isn't easy in DC, but travel is a priority for us, so we are willing to sacrifice other things for some awesome vacations. I've got a list about as long as my arm of places I would love to go: current obsessions being Yemen and the Caucasus.

I'm also lucky that I have a job that requires me to travel internationally. I get to take 3-5 trips per year, which I really enjoy. Sometimes traveling can be a hassle, but in the end it's always worth it.