Getting ready to leave on a trip tomorrow, but must drive with family who already drove 9 hours to get here. We will then drive two days to briefly see more family. All that car travel feels like work, not a vacation. Traveling with a restless child makes it more work. Flying is not an option for us. Too bad trains are so limited. I imagine that could be a bit less exhausting. Yes, I find car travel exhausting.

We do. Many more than when I was growing up. DH is an adventurer. We go places. Our children have been to Washington DC, 21 different states and many national and state parks. They have been to both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They are pretty good travelers. My dh and I made the choice to move away from 'home' several years. Now we visit 'home' and act like tourists. We act like tourists locally too. We try to get out see what we can and eat the local food. Last year we visited Arkansas, New Mexico and Colorado. We also did weekend trips to Austin and North Padre/Corpus Christi.

DH and I vacationed at different times of year before DS, then traveled with him during school vacations. After he was on his own we took trips at various times of the year. Early on, DH had two weeks vacation from his work. Later he had four weeks. Now we are those old retired people! We only travel to Maui now, in winter.

DH and I both grew up taking vacations with our parents, mainly within the US.

There's a reason 'travel' stems from 'travail', French for *work*.

Travel is a passion for me. I've been fortunate to travel to most of the U.S. and 23 foreign countries on both business trips and vacations. For 28 years I traveled to Japan on business 4x/year. However, it has been almost 9 years since my last trip there. I miss the people, food and culture but not the 13 hour flight. At this point in my life I could no longer keep up with the pace of business travel I once had (think flying 100,000 + miles per year).

I still greatly enjoy our vacations. In 2015 we went to England and Norway, in 2016 we hiked the national parks in Utah in the spring and spent Thanksgiving weekend at a resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. This year we are hoping for a week in the Caribbean or Central America. I was blessed with a child that loves to travel. Of course, travel can be expensive so I may working until I'm 90 :-)

Haven't much for the past 10yrs. since I lost my SO with whom I used to go on all kinds of adventures. He and I had so much in common.

We used to travel a lot with the kids when they were younger - Europe, East Coast a couple of times - both US and Canada, driving the US West Coast several times, lots of skiing holidays. But we haven't had a vacation for about 8 years. Saving and keeping our money for retirement is our number 1 goal now.

Yes, DH and I go on at least one extended trip a year. Last year we did two, one 2week trip to Alaska (a week of cruise and a week on land driving around). Then in the fall we took a road trip to Montana, Wyoming and Colorado for some hiking and sight-seeing. We have taken several trips west to National Parks and other places to hike and truly enjoyed it.

I just returned from Orlando with DD and DGD and a friend of DGD's. dgd played in a soccer tournament after Christmas so we stayed some extra days and visited Disney World while there. Exhausting but fun. I was fortunate in my younger days to travel a lot for business, especially to London and Hawaii and a few other places overseas. I took full advantage of those trips and experienced as much as possible on most of the trips. Don't miss the long flights though, like heritage said.

We take a long weekend several times a year. We used to do long vacations,but, now our gd comes three times a year. Those plane tickets and unaccompanied minor fees get very expensive.

Yes. A trip to Europe each summer. I used to go at Easter as well. But then things got pricier.

Not every year, but most lately. Getting older, not a lot of time left to travel. Don't know if I'll feel like it in 15 or 20 years so I'd like to get in as many trips as I can now.

I go away for a few days with my lady friends in the summer., a few days with DH in the fall and we usually go for two weeks to Florida in March. Don't think we will go to Florida this year. I've been doctoring trying to get the heart back in sync and by the time we get it regulated, it will probably be too late to make arrangements, but we'll see. We've been to Europe and the Far East in our younger years but frankly, I think flying has become most unenjoyable (even first class) having flown back in the day when it was far more pleasant so I don't care to fly anymore. That being said, every day is a vacation for me.....I really don't really need to go away. Love my life!!!

Yes. Last year it was North Carolina. This May, Montreal.

Not really... but I did several over Christmas with a friend, and with my daughter. I don't call all of my get always vacations, cause l really work on them.. mine are cycling tours.

Plan a big loop around the great lakes this summer. Anyone living along the north or west side of Lake Superior that would like to meet me? :)

Moni

I feel incredibly blessed that we have had the opportunity to take vacations. I never thought that would happen for me as I come from very humble beginnings. I remember dating my husband when I was 18 living in Ca, and hearing him talk about going to Atlanta on a work trip. I thought WOW! I never even had known anyone that traveled for work. 25 years later we have lived all over the country- what a great adventure it has been, I feel so thankful and blessed.

We currently take mini vacations. Usually 3 days. We have one planned with friends. We travel with them several times a year.

Not in a long time. I used to go to a symposium every year for waterlilies, but always by myself or with my daughter. Jody and I used to go to Florida because that was his home state. Except for three trips out of state, to pick up horses, we haven't been anywhere. I know Jody would like to go back to Florida to see his family that are still living....many of them have passed. He used to go to Florida with his brother once in awhile, but his brother has passed away now too. There are a few places I have been and I'd enjoy going back....Tennessee and North Carolina, but it is such a hassle to try and get ready to go anywhere when you have a lot of animals to take care of. For me, it is hardly worth it. I don't mind staying home. Otherwise I worry about them too much. I don't know anyone I trust to look after them. It is too big of a job for the average person.

I wish that be had a budget for more vacations! As it is, we make it to out to the gulf coast every few years. Last time just was not as enjoyable, I think we need to look to the mountains on our next trip.

Yes, always. Before retirement, at least one main trip, sometimes two - more than a week, often two weeks and often Hawaii or abroad- and multiple smaller ones. Since retirement, more longer trips and more shorter ones too each year.

I made the mistake in my mid-20s of not taking a vacation one year. My thinking was that I could use the extra time to boost my career advancement. It did that but it also nearly killed me, my mind was mush about 3 months after when I should have gone and it took a lot of effort to keep my sanity until I could finally schedule enough time off to recover.

Staying at home with the same routine has always been boring for both of us. There are so many interesting things in the world to see and do.

marilyn_c, I think you don't want to go anywhere and you're rationalizing why it has to be that way. I know you do very kind work with animals but you aren't the only one in your area with animals. Others seem to get by fine without YOU being there, your place could sustain your absence too with someone standing in to do the work. If you don't want to go anywhere, that's a different story, but you don't know if you don't try.

We were doing one or two main vacations, and multiple 3-5 day ones, for quite a few years. We didn't travel for about three years recently due to other events in our life. However, we went to Oregon at the beginning of this month, so maybe we will begin to travel more again. Probably not as much as before, though, even though we enjoy travel. We have commitments that we didn't have several years ago.

Tough to imagine not taking a vacation for that many decades, Marilyn, if it is a choice. I do know people that truly prefer to stay at home. And others that loved traveling once they started. But 30+ straight years is a very long time to not get away.

Marilyn, I know that you don't need me to tell you this....Please don't feel like you have to justify your choices and your way of life to the likes of s. whiplash.

I haven't done a great deal of traveling but I sure love the long weekend excursions we undertake. My physical restrictions from fibromyalgia and my permanent damage from Crestor make me unenthusiastic about most travel experiences.

We both feel an obligation to visit family for longer vacations and that's simply not usually enjoyable. So.....we don't. (:-( This summer, we will make a trip to see my extended NYS family, but it will be on the way to my beloved Adirondacks.

Yes. In one way or another I always go on vacation. I might only refrain from career work and stay home playing home remodel, or I might get on a plane and go snorkel in the Caribbean. Anything away from the job and not driving in traffic is "vacation", even if I am working, on a house or otherwise.

I really get excited and look forward to our yearly vacation. We also take a few days here and there usually in New Orleans. My husband goes there for work and his company puts him in a nice hotel, I love to tag along. I really enjoy getting out of town and seeing new things. My husband works 60+ hours a week so I treasure spending time with him and being in a new place where he isn't thinking about work is always great.

Vacation?

Not in many years. When my parents were living I visited them in Florida every February, but that ended when they died in the mid-1990's. Like Rhizo, fibromyalgia and other issues make me a reluctant traveler these days, but I can't afford to go anywhere anyway, so it all works out. :-)

Used to visit SoCal a couple, three times a year when my sister still lived in Laguna Beach. We'd often do a bunch of vacation things - a visit to Catalina, a weekend in Palm Springs, a day trip to Tijuana, take her grands to Disneyland or California Adventure. Since she moved up here a few years ago, I miss those visits. Now I do local road trips now and again. I travel by car a lot for work and I often find interesting places I'd like to spend more time exploring so off I go when I have a few days I can spare. That way, I can take the dog with me, as I don't care to be away from him for long.....if at all.

I am also blessed with some very generous family members that like to host family vacations. A couple of years ago, 26 of us spent two week on the Mexican Riviera and this coming Christmas we will be doing so again!!

That's about all the 'vacation' I need, as since I became semi-retired and moved to a beachfront community, I consider every day a vacation!!

The last time we had a vacation was in the summer of 2000 when we went to Hawaii. Our son has Autism and acts differently. He was 15 at the time. Security at the airport put him through insane checks, including pat down. He hates to be touched by strangers. We kept telling them about his Autism but they wouldn't listen. We vowed that would be the last time we went anywhere by plane. And haven't done any car trips. Maybe now that DH is retired, we will in the future.

When money is limited, of course options are limited or even nonexistent. But taking a trip and sharing costs with a friend, or a few days away at a campground (equipment can be borrowed from a friend) or going out of town to stay with a friend, offers a break from the daily grind and will charge your batteries.

Most people on limited budgets can find something affordable to do and can save up to do so, It's a matter of priorities - if getting away is important then a way to do so will be figured out. (Just look at what Oklamoni does for inspiration) The scope of what's done may be limited but all the same, I personally think doing something is important. Taking a trip costs more in personal motivation than in money.

I made the acquaintance and have known for a few years a now retired fellow who suffered serious neck injuries while in his 40s when his car was hit by a drunk driver. He can use his arms, two fingers on each hand, and his neck, nothing else. He spends his days in a battery powered mobility chair.

Prior to his accident, he was an active person. He has refused to allow his disabilities to slow down his lifestyle. He goes to Europe every year (where disability services are limited or non-existent in some places), he goes kayaking and whitewater rafting, he takes road trips alone in his van (adapted with a lift and special controls for his use), and also many US-wide trips to visit friends and family.

I've found knowing him to be very inspiring. I've learned to never allow the POSSIBILITY of encountering problems, personal discomfort or apprehensions (including the normal aches and pains of aging) become an obstacle to joining in what I might do or what other people are doing. Any little concern becomes a challenge for me to overcome and neutralize.

To each his own.

The joy of my life was the family vacation we took for many years. My DH, 4 daughters, son in law, granddaughter, granddaughter's friend, and my fun brother would spend two weeks in a big beach house on the Outer Banks or Virginia Beach or Tybee Island or Holden Beach but the OB were our favorite. In my memory all the days were sunny, the meals delicious, the games played hilarious, and peace and harmony reigned. Consulting my journals proved this mostly true. Now DH is in a nursing home, granddaughter is all grown up, my beloved brother has passed away, and one of my dear daughters is very ill. I'm so happy that I chronicled these trips in pictures and words.

I've always loved to get up and go and I swear my whole family has gypsy blood. My parents used to take us on short trips and camping every summer. When I I had my own family we would always schedule vacation time at least once a year, sometimes just a few days at the New Jersey shore or Cape Cod, and occasionally to Disney World. My husband loved that place. When the kids were out of college and I could afford it I began traveling more on my own with women's travel groups because my DH wasn't interested in overseas travel. After he died and I realized I could afford to do more, I really got busy. I've been to China, Thailand, Antactica, South America and several European countries, some three or four times. Next week I'm off to Hawaii with my daughters for a girls vacation. Next thing on my bucket list is Africa.

Back in the day, vacations were taken only to visit family, unless one was quite wealthy. For those who do not have a stressful job, I see nothing wrong with staying home; it's not "unhealthy" if you're not unhappy. To each, her own! Other than a two-week trip to India many years ago and a trip to visit family and Niagara Falls several years ago, we don't have the habit of long vacation.

Yes, several. Some I combine with work conferences and tack on a vacation (at my own expense, of course). Last year we went to Florida in the Spring, Kyrgyzstan/Croatia in the summer, and Williamsburg in the fall. DD just got a 3 year assignment in Croatia, so will do plenty of Europe in the next 3 years. DS lives in Berlin, Germany so it will be great to see them both in their homes.

Wish I didn't have a stressful job?! Lucky you.

Jobs for which the worker has authority, responsibility, and accountability will always be stressful to some degree. So what? They're also the jobs that are usually the most substantive, interesting and lucrative. AND, frequently, the ones that are the most enjoyable and personally rewarding to have.

Travel isn't just to blow off steam. Travel is to have fun, to see and learn about different places and peoples, to have new experiences. To sit home with arms folded, (excluding a once in awhile stay-cation for work on a house) and say "I can do my vacation here, I'm not missing anything" is wrong-headed as far as I'm concerned. As I said before, the real cost for those who don't vacation is personal motivation to stick your neck out to try something different. Money is rarely the issue for people who stay home and let life pass them by.

This thread has reminded me of a recent conversation that I had with my husband. We went to a party about 2 years ago, and I started up a conversation with a new couple that had just moved to the area. Another woman that I had been to lunch with several times interrupted our conversation, her exact words were, "I have traveled the world you should really come talk with me". Since then I have met several people that talk in a way that makes me think they feel elevated socially through their travel experiences. I wonder if this is something new that I have noticed, or I have somehow luckily managed to never have to deal with these well traveled and your going to know it types before.

Money is very much an issue for many people that don't travel. Many people live paycheck to paycheck due to unforseen life events. I think it's naive to assume that people don't travel because they are not wanting to. I come from very humble beginnings and my friends back home all work stressful jobs that barely pay the bills. They have all told me of their desire to travel. I think it's wise not to travel if doing so puts one in a precarious financial situation. Everyone is interesting and has a story regardless if they have traveled or not.

You don't have to have a lot of money to travel or have an adventure. Sometimes it just means leaving your house to go do something nearby. One thing I've realized is people often don't visit the neat places they have around them. If you have money for a tank of gas, then you have money to travel. Pack a cooler with some sandwiches and drinks that you'd be eating at home anyway and have fun with it. Where will an hour drive get you or even a two hour drive? Do it on a weekend or a day off and you can go, see, and be back.

An hours drive here will get me to Galveston and the ocean. Two-three hours will get me to San Antonio or Austin. I live in a major metropolitan area so there are plenty of things to do. Even when I lived in other states, there was always something different to see like national or state parks, changing leaves, incredible sunsets, ancient culture or whatever.

Adella- I believe that is true you can do some great car trips and go camping very affordably. We camped in the Florida Keys and that was amazing. I was mostly talking about trips that require flights and hotels. There are so many reasons why a person might not travel sick animals that need medication, physical limitations, finances, ect,. Travel is great but many people who don't travel are fantastically interesting without those experiences.

I do random adventures. Couldn't really call them vacations. DD and I used to take spontaneous trips in the days of cheaper airfare and fewer regulations.

Last DSIL hurt himself and had to go on temporary disability. Because of the nature of his injury and his physical job he couldn't get cleared to work but he go still get around quite well. Boredom quickly set in. One day they decided to pack the truck, drop the dogs at the in-laws and take off across the country with a almost 2 year old and an almost 4 year old. They stayed in cheap motels, sometimes stayed a night or 2 with friends, ate a lot of fast food and made tons of memories. Meant to be gone for 10 days ended up on the road for almost 3 weeks. Had a ball. The kids loved it too.

We used to but my mother is too ill for me to comfortably go away. Plus, getting a house sitter is kind of hard. Maybe someday…

I haven't had a relaxing vacation in a few years. For a while I was going to Cape Cod every summer, but the timing has not worked out lately. I do travel at least once a year to Europe or elsewhere. I am exhausted when I get home although I love seeing the world. I went to Montreal for a few days with a friend and that was a lot of fun and even a bit relaxing. I'd love to go just veg out in a beautiful spot for a couple weeks, but there are reasons why I won't or can't. I love getting away.