I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

Barbara .. the tropics sound good to me too.  I am so tired of this long winter.

I've been to Hawaii many times, but the best was the first trip I took to Maui.  I spent three months there .. and this was before the developers bought up the island.  It was so pristine, only one large hotel at that time.  You could hike all over and be safe anytime day or night.  We would find awesome beaches with no people .. only gorgeous blue water and lots of really cool shells.

I'm glad I have all my lovely memories now that it is so difficult for me to travel.

Bren

Happy BDAY, IJBCA!

I always wanted to travel!  When I was a young girl, my parents went away often, but the only trips I took with them were to visit my grandmother in the U.S.  They always said "Wait until you grow up, and you can take yourself anywhere you want to go!"  I was so excited to do the honeymoon thing -- we went to the Canary Islands, Rome and London and, except for a nasty cold I picked up on the plane, (ugh!) it was a dream trip.  After that, I couldn't get enough!  But what I discovered to be almost as enjoyable was picking up travel and history books beforehand of the places we were going to visit.  It prolonged the enjoyment and made me appreciate the countries and their sites and cultures even more.

I think there are probably 3 main reasons people don't travel -- lack of funds, problems with mobility, and a lack of curiosity.  Of course, language can be another deterrent, but I'm not a linguist except for knowing some French, Spanish and Italian, and have never encountered any difficulties.  In countries such as China, one doesn't go anywhere without a guide/interpreter.

E, just had to jump in here.

We couldn't afford for our children to travel...we have three.  They went to private schools and were not around many different ethnic groups.  Most of the kids they were in school with traveled and were from very wealthy families.  However, children can learn not to be racists...it starts at home.

The first time my oldest DD was exposed to many African Americans was when she was in the 11th grade and went to Girl's State (geez, I believe that's what it was called).  After she graduated from college she worked as the Court Advocate for the local Domestic Violence Center.  You can imagine all the "cultures" she was involved with.  Domestic violence doesn't pick which race or how rich or poor you are.  She decided to go to law school.  I encouraged her to go to an inexpensive school..told her she'd make her own reputation.  She was paying for this one..not us.  She chose a predominately black university.  She ended up working for a very large law firm and making great money. She now has her own practice with another partner from that law firm.

None of my children are racists.  Two of them have traveled to some extent...one more than the other.  My middle DD has not had the opportunity to travel the world...she has two children.  At least they have visited Disney several times.  And they love coming here because we have the beach and it's free entertainment...almost!

Our priorities sometimes are different.  I chose to stay home with my children thus less money.

Shirley .. it's wonderful you could choose to stay at home.  Most of us couldn't.  I worked full time to take care of my son.  I was still able to take him to Disney and on a cruise to Mexico. He's not much of a traveler though and prefers to stay close to home, hiking and exploring the back county in San Diego.

Alpal .. can't remember .. is it your DD who lives in Tahoe?  I love Lake Tahoe ... been there many times.  My son likes to snowboard there, and I love it in the summer and fall.  Sure wish I still lived out west. 

Bren

My favourite thing to do for a day trip is to try to get lost in all the back roads and see where I end up.  It's a great way to find little villages and such.  Sometimes I would panic but I knew I'd eventually hit a hwy and find my way home.  Much easier with a GPS now!

Often my fav travelling companion and I would just book the first and last nights' hotel rooms.  We'd then just go wherever our mood took us.  A very spontaneous guy -- gave me 4 days notice to go to Australia, and I had just started a new job -- luckily I had an understanding boss and she said GO!

I have to thank you all.  I fixed roasted brussels sprouts last night.  DH ate six, without me coaxing.  When I asked him if he liked them he said that they were ok and they were good for him.  This is progress.  

Also, I ran across this article and thought it might be comforting to those worried about light bulbs, first a paragraph then thanks to otter, the link:

"“There’s a massive misperception that incandescents are going away quickly,” said Chris Calwell, a researcher with Ecos Consulting who studies the bulb market. “There have been more incandescent innovations in the last three years than in the last two decades.”"

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/business/energy-environment/06bulbs.html

Edited to add an apology:  Sorry for interrupting the travel discussion.  I was just really excited about the brussels sprouts. 

Ladies - I have been with you several months and feel that I know you and like you. No brussel sprouts tonight but I can talk grits and livermush any time.Your conversations about travel have inspired me to post. We are not world travelers and probably will never see another continent but we love to see the USA in a motorhome.My dh is earlystage Alzheimers so recently we downsized our motorhome so that I can drive it - also we travel with 2 Westies. I want to continue with this lifestyle as long as possible. New England is on my to-do list for next summer and earlier than that a trip to Savannah and to Auburn where our gd has her senior art show. By the way of an introduction I am a 70 year old retired teacher and dh a 75 yr old former county extension agent. He probably remembers how to grow brussel sprouts!

Thank you for the lovely post, Medigal.

Medigal, your post made me cry.  You are an inspiration to all of us.  ((((HUGS)))))

golfer, welcome!!

Enjoyful, I can't believe you forgot Montreal and the best bagels and hockey team in the world.  I kid, of course the Capitals are the best --not!

I was a stay-at-home mom too.  I starting teaching when my youngest was in grade 4.  She was soooo unhappy about me going to work.  She loved me picking her up at school and then talking about her day.  Because I am a teacher, and I was working part-time then, I was able to pick her up a few times a week.

When I was a stay-at-home mom, money was tight so most of our holidays were road trips.  We either stayed in Quebec (going whale-watching in Tadoussac, Quebec CIty) or travel to Vermont or New Hampshire.  We used to go camping in Vermont every summer: fun and inexpensive. 

My dream was to visit Italy with my kids (I am of Italian descent), and going there with my DH and kids was amazing.  I was able to show them the house my parents grew up in SIcily, and we met some of my parents' old friends. 

I love the stories everyone has shared.  Thank you for sharing your memories and stories. 

Medigal - WOW!!!!! In so many ways, WOW!!!!

A wonderful story with a happy ending.  A life out of the box.  And a ten year notification.  Each one a story in itself.    It made me feel very happy for you.  Thanks for sharing.

Thanks everybody for sharing.

Medigal...WOW. Hugs for you gal! Speechless here.

Medigal:

Your post gave me goosebumps - wonderful story.

Hugs, Sandy