catbox9

Pretty long post, but I have a lot to say...

So I have always enjoyed going places but up until about 6 years ago I was terribly fearful of going anywhere on my own. I finally started to travel, whether or not I could find anyone to go with, and have been going nuts the last 6 years.

The last few years I've wondered why I do it. I think a large part of it is I like to maintain my status because it comes with perks, but at what cost?

I'm currently age 30 with a pretty well-paying job and outside my mortgage I have no significant expenses. I'm also able to modify my work schedule a bit so that I can travel nearly constantly. While I don't travel nearly as much as some of the posters on here (even those who travel exclusively for leisure), I travel more than anyone I know...and am pretty well-known among my peers for it. At work it seems like most every person I'm only sort of acquainted with wants to start every conversation with my next trip.

As a result of this constant travel the past few years, I've become quite unimpressed with almost everything I see. I'm currently sitting in my 2-storied suite (that I was upgraded to) in Prague counting the days until I can go home (Thursday). Sure, the city is nice and all but this is my fourth trip to Europe...this year. It's gotten to the point where I see so many things that would normally impress me, that nothing impresses me. I saw the Coliseum in Rome for the first time earlier this year and was probably barely more impressed by the LA Coliseum.

I travel so much that I oftentimes end up picking seemingly-bizarre destinations because I've "run out" of the the standard ones that make up many people's bucket lists. In the last year I've visited Azerbaijan and Laos - countries most of my friends and family have either never heard of or know nothing about. Tomorrow I'm going to Warsaw because I've never been and no real other reason.

While I can still enjoy some trips (the trip I took with a good friend to Montreal this year was perhaps the best time I've ever had....and my trip to NYC with another friend next month has me quite excited) most of the time I absolutely dread having to go and wonder why I do it. While I'm not putting myself in debt to do this and I do own a home, I feel like there's better things I could be spending my money on.

Anyone else ever feel this way?

Kagehitokiri

there is always something else, in terms of where one travels to, what one does there, and where one stays while there. many have specific things (one or more) they travel for, which help them with decision making re trips.

many here pay zero attention to status/awards but are here to compare/discuss options.

some spend more on less travel, and that can be in any number of ways, including racking up a large total of smaller expenses doing things like driving massive distances across country/continent/desert/etc. or increasing the amount of travel with people you travel well with, or visiting people, sometimes might pay some/all others' costs either for travel, or when visiting. as not everyone spends same amounts on travel etc.

catbox9

That's absolutely true. While I did say I feel like I have "been everywhere" that's obviously not quite true. Even if merely going to a country counted as seeing everything there was to see there, I've barely been to 50 which still leaves about 75% of the world's countries unseen).

Perhaps part of my problem is I often focus on large/capital cities when visiting places. While I do try to get out of there as much as possible (I went to Kutná Hora outside of Prague today) these trips are usually just day trips and in larger countries you can't really explore the whole country if you spend all your nights in big cities.[/quote]

As most of my travel is solo I prefer to at least have a nice accommodation to go back to so I might as well stick to the same chains. Of course this again limits me to staying mostly near big cities. I will occasionally stray from chains (i.e. trips to Easter Island, Odessa, and Laos) but I think a large part of my motivation is maintaining status and nothing else.

Therein lies a large part of my problem. In order to keep my status going I had to go to Europe 4 separate times this year. I usually look for a good deal (this SFO-HAM/WAW-SFO trip was only $418/rt) which cuts down the cost. Unfortunately I often grow tired of being thousands of miles away from my friends and family. Last month I went to Atlanta to see some baseball games and spent as much time there as I'm spending in Prague. While most anyone would rank Prague the vastly superior destination, I enjoyed Atlanta more because I had all the amenities I'm used to having at home (cell service, a car, etc.) and I wasn't that far from home (California). [/quote]

I've actually started to do this a bit more lately. It can be uncomfortable for both myself and others to offer to pay for their trips (I try to remind them I have literally hundreds of thousands of points I can give them) but that has worked out on occasion. The problem is even with the prospect of a "free trip" people oftentimes have too many obligations to fly around the world at the drop of a hat.

Kagehitokiri

can often work things out between people, either on trip, or another time

could use your flexibility to match up with others >

what all are you doing in cities, and are there other things that may be of interest

some independents and upscale (without status) can be better than big chain with status

in europe, there can be inexpensive Relais & Chateaux just outside cities, some may have poor hard product but that can apply to most chains

R&C and some others focusing on 'boutique hotels' have status offerings

there are many threads on FT of giving up on retaining status

while mile/point runs decreased, some still do them, separate from status

cbn42

I have felt this way too. What I figured was that I was just seeing too many touristy attractions in large cities. After you have seen a few European capitals, they are all pretty similar.

Two things that worked for me:

1. Do something different. Go hiking or go on a safari. Get out of the cities. Do an expedition of some sort.

2. Meet people. Go to local meetups or couchsurfing events. Keep in touch with people you meet and try to travel with them.

pushmyredbutton

I'm pretty much in the same situation as you, and I'm currently trying to figure out a 'solution'. I'm 31 now, and after 70 or so countries, I'm finding myself bored with leisure travel. I long for the days a decade ago when travel was new and I was awed even at the most mundane things.

Now I fly to maintain status, about 150k miles a year, with the added bonus that it feeds my travel desire by bringing me to far off places; places I've been to before and I've found strikingly similar. I was just sitting in SIN yesterday, looking at the departure board and thinking that I've been to all these places, so what's next?

I'll be watching this thread, as I'm open to new ideas on how to enhance what was once my biggest hobby.

pinniped

Change it up entirely.

If you've been flying long-haul to cities in Europe and Asia, take a year and do some of the great American/Canadian roadtrips. National Parks and things like that.

Tie in travel with some other activity. Running, hiking, golf, ski, whatever...

Or just take a break. At the end of the day, the status doesn't mean that much. Especially not what it once did when the upgrades flowed more freely and the RDM earning rate meant so many more free trips than it does today.

Spend six months and immerse yourself in your own city. Find weird meetups and off-the-beaten-path things to do. Forget about travel for a while...then maybe it'll become something you miss and get excited about again.

catbox9

I've been thinking about that a lot. Outside of NYC most of my favorite destinations aren't big cities (Easter Island, Angkor Wat, Iguazu Falls)

I would like to do a safari at some point but my last trip to Africa (a weekend in CPT ex-SFO on a mistake fare for like $400) drained me with the distance involved so I'm a little slow to want to head back. Then of course there's my dilemma with maintaining hotel status as Starwood doesn't have many safari options.

That's a far more difficult prospect as I'm quite introverted unless I'm with people I know and rather intoxicated.




Yeah, I really know that feeling. I realized that especially this year when I saw the Coliseum in Rome for the first time and couldn't help think it was just another stadium and how the Sistine Chapel was just a copied-over painting on a boring church.

I do that a lot, too. I'm down to 75K miles from 125K or so since I tend to look for deals and can't qualify for the 100K+ mile status as I don't spend enough. I guess United did me a favor there.

I started out doing this to prove to myself I could travel on my own but I think after solo trips to SE Asia, the Middle East, Easter Island, and tons of other places it's quite evident I can. I took up golf recently as most of my friends golf a lot and would probably rather be doing that right now than sitting in Prague.

That's not a bad idea although I'd probably still fly. I took an 8 hour road trip to Zion National Park a few weeks back and that much driving was torture.

I did take up golf recently as mentioned above.


I think that's what I need to convince myself to do. I started this obsession when I was finishing up college and still living at home. Since then I've obtained a good job, finished grad school, bought a house, and I now have a small niece who lives nearby. I'm rarely home and when I am I just get frustrated about all the projects I want to do around the house but can't because I'm never there to do it and all my money goes to trips that I don't want to take to begin with. It's kind of sad when I'm wandering around Europe counting the minutes until I can go back to work.

deniah

Nope.
I enjoy revisiting stuff. Taking pictures of stuff. Eating stuff. Cycling new climbs. Showing stuff to my SO. Etc. Always something to do.

cbn42

Honestly, it sounds like you have become a slave to frequent flier programs. Let your status go. It's making you miserable.

Travel if and when you want to. Do not let a loyalty program dictate your life.

BuildingMyBento

Perhaps a slightly controversial suggestion: wear shorts one day, then something formal the next (more broadly, wear two different hats on two consecutive days in the same location). It was a real hoot testing this in Jeddah...

livebetter_travelmore

Both of these are great suggestions. I enjoy big cities, architecture, museums, etc., but exploring nature, whether actively like skiing or just on a walking tour or even sitting in a boat whale-watching, is altogether another type of trip and one with its own rewards.

I am not the most extroverted person in the world myself, but sometimes forcing myself to engage with people in other places has also yielded some of the most enjoyable experiences during travel. You don't have to meet a "crowd". On a trip to Montréal last year I made an acquaintance with someone while just grabbing a beer in a pub. The guy was from Québec and fluent in French and English. Not only did I get a great tour guide seeing things and enjoying great restaurants that I would have never discovered on my own, I had someone encouraging me to resurrect my old French skills and coaching me along the way with pronunciation and vocabulary. I also got a first person perspective of life in both urban and rural Canada merely through one-on-one conversation. I'd call this more of a cultural-immersion trip. It was a really fun weekend! Of course, you need to extend some caution. Getting hammered in a bar and heading out at night with a stranger is never a wise move in any city. But with some due care and common sense, I think meeting a local or two is very do-able while minimizing risk.

CPRich

If I were voluntarily doing something that cost money and I dreaded doing, I'd probably stop.

bitterproffit

I have been traveling solo for a few years now and have not gotten bored with it yet. I think part of the reason is for that is because I try to get out of my comfort zone on each trip. I am in my late 50's. I try to join small tours and meet lots of people. I try to stay in places where I have to get out and meet people. Its tough, but it sure does pay off.

I never travel for or to maintain status. I just buy the class of seat I want with the airline I want. Its usually J class. Eventually I might get an upgrade, but maybe not. I will mix up stays with hotel chains for points with stays outside of my loyalty mix.

Get out of your comfort zone. I did a sand boarding expedition in Western Australia, a hike down Victoria Peak with a group I met online. I look for beer tours, brewery and distillery tours, walking tours, anything that will allow me to meet interesting people. Brew tours are great because I get more outgoing with a couple of beers, and so does everyone else. I went to a rave in Amsterdam a couple years ago that was amazing, and I wasn't the only 50 something person there.

It makes me sad that you are not enjoying it. Maybe give it a break and pick it back up in a few years. I went 5 years without getting on a plane. I went 10 years without ever leaving the country (except for Canada). I was burned out on business travel. Now I want to go everywhere and am finding I don't have enough time off. I hope you get your travel mojo back.

HMPS

OP I have not been fortunate to have your problem in my 30s. But in later years I have traveled a lot and sometimes I look at the recommended tourist traps wonder if it feels like place X seen elsewhere !
What I have tried is pick a country, town, village etc. and see if I can help improve lives of those much less fortunate than I. Example : Provide a hand powere tricycle for men who have lost the use of lower limbs to get about and sell / deliver small items and be productive. My next project in Niv is to find some very poor woen who try to earn a piece of bread by hand sewing garments...provide them with a manual sewing machine and get them more productive.

Trouble is to locate the really needy. So work like this in a place that you liked that can use such help.

Very Rewarding I promise you.