Never been abroad or on a plane at age 35!

[SalemShadow]

There was a woman on dinner date yest. She is 35, never been abroad or on on an aeroplane. She was telling her date he will have to take her on a holiday. Aibu to be completely shocked? I couldn't believe it. Seems a sheltered existence

Never been abroad or on a plane! She wants to go so I assume a money thing!

So essentially you’re shocked that some people are poor?

"what's so hilarious? You can't say that our grand-parents generation NEVER travelled neither can you say that everybody does nowadays.
People have different income and priorities, that's hardly news.

You can't say that holidaying abroad was unheard of even between the 2 wars or before the 1st one. It's simply not true."

Maybe you need to up your reading comprehension, love.

"So essentially you’re shocked that some people are poor?"

Poor people only exist on TV and eastern Europe, don't they?

"Poor people have always travelled for economic reasons."

Sure, and when I said 'travel' I meant it in the modern sense of the word, rather than 'migrating'.

My partner hadn't been abroad until last year when he was 54. He had been on a plane before a couple of times to England and Scotland. Live in Northern lreland.

IAmAlwaysLikeThis

How the other half lives... as this applies today too, I am still not sure what you are being so bitter about.

Don't blame people comprehension, blame your own writing skills. Did you just use the word "love" to try to anger a poster? brilliant

I think you need to travel and experience different cultures. Couldn't imagine never doing this

Well, all your travelling* hasn't really helped you experience "different cultures".
You can't seem able to empathise with someone who has slightly different ideas to you in your own culture.

*Do you mean "travelling", btw? That to me implies spending a bit more than a fortnight somewhere and possibly living/working there. I "travelled" with my parents for two years in South America.
Otherwise, it's just really going on your holidays/being a tourist, isn't it? Nice though I've found those experiences too.

"How the other half lives... as this applies today too, I am still not sure what you are being so bitter about. "

Not really sure what you're on about, but don't have time to get into bunfights with people who can't read so I will leave it.

Mil is 60 and never been abroad ..

I wasn't sneering. I was just shocked and a bit sad that a young, single professional hadn't had the opportunity to get on a plane or go abroad esp when she really wanted to. When I said travel I wasn't talking about Benidorm or Majorca either. I just think there's a big world out there and to not go and see any of it isn't really living. You only get one opportunity at life and to spend it all in England is a bit sad imo. Travel broadens the mind.

Last year at 42 was my first holiday abroad. Was okay but all a bit meh... Give me the wilds of the Scottish Highlands, the Welsh mountains, the peak District, wild coastlines any day

Can I ask which bit of "abroad you went to? Japan? Calais? Benidorm? The Amazon? The Sahara? The Antarctic?

What would you think if someone said "I holidayed in the UK once, stayed with a friend on an inner city Liverpool council estate. Didn't think much of it, give me trekking thru the jungles of Borneo any time".

"I just think there's a big world out there and to not go and see any of it isn't really living."

yup, travel hasn't broadened your mind.

What is wrong with Majorca or Benidorm and why are you being condescending

As quoted from a book I have been reading - "Travel is a fantastic self-development tool, because it extricates you from the values of your culture and shows you that another society can live with entirely different values and still function and not hate themselves. This exposure to different cultural values and metrics then forces you to reexamine what seems obvious in your own life and to consider that perhaps its not necessarily the best way to live". Thats by Mark Manson.

There's a theme here that abroad = expensive, but this isn't necessarily true.

If you don't drive railfares to Cornwall/Scotland/Wales/Lake District are often £££, whereas you can find airfares for less than £30. A week in a cottage or Center Parcs can also easily be over £1000, and you can get a flat in Greece or Spain for considerably less.

Of course if your budget only stretches to camping (or is £0) a £30 flight or late deal won't help you, but I don't think this is the sole and only reason some people don't travel.

I didn't have a holiday abroad until I was 19. I genuinely wasn't fussed before this but I really caught a bug when I went. I do think sometimes people don't know what they're missing.

I said I was surprised a young professional hadn't had the opportunity to go abroad by 35. Clearly I was wrong. As everyone on here pointing out and attacking me. I'm also clearly wrong that travel doesn't broaden the mind. lets all holiday in Cornwall for the rest of our lives.

Cornwall is really bloody expensive Salem

Travel as you describe it is for the privileged not everybody has your privilge of experiencing other cultures .

Where do you Travel to Salem share your experiences

IAmAlwaysLikeThis off you go love!

I swore down until the age of 30 that I'd never go abroad again. Flew three times before that once for honeymoon. Wasn't really bothered about being abroad and really couldn't understand the attraction. Also had a huge phobia of flying. Met current dh and have had five foreign holidays in the last 13 months. Can't understand it now I've got the travelling bug!

I'm 48, never flown or been outside the British Isles. Not particularly bothered, but have been to parts of UK that I find many haven't been to.

Horses for courses in my opinion- what interests one person doesn't always interest others.

SalemShadow
if you consider yourself "well travelled" do tell us what you've been up to. We are all up for a good laugh.

and what's wrong with Cornwall anyway?

Last year at 42 was my first holiday abroad.

Was okay but all a bit meh... Give me the wilds of the Scottish Highlands, the Welsh mountains, the peak District, wild coastlines any day

Did you do all of abroad? Because, having travelled quite extensively, including the Scottish Highland and Welsh mountains, I can assure you that there are some parts of abroad that can easily match both those places.

I would have been surprised by that exchange too. Particularly the 'you'll have to take me'. Perhaps that's what you really found shocking?
@RosaWaiting I hope I haven't missed any of your posts but I'm genuinely interested in why. I know London is the bees knees especially on a sunny day but other places are pretty cool too. You've explained you don't want to visit the country your parents are from. What about anywhere else?