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

I was 43 before I went on a plane, hadn't missed anything and I'd happily never do it again except for the fact it's quicker and easier for lots of countries. I do plan to travel to more exotic locations but I've never had a tremendous wanderlust and would probably seem very boring to most people.

I had been abroad when I was younger, but only France and Germany. I've been to Lake Garda and French Alps by plane. Hated lake Garda, loved the French Alps.

On the other hand, we have explored so many amazing places in England and Wales and love it so much, there is so much to see in this country.

mary ah, I thought so. People were spectacularly narrow minded on that thread as well.

I'm not too keen on the sitcom "Miranda" but there is an episode called "Holiday" - I think - which is very relatable. She pretends to go on holiday because people are calling her boring, says she's in Thailand and stays in a hotel nearby

Frankly non travellers should be applauded saw a programme about it flying is one of the worst possible things to do for the environment and I say that as someone who loves travel

Not travelling is a waste of a life. It's insular and isolationist.

Funny how some of the people here saying they never travel outside the UK are now criticising London saying "it was different in the past".

This is all wrapped up in the attitude that good old Blighty is somehow superior in every way and we don't need to venture anywhere else or mix with other cultures. Claptrap.

I do agree that Britain has some of the most spectacular and beautiful scenery in the world. It's wonderful. But the same can be said for South Africa, Japan, Equador, Norway, Thailand, Italy, Sri Lanka, Canada and so on.

Not travelling is a waste of a life

So the thing that ultimately defines whether your life has/had meaning is the number of stamps on your passport? Irrespective of your financial, family, health circumstances?

Who knew? 🤷‍♀️

I have travelled abroad a lot and done a lot of off the beaten track, DH has taken it next level and done wild camping out in Africa, the Amazon and Malaysian jungles. I may have smelt and tasted and had overseas experiences unlike that woman but it’s never the same as the locals that live there. I’m purely an observer. It doesn’t make me suddenly really understand the way other cultures live. They see tourist £ and treat you accordingly.

Plus it’s perfectly understandable how some people have never been able to afford a holiday abroad.

Not travelling is a waste of a life. It's insular and isolationist.

what a stupid comment. Define travelling for a start. Going on holiday for a week is not really travelling in my books.

Not everyone can be expected to have the finance to go and study in another country, take a year here and there to live abroad, relocate and get a job on different continents.

As someone who has actually travelled quite a lot, I get accused not to have roots, not to have any depth, not to make genuine relationships (been married with the same man for 20 years and have 4 kids but hey ho) and that we try to avoid our problems but they are still with us wherever we are.

People are as judgmental if you travel a lot! They are equally wrong. The only point that is true is that if you are an idiot in your home town, you will be the same idiot on the other side of the world.

No one should have to justify why they feel like travelling or prefer staying home. It doesn't make you better or worst.

Apart from the cost ,many people may be nervous about going on holiday to a different country .Having to get a passport, arranging the flights, driving when abroad, different food ,and so on .Each to their own .Have flown about a dozen times, and been abroad on Cruise to Europe ,Train /boat to Italy as well .On holiday in UK ,great when good weather. lots to see and do ,not so great when wet!

I'm in my 60s and have had three trips to France, which I loved. I'd like to travel more, but despite being one of the despised baby boomers, I've never had the money to do more. Now I have a dog! And DVDs so I get to see these places without the hordes of tourists! (Francesco's Venice, anyone?)

You can have travelled all over the world, but if you’ve only ever stayed in all-inclusive, gated resorts - you haven’t exactly expanded your horizons. I actually know some people like this who are then too fearful to visit their DD at Birmingham University because they think Birmingham is dangerous. “Travel” - which is how they describe going on holiday - has not broadened their minds, they are no less sheltered than the woman in the OP - in fact sometimes the greatest contributor to leading a sheltered life is having loads of cash.

Olives - I said London was different in the past but I think a lot of cities are going the same way. Child friendly, everything pedestrianised so the buses lose space and the journey from outer London to work is now impossible by bus, the pedestrianised bits are just bits to eat endless takeaway shite and people play their music out loud etc.

back in the 1990s the streets were full of happy druggies rather than agressive ones.

I'm not comparing London to the rest of England when I say London has lost charm and has changed a lot. most of my friends do travel a lot, my best friend has to go to New York for work a lot and says it's the same.

historically the world does tend to go through the same things but I suppose globalisation makes it all happen faster.

You also say "This is all wrapped up in the attitude that good old Blighty is somehow superior in every way and we don't need to venture anywhere else or mix with other cultures. Claptrap."

My life is about mixing with different cultures every day. I don't have to go abroad to do that, I just go to mum's!

These threads bring out the worst middle class snobbery in people. All this shocked surprise about people not having the chance to travel or even worse loving the country where they live and enjoying holidays there.

I had a conversation at school the other day where a couple of mums were upset because due to an ill thought out request from school they had to admit they’d never been able to afford to take their kids to the seaside for a day let alone go on holiday. Being sheltered is not understanding this is the reality for more people than you think.

That’s ok my cousin was 56 before she went abroad
In the last three years she’s been to Italy about 4 times, new husband ishalf italian
Canada for 5 days, malta a weekanda week long Norwegian cruise

Oh and there would have been more except they both had big hip operations that didn’t run concurrently....and she’s moved house twice as well!

I travelled extensively in my twenties. When I had kids in my early thirties I didn't have the money or inclination to travel abroad for the best part of a decade.

Had I decided to have children when I was younger i can see how I might have reached my thirties without going abroad.

I think you should remember that not everyone is lucky enough to live in a country that has such easy access to other countries.

I would love to travel. But being situated in the arse end of the globe means that overseas is too expensive for a lot of people. For Australians to go to Bali for a week would be £500 easy. Per person.

Nodnol - I paid quite a bit less than that per per person for our family to fly to Bali from London a couple of years ago.

Mind you, the flights were on a very good special offer and I have not seen any that cheap since (despite me looking regularly)

@MarchionessOfCholmondeley,

It’s insane how expensive it is to fly from here. This airline is on par with easyjet, doesn’t include luggage etc.

www.jetstar.com/au/en/cheap-flights/bali?origin=ADL&destination=DPS&flight-type=2&adult=1&currency=AUD

It’s not an abnormal price structure unfortunately. ☹️

@Kennehora I guess I can see both sides. We didn’t have enough money growing up to travel so as I’ve got older I’ve travelled all over and got a list of places I still want to go to when the kids are bit more grown, I do actually love seeing new countries.

Yet I love GB just as much! So many places that are beautiful or interesting. Lake District, Scottish Islands, Isle of Man, Edinburgh, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight, Northumberland Coast, Malverns, Cornwall, Devon & Somerset. I’ve had amazing holidays and could find places to go for years. I actually think it does is good to take time to appreciate where we live and feel a connection to it, rather than always turn our interest outwards.

Some people just like routine as well and always holiday in the same place (doesn’t mean they’re not interested in finding out about the world!)

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
Actually, all of that is possible in the UK simply by looking beyond the end of your nose and getting out more.
Don't need to spend thousands to achieve it....and i speak as an ethnic person who's lived in the Uk since i was a baby.

Some us go to the exact same place (self catering in cornwall to be precise) because I have suffered mental health issues and would struggle to fly etc anywhere. I'm now disabled too and would struggle even more.

My not travelling is as valid as others to travel. Looking down of others for their differing preferences says more about you than it does about me.

And I haven't forced my preferences on my family, DH has no holiday urges at all, and my son is happily going on international school trips and foreign holidays with friends as I am fully supportive of others having different desires.

Surely being tolerant of others having different preferences is the most important thing anyone can learn and if you haven't learnt that travelling abroad then then surely you may need to rethink things

Not everyone can be expected to have the finance to go and study in another country, take a year here and there to live abroad, relocate and get a job on different continents.

No no no, this is completely ignoring the point of this thread which is about people who don't WANT to go abroad, who have no interest, who say "all" abroad is "meh".

Don't take my words and twist them into class or financial snobbery. It's simply about being open minded or isolationist.

Why so shocking? I've never been abroad simply because I have no desire whatsoever to go to another country. I've been on a plane once and had it not have been to go to a wedding I highly doubt I would have been on a plane by now. I'm 29.

No no no, this is completely ignoring the point of this thread which is about people who don't WANT to go abroad, who have no interest, who say "all" abroad is "meh".

then understand MY point, which is that going abroad for the sake of spending a week in some hotel and come back is pretty pointless too.
It would take anyone more than a few years to explore the UK properly. Have you done it? If not, how can you not even know the country where you live in?

I think that only very narrow-minded people can refuse to understand that their way is not the right way.