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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Am I that unusual?

420 replies

Greysparkles · 22/02/2020 18:26

To have never had a passport and never travelled to another country?

Was talking about holidays with friends recently, and got talking about airports etc and i mentioned I'd no idea what they were on about as I've never flown.
Well the looks I got! Like I'd grown an extra head!
Is it that unusual?! Am I the only one?! Grin

OP posts:
WalkingDeadTrainee · 22/02/2020 18:59

@ThatFriendsReunion before I had a car it was cheaper to fly to Italy for a weekend then go to Bath by train from where I am. Also faster...

TorkTorkBam · 22/02/2020 19:02

Yes it is unusual, especially given that a cheap holiday in a sunny place is often way cheaper than you'd get in the UK. If you can afford holidays but never go abroad it seems kind of odd.

sendhelpppppp · 22/02/2020 19:04

the sad thing is, it's now cheaper to go on a package holiday in a cheap foreign resorts than it is to holiday in the UK

Utter rubbish.

I think it is quite unusual op. My dads never been abroad though actually so maybe its not!

Gonetharnagain · 22/02/2020 19:04

I'm late 40s and have never been abroad or had a passport. People do go on and on about it when I've mentioned it but I'm really not bothered. I hate the sun!

Veterinari · 22/02/2020 19:05

There are so many incredible things to experience in the world:
Sights
Sounds
Smells (not always good!)
Culture
Language
Natural viewpoints
Man made wonders

Are you genuinely totally incurious?

Veterinari · 22/02/2020 19:06

i hate the sun

Not all 'abroad' is sunny Confused

DiseasesOfTheSheep · 22/02/2020 19:07

I find it a bit odd that people do treat "traveling" (which is usually just going on holiday anyway) as something of which to be proud. I have been abroad a fair bit, and there's no doubt there are fabulous things out there in the world, but there are also some wonderful places in Britain and a great deal to see. I think people sometimes underestimate the beauty and history on their own doorstep. Either way, I don't think it's reflective of the calibre of the person whether they travel or not.

Like a pp, I'm pretty lucky to have lived in some lovely parts of Britain - the sort of places from which you don't need a holiday.

lostinleaves · 22/02/2020 19:07

It's very odd. Hating the sun isn't a reason either PP. not everywhere is hot and sunny.

MilkTrayLimeBarrel · 22/02/2020 19:07

Yes, it is very unusual. I have been going abroad since I was 8 and have been away at least once every year since (I am now old!). I have never wanted to go on holiday in this country as you get the same old pubs, supermarkets, language, customs, etc. I always want to see different places and experience the food, culture, different shopping and so on. But each to their own!!

Brazi103 · 22/02/2020 19:07

I would say it is unusual and feel sad for you.

WalkingDeadTrainee · 22/02/2020 19:07

I hate the sun!

Certain parts of Norway and Findland could interest you between November and January or FebruaryGrin

BowermansNose · 22/02/2020 19:08

I would consider it unusual (as in outside the norm, rather than weird or suspect). I know a few people like this

CarolinaPink · 22/02/2020 19:08

Utter rubbish.

I don't think it's rubbish. It's very expensive to holiday over here.

BowermansNose · 22/02/2020 19:09

I have never wanted to go on holiday in this country as you get the same old pubs, supermarkets, language, customs, etc.

This is also unusual

SewItGoes · 22/02/2020 19:10

International travel isn't for everyone. Even though I could afford to, I'd generally rather not. There's nothing wrong with not having an interest in travel, and not travelling doesn't mean you're some sort of close-minded xenophobe.

My husband is from another country, and we've travelled to his homeland together a few times. I enjoy parts of those trips, but honestly, it's quite expensive, I don't enjoy the journey to and from (and always seem to catch a cold, which spoils things somewhat), and I'd happily never set foot on an airplane again for as long as I live.

KatharinaRosalie · 22/02/2020 19:10

I don't think I know a single person like that. Personally I can't fathom how someone could have no interest whatsoever in seeing other countries and cultures. Don't you think you're missing out?

ArriettyJones · 22/02/2020 19:11

You had your children young so will probably travel more once they’re older. Makes sense. I wouldn’t worry about how average it is.

DiseasesOfTheSheep · 22/02/2020 19:11

Are you genuinely totally incurious?

That's a bit harsh. There's loads of fabulous things to be curious about in the UK.

I also dispute the poster above who thinks that all of the UK is some kind of homogeneous mess of the same pubs and customs - I find that astoundingly ignorant tbh.

Annoyed94 · 22/02/2020 19:13

My husband has never had a passport or been abroad and he is 30...

I find it mad!

WinterCat · 22/02/2020 19:13

I think to be mid 30s in the UK it’s unusual. Even if you don’t go abroad, I think lots of people have passports for ID.

Even if I didn’t go on holiday, I’d still need to travel for work. I can’t think of any of my friends who don’t have passports and travel frequently. However, if you feel happy where you are, that’s the important thing.

Waitingfordennis · 22/02/2020 19:14

I'm late 40s and have never been abroad or had a passport. People do go on and on about it when I've mentioned it but I'm really not bothered. I hate the sun!

Do you really think absolutely everywhere outside of the UK is sunny and hot?! 😧

Reginabambina · 22/02/2020 19:17

I don’t think I know anyone who has never been abroad. It’s possible that I’ve met some children who haven’t but even then all of the children I know well enough to know their travel history have been abroad mostly within the first two years of life.

SlightlyJaded · 22/02/2020 19:19

OK - ready to be flamed, but yes, I find it unusual and quite strange.

I cannot imagine never wanting to see another country or experience a different culture. This isn't a money/snobbery/travel boast, it genuinely blows my mind that you could get to that age and not have wanted to experience any kind of foreign travel.

I am possibly too far the other way - holidays and travel are a priorty when it comes to budgeting - and I appreciate this isn't the same for everyone, but the notion that t there is nothing the rest of the world has to offer that doesn't appeal enough to persuade you to leave the UK for a few days, is very alien to me.

PorpentinaScamander · 22/02/2020 19:19

I haven't been abroad since 2003 and dont have a valid passport anymore. Whenever it comes up in conversation I get the weirdest looks. Someone even suggested once that I should get a passport for 'emergencies' Confused

UnaCorda · 22/02/2020 19:20

I find it a bit odd that people do treat "traveling" (which is usually just going on holiday anyway) as something of which to be proud.

I'm not "proud" of a fortnight's package holiday Greece, but I am quite proud of organising a mini-sabbatical and spending several months at a language school, or fundraising several thousand pounds to go trekking in the Himalayas, or taking part in a charity project in rural West Africa, or going on my own to less touristy destinations where I don't speak the language. All of those things were outside my comfort zone, and trips like that require you to be a bit more enterprising and adventurous than caravanning for a week in Bognor Regis.