Teens with zero desire to travel

[LyricalBoudicca]

Bit concerned that my 2 teens never express a desire to travel ever (NB they go abroad with me frequently but that’s always been down to me). They remind me of my grandparents who hardly ever left the county they grew up in which was probably due to lack of financial means. If I die I can see them perfectly content never to initiate a holiday. Has anyone else got teens like this? Or do mine have an unusual lack of curiosity?

Maybe they never express a desire to go anywhere because you take them abroad frequently anyway?

”Abroad” is literally less foreign to my teens who live in a world of Google Earth, TikTok and so on. When I was their age, we couldn’t even (easily) go to Eastern Europe.

I've travelled a lot, no one else I'm related to is remotely interested. I've done things that I think are amazing but I don't think it's made me a better person than them, they're just into other things.

My son was like this. Never wanted to go away with the rest of us.

Now, ten years later? He's currently making plans to travel to Angola.

It might be nothing to do with phones. I hated going on holiday as a teen and that was decades before mobile phones.

Since then, I've travelled quite a lot, Europe, canada, central and south America but if i'm honest I'd be very happy never going abroad again because travel is such a huge uncomfortable hassle. Also, i get homesick and i think few places are as lovely as the UK countryside.

why? My sibling loves to travel and holiday, I do not. We have both had happy successful lives. Your kids are not you, you are not your kids.

this

I’m 38 and travelling has never interested me

whats the big deal if they don’t wanna travel

I’ve travelled quite a lot in my life, india, Iran, China, Egypt, Morocco etc. I loved my trips and it’s been very enriching, gives me a lot of experiences to reflect back on.

But truthfully, the world has become more complicated in recent years. Covid, war, terrorism. Also if you get sick abroad, it can be extremely stressful not to mention very expensive. I got very sick abroad and it cost thousands out of pocket before the insurance paid out months later. Plus navigating a healthcare system in another language isn’t fun.
The environmental and societal impact of over tourism is vast too.

Travel isn’t the only to expand one’s mind- enriching hobbies, giving back to your community etc all do that too.
Travel is also wildly expensive, I spent absolutely thousands in my 20s and 30s

I don’t see why it’s an issue. I travelled a little as a child but not as an adult, my kids have not been abroad. Eldest is now 22 and would like to travel but probably not in the way OP has been taking her kids on holidays.

As a family the idea of going in an all inclusive holiday or any kind of holiday that involves lying in sun loungers or staying in a big hotel/complex fills us with dread. We would like to experience more culture, visits historic places and experience wild life from other countries but it’s not something we can afford and as an autistic family (all 3 of us) it makes travelling overseas even harder. We have seen many places in the uk, we went up to Scotland last year, wales the year before and enjoy doing this.

Of course it’s great to travel and see other places but I don’t think it’s the most important thing and not essential to making peoples lives complete.

This thread feels like progress

I've been on this site for far too long 😂 and I remember saying that I don't really travel and lots of people got very cross with me! Like I was committing some sort of sin.

I have travelled a bit, (more than a bit if you can't work, which I don't ) but I suspect the ones who think it has amazing essential mysterious "understanding other cultures" value wouldn't think much of where I travelled. I've always felt there was an inherent snobbery people who think travel is "essential".

I don't think all holidays need to expand to the mind and provide special learning experiences. Sounds very Sixties, precious, patronising and middle class.

What happening to just going on holiday to get some good weather and have some fun? Is this no longer allowed?

I am not one of life's travellers. Am quite happy to be at home. DD travels as much as possible, with multiple trips abroad each year. DS travels for work regularly in this country, but isn't too fussed about holidays, although he does like going away with his mates when the opportunity arises. These days it's generally for stag weekends or weddings.

This is definitely me!

I hate travelling. I have to do it for work sometimes and dread it. People always talking about going to see the sights. I usually drag myself to said sights, stand there, go back to the hotel. I have literally no interest or desire to see these things.

We couldn’t afford holidays growing up but I would have found going away with my parents so dull

The drinking cava with the locals post made me bring. How patronising/snobby

I totally get where your teens are coming from. I have been abroad once in my life for three days (I’m in my 50s). When I was a child, I didn’t know anyone who went abroad.

I am educated and curious and always learning. However I don’t prioritise rinsing 100s of pounds for the sake of a couple of weeks. I haven’t been on holiday (or more than one night away from home) since I was a kid.

MN is weirdly snobby about travel. Going abroad doesn’t make you more educated. It gives you a particular experience. There are other ways to expand the mind. It’s okay not to do it. I have never flown and never will.

You have taken them abroad and they may choose to do it in the future. It just isn’t something they are bothered about at the moment.

Yes ‘forcing a foreign trip’ - that makes sense if you want to ensure they never go again

My teens are 16 and 19 , neither seem to express much interest in travelling but certainly the older one wouldnt be able to afford to anyway. Of all the things I worry about for them, this hasn't really been an issue

Good for them I think.

I love that today’s youth don’t conform like my generation did.

I only read the first twenty messages or so, but there was already people sneering that only those with a lack of intelligence don’t travel. This type of reaction rendered my generation doing do many things they didn’t really want to do, it was just the norm.

these are the people the youth are saying fuck off to, I’ll do what I want.

good for them.

Perhaps they are more aware of the environmental impact of leisure travel given the climate change crisis.

Out of all my young adult children’s friends only 1 of each other their friends want to travel. Ones been all over Europe and another has been to Australia and Europe.

neither of my children want to travel, both enjoy holidays but don’t feel the need to travel.

dh didn’t go abroad until he was 25, his parents lived to 70 and neither had been abroad. Some people are just content with the lives they have .

It really does.

I wouldn’t be overly concerned with their lack of interest in travel. As others have said it may be connected to the fact that travel holds no novelty to them. I love travel but I don’t think its a moral obligation.

I would worry more about a general lack of intellectual curiosity though. No need to hanker to walk the old silk route but if they can’t be arsed leaving the house that’s quite lame.

Do they like visiting places in the UK?

Could this just be the usual generational norm of emerging adults seeing stuff that "old people" do as inevitably being uncool?