Do You Really Like to Travel?

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athena53 my SIL packed his bags with cellophane-wrapped peanut butter and cheese crackers and candy to keep him going.

That's just sad.

But I believe it.
I'll never forget the time a gummint worker came to Brazil as part of an inspection team. It was her first time out of the US and she was terrified of contracting some dread tropical disease (although they never left the central part of Rio de Janeiro).

She brought two huge suitcases full of bottles of Perrier because someone told her "Don't drink the water." The Perrier was used for everything and she never turned on the tap in her hotel room.

[Amethyst]

From the perspective of living in the UK for 3 years and taking trips to the continent, this article is incomprehensible. It's like the author made it all up. Hotel rooms were small but comfortable. Food was great. People were people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elbata Found this interesting. Wonder what most international travelers think about this: https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/american-comfort/

[kcowan]

Since retirement and the passing of our fur babies, we find travel very relaxing. We always leave some times to soak up the culture. The need to get home is very low.

Airbnb makes travel much more flexible.

[jonat]

Regarding McDonalds and KFC overseas - locals do eat there, just as we go to Chinese, Italian restaurants, etc. McDonalds, in particular, often has regional variants that would seem strange to Americans. I once went to a McDonalds in Tokyo for the novelty - it was full of Japanese folk and very different from a US store. The Japanese also love KFC and it is a popular place for Christmas dinner.

I have no problem with locals eating at such places - it's the Americans who won't eat anywhere else while in another country that I don't understand.

[sengsational]

Quote:

Originally Posted by candrew Anyone who drags around his/her expectations of receiving an American sort of comfort/service level when traveling through or living in other countries around the world is not only naive, but in for a rude awakening.

Yeah, as my dad used to day "if you want all the comforts of home, you better just stay home."

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sengsational Yeah, as my dad used to day "if you want all the comforts of home, you better just stay home."

But..but...we don't have any comforts in our home.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 I haven't looked to see if customers going in look like they are from North America, or from Europe or tourists from other countries such as Asia or whatever.

This past Spring when we were in Vienna, we went to McDonalds for lunch, because it was quick.
It was FULL of local's , I used the automated ordering kiosk as it has multiple languages.
We talked to a local fellow all dressed up for a later event.

It had a slick McCafe upstairs, where they sold cakes, etc, so of course we had to had some with coffee (which is served not like the coffee here, more like Starbucks).

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset This past Spring when we were in Vienna, we went to McDonalds for lunch, because it was quick. It was FULL of local's , I used the automated ordering kiosk as it has multiple languages. We talked to a local fellow all dressed up for a later event. It had a slick McCafe upstairs, where they sold cakes, etc, so of course we had to had some with coffee (which is served not like the coffee here, more like Starbucks).

Thatnks - I was particularly curious about the one I saw in Vienna.

[brett]

The two nicest (so far) MacDonalds that we have been in.....

Porto, Portugal. Historic Building, fabulous stained glass.

Toledo, Spain. Great patio in the centre of the old town. Perfect place to use the restroom or grab a cold beer and watch the world go by.

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonat McDonalds, in particular, often has regional variants that would seem strange to Americans. I once went to a McDonalds in Tokyo for the novelty - it was full of Japanese folk and very different from a US store. The Japanese also love KFC and it is a popular place for Christmas dinner. I have no problem with locals eating at such places - it's the Americans who won't eat anywhere else while in another country that I don't understand.

Yeah, I've had Chicken McTikka at a McDonald's in Delhi!

McD's has also proven to be a good place to get coffee early in the AM, before many locally-owned places open. I really appreciated the ones in Budapest and St. Petersburg for that reason.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamboolman No for international God willing in a couple of years, when we come home to Texas after retiring - we will never get another stamp in our passports again.

I wish you good luck and that time there will go by quickly. I understand your frustration after my many years in oil & gas work all over the damn place. And in Nigeria, where I think you are, that is without a doubt, the cesspool of the world.

Also for me, no new stamps in my passport going forward, and my passport expired last year and is not being renewed. I'm all about continuing to visit places the great country we live in and I have already been in every state, some many times.

[foxfirev5]

After retiring last year I'm just getting back into the travel mode. International is out as I celebrated the expiration of my passport. After full time travelling for decades it's a slow process. I'm not sure what category of the OP's post I fit into.
Part of it is utilitarian in that we fit in visit's with family and others of interest while visiting our favorite places.

I'm even giving in to DW's suggestion regarding a return to air travel. Pounding out the miles on road trips still hasn't regained any appeal. Dealing w/ TSA isn't any worse than the idiots you encounter along the road. Plus you get there faster at less cost.

The accommodations however must be top notch. Four star or above and I still must be able to walk to the nearest Piggly Wiggly and dive bars.

My travel criteria may and certainly will change as this ER adventure matures.

[flyingaway]

Arrived at the Athens airport at 1:00am for our flight back to Chicago at 5:00am, 24 hour open McDonald's was a life saver.

[brett]

We typically go into a MacDonalds restaurant, at home or away for one of two reasons. Either to buy a coffee and orange juice, or to use the restroom.

I really think the challenge for some travelers is that for a very unexplained reason they think that the food and customs from their home should be available in other parts of the world. Not only that, they seem to look askance at those places and cultures that do things differently whether it be food, hotels, whatever. Very strange. Those are the people who should simply stay at home.

We meet people like that from time to time when traveling. They are typically not very happy, very critical of everything, and the world's biggest complainers. So we avoid them whenever possible.

[audreyh1]

To me one of the joys of traveling overseas is that the food and lodging and customs are different. I find it refreshing and interesting.

I actually find most restaurants and lodging in the US quite boring - especially on road trips. It's been a while since I've lived in a US city with a wide variety of ethnic eateries or other interesting eateries to choose from.

And shopping malls and strips, grocery stores, and lodging seem very homogeneous across the US.

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett We meet people like that from time to time when traveling. They are typically not very happy, very critical of everything, and the world's biggest complainers. So we avoid them whenever possible.

On my most recent trip I flew from Iceland to a little subsistence hunting/fishing village in Greenland for a one-day tour. I'd eaten a light breakfast and the little downtown airport (RKV, not KEF) had nothing but candy and chips for sale. No food on the 80-minute flight. Same offerings at KUS (Kulusuk). I passed- empty calories don't do it for me and I did have a couple of Costco protein bars. By lunch time, after scrambling up and down a few hills and glaciers, I was famished. We stopped at a small grocery store that was mostly for the locals- very little ready-to-eat food. I found a can of tuna imported from Thailand (with a pull tab) and a loaf of fresh bread. The price was in Danish Kroner and since my SIM card didn't work in Greenland and there was no Wi-Fi, my FX app was useless. It turned out to be about $9.50. One of the best meals on my trip mostly because I was famished and it really hit the spot.

I can see how a complainer could turn that into a real tale of woe, but it was a beautiful day in Greenland. That day was one of the highlights of my trip.

[brett]

audreyh1...could not agree with you more.

Most especially the restaurants!

[Souschef]

My sister's comment about Oceania Cruise Lines was she did not like Jacques Pepin style food. I flat out said to her, you do not know what good food is"
My dear BIL has to find a burger king for her any time they were in Europe!

[Marita40]

There were two Mc Donald's in central Rome when I lived there. Both were jam packed with locals--kids, mainly. One had one of the best addresses in town, directly across from the Pantheon (that one has now closed). They came in handy for bathroom stops.

A Starbucks opened awhile back on the main tourist street, Kartnerstrasse, in Vienna. It has some of the comfiest seating areas in front of big glass windows for people watching. It also had reliable wifi before many places did. I'll confess that I spent some relaxing time there! Prices sure beat the expensive Viennese traditional coffee shops, you don't have the haughty waiters, and you get a big American cup. Sometimes you need comfort and convienence when you are abroad. It can be exhausting otherwise.

[audreyh1]

Are you saying there is no comfort and convenience abroad if you can't find a US chain establishment?