janisj

elberko:

That is what I was thinking -

tom_mn

outwest: Canada is another universe altogether when it comes to travel culture.

Decided for now to be coy and just say that we don't have any plans yet.

As to the extra person in a hotel room topic link which is occassionally reposted, it doesn't embarrass me in the least (is it supposed to?). Other posters in it were hysterical and ridiculous, although it has now been heavily edited. And in the end we got 2 rooms or rental lodging anyway, and yes, partly because of suggestions written in it.

Dukey1

To the OP: do you think anybody at your workplace actually CARES about whether you travel or not?

annhig

Generally I find that people expect odd things from me and are not confused when I satisfy their expectations.>>

lol, bilbo, the great British eccentric is alive and well and living in Fodorville. [or should that be Yorkshire?]

needmorevacation

People often ask where I am going. I typically go to far-flung places, whereas many of my coworkers stay in-state or in the US. I don't bring it up, but if they ask, I answer truthfully. I don't go into details, unless asked.

There are some misconceptions around cost, which I try and stop. Someone asked what airline I took to India- Emirates. "Oh WOW you really went all out" "No, they were the cheapest option, also the most direct"

Many of my coworkers are married with young kids. I am single. Whenever they get rude (which some do!) about how much my vacation "must" have cost, I politely say "I don't have to pay for school/camp/whatever for my kids yet, so I'm taking advantage while I can!" This usually keeps them quiet, they just don't know I never plan on having kids, because I love traveling too much!

I don't know how much debt anyone at my office has though. Some people have mentioned that they HAVE student loans, but no figures/timelines, how odd. I don't know why anyone with debt would be going on an $8k week vacation.

mokka4

Yes, I 'have' hidden a vacation from co-workers (but only when I traveled to Europe to recover from surgery). LOL. True.

tom_mn

I should have clarified that the $8000 vacation is just a once in a lifetime deal, then maybe pay it off over the next several years, not a recurring thing.

I know the amounts of my manager's 3 monthly mortgage payments (primary, second, & third mortgage) which I guess is quite abnormal. Never really thought about that way.

Dukey: Petty sniping is a big part of the workplace, have you been luckier than me? Many people here are monitoring coworkers activities, esp fancy cars or vacations.

tom_mn

Also have answered the phone at work and it's been collection agencies calling for someone.

trvlgirlmq

Here's a good one for you! Youngest DS (12) was sad-faced and mopey last week. I asked him if he needed to talk about anything and he said he felt weird because we didn't go to the beach every year for vacation. All his friends head to Florida for a week in the summer and just go to the beach and he wanted to be "normal" like them. He says he is a freak because we go to Europe or on a cruise. I was stumped for a moment for sure. Then I asked if he enjoyed Europe and the experiences he has been fortunate to have. A tentative yes but he still wanted to be like his friends. I asked if he would rather stay home because I was going to Europe but if he didn't want to he was welcome to stay with his aunt. He can't sleep well there and was horrified that I would leave my child at home (his words) so he said he would just go. So, off to Europe next year we will be

KTtravel

I don't always mention our vacation plans to coworkers and friends because some of them just don't understand our priorities or do express some jealousy. We have been fortunate to have had steady employment and good health and have (mostly) made good investments. We don't have fancy cars or designer clothes. Rather than buy Christmas or birthday gifts for each other, we put the money into our travel fund. We don't use our vacation time in small amounts but save up the hours so we can take two or three weeks at a time.

tom_mn, I also used to have a coworker that collection agencies were always calling. He'd always ask us to say he wasn't there, which was awkward.

I wouldn't recommend lying about my plans but wouldn't advertise them, either.