suze

Tiff- I don't disagree though I am not a hiking, kayaking, biking, golfing sort of person myself. It IS nice to be in a city that is outgoing, outdoorsy, active, engaged.

I'm happy to be able to do my grocery shopping on foot a couple blocks from my house, shop at the Pike Place Market on a regular basis (near my office), go to free performances in the summer of Shakespeare in the Park, like that.

GoTravel

No, I don't.

For one thing, I eat really healthy, spend a lot of time outdoors, and I excercise regularly.

I'm also very active. I play golf and tennis at least once a week in addition to training for a marathon.

I live on the beach so I spend a lot of time outdoors.

I also take advantage of local festivals and culture that are geared to both locals and tourists.

I also spend a lot of time on the water as my husband and I are avid boaters.

ilovetotravel29

It has happened to me yet again...

On my last vacation, I wasn't able to really relax and do any deep thinking or journaling or pondering of my life as I had wanted to....perhaps I was too busy running around, or too fatigued in general.

And now that I am back at the daily grind, I am "travelsick" for the place I visited not long ago....ugh....

frenchtoile

I always come home and try to downsize or make home life simple.

For instance we are spoiled with the size of our houses when compared to say a person that lives nicely in England.

I always feel like I have too much.

I'll clean out closets and try to keep things less cluttered. I also try to use less water say when brushing my teeth or taking a shower now that I've been to a third world country where fresh water to drink is nonexistent.

I too try to eat healthier. But it never lasts forever. Life is different from vacation.

magicvoice

I just got back from Switzerland and Germany 2 days ago and I miss the Autobahn already. If people drove the way they do in L.A. in Germany, the "S" would hit the fan! I LOVE that they keep things moving along over in Europe and yet also have an overall more relaxed society. Maybe they're more relaxed because they don't have to sit in 2 hour traffic jams on the 405!

Stephanie

Gotravel basically hit it right. Most Americans have alot of different festivals/events around their areas (within 2 hours of where they live) and never go. They wait for that 1-3 x a year to actually enjoy something new instead of every month.

JJ5

Where I live is difficult weather-wise and density-wise to do a lot of the more physical and relaxing (as you would in a mid size European town). But I have always made it a point to go and see the 100s of "special" weekends or parks or whatever within about 80 miles of where I live.

That is what I do not see my neighbors do at all. They only go to cities 500 miles or more away on vacation, or a beach- but have never seen the beaches or woods, or lakes, or rivers with TONS of physical activities that exist within a 2 hour drive.

Now I wish I had EVERY weekend or time off to do just that- and try to encourage those young people I see every day to get out there. NOT to stay home and watch TV or movies on a weekend. That's not good for your lifestyle. Physical activity does not just happen in a spa, gym, or health club.