There was a thread not too long ago about traveling when getting older but I can't find it.

Where to find it?

How do you get a 👎 for asking a question ... GG ???

Well it has its benefits, speedy immigration, lots of OAP discounts on travel, hotels and eateries but to name a few

26 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

By enjoying my life and creating statistics and fact finding accomplishments , something sadly you never do.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the running joke of the forum. GG and his/her statistics and fact finding missions. Keep enjoying your life, Sir, you deserve yourself.

You should do your travelling early in life - see the world with young eyes.

Those experiences , both good and bad, become part of what and who you are .

Wasting your best years at some mind-numbing job and looking forward to travel and "really living" after you retire is beyond self-delusion.

1 hour ago, georgegeorgia said:

By enjoying my life and creating statistics and fact finding accomplishments , something sadly you never do.

I must have missed that happy, positive post you made. All I imagine, when reading your threads while your at Patts, is 'misery walking'.

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I must have missed that happy, positive post you made.

Several replies have mysteriously disappeared from this thread with no explanation. Big Brother must be watching.

22 hours ago, KhunLA said:

How do you get a 👎 for asking a question ... GG ???

No spine, no dignity

Poor people, can just imagine how their life is

36 minutes ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

Several replies have mysteriously disappeared from this thread with no explanation. Big Brother must be watching.

This is a strange thread, matrix must have come in its way

23 hours ago, MisterTee said:

You should do your travelling early in life - see the world with young eyes.

Those experiences , both good and bad, become part of what and who you are .

Wasting your best years at some mind-numbing job and looking forward to travel and "really living" after you retire is beyond self-delusion.

That just about sums up a syndrome often seen in Thailand.

Most farangs come here too late in life.

Too late to master the language and attain some degree of literacy.

Too late to attract anything better than a mercenary woman and become a cash cow for her greedy relatives.

Thais take care of their own, and that would include a farang who has lived among them for many years as a husband and father.

Family means everything here.

Your position in the family defines who you are.

Without one, you are nobody - farang tao-nahn eng.

12 minutes ago, DeaconJohn said:

That just about sums up a syndrome often seen in Thailand.

Most farangs come here too late in life.

Too late to master the language and attain some degree of literacy.

Too late to attract anything better than a mercenary woman and become a cash cow for her greedy relatives.

Thais take care of their own, and that would include a farang who has lived among them for many years as a husband and father.

Family means everything here.

Your position in the family defines who you are.

Without one, you are nobody - farang tao-nahn eng.

This is a topic from the Stickman site, which explains things a little of the importance of a husband here, an excerpt and the whole article is interesting..........

3) The role of a husband. This section is based on my observations, and my discussion with former girlfriends and Thai female friends over the past 20 years; (note that some Thai women will occasionally change the order for the benefit of
the potential or actual spouse).

The order of importance of individuals in the life of a married Thai female seems to be: a) children, b) her parents, c) extended family/maybe husband, d) the neighbors, etc.; note I would be, at best, third on the list. Secrets are also
important; keeping them from me is annoying. I think the general tendency about secrets is: (correct me if I am wrong here Stick as I last discussed this issue ten years ago with a very close Thai female friend, in which case this would be a change
among current Thai women aged 20-30) that while the Western male tends to see their spouse as someone whom they can both trust (control) with most household matters, they are also someone with whom you can discuss issues in confidence, and share
secrets. That is NOT the case in the traditional Thai family.

The average Thai woman will tell her closest girlfriends many more secrets than she will tell her husband. Why? Well simply, her husband is not her top priority in life, she controls the household budget and related matters, is equally, or
more, attentive to her parents than her husband, whom she may or may not love, and she has not married her ‘best friend’. The wife’s best friend(s) are her school chums, her mates, or those whom she knew from the neighborhood
she grew up in. Each of these groups has a greater chance of finding out her secrets than her husband. Furthermore (as Stickman has admirably noted in his web posts) Thai women have many secrets that they will not share with anyone else. Compare
this to the European tradition; my parents always shared everything. There were NO secrets, of that I am absolutely certain; same for my sister and my extended family. It is counter to the NW European (Calvinist?) tradition that I grew up in,
that spouses have secrets.

Now, as the husband of a Thai woman, some suggest that I am supposed to do several things. Provide a dowry, provide for her, provide for her family, produce children, and provide for her parents. Well, how about my cultural background, doesn’t
it matter? (more about this later).

I think that one of Stick’s earliest submissions stated this issue quite well. In his submission, the fellow’s problem with the girlfriend was that she saw him as not a particularly important priority. Apparently I am only there
to produce offspring and to support her, the offspring, and the family of the person who gave birth to her. Sorry but this is a real problem for me, leaving the Thai cultural issues aside for the moment, but to which I will return later.

To be a bit direct, as a husband in the SE Asian tradition, I am apparently there only as a sperm donor and financial support. My job is to provide genetic material and a dowry to the wife’s family (which in the Thai tradition is really
supposed to be returned to the wife, as a means of support in case of divorce – got that guys? I’ve lived throughout most of Thailand, except the south, and NONE of the families I discussed the dowry issue with have intimated otherwise.
In the past 20+ years(?), however, there seems to be a growing knowledge among poor, especially NE Thai, families of how ‘ignorant’ farang are willing to pay exorbitant dowries for their daughters and maintenance to the in-laws (Shame
on them and you desperate idiots who pay this ridiculous type of extortion!).

Thais know when the family is really in need, and then it is ALL the kids of the parents that chip in to help, not just the richest siblings! This issue varies somewhat, by region and income level, but that is the main idea. In short, if
your potential in-laws, are asking for a dowry that they aren’t going to return to the wife, then they are nothing short of greedy gold-diggers.......

I would think many are in this order..................1) Money and things 2) Parents later in life 3) Children or friends (after children hit age 5 it's everything else 4) Husband 5) Everything else.

This is all dependent on if the girl had a present father and who treated her well as she grew up. If she did, her husband might take over spot 3, or 2 if no children. If not, the former is more relative.......https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/readers-submissions/2005/07/why-i-never-married-a-thai/

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

This is a topic from the Stickman site, which explains things a little of the importance of a husband here, an excerpt and the whole article is interesting..........

3) The role of a husband. This section is based on my observations, and my discussion with former girlfriends and Thai female friends over the past 20 years; (note that some Thai women will occasionally change the order for the benefit of
the potential or actual spouse).

The order of importance of individuals in the life of a married Thai female seems to be: a) children, b) her parents, c) extended family/maybe husband, d) the neighbors, etc.; note I would be, at best, third on the list. Secrets are also
important; keeping them from me is annoying. I think the general tendency about secrets is: (correct me if I am wrong here Stick as I last discussed this issue ten years ago with a very close Thai female friend, in which case this would be a change
among current Thai women aged 20-30) that while the Western male tends to see their spouse as someone whom they can both trust (control) with most household matters, they are also someone with whom you can discuss issues in confidence, and share
secrets. That is NOT the case in the traditional Thai family.

The average Thai woman will tell her closest girlfriends many more secrets than she will tell her husband. Why? Well simply, her husband is not her top priority in life, she controls the household budget and related matters, is equally, or
more, attentive to her parents than her husband, whom she may or may not love, and she has not married her ‘best friend’. The wife’s best friend(s) are her school chums, her mates, or those whom she knew from the neighborhood
she grew up in. Each of these groups has a greater chance of finding out her secrets than her husband. Furthermore (as Stickman has admirably noted in his web posts) Thai women have many secrets that they will not share with anyone else. Compare
this to the European tradition; my parents always shared everything. There were NO secrets, of that I am absolutely certain; same for my sister and my extended family. It is counter to the NW European (Calvinist?) tradition that I grew up in,
that spouses have secrets.

Now, as the husband of a Thai woman, some suggest that I am supposed to do several things. Provide a dowry, provide for her, provide for her family, produce children, and provide for her parents. Well, how about my cultural background, doesn’t
it matter? (more about this later).

I think that one of Stick’s earliest submissions stated this issue quite well. In his submission, the fellow’s problem with the girlfriend was that she saw him as not a particularly important priority. Apparently I am only there
to produce offspring and to support her, the offspring, and the family of the person who gave birth to her. Sorry but this is a real problem for me, leaving the Thai cultural issues aside for the moment, but to which I will return later.

To be a bit direct, as a husband in the SE Asian tradition, I am apparently there only as a sperm donor and financial support. My job is to provide genetic material and a dowry to the wife’s family (which in the Thai tradition is really
supposed to be returned to the wife, as a means of support in case of divorce – got that guys? I’ve lived throughout most of Thailand, except the south, and NONE of the families I discussed the dowry issue with have intimated otherwise.
In the past 20+ years(?), however, there seems to be a growing knowledge among poor, especially NE Thai, families of how ‘ignorant’ farang are willing to pay exorbitant dowries for their daughters and maintenance to the in-laws (Shame
on them and you desperate idiots who pay this ridiculous type of extortion!).

Thais know when the family is really in need, and then it is ALL the kids of the parents that chip in to help, not just the richest siblings! This issue varies somewhat, by region and income level, but that is the main idea. In short, if
your potential in-laws, are asking for a dowry that they aren’t going to return to the wife, then they are nothing short of greedy gold-diggers.......

I would think many are in this order..................1) Money and things 2) Parents later in life 3) Children or friends (after children hit age 5 it's everything else 4) Husband 5) Everything else.

This is all dependent on if the girl had a present father and who treated her well as she grew up. If she did, her husband might take over spot 3, or 2 if no children. If not, the former is more relative.......https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/readers-submissions/2005/07/why-i-never-married-a-thai/

You claim that men experience being treated as a lower priority than children, parents, friends, and wider family, while still being expected to provide money, support relatives, and accept a lack of openness. In that view, the husband can end up feeling more like a provider than an equal partner, and in some cases feel emotionally sidelined, financially pressured, and never fully trusted.

But even if this Stickman piece lines up with and backs your own experiences, it is still generalized bull pie. Personal experience can explain why you feel that way, but it does not justify turning millions of women and relationships into one stereotype.

Stickman comes out of the bar-lady world, and much of his audience came from men who were in that scene far deeper than they understood themselves. Sorry for the sarcasm, but I do genuinely feel sorry for those who never experienced real respect in Thailand. I do not mean the fake, over-the-top performance every time I arrive, wake up, or hand over money. I mean real mutual respect, where everyone understands that we depend on each other and cooperate to get through the day, the work, and life itself.

7 minutes ago, Hummin said:

You claim that men experience being treated as a lower priority than children, parents, friends, and wider family, while still being expected to provide money, support relatives, and accept a lack of openness. In that view, the husband can end up feeling more like a provider than an equal partner, and in some cases feel emotionally sidelined, financially pressured, and never fully trusted.

But even if this Stickman piece lines up with and backs your own experiences, it is still generalized bull pie. Personal experience can explain why you feel that way, but it does not justify turning millions of women and relationships into one stereotype.

Stickman comes out of the bar-lady world, and much of his audience came from men who were in that scene far deeper than they understood themselves. Sorry for the sarcasm, but I do genuinely feel sorry for those who never experienced real respect in Thailand. I do not mean the fake, over-the-top performance every time I arrive, wake up, or hand over money. I mean real mutual respect, where everyone understands that we depend on each other and cooperate to get through the day, the work, and life itself.

I read that before I ever moved here, and talked with many foreigners who feel the same way about their partners here. They're generally happy, but aren't blind to what is reality. The husbands aren't in front of the friends. Just the family and what they really want, which are things. Less independence means more greed and unrealistic expectations, which happens daily here with thousands. People have been saying this for decades all over SE Asia.

There aren't millions of foreign-Thai relationships in Thailand. Thousands yes.

This piece wasn't Stickman writing but a poster on his site, and Stickman believes this was one of the most accurate pieces he's seen.

True there are relationships that last, as I mentioned, the few where a Thai woman actually had a good father and learned what it's like to be loved. A small percentage. The longer these relationships go on, the closer the couple gets, the more her extended family either passes away or isn't around to extort money, and many move away from the family just for this reason. This is also a major reason foreigners move back to their home countries, to get away from this extortion and to have a better life , not only for them but any children made.

If you look at this outside the box, it's like the relationship men and women had before the 70's in the west. Men worked, women stayed home and took care of the house and kids, which isn't a bad thing but harder these days because of the expenses. There was less greed there also. Here, many Thais marry foreigners to show off what they have, seeing real friends are just there to brag what they have to. I've not only seen but heard about this from Thais and foreigners and Thais back home. If you knew the real truth about all foreigners living here, it would surprise you. Of course most won't admit it, as they're satisfied with having a younger woman and have enough money to keep them around.

Nothing to do with me as I found out what I had soon after I moved here, and have been planning to leave since, and it's close as my daughter needs to be involved in a 100% English taught school so she can have a better future than she would ever have here.

9 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I read that before I ever moved here, and talked with many foreigners who feel the same way about their partners here. They're generally happy, but aren't blind to what is reality. The husbands aren't in front of the friends. Just the family and what they really want, which are things. Less independence means more greed and unrealistic expectations, which happens daily here with thousands. People have been saying this for decades all over SE Asia.

There aren't millions of foreign-Thai relationships in Thailand. Thousands yes.

This piece wasn't Stickman writing but a poster on his site, and Stickman believes this was one of the most accurate pieces he's seen.

True there are relationships that last, as I mentioned, the few where a Thai woman actually had a good father and learned what it's like to be loved. A small percentage. The longer these relationships go on, the closer the couple gets, the more her extended family either passes away or isn't around to extort money, and many move away from the family just for this reason. This is also a major reason foreigners move back to their home countries, to get away from this extortion and to have a better life , not only for them but any children made.

If you look at this outside the box, it's like the relationship men and women had before the 70's in the west. Men worked, women stayed home and took care of the house and kids, which isn't a bad thing but harder these days because of the expenses. There was less greed there also. Here, many Thais marry foreigners to show off what they have, seeing real friends are just there to brag what they have to. I've not only seen but heard about this from Thais and foreigners and Thais back home. If you knew the real truth about all foreigners living here, it would surprise you. Of course most won't admit it, as they're satisfied with having a younger woman and have enough money to keep them around.

Nothing to do with me as I found out what I had soon after I moved here, and have been planning to leave since, and it's close as my daughter needs to be involved in a 100% English taught school so she can have a better future than she would ever have here.

What you forget is that many Thais and foreigners work together for a better future by doing small things that improve a family’s finances without waste, without showing off, and without becoming too dependent on one person or another.

You come across as very single-minded on this issue. People who have their heads in the bar environment do not see the whole picture. Cultural expectations are one thing, but reality is often something else.

Unfortunately, many Western men seem stuck in the same pattern of thinking, especially when they start treating Stickman as if he were some final truth teller.

Even after studying Stickman, what happened? It seems you still went on to make the very mistakes you had already read about. Maybe that is just how it goes for some people: they read the warnings, but still convince themselves that they will be the one to beat the odds.

I am not claiming that every bar girl, or every woman living and working in tourist areas, is bad. But when you read Stickman’s stories, or the many shared stories from others, do you really think you have the final answer?

Just accept that the world is sometimes less black and white than you imagine.

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

What you forget is that many Thais and foreigners work together for a better future by doing small things that improve a family’s finances without waste, without showing off, and without becoming too dependent on one person or another.

You come across as very single-minded on this issue. People who have their heads in the bar environment do not see the whole picture. Cultural expectations are one thing, but reality is often something else.

Unfortunately, many Western men seem stuck in the same pattern of thinking, especially when they start treating Stickman as if he were some final truth teller.

Even after studying Stickman, what happened? It seems you still went on to make the very mistakes you had already read about. Maybe that is just how it goes for some people: they read the warnings, but still convince themselves that they will be the one to beat the odds.

I am not claiming that every bar girl, or every woman living and working in tourist areas, is bad. But when you read Stickman’s stories, or the many shared stories from others, do you really think you have the final answer?

Just accept that the world is sometimes less black and white than you imagine.

Yes, like I mentioned, some foreign-Thai relationships do work, especially those not from the bar scene and where a woman comes from a loving background, but it's not the majority by any means. Stickman was a forum where thousands of foreigners commented, and I read a lot of their posts years before I moved here. That they for the most part seemed to prove true showed me it was from real experiences and not anger . because some foreign men do treat women terrible, and blame their good partners.

Everyone on earth has made mistakes choosing partners. Attraction and not vetting long enough does that to many, and I did choose wrong those couple of times. Children were born, so it wasn't a failure by any means but just a relationship that wasn't meant to last for the adults. I only had a couple bad experiences with women, and those were those I had children with. I got custody of them, which shows to most anyone what it really was about.

Stickman's is only one of about 5 forums I've visited over the years, and if you read them, it's much like this one. Read the whole article. Some members are happy and some aren't. Luck has a lot to do with what you end up with, as attraction isn't a choice and can get you in trouble, unless of course you're just a user of women and don't care of the outcome and are only there for your pleasure and leave when things get hard, or just leave anyway to use the next victim.

15 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Yes, like I mentioned, some foreign-Thai relationships do work, especially those not from the bar scene and where a woman comes from a loving background, but it's not the majority by any means. Stickman was a forum where thousands of foreigners commented, and I read a lot of their posts years before I moved here. That they for the most part seemed to prove true showed me it was from real experiences and not anger . because some foreign men do treat women terrible, and blame their good partners.

Everyone on earth has made mistakes choosing partners. Attraction and not vetting long enough does that to many, and I did choose wrong those couple of times. Children were born, so it wasn't a failure by any means but just a relationship that wasn't meant to last for the adults. I only had a couple bad experiences with women, and those were those I had children with. I got custody of them, which shows to most anyone what it really was about.

Stickman's is only one of about 5 forums I've visited over the years, and if you read them, it's much like this one. Read the whole article. Some members are happy and some aren't. Luck has a lot to do with what you end up with, as attraction isn't a choice and can get you in trouble, unless of course you're just a user of women and don't care of the outcome and are only there for your pleasure and leave when things get hard, or just leave anyway to use the next victim.

Forums have always been a poor place to learn anything meaningful about women, unless you are already dealing with obviously wrong situations and are mainly looking for confirmation of your own insecurities or bad experiences.

So what did you actually learn from it all? That women living in tourist areas are bad people with bad intentions? That is exactly where these discussions so often go wrong.

It is the same as building a house in Thailand without experience or first-hand knowledge. There is a right way to do it, and there is a wrong way. There are basic principles you can follow to greatly improve your chances of a good result, yet people still make mistakes. In the end, it often comes down to people taking shortcuts and expecting a better outcome than everyone else they have heard about.

Getting good results and lasting success always starts with us, not with anyone else. That is where responsibility begins.

7 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Forums have always been a poor place to learn anything meaningful about women, unless you are already dealing with obviously wrong situations and are mainly looking for confirmation of your own insecurities or bad experiences.

So what did you actually learn from it all? That women living in tourist areas are bad people with bad intentions? That is exactly where these discussions so often go wrong.

It is the same as building a house in Thailand without experience or first-hand knowledge. There is a right way to do it, and there is a wrong way. There are basic principles you can follow to greatly improve your chances of a good result, yet people still make mistakes. In the end, it often comes down to people taking shortcuts and expecting a better outcome than everyone else they have heard about.

Getting good results and lasting success always starts with us, not with anyone else. That is where responsibility begins.

Forums like this are to relate to others who either are going through what you have, or to read their experiences for more information, along with advice given that might help. It can be a very good place to learn as long as you recognize the BS from the reality, just like reading books, which are other's experiences also. All professional counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists have learned from their own mistakes, along with interviewing millions and seeing what works and what doesn't.

Learning from what a covert narcissist does to you as it's the worst one there is, is what most people do in their lives. Not many marry their childhood sweethearts and stay together forever, and if you're a good hearted person, you are the one most likely to be targeted by that covert narcissist, as they prey on the good who trust easily and give everything they have. When you learn the red flags they give off, which are similar to what a good person does but not exactly, you can better vett the next person in your life.

10 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Forums like this are to relate to others who either are going through what you have, or to read their experiences for more information, along with advice given that might help. It can be a very good place to learn as long as you recognize the BS from the reality, just like reading books, which are other's experiences also. All professional counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists have learned from their own mistakes, along with interviewing millions and seeing what works and what doesn't.

Learning from what a covert narcissist does to you as it's the worst one there is, is what most people do in their lives. Not many marry their childhood sweethearts and stay together forever, and if you're a good hearted person, you are the one most likely to be targeted by that covert narcissist, as they prey on the good who trust easily and give everything they have. When you learn the red flags they give off, which are similar to what a good person does but not exactly, you can better vett the next person in your life.

The best thing is to state your opinion and stay true to yourself. But if you keep making the same mistake, you should take a hard look at yourself. And if it feels like the whole world is against you, the common factor may be you. At the same time, if it is the same people who keep picking on you, the problem may be them, or a mix of both. Sometimes people project their own issues onto others

3 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Who said I haven't been to other countries? I've been to quite a few, and studied up on the history of many, because history is a passion of mine, and you can learn as much about a country as one visiting there and having a pizza, which seems to be your experiences. A week or two here doesn't make you an expert, but researching a lot helps a lot more.

Nice...we are back on topic. Which countries have you visited and for how long in each?

5 minutes ago, Hummin said:

The best thing is to state your opinion and stay true to yourself. But if you keep making the same mistake, you should take a hard look at yourself. And if it feels like the whole world is against you, the common factor may be you. At the same time, if it is the same people who keep picking on you, the problem may be them, or a mix of both. Sometimes people project their own issues onto others

Picking on him? Maybe they see something in him that he cannot see in himself and try to help him with that 😊 Though I think we both know that he's not capable of looking at himself and seeing anything different than he imagines.

You know all about projection.

24 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Forums like this are to relate to others who either are going through what you have, or to read their experiences for more information, along with advice given that might help. It can be a very good place to learn as long as you recognize the BS from the reality, just like reading books, which are other's experiences also. All professional counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists have learned from their own mistakes, along with interviewing millions and seeing what works and what doesn't.

Learning from what a covert narcissist does to you as it's the worst one there is, is what most people do in their lives. Not many marry their childhood sweethearts and stay together forever, and if you're a good hearted person, you are the one most likely to be targeted by that covert narcissist, as they prey on the good who trust easily and give everything they have. When you learn the red flags they give off, which are similar to what a good person does but not exactly, you can better vett the next person in your life.

It rarely helps to feed covert narcissists, unless there is some odd personal payoff in it for you as well.

I am not here to take part in endless circular discussion.

A thread about travel fatigue descends into members bickering as usual fatigue....

34 minutes ago, IsmeUno said:

Nice...we are back on topic. Which countries have you visited and for how long in each?

Got me thinking, although not a 'mine's bigger than yours' reply, as know many are more travelled than myself. Some just overnight, others weeks or months living there. For a poor Yank, that's a lot ...

USA (39 states)

Canada

Mexico

Bahamas

Grand Caymans

Puerto Rico

St.Martens

Netherlands

Sweden

Denmark

Myanmar

Laos

Thailand (75 provinces)

I think I spent more hours at the airport lounges in Japan, than people spend on a long weekend somewhere. Same with DMK, might have logged 100+ hrs sleeping there

5 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Got me thinking, although not a 'mine's bigger than yours' reply, as know many are more travelled than myself. Some just overnight, others weeks or months living there. For a poor Yank, that's a lot ...

USA (39 states)

Canada

Mexico

Bahamas

Grand Caymans

Puerto Rico

St.Martens

Netherlands

Sweden

Denmark

Myanmar

Laos

Thailand (75 provinces)

I think I spent more hours at the airport lounges in Japan, than people spend on a long weekend somewhere. Same with DMK, might have logged 100+ hrs sleeping there

As cabin crew(I think you mentioned something like that), none of that is a surprise 😊

I travelled extensively, mainly because I followed the path of living life whilst young enough to enjoy it.

I saw that retiring people often didn't look in good shape and people who had worked hard all their lives, sometimes losing it all.

As we say in the U.K...."sod that for a game of soldiers" Decided to go my own way. Travelling was a way of tackling my social phobias. Putting myself in situations where I had to talk to and get on with people. A way to tackle a natural shyness.

4 minutes ago, IsmeUno said:

As cabin crew(I think you mentioned something like that), none of that is a surprise 😊

I travelled extensively, mainly because I followed the path of living life whilst young enough to enjoy it.

I saw that retiring people often didn't look in good shape and people who had worked hard all their lives, sometimes losing it all.

As we say in the U.K...."sod that for a game of soldiers" Decided to go my own way. Travelling was a way of tackling my social phobias. Putting myself in situations where I had to talk to and get on with people. A way to tackle a natural shyness.

Same, had too much time on my hands, and enough money, when younger, not to travel. Getting old was definitely a question mark with me. Surprised everyone, including myself, I made it pass 30. So tried to experience new places all the time.

I wasn't cabin crew / attendant. That's just flying back & forth TH / USA, for 6 months when living here and commuting to work at MEM, just prior to retiring. Always a long 4-6 hr layover at JP, and flight got in too late at DMK, so wasn't worth getting a hotel, as always on the 1st AM flight out.

By time I got to hotel, fell asleep, it was time to wake. Lucky if I'd get 3 hrs sleep. After a couple times, I didn't bother. Airport was easier, and a good 5 hrs sleep.

6 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Same, had too much time on my hands, and enough money, when younger, not to travel. Getting old was definitely a question mark with me. Surprised everyone, including myself, I made it pass 30. So tried to experience new places all the time.

I wasn't cabin crew / attendant. That's just flying back & forth TH / USA, for 6 months when living here and commuting to work at MEM, just prior to retiring. Always a long 4-6 hr layover at JP, and flight got in too late at DMK, so wasn't worth getting a hotel, as always on the 1st AM flight out.

By time I got to hotel, fell asleep, it was time to wake. Lucky if I'd get 3 hrs sleep. After a couple times, I didn't bother. Airport was easier, and a good 5 hrs sleep.

Have certainly visited every continent a multiple of times, excepting Antarctica.

1 minute ago, IsmeUno said:

Have certainly visited every continent a multiple of times, excepting Antarctica.

I hung out in N. America. Too poor to fly around. EU too expensive, along with 2 far. 3-4 hr away, works for me to the Caribbean. If not working for airlines, probably would have never left mainland of Americas.

I lost interest in travelling during COVID, all the nonsense at airports just became too frustrating for me.

16 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I lost interest in travelling during COVID, all the nonsense at airports just became too frustrating for me.

Agree. Made 2 trips back to USA after 9/11, and aside from 20 hr, if lucky, BKK - PHL (1 way), the TSA BS just doesn't make going anywhere, international, worth any of that. Anything that might be interesting, (KR, CN, JP) is about 6 hrs away, without the airport BS.

NO THANKS

4 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I hung out in N. America. Too poor to fly around. EU too expensive, along with 2 far. 3-4 hr away, works for me to the Caribbean. If not working for airlines, probably would have never left mainland of Americas.

For myself it was less a matter of money, but the ability to fly whenever. I could take advantage of the best deals where others might have been limited to expensive peak time flying.. I 'specialised' in finding 'secret' combinations of flights that worked out to be relatively inexpensive. Sometimes flying through 'lesser' airports such as Orange County in California.

One such itinerary might include Stockholm, Oslo, Miami, St Croix, St Thomas, St John, San Juan(Puerto Rico) and New York. I created many of that kind of itinerary. Often for the price of travelling to a single destination. Literally hundreds of flights. Also fortunate to have a girl ready to go with me every time. Shared experiences are the ones you remember.

I just had a friend invite me to go travelling with her. But I have too much going on to be able to fit it in right now. Also I think I've become quite settled and comfortable.