Ok-- guilty as charged. I admit that I have been a travel snob. Last year I was working with a woman who was in her late 40's and loved Disney World. She and her husband travel there twice a year for vacation. Yes, I said twice a year, yes, every year. Ok-- so I don't understand and I'm sure she perceived me as a bit of a snob for trying to engage her in a discussion of travel to places other than Disney World. Oh-- I forgot, she had been to DisneyLand and was thinking of going to Eurodisney.
It took me months to come to terms with this but what I finally realized was that they like Disney. It makes them happy. She is happy when she talks about it, when she travels there and when she comes back to share stories. isn't that what it is all about? I also later learned that she accrues Disney points which gives them substantial discounts when they return. She had shared with me that they had a small travel budget. I assume this allows them to leave home and have a vacation that they can afford and that the both like. ------ And, there is nothing wrong with that. She is a step ahead of the people who never go any where.
Twenty years ago I was living in Fort Myers, Florida. One day I was talking with one of my co-workers who had been living in town for 13 years. He had never crossed over the bridge to explore Sanibel Island (5 miles away) I offered to give him the $3 toll money but he wasn't interested. He was content where he was.
I have the most difficulty with the people who have no interest in traveling.
After reading this thread, we are like many, in that we vary our kinds of travel. We have stayed in hostels and five star hotels. Each provide a different experience. Our preference, is the small mom and pop hotel or B&B with about 6 units. We enjoy getting to know the family running the place. At our age( early 50's) we have the income and the desire to have a private room with a private bath. Neither of us feels this distracts from our engagement with the local culture.
In January of this year we were snobbed. My sister and her family gave us a gift card to a 5 star hotel in Boston for Christmas. When we walked in with our backpacks to check in we got a few interesting looks. Everyone said all the right things but the looks told the real story. We laughed and had a grand time in the bar, restaurant and enjoying this ambiance.
I like the glampacker teminology.
Our personal experience with the travel snob has been most abundant when we have been taking dive vacations. Divers love to boast about diving here and diving there. You're not a real diver unless you've been to blah, blah, blah. I love to dive but I also love to visit the island, meet the people, absorb into the culture, gain an understanding of their life. We are not the divers who dive all day every day. So--- again-- guilty of being a snob. (although we keep those views to ourself)
Reply to this 
