I converted a non-believer

How kind of him to let you know how much he enjoyed his trip and your part inspiring his vacation, bonus intangible investment returns for you :)

Not specific to Europe, but I have encouraged and supported several different people getting over a fear of traveling alone. Several actually did it and had a good time which was wonderful to witness.

Not necessarily converted a non-believer, but some people got inspired to travel solo after they saw that a full-time working mom can do it (on an early basis). I've actually helped two moms from my kid's school with advice on how to make a solo trip come to a reality. And they were grateful and already planning their next one.

We did a food tour today in Budapest. We are on day 71 of spending 83 nights in Europe. We call it living abroad. While I can’t confirm that anyone on our tour will change the way they travel, I can say our travels and the length of them were met with much curiosity and interest, almost incredulousness amongst those in our group. Many of our friends own 2 homes and just travel back and forth between them (aka snowbirds). We prefer not owning 2 homes and being nomadic for half the year.

I’ve been able to encourage and support some travelers to take the steps to travel again after the loss of a spouse. It makes me so happy when I see them stepping forward and finding ways to enjoy travel again.

As a solo traveler since the mid-90s, I've shared my trips with many friends and acquaintances and several of them have decided to travel solo overseas. It's usually on a tour, but at least they're going. I wish more would. I still talk to those who say they just can't do it, but they want to know if they can travel with me. The problem is getting them to commit to it, and I think that's where most people fall short.

Many of our friends own 2 homes and just travel back and forth between
them (aka snowbirds).

In the early 2000's we almost bought a home in Arizona. This was long before I even knew I wanted to travel outside of North America. I'm glad my wife talked me out of it.

We have been on many Rick Steves tours and love traveling to Europe. I talk about how much we love them but many friends inwardly roll their eyes and think “I would never go on a BUS tour” but one couple finally tried the Best of England and actually texted during the trip last month that they were on their “BEST TRIP EVER”. I definitely felt gratified and happy that what I had touted was enjoyed by someone else. It’s the innate salesperson in me I guess haha.

How wonderful, Allan. I'm so glad he reached out to let you know about his trip and how your encouragement helped make it happen.

A fair number of people ask for my advice or information, but so far I don't think any have turned browsing into buying. When I ask them about it they kind of look at me dreamily as if that was the pipe dream and never real. For some I know financially it would be very difficult, for others I'm not sure. I did recently cajole someone into trying a cruise instead of her usual Caribbean all-inclusive. She loved it.

As for the previously mentioned folks with second homes, that's my sister. She has a beautiful place in Florida and cannot understand why I'd spend money on a trip rather than an "investment ". Yes, they are financially way ahead of us (and would be no matter lifestyle choices) but we value different things. And I can visit for the price of a few meals!

I was converted to be a believer too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tpxXDILZHs

Just like Luv2Travel, we have been on many Rick Steves tours and always encourage our friends to try one. The usual response is “bus tours are not for me” even though most have never taken any tour. Two couples joined us for the RS Paris tour in 2022 and loved it, despite the crazy Covid protocols then in place. They are joining us for Switzerland tour in August so I can now claim to have converted some non-believers.

“I would never go on a BUS tour”

I'm impressed you got through to them. Preconceived notions are tough to break through. We have one friend who will never do this, and never do that, and will just mumble when I ask why. Somehow, no matter the preconceived notion, I've usually had a breakthrough after I tried. I think my first was probably when I was four years old and thought girls were icky. Happily, and just like your friends and the tour, we all eventually found neither were icky.

Let me add another statement that we hear often on this forum, “ I would never go on a cruise.”

I’m the first to admit that every mode of travel isn’t for everyone. It’s great to do what you enjoy and really works for you. However, the “I would never….” statements are usually made by people who have never actually tried that particular mode of travel. I have far more respect for those who say, “I tried (fill in the blank) but it didn’t really seem like it was for me.”

I do understand people’s reluctance to try new things. Travel isn’t inexpensive and there is the concern that one might be spending big bucks on a subpar experience. I do encourage trying some new ways of travel and seeing if you can expand the options available to you. Most people are usually glad they did.

Thanks Carol now retired. I said that too, until I took one and understood the attraction. It's just a different way to travel and not for everyone.

I've talked to enough people about traveling to understand that not everyone has the same goals. Some people want relaxation and a carefree experience and others want the stimulation and adventure of foreign travel. Sometimes it's the cost that people are concerned about and once we go through the numbers, they can see a European trip is feasible. But they have to have the curiosity and interest first.

European or overseas travel is not for everyone. Of course, for someone to really know whether they would enjoy such travel, they have to at least try it. But then the question becomes not whether they disliked their trip, but how much did they enjoy it, especially compared to the types of vacation they normally take.

And for someone who has never done it, European travel requires a lot of work and can be more than challenging--it can be frightening. On these forums, we sometimes forget there is a learning curve that has to be climbed for people to truly travel in Europe on their own.

And I am guilty of the mindset that I have no interest in traveling to certain places--for me, China, Africa, South America and India hold no interest (though Japan unquestionably does). Years ago, I did not care for Mexico and Russia (thoroughly disliked it). Broadly speaking, my travel interests are limited to North America, Europe, and perhaps one day, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

But they have to have the curiosity and interest first.

I may be an oddball because I didn't know I wanted to go to Europe until my wife told me I did. I was perfectly happy with our Disney type trips until we did a Mediterranean cruise and a week in Rome in 2014. It was after that trip that I developed a curiosity and interest for history and in particular religious history thanks to a visit to the Vatican, not to mention I should have a bumper sticker on my car stating that I brake for castles.

I asked friends to take a tour of Turkey with us. I got an incredulous laugh and “why on earth would you want to go to Turkey“? We also have friends who would never take a bus tour because they would feel like cattle. It’s insane because they took a cruise and did bus tours at each port of call.

I've been trying to convert people to the light way of packing, but so far no one has taken an interest. A friend just went to Italy for 10 total days (including travel days) and took 10 bottoms, two of those were jeans! WHAT!!!????

We're scheduled for the RS Heart of Portugal tour this fall with friends who've only done the big boat cruises. We'll see if they can be converted. I think they're hoping we'll do a cruise with them someday, but since it's nice and sunny in H***, I doubt it!

I've been trying to convert people to the light way of packing, but so
far no one has taken an interest.

I've decided I'm not going to try and convert people to that. I think it's in my best interest to encourage everyone to check baggage to ensure there's overhead space for me.

Our 38th trip across the big pond. Been traveling across since 1996 sometimes twice a year. Begin all this because my countries Army decided to send me to Germany for 2 years. We have taken numerous friends and family with us and many have continued the journey across. For the last 6 or 7 years we have decided to travel alone. Two is fine now. We're 78 and know the time is getting close to calling it day. Germany is our second home for 75 days a year. 11 more days and we're gone.

I was speaking to a German guy in Barcelona, we sat “too close” next to them in a restaurant and ended up having a lot of laughs and conversations. He asked me why we went to Europe when we could just visit other parts of the US. I replied that our trips to Europe always end up being a “big adventure”. He was perplexed, but to him travel to Spain from Germany didn’t have the same effect.

In terms of adventure, a more precise characterization would be to call it a “manageable adventure”. We aren’t climbing K2, traversing the Silk Road or on foot or making a pilgrimage to Timbuktu. We have money, hotels etc. However, it’s different and difficult enough to feel like an adventure. One thing to note is there are lots of other people out there doing it too, people hiking the Camino or GR routes, cycle touring, driving trips or traveling around to big cities by rail, so it’s not just us that are adventuring which is reassuring.

it’s different and difficult enough to feel like an adventure.

Milestones that I can think of over the years that made it feel like an adventure:

• Crossing a road in Rome for the first time after reading in the RS book that it could be an adventure.
• Taking the train for the first time. Now it's not a big deal, but that first time and managing a big train station...
• Driving in England for the first time.
• Driving in England the 2nd time.
• Driving on a single track road in Scotland for the first time.
• A sheep in the way on that single track road with a bus behind me and cars facing me and no way to get to the passing place.
• Trying to understand what in the heck the Scot sitting at the table next to me at the restaurant was saying.

I have lived overseas for nine years (5 in Saudi Arabia and 4 in Germany) as well as visiting 84 foreign countries or territories (I count Bermuda and Hong Kong).

My former barber (he is now deceased) always took his vacations to the same place in the mountains of North Carolina. We live on an island on coastal Georgia. He liked going there in the Summer and enjoyed its cooler climate and the scenic mountains.

I can't imaging having such tunnel vision to only do the same place all the time.
I have enjoyed everywhere I have gone, but some places more than others. Still, that doesn't keep me for doing new places. We have a trip to Armenia and Georgia in August.

Favorite countries: Italy, UK, Japan, Peru and Australia.
Enjoyed the sites in China, Russia and India, but we found the Chinese people were very rude in public (nice one on one), Russians cold in Public, but nice if you made friends and India, loved the people, but hated the terrible crowds and awful traffic.

Scenic places like the fjords of Norway, Cruise around the Horn of South America, Glacier Bay in Alaska and the wildlife preserves of Tanzania. Also, the Galápagos Islands.
Historic places like Rome, Paris and London.
Cultural and other things like going to the Marinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg to see Swan Lake or watching the British Parliament in session for question time or an opera at the Sydney Opera House.

My advice is to try to do it all. Study what is out there and just do it.