Travel Regrets?

Sure, not enough time or money to see all of the world as I'd like to explore.

Now I know I'll kick myself for the rest of my life for not finding a way to get out of the office and watch the shuttle flyover. I never made it to a launch either, although I did once get to see a night launch from the other side of the state.

Good question! I regret not studying abroad for a semester in college. And I regret not not buying a lottery ticket for the $560 million lottery we had in some states a few weeks ago. :)

Not many, really. That said, we are going to going to Europe for 10 days with our 10 month old next Thursday ... this could be very regrettable :). Fingers crossed!

I regret not going to Berlin in 1989. A friend and I spent 3 weeks travelling around West Germany in Fall 1989. We debated going to Berlin, but decided that it was too far out of the way. A week after we returned, the wall came down. I'm finally going to Berlin (next month), but I wish that I had seen it 23 years ago.

I regret that I was 30 before I traveled outside Canada/US/Caribbean. Never had an international romance, was already married by then. Wish I had traveled as a young single woman and had some fun!!!!

I know this sounds silly, but I regret not spending more money while abroad. Last time I went to Europe, DH and I went in mid-October because flights were a couple hundred dollars cheaper. But, we went to the Luberon, and I fear it might have been more lively had we gone in September, when I would have preferred. The weather was great, we had a great time, but I wondered if we would have enjoyed that part of the trip more had we gone earlier. We also stayed in some real dives that I would not stay in again. And, I think it's my tendency to let my frugality get the best of me. We didn't go to a museum we passed by because it wasn't covered by the museum pass. Now, that's not to say I regret that particular pass, but maybe things like it. What experiences did I skip because I didn't know if they were worth the entrance fee? I studied abroad in college in Paris, and took a trip down to Venice. My friend and I didn't go into a single museum or anything that charged an admission fee. Venice was beautiful, but what did I miss? I also regret not traveling more before I had my daughter. I have loads of excuses, of course...and some of them are valid, like the schedule constraints of graduate school. But, I'm sad I missed out on what could have been some great trips with DH before we were more "tied down." Traveling is a priority for me, and it always has been, but there are other priorities, too, and a lot of times, they win.

I missed seeing Galileo's middle finger on display at the science museum in Florence. I made sure I saw it next time. I made such a big deal out of it in my physics classes that some of my students insisted they leave their group and make their way on their own to see it. How his finger made it to a museum is an interesting story.

Amen Andrea! I regret going with my boyfriend at the time to Europe as a post college graduation adventure. We fought the whole time and broke up a month after we got back. I would have had a lot more fun going solo. Luckily, I haven't settled down yet so this winter I'm going back on my own and can't wait to meet some Italian men :) I don' regret seeing or not seeing too many things because I always have faith I will return.

I regret not swallowing hard and paying the cost of a water taxi on arrival during my husband's first trip to Venice. Instead we waited and waited for the waterbus at the airport, and ended up getting a little seasick on the floating pier. Then the bus went so slowly, and it was so crowded that we couldn't see much of anything.... His first sight of and the approach to Venice could have been spectacular, but instead was just so-so.

I regret not getting to Stonehenge when you could still walk thru the stones. I regret not going to Brussels more often when my parents lived there and not going to London more often when my aunt lived there. What the heck was I thinking back then??? I would love to have seen Berlin in 1989! The great thing about the internet is that it IS so much easier to do research on a place and not miss those little museums and other sights. Is anyone old enough to remember the PBS show All Creatures Great and Small? In the 80's I researched for months to find out where they filmed a scene in the opening segment (a car driving thru a watersplash). I found the directions for a small backroad in the Yorkshire Dales and got there to see it and drive thru it. That was fun! Today that would probably take an hour to find.

Another ditto that to Andrea's comment - wished I had traveled when I was young and free, or that I had done exchange programs in high school or college. I'm catching up on travel now, but life has a way of interfering with the best laid plans (enough with the home repair disasters!). A colleague died recently at the age of 63. She had postponed just about every adventure she wanted to do "until retirement". When diagnosed with cancer, she begged her friends not to put everything off - her biggest regret. I'm trying very hard to learn from that, so Eastern Europe, I'll be seeing you in 28 days!

Not spending more time in Warsaw. There's few other cities for which I held such low expectations, but then were subsequently so completely overturned. Just the name alone, with it's less-than-happy 20th century associations- the Warsaw ghetto, the Warsaw Uprising, Warsaw Pact, etc. I was expecting a rather gray, crumbling, post-war, ex-communist mass of grafittied concrete. Hence, I was only using it as a brief stop-over from Russia and Lithuania on the way to Krakow. As soon as I stepped out of the train station, I could see that I should have planned more time there. Clean, lively, wonderfully rebuilt. I'll probably never make it back to that part of Europe, so I really regret not spending more than two nights there.

That I didn't move to Vienna ten years earlier. That I missed the Berlin Wall coming down. That I never lived in Paris. That my French is bad. That I didn't take a chance on that pretty girl in Avignon all those years ago. That I was too often penny wise but pound foolish ...you can't put a price on a cliffside table at sunset in the Greek Isles.
That life is so damned short. Fortunately, it ain't over yet and I mean to get a move on!

I was worried that this thread might turn into a bit of a downer, but I'm surprisingly inspired by it: Try your best not to put things off. Anyways, thank you all for responding so far. I also wish that I had traveled more before kids and mid-age, and am trying my best to have a regular travel plan with the kids. The spending a few bucks more here and there for a better experience is also a good one.

I could say that I regret not doing the college-age backpacker thing, but I was too busy working to pay for college back then and I had no money. Going to Europe then was simply not possible for me. But there was a brief period in my mid-20's when I was still single and earned more money than I needed. THAT would have been the time to go and wander. I don't think it ever even occurred to me then. World travel was just not on my radar then. I regret that my life experience up to that point failed to put the possibility of travel in my imagination. Traveling with my children now is in part an attempt to avoid having them grow up without that expectation and lack of cultural curiosity.

I regret that I didn't start my international travel sooner than I did. Of course as a single parent with not much time or money it would have been difficult, to say the least. However, when kids were on their own, I made up for lost time and have traveled quite a bit. Now, as a retired person, I have the time, so this summer I'm robbing from my retirement fund to spend 2 months in France - one month on the road and one month in an apt in Paris. It may not be the best decision in this economic climate but I'm doing it now while I'm still healthy and so I won't have to say sometime in the future "I regret not going to France when I had the chance".

I suppose we all have travel regrets on what we could have done or could have done better, missed opportunites, and the like. I regret not having done more in traveling, especially on the 1977 and 1987 trips, when I had ample time then, that I could have been more adventurous in visiting more places in (West) Germany, Austria, and CZ, and when I could have pushed myself more to get to these places. Also, I regret not knowing of special exhibitions at museums when I was over there but missed it....another missed opportunity.

I know it is hard to do the back pack route with kids in tow. But now that we have an empty nest, and we are still healthy enough to do so, wonder if we should do a month-long back pack-staying in hostels type of trip vrs our every other year cushy B&B/hotel 2 week trip. Will we regret it some day if we don't? Of course, convincing DW to do so.... that is another issue! D.

I actually don't have any travel regrets (I've been extremely fortunate in being able to travel extensively over the years). There are places I've missed or ran out of time to see. But I learned a long time ago that you can't do or see everything and so I focus on what I am seeing and doing, not what I've missed. Then later I dream about returning...

My travel regret is that I have not yet been to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but plan to remedy that within the next year!

Daniel, give the backpacking trip a try; you're not locked into it forever (not even for that trip!) If you find that you prefer the B&Bs, then go back to that style of traveling (or any other accommodation type between hostels and B&Bs). Variety is the spice of life!

I regret that it took me so long to get back to Europe after three long trips in college and shortly thereafter. I was spoiled and thought you needed at least a month to have a decent trip. But once I found out that you could go to the UK for a week and enjoy yourself, I've not stopped. I also regret not taking a trip to South Africa that I should have taken. I let work get in the way. Pam

I've certainly never regretted a trip that I've taken, even if I could have seen something else on the same trip that I didn't see. And I've always taken every opportunity I've ever had to take a trip. I teach at a university, and many of our students say they just don't have the money, etc. Maybe that's true, maybe it isn't. Everyone on this board knows that many people perceive travel to be more expensive than it has to be. My personal inspiration? My grandfather who worked and saved his whole life to travel when he retired, only to get colon cancer a few years before he retired at 65. He died having only taken one trip to Hawaii (at least he did that!). It never fails to amaze me when I have this conversation with someone: Other person: "Oh, I'd love to go there!"
Me: "Great! Let's go!" Other person: "Well, I need to get new carpet (a new TV, a new truck, etc., etc.), and then maybe I'll save to go." I teach at a university, and I tell as many students as I can that there are two types of people in the world: people who spend money on things and people who spend money on experiences, and that they will never regret being the latter. I never have, even if the experience wasn't the perfect experience in whatever place it was (but some of them have been superlative!). How could I have missed the chance to have those perfect days?

I regret not flying on the Concorde or traveling on the Orient Express. I also regret not going up in the hot air balloon in Cappadocia but maybe there will
be another opportunity!

I always wish I had gone to Berlin before the wall came down, just to experience what the city was like then and be able to compare it to now. My parents were always going to travel after retirement, but mom got MS badly and ended up in a wheelchair. Put quite a damper on their travel plans. They ended up limiting themselves to cruises and only made it to Europe once. We have always spent our money on traveling rather than material goods. There isn't a retirement fund, but figure we will just keep on working until we can't work any more. Makes life more interesting. Would rather travel now, than save for some distant retirement 10 or 15 years later. So, on my list for places to go are Egypt, Israel, Australia, New Zealand and Tibet. For Europe would still like to go to Portugal, Ireland, Wales (where is Neil hiding, anyway?) Iceland, Finnland, and in Germany - Erfurt and Dresden.

Lexey, I agree with your definition of two types of people. I teach at a small college, and in the past couple of years I've been able to afford taking summers off and traveling (something I used to achieve by quitting my jobs and finding something when I came back - easier to do in one's 20s or 30s). I try to turn money into time. I'm past the point of shared bathrooms, but other than that, I'm happy to go cheap on accommodations and picnic every couple of days to add some extra days to the budget. As for regrets, I regret that gap of a dozen years in my traveling life, when I just couldn't make the money/time conversion happen.

I regret not visiting Egypt in the early years after we signed the peace treaty. . . too iffy for us Israelis now. Now that I I'm taking classes in history and art history, I regret not knowing more before I traveled - but at least in the future. . . Hey, Jo, maybe you'll come here next year for Easter - it's really something to see. Anyway, I'm glad we're on your short list.

I regret not starting my travels until age had become a problem. There are a lot of places I'd like to go but will never get the chance. On the other hand, my wife and I HAVE seen Venice (and will be going again in October). Travel is easier and more rewarding than I ever imagined.

I regret that it took me so long to get to Europe. It was partly financial (okay, mostly) and part fear. Also, I love the beach and that was what called to me. I finally got to Europe the summer of 2006. My big 'once in a lifetime' trip. Loved it so much I was able to manage 5 trips in 5 years for a total of 14 weeks. I've been to Hawaii once since my first trip to Europe, but only because it was planned prior to that first trip to Europe. Since then, I get my beach fixes here in California (or elsewhere in the U.S.) or the Mediterranean. Due to health reasons I am unable to travel this year, but I'm planning a trip for next year. I know there is no way I can go to all the places I want to go, but as long as I'm able to travel I will do my best! I really regret not winning that huge jackpot in the lottery a few weeks ago, so I could quit my job and travel as much as I want!

I regret not bringing a waterproof jacket to Copenhagen in June (who knew it wouldn't be sunny and hot every day?). I regret not making it to Cesky Krumlov because I was just too tired to face another train trip. Other than that, I don't regret anything. The worst day traveling in Europe is better than the best day at work.

I think its great- Nobody regrets the travel they have done- only what they have missed. Wish we had all known that earlier

I wish I'd been a little more frugal so I could have taken more trips to Central and South America when I lived in the U.S. But I'll get to plan those trips when I'm back home. Particularly since some areas I really enjoy (Quinta Roo in Mexico for example) used to be good deals and relatively unspoiled, and is now much more expensive and undergoing a ridiculously fast rate of development... I do know that the cost of going to Europe is so high and there are so many other parts of the world that I want to see, that anything that's easy/cheap from Germany is something I HAVE to do over the next 2-4 years. I'm not going to say "I won't be back" but I know it will be a lot harder so I have a lot to see and do! But I'm mostly trying to head off potential regrets right now. I don't want to regret not learning the language, so I'm making a serious crack at that. I didn't want to regret not living abroad, so we decided to apply for jobs overseas. I didn't want to regret not traveling before children, so here we are.

I was in the Vienna train station on a train bound for Prague in 1995. I wasn't sure how I would handle buying a ticket once the train crossed into Czechoslovakia (where railpasses weren't valid) and so got out and switched to a train going to Innsbruck. I've always wondered what Prague would have been like...

I regret that ten years ago, I chickened out on an opportunity to travel to London with friends (after I had already bought the plane ticket!). I'm not even sure what had me so anxious - this summer I am going on a three week trip to Italy and I can't WAIT. (it's my first trip out of the US)

At 62, Regret nothing , live your life!!!

To this day I regret leaving my friend in Athens and flying back to Paris to get my flight home.... 1985 , young, fun time travelling Europe for almost3 months with my friend. , I had taken a leave of absence from work and it was time to go home.
I did . She decided not to. We were on Paros in Greece and she just looked at me and said " I will come back to Athens with you, but only to change my airline ticket" ,, and I was like "what?" She just plain old decided to stay longer. She blew off her job. I arrived home about 10 days later and when I got off the plane,, there was her mother , father , and sister all smiles waiting for her to come out,, she HAD sent a postcard saying she was staying, but of course it hadn't arrived. She had a great time staying another few weeks. She died 3 years later at age 26. I can barely remember the job i had then....

I regret not putting 5 pounds down on a dog that went off at 20-1. Everyone knew it was a sure thing but I missed the group bet. I could have used that money. I regret not making it to Inverness, but I was out of money. See above.

pat - heavy.

When I was a child, I read Dear Abby everyday. A lady wrote in to ask if it was OK to bury her husband in his luau shirt. They'd always wanted to go to Hawaii, but kept putting it off. Then he died. Abby told her it was absolutely fine to do that. I never forgot this particular letter and the image it conjured in my mind. When I was older, I took a trip to Hong Kong with my mother. Most of the tour group had just retired, sold their businesses and was ready to make up for lost time and reward themselves. But their bodies betrayed them. They didn't like the food, the tours were too exhausting, the hotel rooms were too hot or too cold, and they had to lug separate cases for all their meds.
They were sad, miserable and cranky. That bus tour was no fun. Many years ago my husband was offered a trip to Africa and due to scheduling conflicts, had to decline it. Never got it again, and I've been hearing about it since! So as long as I'm ambulatory, I'm going. Just wish the ol' piggy bank would get fatter sooner! Happy travels all!

Excellent quote Brad! "The worst day traveling in Europe is better than the best day at work." Travel when/while you can.

I regret not making it to Europe until I was 27, even though I had been well-paid at a job that gave me 4-5 weeks of vacation time from the time I was 23. That's 4 trips I'm trying to cram in now "before I have kids" that I could have taken years ago!
I also regret being so hungover on my only day in Frankfurt that I saw nothing there aside from the inside of the Marriott and the airport. That's what an all-night wedding in Stockholm followed by an early morning flight will do to you I guess. And I wish I had scheduled more than two days in Berlin...but that city is like Rome and London and Paris, no amount of time would ever be enough, so you just have to keep going back.

There's number of things I wish had worked out differently but there was no way of knowing at the time, I guess those don't really count as regrets. I'll list as regrets some of the choices I made that I would make differently. We were in Pesaro, just stopping for lunch, and there was a beautiful leather jacket in the window of a store that was closed for another hour. "Hey, there's leather jackets everywhere in Italy" so I didn't get it and never found another with the same styling. I even stopped there the following year just to get that jacket and the shop had gone out of business. In the past we have tried to cram too much into a trip because time is limited. Less really can be more. I still remember an afternoon on Montmartre, spent a few hours there and did a guided tour, but then had more plans for the afternoon so hurried off. The museum we went to next was nice, but given the chance at a replay I think we should have stayed for lunch, spent more time browsing around the artists working and selling sketches, etc. And in a more general sense "2 days" in a city sounds like enough to look around, but realistically I find we're often not at the hotel and exploring until after lunch. When many things close by 5 or 6 that really means 4 hours on 1 day and then the 2nd day. So I'd say I haven't seen as much of Salzburg or Vienna or Barcelona or Madrid (yep, I'm a slow learner!) as I wished.