I am  retired, travel early and often, and live   in the Northeastern US. 

When  I say to almost anyone I know,  that I am going to China  or, Austrailia, possibly  New Zealand.  I always get a WOW! response.

If I mention my next trip is  Europe or the UK,  the listener is  also interested. Where, when, how?   ,

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But if I say I am going to Wilmington Delaware, or Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania, I get a frozen smile, an uh huh nod, and  questions, "Why?" .Or ",Are you going to a wedding, a wake, a meeting,? What's there? Do you really have to go?"

There is a myth , that if I get on a plane, travel 16 hours, change time zones many times, carry a visa and passport,  and spend big bucks ( or euros, yens, pounds) , I am assured a wonderful time and life changing experiences.

Part of that  is true.  I can only see the pyramids in a book or in Egypt ( or Mexico) , the Acropolis in Greece , or study at Oxford University in England.

BUT,  there are  wonderous sights almost everywhere, and I  see new things, learn,  enjoy good food, and meet interesting people  wherever I go. The amount of pleasure and joy of  a trip  is not measured  by  miles and time zones.

In Wilmington,  I toured  the DuPont estate,  enjoyed   Weyth paintings, gorgeous gardens at Winterthur.  The countryside, just outside  the city is pastoral and serene..

In Pittsburgh, I saw the Carnegie complex of museum and universities, the maritine museum on the waterfront,  and discovered the Andy Warhol  museum.  The Frank Lloyd Wright's famous Falling Waters ( A residence built atop a waterfall), is  a short ride outside the city and  a must-see.

These trips were easy, no big deal or  time consuming plans,  and were extremely pleasurable. But  my buddies will continue think I'm odd, a when I tell them where I'm going or where I've  been just a few hours from home.