Readers respond to our 15 for 15 list
By Budget Travel
October 3, 2012
For Budget Travel's May issue, we compiled a list of 15 Places to Visit Before Age 15.
Not all of our readers agreed with our list, which you can find by clicking here. Among the passionate complaints is the question: "What planet are you all living on?"... (Feel free to add your own opinions in our comments section.)
Did the people who picked this list ever think there might be life outside of the Northeast? I mean 9 out of the 15 are in the N.E., there's a whole lot more country out there! What about the Rockies???? Mount Rushmore??? (AWESOME vacation for children) Iowa State Fair??? (You can't get more Americana than that) Denali National Park, Alaska? (Yeah, cause I can afford to take my five kids to Hawaii too). Any of the Great Lakes (my favorite is Lake Michigan, by the way; Mackinaw Island kids love!) Gatlinburg, and the Smoky Mountains. There's also a little known place called Yellowstone???? By the way do you really think "Ground Zero" would be appreciated by an eight year old? I would not consider that an appropriate "family vacation destination". What's up with Alcatraz? As one of the top 15 places in all of America for children?? Whew-wee! What fun! Do you guys even have kids? I mean I'm all for these highbrow educational vacations, but think they would be better grasped by teenagers. As a mother of five kids ranging in ages 15-7, I've been on A LOT of vacations with children, and have seen what they like and don't. I've also been very discouraged trying to take them places I wanted to go, only to have to hurry through them because they weren't old enough to appreciate it.--J. O'Neal, via the Internet.
What planet are you all living on? I am 55 years old and I haven't been to half of those places yet. I like "Budget" Travel because it seems to be a travel magazine for those of modest means. Your list of places to see by age 15 could truly only be accomplished by the very well to do. Perhaps you meant to run this piece in Conde Nast?--Fred Doyle of Alexandria, Virginia.
I think someone is on something...in this climate of middle class people trying to keep body and soul together, i find it very disrespectful for you to print an outrageous list of places to see before the kids are 15...not everyone had an unlimited budget for travel and i think we all do what we can...but this is out of bounds...yes, the list is wonderful, and for their l6th birthday how about a BMW?...and then people complain that the young generation is spoiled, self-centered, and egotistical...how about an article giving overworked, under-appreciated parents a break and concentrate on places of interest, educational and cultural, that are within a 100-mile radius of their homes...from that platform, you could branch out to the geographical area they live, etc....i am 70 years old, i have an unlimited budget for travel, and have not been to all of these places (have been to many, many more not listed) and if i had seen all of this before i was 15, i would be bored now...i am very disappointed that you have joined the legions of businesses that are not at all interested in raising children to be sensitive, aware of what they have (and what other people don't), and grateful...instead it is "where are we going this year???????" How about a soup kitchen this Easter, a Salvation Army center food bank, or a meals on wheels trip? Travel is wonderful, but let's not confuse what we want with what we need for body, mind, and spirit......and not put everything on the credit card.--Anne Cameo, via the Internet.
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