My first flight was in 1968 as a tiny child going to Bangkok where my father was going to be stationed at the American Embassy. We flew Pan Am and it had to stop in Hawaii because the planes couldn't fly all the way to Asia without refueling back then. I vaguely remember getting waffles and strawberries, all you could eat.

A few years later in the early 1980s, we moved to Germany to do the same thing. My father was at the American Embassy again in Bonn. I consder this time the last great hurrah of travel in Europe before Globalization and Americanization of everything took over. Germans rarely spoke English. McDonalds were just starting to get established. Satellite TV hadn't arrived (for us Americans living in Germany). You could go to places like Oktoberfest in Munich and it would be like 90% locals. Florence Italy was easy to navigate. College kids from the USA still Eurorailed around Europe on a handful of dollars a day.

Now I travel and I can't stand it. Last time I went to Europe was in the early 2010s and it left such a bad taste in my mouth, I never wanted to go back. Every single place was loaded with tourists. Starbucks and McDonalds everywhere. Everyone had cellphones. Hoards of Asian tourists that never break out of their bubble tour groups. What's the point? Flying is such a chore now, I only fly to visit family or go to Hawaii (easy flight from the West Coast). My wife went to Bali a couple of years ago and sent me pictures and I was like Yuck! I can do that anywhere. It's the same everywhere now.