We all dream of traveling the world someday, visiting exotic and tropical locales or going back to our roots and immersing ourselves in the history and culture of our ancestors.
But for most of us, we spend decades in a fog of work, obligations, and responsibilities, saving our pennies so that we can one day experience this dream.
However, there are a chosen few who think they’ve found a way to avoid paying their own way like the rest of us do, and you may just want to punch them in the face.
But first, a rant
So, I’m not trying to be a hater of millennials. After all, I’m the mother of a couple of them myself and I know several amazing young people who work hard and know far more than I ever will.
Having said that, I’m a little disgusted with many of the young people today who seem to have no work ethic and expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter.
Look, kid, I had to work from the time I was a teenager, and then I worked while I raised teenagers, and I continue to work and will… probably until I die.
Such is life.
But not for millennials. Many of them feel entitled and are completely caught up in what they want to do. Except they want the rest of us to do it for them.
They like to divert attention away from this with all their social media posts about how much they’re doing with their lives and all the great places they’re visiting to become intellectual and educated – and so much better than the hard-working adults who raised them.
They love their causes, so long as all they have to do is complain and blame others for the ills of the world – and as long as fixing the problem doesn’t involve any effort or inconveniences to them.
For example, we can no longer use plastic straws because they may get stuck in the nasal passage of a sea turtle somewhere in the Caribbean…. but murdering the unborn because someone might be “inconvenienced” by taking responsibility for another human being remains legal.
I thought we were going to talk about travel…
Yes, we are — but my rant offers some insight into why this particular travel tale I’m going to tell you is so annoying to so many people all over the world.
Adults everywhere spend their lives working hard and saving for a special trip, usually taken when they’ve retired and can enjoy it without the major let-down of having to go back to work when it’s over.
Some millennials, though, want to travel the world and post about their adventures all over Instagram and other sites, seemingly living by the seat of their pants so working ‘for the man’ doesn’t infringe on their free spirit.
Case in point, a young couple with a hobby of posting hundreds of photos (mostly sensual ones of themselves in very little clothing) of their adventures on their Instagram page, Another Beautiful Day, wants to bike from Germany through Africa and back again.
Yes, it’s a lovely thought and probably full of awe-inspiring photo ops. But there’s one problem.
They want us to pay for it.
Catalin Onc and Elena Engelhardt like to call themselves “lovers, travelers, dream chasers.”
Their dream is to bring the world to poor working stiffs who can’t afford to travel by traveling for them.
They’ve created a GoFundMe page, asking for donations so that none of us will miss a moment of them posing half-nude on beaches and cliffsides.
They figure their adventure will cost a little over 11,000 U.S. dollars.
So, what will this large chunk of change do to better the world?
Well, it will provide these two lazy lovebirds “the bike and gear, food and accommodation (when needed), internet, and SIM cards in every country to keep you up to date, insurance, emergencies.”
Note, they said all of this is to keep us up to date, because we care so much about what they’re doing in their every waking moment.
This might be okay if the pair was traveling to Africa to feed starving children or help conserve wildlife or something even remotely noble.
Lots of young people want to backpack around the world, camp under the stars – rough it up. They save their money and then use the experience to better themselves and others.
Not these two.
They want internet access at all times, SIM cards so they can pose for steamy selfies, and probably a little extra for some wining and dining.
And then there’s this:
“Every dollar, every message, every couch or garden for our tent, any help you can offer will help us go further.”
A couch? A garden? I wouldn’t be surprised if they included a registry link to Pottery Barn so we can buy “essentials” for their tent.
Come on.
Before you think I’m being too hard on them…
Yeah, yeah, you may be saying, “It’s none of your business if they want to take a break from working and others are willing to help.”
But they don’t work. And they don’t just not work, they appear to be morally opposed to the very concept of it.
Catalin has even said that after everything they’ve seen and done in their few years on Earth that “working is not an option.”
Hmm, I wonder what would happen if I tried to pull that.
Ironically however, the couple has over 38,000 followers – but they’ve only raised just over 200 bucks.
It would appear no one is all that interested in paying for these entitled kids to travel and then throw it in our faces with a gazillion photos of themselves.
And virtually none of the hundreds of comments they’ve received are supportive ones.
“Spoiled brats… pathetic…self-indulgent…an embarrassment to the human race” are just a few of the things they’ve been called by the regular working Joes who’ve seen their request online.
In response to the haters, they posted on their site that, “some people are quick to judge…At this very moment we don’t have much…we are accepting money from my mother and also donations, but we don’t hide that.” #tryingtodosomethingbigger
Many people have commented on this kid’s poor mother who’s working twice as hard in order to support her child — and someone else’s child — so they can live their “dreams.”
Can you say “enabling?”
The sad thing is they’re not ashamed at all. They think their request is perfectly reasonable.
“Why should we work? We’re better than that! There are so many more exciting things we want to do!”
Yeah, good for you. Me too, after I’ve put in the work.
Let’s save GoFundMe for things that really matter. You know, people with terminal illnesses who would love to work and can’t anymore or families who have lost their homes to natural disasters, things like that.
Real needs. Things that can’t be controlled.
So, I’ll just echo the comments of many who have responded to the couple’s request.
GET A JOB!
