Good points! Can be hard to feel comfortable "away from home". That sense of community thing is a tough one. Hard to nail down what it is.

But no matter how well you speak a language or how long you live in a place ... you still may not feel totally "at home" there. Or ...? Maybe you will!! ??

So true how international travel is pretty much a 1st world luxury. Not only are less fortunate folks under funded ... they may not even be able to get visas for many countries. Only the top 2% in those countries can afford to travel.

In some cases takes YEARS for working class folks to get a visa ... and must jump through all sorts of hoops to get it. The rich? No problemo ... they have connections! (trust me on this one ... saw it up close and personal in several countries)

In the US today kids have a much harder time now than they did when I started travel. (1971) I hit the road with about $1200 from my restaurant job, only about $1K USD in student debt and no immediate ties at home and a Honda 50 Cub.

I started a small import/export business and made it work. No big money made, but funded further travel for 7 years.

For American kids in college or just out of college, good jobs are harder to find now ... and harder to get for new college grads. The crippling debt many are saddled with is devastating. High interest rates that are totally out of step with reality. WRONG.

If me ... I'd say screw it, never pay it back. IMO, student dept should be forgiven. Let the banks absorb this dept. They can afford it. Students have been screwed in this current US system.

I think in the EU things are a bit better.