I think this is a great post. While I have not had the same experience as you with traveling, I have been having some of the same thoughts. I grew up without a lot of money, and my parents would never dream of spending $20 per person on a meal. Since I have more money, though, I have done that without a great deal of thought. My current thinking regarding the frivolity of wasting money on expensive food has nothing to do with guilt. My thinking stems from the realization that I have become dependent on a certain level of income in order to support habits than many would consider luxuries. My goal is to eventually cut my lifestyle back to the point I can live on 1/4 of my current salary. For some people this may seem like senselessly putting myself into a poor lifestyle. I see it, however, as discarding a poor lifestyle and moving towards a lifestyle built on the important things in life (which in my opinion do not include material goods).
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