You are thinking from the point of view of someone with no mortgage, no family and you can choose what to do with your spare income. Some of us have a family or a house and that means they have renounced traveling.

You can have a family, a house be sustainable but not earning enough to be able to pay for a year off of work. Which is the lot of 99.99% of people on this planet.

You can travel with your family too. You won't be able to quit your job, go backpacking, and stay in youth hostels.

But, you can go on road trips, go camping, you can take a cruise, or find an all inclusive resorts. You won't have as much time for yourself like you did in your youth, but you can still travel and you'll make memories with your family, and show them new things about the world.

> You can have a family, a house be sustainable but not earning enough to be able to pay for a year off of work.

I think we have different definitions of "sustainable", then.

What you're describing sounds one step up from living paycheck to paycheck. And the fact that "most people are in that position!" doesn't make it a good position to be in, or a necessary one.

Having a family is the bedrock of society. If only the top 10% of earners had one, we'd find ourselves in some trouble.