When I was a child, we didn't go to Disneyland. Vacations were for road trips to visit family. Not that I'm complaining.

As an adult, I have traveled little. It's been frankly discouraging at times to work as hard as I can to not even achieve subsistence at times. Chronic illness combined with an economic rollercoaster has gone poorly.

I do plan to travel in 2025. I'm planning to camp as much as I can, and I have stored food to supplement with fresh produce and such as I go, so gas will be my biggest worry. This will be the first trip I take without a deadline to be anywhere, and I hope to find out where I really want to live long-term next, because the cost of living on the WA/ID border is even more unsustainable than your side, I bet.

So.
Many.
Californians.

Housing costs have ballooned far beyond the official inflation rate, and we know in practical terms costs have roughly doubled in the last dozen years, but requests for higher wages are met with disdain and contempt.