I find that non-travelers often have an opinion on your choice of vacation location. Why would you want to go to Egypt or Russia??? Or well anywhere that isn't a tropical paradise. I didn't get much flack over Hawaii, but did hear about how long the flight was. Oh, the drama of it all! It's frustrating and can, at times, take the wind out of your sails.
Currently, I'm getting flack over going zorbing. Some people are just baffled by the idea, others are intrigued but not interested. A lot of people just think it's plain old dumb. These people have no sense of adventure, one must wonder what is on these people's Bucket List? The most frustrating part of people who feel a need to share their opinion is when they share. Hey, if I bring up the idea then I expect to hear their opinion, but when you're having a regular conversation and they change topic to: Are you still going to go zorbing? Really??? Just drop it because at this point because I'm tuning you out...
I don't have any answers to how to get rid of these people. One the one hand I try to surround myself with positive and supportive people, but I don't have much choice in my family. I do try have conviction in my decisions, educate myself about them, and do them with enthusiasm. Does it really matter in the end what others think? They're not going to strange places or doing adventuresome things and they are missing out on life. Don't let their notion of "living life to the fullest" affect yours because it's obviously different from yours. Go to Egypt, Russia, the Middle East, Zorbing, Bungy Jumping, or whatever catches your interest.