Our hotels are often our splurges. But there have been times when the number of trips we took that year were the splurge..we always splurge on at least on great restaurant and I HAVE to splurge on a present ( from the Yankee to me) or for the both of us..and most often there is some splurge shopping.
I love saying splurge over and over, it changes into another word ~
Right now I am wishing for a splurge trip to Japan to surprise my son~

nibblette, you are so right about the folly of pinching pennies at the expense of losing hours. That is one good point Rick Steves makes - your trip costs $X per hour, so you really have to make the best use of that time.

My splurge is to try to make my European trips as long as possible, which I do by saving both vacation time and money as much as possible throughout the year.

Sometimes travel is my "splurge" and other times I splurge on my travels.
Some trips are just for sightseeing and experiencing the area. I don't need a luxury hotel or fine restraunts to enjoy my trip, but some trips are for spurging on hotels, shopping, spas, & fine dining.
I have three traveling buddies We are all female, that I take a yearly trip with in the fall. We try somewhere different every year. We usually splurge on shopping, touring, and food. The Hotel is not important. We spend very little time there. But when I go with my husband we ususally spend more time in our Hotel and our trip is our splurge. He does not like to shop.
This is my first trip to Europe and it my splurge. At leat I hope it is. Who knows though. I really like antiques, and love to shop so we will see.

We don't do this on every trip or we'd be broke, but our favorite splurge is good art. When we see an oil or watercolor we just can't live without . . . we splurge!

My minor splurges are perfume and scarves, and my husband collects leather bound books . . . far too often.

Well I would say travel is the splurge for us, since we just paid $1,100 per ticket from Seattle to Nice for June. Ouch! However, I totally agree with tledford (about spending the money where it makes things easier, which always means transportation when it comes to my husband!). The easier it is to actually get to the location - and back from - the better, and that's why we paid so much for the tickets on British Airways: path of least resistance! (Or so the British would have us believe, anyway.)

bob brown - your post cracked me up! That could be me there on that psychiatrist's couch as well...like Oscar Wilde, I tend to live (and will probably die) beyond my means...with a huge bank account of crazy memories!