2

I'm a solid 1 for accommodations and a borderline 2 for food. I'm still a student, so as much as I want to be a 4, student income prevents such 'excess'. However, for food, I really enjoy the street vendors, shopping at markets and the like. Honestly, I would put that sort of thing in the 1 category as well as the bread, cheese and pizza. I had the best gryo in the world in Rome for 2E from a street vendor and that most DEFINITELY is in the price range of your number one category!

After reading that many postings here, I start to doubt whether the categories will help for further references.

IMO, a good deal of the quarrels about "fine dining" and "decent hotels" also results from different levels of flexibility and the tendency to have a major fit about almost anything.

The &quot;Soy Latte Frappuccino with just a dash of Cinnamon&quot; people travel to Paris in November, and find the Ritz a total desaster because it rains outside. After they paid <b>that</b> much for airfare, and <b>that</b> much for that god-forsaken hotel, how does the weather dare not to be nice, and could - puleeeeze - someone do something against this line at the Louvre. You know, honey, we are not the waiting kind, we are active people.

On the other hand, you have people who travel to Paris because of Paris. They don't look for run-down hotels, and they ain't happy with mediocre food. But they think that traveling is a try-and-error thing. With some preparation, they win most times, they lose a few times. Big deal. Still better to sit in the sun on the Champs-Elysees with a Happy Meal, than at your local drive-thru.

I know that it's none of my business how anyone prefers to travel, and - frankly - I could care less.

Just some of these reports read so much like a desperate quest for happiness and fulfillment, that I sometimes ask myself what huge burden of expectations these folks put on a simple, innocent hotel or restaurant, or museum.

Someone way back up the thread mentions this... I would not want to be &quot;categorized&quot; here by what hotels I stay at or what restaurant I eat in.

Isn't travel about getting out into a different culture, learning a language, seeing historic sights, participating in local events???

A place to sleep and food to eat are necessities of going anywhere... but they are not the focus of my experience.

2

I am a category 3 for lodging and a category 2 for food.

I also don't fit because my eating habits and my aacomodation needs are not necessarily correlated.

I am a 1 for accomodation,
but eat out at a restaurant daily and am not opposed to splurging for a good meal.

Still, its an interesting question!

Regards,

Naxos

I'd say I'm between a 1 and a 2 depending on the country and currency. In more expensive places (ie, anyplace using the Euro) I will rough it and subsist on cheese and bread and tap water; spending less enables me to travel on my limited budget. I dislike having to spend more than $20 per night on a hotel and, as a solo traveler, this usually means hostels unless I'm in a less expensive destination. When traveling with a significant other I'd certainly be spending more and eating at better restaurants or cafes.

Like a lot of others here, I don't really fit specifically into any of those categories, either. We rent apartments as often as possible, or for overnighters stay in a 2* affordable/clean hotel.

We eat in some on trips, as well as eat out affordably, but also like to have a couple of splurge meals.

As for touring, we mostly go independent.

I guess you could say bottom line is that we prefer to &quot;live like locals&quot; wherever we travel to. If I had to choose a category from those listed, I'd most fit into #2, but also have some characteristics of #3 and #4.

Yes, interesting thread. :)

3

2

What Suze said.8-)

Accommodation: it depends where I'm going. These days I tend to aim for 4 star mostly in Europe, but usually the cheaper 4 stars in that town. I wanted to do 3 star in Switzerland this summer but my travelling companions insisted on 4 (and I shall be very annoyed if they drop out). In the UK (where I live), I've hardly ever stayed in hotels, maybe three or four my entire life. Here I usually go for (nice)B&amp;Bs or share renting a cottage. But I don't have a standard rate I'm thinking of, I look at what places in my chosen destination are going for and see what I can afford.

I never spend much on meals. It seems like such a waste. But I'm prepared to pay for a quiet, comfortable, safe night's sleep. I won't pay specially for a View or to upgrade to a nicer room (as long as I have my own bathroom).

hi julies,

like the idea of this thread a lot.

so far there is quite a lot of agreement - 2 &amp; 3 feature heavily, and I'm no different. also like others it varies, depending on where, with whom, and what.

eg - in SA last year, we splurged on accommodation, saved on food, in Iceland this year, we're being quite frugal with accommodation but envisage paying more for food.

looking forward to the results,

regards, ann

We are between a 3 and 4. Because we come from so far away (Australia) we do not go to Europe every year usually we tend to go every 2 years and like to &quot;do&quot; it as best we can. I never stint on accommodation but like also the casual bistro meals or bowl of hot soup!

We are hoping to start travelling at least every year from next year as our son will have finished school so maybe the category will drop a bit as the air fares from here are horrendous. Another category to add maybe is travel mode. We now refuse to go economy so have to pay big bucks for the business class comforts, but that is our choice. I am sorry but travelling for over 24hrs, in most cases nearer to 30 in economy just doesn't work for us.

Schnauzer

scatcat, I agree with location as a criteria...I would rather have a 2 star in a great location than a 4 star in mediocre location!!!!

Julies - thanks for doing this, I think it's interesting.

I guess I'm a 2.3

On most of my trips in the past ten years I've managed to average less than $100 a day (lodging, food, local transportation, admissions). I've virtually always been completely happy with my accomodations. This year though, with the horrid exchange rate for those of us from the US, I think I'm going to have to set my budget at 100&euro; (instead of dollars) a day. In looking at todays prices at hotels I stayed at 5 or so years ago I'm noticing about 10-15% inflation in prices, plus of course our crappy exchange rate.

2

Category 3.

Julies:

I'vebeen lurking a bit on my writing break, and you've once again started out a controversial thread...and intersting one,nevertheless.

Quoting Suze:
&gt;&gt;&gt;Isn't travel about getting out into a different culture, learning a language, seeing historic sights, participating in local events???
A place to sleep and food to eat are necessities of going anywhere... but they are not the focus of my experience...&lt;&lt;&lt;

Finally I got down to Suze's post above...and it says it all as far as my wife and I are concerned, and is the type of traveling I've done for the past six decades.

Also, as I've been saying several times when the subject of money has come up here,it's a very personal and confidential thing.

***But, if while traveling,you spend a bit over your budget, say, sliding up to a $200 lodging rather than one costing only $100, or once in a while popping much more for dining than usual...a short while after you get home and are enjoying looking at your digital pix, and you've gone through one or two cycles of paying your credit card bills, your lives will soon go on as it has and (yes!) you won't have to mortgage your spouse.
But you will amply add to your memories of a rewarding journey.
Please believe me on this one, kids.

Stu T.

(I'm going to celebrate my 79th birthday this Sunday by once more going to the local battng cage and belting out 60 baseballs..admittedly, I'm down to the 50 mph cage...c'est la vie.)

I say we are Category 2 travelers but not totally by choice.
Last sept we spent..

$1,569.00 on Airfare, DFW-CDG FRA-DFW
99 Euro airfare ORY- MUC
79 Euro Transfers in Paris
55 Euro Public trans in Paris
30 Euro misu trans in Paris
420 Euro Hotel in Paris (6 nights)
150 Euro for sights in Paris
500 Euro for food&amp;drink (6nights)=
1,333 Euro&amp;$1,569.00 = $3,470.00

Munich at Oktoberfest,
440 Euro Hotel (2 nights)
100 Euro transpo in Munich
40 Euro sights
190 Food and drinks =
670 Euros = $970.00

29 Euro Train to Mittenwald
100 Euro hotel (1 night)
100 Euro food&amp; drinks
35 Euro sights =
264 Euros = $380.00

59 Euro Train to Wurzburg
189 Euro hotel (2 nights)
50 Euro transpo
150 Euro food&amp;drinks
40 Euro sights =
480 Euros = $695.00

29 Euro train to Frankfurt
180 Euro hotel (2 nights)
60 Euro transpo
150 Euro food&amp;drinks
30 sights =
450 Euros = $650.00
Total was just over $6,100.00
Plus another $700.00 for gifts and things we boughts for ourselfes to bring home.
I can't imagin what it would cost for category 3 and above vacation?
We are a category 2 but wanna be a 4.

I would say we are somewhere upward of category 2 and a touch less than a 3.

We have a 4 week trip quickly approaching the latter part of May and, as much as I'd love to be a 4, being four of us necessitates our adventure being an almost 3, but never close to a 4. And believe me, trying to keep this &quot;modest&quot; budget in check is not an easy thing to do!

My dh is getting a bit bored of my nightly computer ritual researching any and all &quot;bargins&quot; I can find--like the 2 for 1 vouchers in London, thanks to posts from you Fodorties.

Judy

Is the OP going to come back and figure an average?

What's the point of research with no results?

OK so we now have totaled over a 100 posts about how much people here usually pay for their hotel and meals.

While it makes for interesting reading, I still can't figure out how that is helpful in anyway.

Julies, I notice you seem to enjoy starting controversial posts that get people arguing among themselves, but for the life of me I can't figure out why.

DanM had my thoughts exactly so I'll just repeat what he said:

&quot;2 to 3, so a 2.5. I prefer apartments and will do a picnic of street food for one meal a day and a nice meal with all the extras for the other meal.&quot;

we are a 4

I'm a #2 with #4 fantasies, who occasionally splurges on a good meal.

I'm not sure this will clarify &quot;why&quot; we all have such different perspectives on travel, but I will be interested to see how many people categorize themselves in each way.

Based on your many qualifiers (which I think some posters may not have read), another vote for 2.5 (although the older I get, the closer I get to a 3!). How's that for waffling? :-)

I think we are category 3. We like a decent room, does not have to be luxury, but like some amenities.
We also like nice food, but once again does not have to be overly expensive, just tasty.

What Stu said! Yes, after a cycle or two of the credit card bills, we have all the memories and experiences and it makes us happy!

I am so glad that you are 79 and still going, Stu. But I know that it can all be over way too soon, so we keep going.

somewhere between 3 and 4

Would it be awful to say that I don't have any idea how many stars any hotel we've stayed at had? Not a clue.

On price range, we're all over the board, so not sure where we fit. Lodging or meals - sometimes fancy is good, and sometimes a kabob and a noisy bunch of counter workers is a lot more fun.

In the last 3 (longer) trips, we've stayed in a $5 per night guesthouse in rural Cambodia that we shared with a gecko; a 600 year old restored mansion in Fez (love historic, amenities or not); and a full on suite in Langham Place, overlooking Hong Kong.

We're travel schizophrenic.

I'm probably a 2.5. I like charm but go with Priceline where I am comfortable with it. I like good food but am not a &quot;foodie.&quot; I really just like to travel. I'm also a Depression Baby and can't get over it.

&quot;We're travel schizophrenic.&quot;

Clifton, I love that! That fits me too. As I said above, I just don't fit neatly into any of the categories.

We fall between two and three. A big bed is important as my husband is tall, and that usually means a more expensive B&amp;B, especially in UK. Otherwise, the equivalent of two and three star hotels suit us. Because we're from Australia and save up holidays to spend a longer time on our very infrequent trips overseas we have to keep food costs down, so picnics, cheap eats and the occasional splurge is what we do.

Well, we're 'bipolar' travel kids. Don't fit a category..We are impulsive, put it all on the credit card...who cares anyway..guess I don't understand the value of this query? But to add my 2 cents, we usually travel business class if we are going overseas; stay central to the point of interest, walk mostly, eat one great meal once a day, don't buy souveniers much, phone home at least every week, get really homesick after 3 weeks, love the ocean, enjoy getting there as much as 'being there'. ...which category is that?

Hi julies, I'll add my bit.

Mostly level 2 (with very occasional forays into level 3).

I think I am a value seeker - I always do a lot of research before I head off, in the hope of getting as much bang for my buck that I can! I like to get a flavour of the country I am in, so pensions etc. suit me better than chain hotels. I guess I draw the line at level 1 though - I'm not wealthy, but I don't want to stay in a fleapit.

Eating abroad is one of the great pleasures of travel, and again, I look for value and local flavour (in more ways than one, boom boom.). I simply can't justify spending vast amounts of cash on a room or a meal - personally, I think you get a better feel for a place if you (a) have a good look round before choosing a bistro/cafe etc., and (b) spend your time in traditional accommodation rather than cloned Novotels etc. Having said that, I must admit to going 3 to 4 * in Asia on the way there and back, just for a night, as a treat to break up the ghastly 20 + hours of flying (and they are great value in Singapore, K/L etc.). But then I will get my food from a hawkers stall to balance it out!
Good luck with the survey.

Your categories don't fit me either.

I try to stay 4-5* hotels, but at reduced rates. I will not pay top dollar to stay there.

When traveling overseas, I look for historic places which do not usually have reduced rates, but I don't mind paying for that. It's part of the trip.

I like the basics in food for breakfast &amp; lunch, but want to dine out at the best places for dinner.

When I post, I try to be very specific with my requests. &quot;Recommend a great restaurant&quot; is not specific enough. &quot;Tell me where to have an unforgettable meal&quot; is a little more specific short of telling you exactly how much I want to spend...which totally varies depending on location.

I'm with those who have a problem with the classification, but I'll let you decide where to place me:

1) I generally stay at 3-4 star hotels, because with Priceline I rarely have to pay a premium over the types of places you note in category 2. I will splurge for certain types of trips, such as pure beach vacations, where the hotel/resort is a big part of the draw.

2) My food habits are tougher to define. I will often splurge for restaurants that are truly of an exemplary standard. So, I don't blink at the bill at a 3-star restaurant, if that is where I have chosen to go. But, at the other end, I don't think I spend money gratuitously. If I am in a place without a great restaurant, I will not spend a premium for a &quot;sort of good&quot; place.

So, I guess that puts me in the category 3, but I have no objection to spending up to the category 4, and I do not worry much at all about how much I am spending. However, this is only if the value of the food or lodging justifies it.

I guess I'm a level 3 traveler, with an occasional visit to level 4, mostly on the dining axis.

For me, food is one of the windows into the culture we've come all that way to see. Plus -- I like to eat and drink well, at home and abroad. We enjoy simple food as much or more as elegant fare.

The hotel is not the point of the trip for me (although you can learn a lot about a country from its hotels, too). I've just reached a point in my life where I like a little comfort.

I guess I'm getting to the age where I should curb my worldly appetites and cultivate a becoming asceticism. Maybe next year.