Honest Opinion? Affordability!!
 

I'm just curious how does everyone pay for there vacations? Do you charge them or save money each month. If so, how far in advance do you begin saving? I'm just curious. I love to travel but it's extremely hard to save for a vacation and I don't even have children. I know some people are fortunate enough to make enough money to take extravagant vacations or mulitple trips each year. Just curious I guess.

I have $400 per month taken out of my paycheck and sent to a savings account so I don't even see it - and get tempted to spend it right away. That's usually my vacation money each year, although I still end up charging some things.

We put our vacations on our credit card. The minute that it is paid off, hubby lets me start planning the next trip. This accomplishes two things; a)it encourages/inspires me to be thrifty to pay the bill down faster and b) we can go as extravagant or as cheap as we want, we can't go again til it's paid off regardless. The only down side is the interest, but our card has a low enough %.

We do a little of both. Once my fiance and I decide we're going to take a vacation, we start saving a little from each pay check. We usually try to have enough to cover the airfare and hotel. Then we use our credit card for food and sightseeing.

We do a lot of traveling and it is an important aspect of our lives. I actually have a very flexible second job/avocation that I use to help cover the expenses. We also choose to live in a more modest home and drive our cars a little longer than some people we know. The payoff? Several trips each year to international destinations -- and we've learned how to get a LOT for our money. We're all elite-level frequent flyers. We know a deal when we see one. We can often take a long weekend in Europe for well under $1,000 per person complete. Ditto for Asia. Canada is far less expensive than many U.S. alternatives for summer travel and less crowded. In the U.S., we make use of seasonal pricing we've learned how to find very nice hotels for far less than many people pay. So it's a combination of placing a high priority on having the experiences and then the know-how to get it done well for reasonable costs. We don't really "save" for vacations, but we budget them and absorb the costs over a period of 3-4 months.

Wow. Some good advice. It's hard for me to save. I have a budget, but love to travel. It just seem so easy to book the vacation on the charge. Just curious how many of the fodorites charge<BR>there vacations.

My husband and I do charge our vacations - to accrue airmiles for our next vacation! It took us several years, but our cross-country flight and a week or so of hotels were free. We pay in full each month, so we don't incur debt, which we would find way too stressful!<BR>We do have a budget, and plan carefully to stretch our money. Like "Anon", we have to give in other areas of our lives to afford the luxury of travel.

V, just as important as saving for your vacation is finding the best deal. Before I used the internet, I was paying full fare for the flights and the regular rates for the hotel. Now that I'm internet savy, I've saved a bundle on our vacations. I bookmarked the best websites (I think) that offer the cheapest tickets and hotel rates so it's a lot easier to plan our vacations. So just do some research and you'll be amazed that your dream vacation might be more affordable than you think.

V, go over to the Europe forum and do a search for a thread entitled "Is everyone here immensely weathly?" originally posted on April 15, 1999. <BR><BR>It's one of the best threads I've ever seen on Fodor's, had well over 200 responses at my last viewing of it. Read it and discover the many ways that people will scrimp, sacrifice or budget for their passion: TRAVEL.

Honestly I charge it! I'm positive more people here charge there vacations. Come on people, let's be real here. You don't save for airfare, hotel, dinners, plus spending money all in one shot. I may pay cash for part of my trip, but the rests is unfortunately, on the card. Heck, if I'd save and scrimp for my dream vacation, I won't be going for another 5 years. What to speak of those who travel with kids!

I have no loans, no credit card debt, no car, no mortgage, no kids, and I generally hate shopping. I also eat cheaply, averaging $4 for lunch and and $5 or $6 on dinner. The only things I grocery-shop for are milk, cereal (on sale), toilet paper, and a couple fruits and veggies. My other expenses are rent, internet, electicity, cell phone, that's it. Keeping it simple and cheap allows my bank account to grow. I don't even *think* about "saving for vacation"...the money is just there when I need it b/c i'm not a big spender otherwise. I have no qualms about spending $2K-3K for a 10-day trip every 6 months. That's a lot for my salary...but vacations are what I live for!<BR><BR>Hope you find something that works for you, V!<BR><BR>

Wow Suzanne. I must give it up to you. You manage your finances. I wish I could save and take $2K-3K vacations every 6 Months. That's quite a bit. I don't know your salary and personally its none of my business, but you probably make good enough money that allows you substitute other things for traveling ( I couldn't personally go without a car) but- More power to ya!

Like Suzanne([email protected]), I also don't spend a lot in my daily life, and live for my travel time too. While I do have a car, I buy used ones 4-5 years old and drive them til they rot. Food is probably my biggest expense, followed by mortgage. I use credit cards only because of the protection offered, but pay off the balance immediately. I'm planning my next trip as I return from the current one. I make a decent wage, not high, but watch the pennies and let the dollars take care of themselves.<BR>

I don't understand why someone would list renting as being more financial sound than having a mortgage - which is whay Suzanne seems to be implying. Real estate is almost always a sound investment - for many reasons - and in certain locations, can be an AMAZING investment. I'm not going to get into a diatribe about Real Estate 101, but does anyone other than Suzanne think renting is usually more financially savvy than renting?

Having seen the value of my house increase over $500K in 6 years I realize that the smartest investment these days is real estate. Save for a downpayment on a home first then start saving for those vacations.

I charge my plane tickets, but pay it off before I take my trip. The only thing I have to pay for afterwards is car rental and hotel.<BR><BR>I used to charge everything, and pay off a little every month after the trip, so I'd still be paying on the last trip when I took the next one. Then I realized how ridiculously stupid that was.<BR><BR>I also found that marrying a very intelligent man when he was very young and penniless, then watch him take his profession by storm and now earns the big bucks, works pretty well if you want to take nice vacations. He goes to Europe 4-5 times a year, and I usually go twice, plus we take one trip in the US somewhere, and some weekend trips.<BR><BR>BTW, real estate is not always a good investment. If you move often, like many people do, then you'd lose money buying. Or if real estate in your area doesn't appreciate quickly. It all depends on the individual's situation. For example, friends bought a condo in 1993 in Arlington, Virginia. You'd think the place would have at least doubled in value by now, right? Wrong, they sold it last year, at a loss. On the other hand, my house in Alexandria, Virginia, has increased in value by $130,000 in 18 months.

Ann - <BR><BR>Don't you find living vicariously through your husband in this day and age to be a bit limiting? An isn't running up credit card debt beyond your immediate means while he's working hard to provide you with a good living terribly selfish? I guess marrying well is important if you don't have the ability and drive to make it yourself.

DependencyAlert...why judge her? If it works in their relationship, then good for them. <BR><BR>I just had to put in my two bits cuz it irritates me when people assume that women/men in relationships who do not work/make significantly less money somehow are of a lesser status in the relationship. People bring different things to a relationship. <BR><BR>My relationship with my DH didn't revolve around $ when we had none, or when I was making significantly more than him, so why should it now?<BR><BR>And to answer the original ?...Like others we charge them for the FF, but pay it off every month, find deals thru a lot of research and on the 'net. I'm guessing not having kids helps ;)

I must admit, I'm not reach nor not poor. I'm blessed to have my health and not be in tons of debt. I have in the past charged some vacations, especially those last minute deals that you simply can't pass up. I understand the temptation in using those charge cards. I'm looking now for a economical vacation that I can pay out of pocket. If you need to charge, maybe charge the most least expensive thing if possible. Example- Car rental and few tours. Something that won't hike up the card.

I must admit, I'm not rich nor not poor. I'm blessed to have my health and not be in tons of debt. I have in the past charged some vacations, especially those last minute deals that you simply can't pass up. I understand the temptation in using those charge cards. I'm looking now for a economical vacation that I can pay out of pocket. If you need to charge, maybe charge the most least expensive thing if possible. Example- Car rental and few tours. Something that won't hike up the card.