How do you afford to travel so much?????
 

I've been reading the Fodors travel boards for several months now. It seems like so many of you travel an awful lot. I don't get it!!! How do you afford it? My husband makes a great salary in the Phoenix area as a physician. We live in a very nice home, but one that would be considered modest for our income level. We drive simple, family cars that are paid for (Ford Explorer, Honda Minivan) and manage to invest in our pension every month. We don't live an extravagent life-style and the cost of living here is relatively low. I would love to travel more, but we quite frankly can't afford it. For example, to take our family of 2 adults and 4 kids to Crowne Parades Club in Cancun for one week in off-season would cost us $8000. Yikes!!!! We think that's alot of money! (Granted we do have 4 kids, but one is an infant... no airfare...) Do other people just charge their vacations on credit cards or stay with friends/relatives or just drive to their vacation site? How do you all do it?????

We have no kids. That makes a huge difference. And I don't travel unless I get a good deal.<BR><BR>Most importantly, I spend nearly all my &quot;fun money&quot; on travel. I don't go shopping for clothes unless I absolutely need to. I save up for travel like others save for a shopping spree.

Do you work outside of the home? Because, even if your husband makes a good salary, it's still supporting 6 people. So, I can imagine there's not a great deal of extra money to go around. Perhaps you can start a mini-savings account (maybe $100 a week) for a less extravagant trip. In a few months you'll have almost $1500 saved...if you drive to California (from AZ not so long) that might be something do-able...?

We're rich!

Obviously, your retirement is more important to you than travelling is now. This isn't a slam, believe me, I'm sure when you do retire, you'll be able to travel a great deal. But try to remember that &quot;you can't take it with you&quot;. I would personally try to plan something now with your family. You cannot put a price on memories that will be shared by each of you for ever. JMHO.

Maybe you are just starting out or paying school loans?<BR><BR>Here's how we do it. We travel a lot, live a similar lifestyle to yours, save a lot, and I work part time for, what else - travel money! I could stay home like all of my friends, and play tennis all day, and maybe have a housekeeper, but I'd rather spend for travel. Also - <BR><BR>1. We get freebies from business travel<BR><BR>2. My mom loves to take us on vacations (thanks mom)<BR><BR>3. I shop for bargains. I would never, I mean never spend $ 8,000 on cancun. Europe maybe, but I could take our family of 4 to Cancun for $3,000 a week (even though I wouldn't go there, I don't like it).<BR><BR>4. We only have 2 kids. 4 kids are very expensive, as you know. With 2 more, we probably couldn't travel more than once a year either.

<BR>I doubt there's any one answer. Vacations require two things--time and money--and some people just have more time and disposable income than others.

In a word, American Express or Frequent Flyer credit cards. We pay them off at the end of the month and collect FF miles which can be redeemed for hotel stays and airfare. I also travel for a living and get FF miles and frequent hotel points.

Well for one thing we set our sights a bit lower than going to that Club in Cancun that you mentioned. We know what's affordable for us and plan accordingly. For instance if we want to go to Disney World I look for reasonable accomodations. We know we can't afford a deluxe resort; we're lucky if we can find a discount for one of the moderate resorts. We never fly anywhere; we drive. So that limits us to vacation spots within a day's drive.<BR>And we don't eat at fancy places. We always set a budget for our trip and (so far) have never exceeded it. We only have one big trip a year, and if we're lucky we can work in a weekend trip here or there. I would say good luck but you don't need it; your husband's a doctor!

Just<BR>Gots to agree with ya.8 Grand is a lottttttttttttttta dough, anyway yuz look at it.I've wondered too.Most of my travel is on bizness.I gotta say I'm looking around me and lots of folks who were thinking about retiring in 10 or so years well they just gotta keep on truckin.All I hear is that social security wont be around when I'm ready for it in 40 years.I hope thats not the case.And I dont think plasticizing a trip is a good idea.So I too would like to have their formula.

4 kids is expensive. You do have to sacrifice to have that many.

My husband and I both work full time stressful jobs (are there any that aren't stressful??) So we love to treat ourselves with vacations. We have no children, so of course, that saves on daily expenses that you must incur. Plus, traveling with just two is obviously considerably cheaper than for six! We generally go on 2-3 &quot;big&quot; vacations (7-10 days) and 2-3 long weekend trips per year. We charge everything, to get miles, but almost always pay off our credit cards each month. We've used our miles this year to redeem two free first class RT flights, and one free RT flight and a discount off the second ticket. We don't live extravagantly in our daily lives. We're just average as far as housing, cars, and hobbies go, and probably spend below average on eating out and entertainment. It's all about what's important to you, right?

Retired at 57 by doing exactly what you are doing;investing in pension and living modestly. Take your kids on inexpensive vacations and save the heavy duty travel to exotic places once the kids are grown.<BR>Worked fine for us.

We have no kids and we both work, that makes a big difference. My husband usually gets a very nice year end bonus which we usually use for travel as well as saving some of my salary. Traveling is a priority for us....we don't mind spending $$$$$$$$ for a trip. We work hard and save for it. We are also in our 40's/50's. When I was younger I couldn't afford to travel the way I do now.

It's easier and cheaper for me for several reasons....<BR><BR>1) I travel alone or with a woman friend who shares expenses<BR>2) I tend to eat only one significant meal per day in restaurants when traveling - I tak eadvantage of included breakfast at hotel if available and I generally have street vendor food or fruit etc from grocery store for breakfast and/or lunch<BR>3) I use Priceline for my hotels whenever possible (again - not a practical option when traveling with a family).<BR>4) I don't go to all-inclusives and my interests tend towards activities and things that are active but don't require lots of money<BR>5) I try to tack a 3-5 day weekend onto a business trip and pay for the extra hotel days and meals myself. My employer is happy to allow this as it's my own earned leave time and by staying over a weekend I usually get them lower airfare.<BR><BR>If I was traveling with a spouse and children I doubt that I could afford more than one nice trip per year. I traveled to belize last spring (my first trip outside the US). I went for ten days, got a good deal on airfare, did some bus travel rather than private shuttles on some legs of the trip, ate budget meals (easy to do in that country) and stayed in modest accomodations. I did do plenty of activities including caving, Mayan ruins and scuba certification but the trip cost well over $2,000 for one person. I am by no means well off but for a single guy with one child in college I'm in a fairly comfortable position earnings-wise and relative to my overhead costs. One trip per year of that cost level is all I can generally afford - the other trips are all shorter and cheaper (usually). I'll satisfy myself with that level of travel until I am retired and have plenty of time but in the meantime.... I'm willign to compromise the luxury level of my traveling in order to see and do more.

Value traveling is a concept that I subscribe to, and that's why I can go on 4-6 vacations a yr. (with about 4 airplane trips annually)<BR><BR>For example, I would NEVER book a cruise vacation in a balcony cabin; therefore, as I did this year, I was able to go an 2 cruises with inside cabins ( Carribean on Celebrity in Jan. &amp; Alaska in July with Princess) for the price of 1 balcony cabin. (The Celebrity cabin was $600/person &amp; Princess was $550/person, each including all fees and charges)<BR><BR>I use Priceline &amp; the Entertainment Discount books to get very large discounts on hotel rms - my average hotel rm cost is from $35/$50 per nt. I stay in Hyatts, Marriotts and Hiltons.<BR><BR>I use Priceline, the web, and credit card/frequent flyer points to get discounted airfare.<BR><BR>I spend ALOT of time planning out our vacations, which I choose to do because I treat it as a hobby. <BR><BR>What kind of values can I get? Let me price our Alaska cruise vacation:<BR><BR>1) Cruise: Sun Princess Alaska Northbound - $550/person, inclusive of port &amp; taxes<BR><BR>2) Airfare: Continental - NYC-Anchorage-Vancouver-NYC - FREE for both passengers, using frequent flyer points (airfare would have been $500/person)<BR><BR>3) Pre-cruise hotel stay: Anchorage Springhill Suites by Marriott - FREE Stay using Chase Creditcard bonus Points. ( Hotel would have vost $139/nt)<BR><BR>4) Post-cruise hotel stay: Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel - US$45/nt via Priceline bid. ( Cheapest Price without Priceline - $120)

Until our kids were grown, our travel was limited to destinations within driving distance, mostly to educational/historical places, camping trips, trips to visit the Grandparents. Now that the kids are up and out, we travel quite differently.

With four young children, you have two choices if you want to have exciting vacations...<BR>1) leave the kids with Grandma or Aunty so they can get to know each other while you and husband go off on a wild trip.<BR>2) Take family vacations that don't involve lots of air time and 4 star service. To do this you have to be creative and plan carefully! Going to an all inclusive is the easy way to travel, but since you find the price tag shocking, you've got to do a little more work. <BR>How about a southwest explorer trip? Drive to the Grand canyon, Mesa Verde, or Santa FE. Check out historical and FUN places, allowing plenty of time for the fun and the motel pools. How about a week at a dude ranch. Many offer lots of activites other than horseback riding for the little kids, and often kids will be free or half price. (Check out the book &quot;Ranch vacations&quot; by eugene Kilgore) Go to a ranch in Canada and you'll pay even less. <BR>Take a cruise, again shopping carefully. Prices on the same cruise, same room, same week can vary by thousands of dollars from one travel agent to another. Often there are sales with the 4th person free/ half off on kids/etc. <BR>Go to The east coast- DC, Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Busch Gardens water park. Stay in moderately priced hotels...You need safe and clean and a pool for your kids...not 4 star service. If you study the guide books, ask for help here, and spend LOTS of time on the internet digging for bargains, you can certainly afford memorable vacations. Remember, a family is made by their common experiences. Family travel is lots of work, but gives your kids memories that will outlive you. Think of it as investing in your family and the cost won't seem so high. Don't save it all for retirement...it won't benefit the family and if one of you don't make it there in good health, you won't even benefit as a couple.<BR>

Well, I don't have kids and I don't have a spouse. I value the ability to travel more than I do other things, so spare money gets saved towards that. <BR><BR>I never stay at top of the line hotels. I don't do the &quot;all inclusive&quot; thing, either. If the hotel doesn't offer breakfast, I keep it in the fridge in the room. Normally, I only eat breakfast (either hotel provides or I have it in my room) and dinner. And typically, I splurge on one &quot;expensive&quot; dinner per week. I try to use public transportation rather than renting a car, if at all possible. Oh, and whenever a flight is over-booked, I'm the first to volunteer my seat - just to get those free tickets!<BR><BR>With 4 kids, travel can be expensive, but it really depends on the location. Doing driving trips within the US while the kids are young might be more within a budget now. After all, even a long weekend camping can be considered a vacation.

I have no kids, no mortgage, no car, and I spend very little money on clothes (I hate shopping). I try to find deals when traveling, though I sometimes splurge on small-group adventure trips. Vacations are what I LIVE for. Though right now I'm dying...it's been just too long since my last one (March). I am trying to save up to possibly buy an apartment...

A Ford Explorer and a Honda mini-van are simple, family cars? Maybe compared to a Landrover and Lexus. Did you buy them used? If you didn't, you spent a ton of money on them new when there were cheaper alternatives available. And with gas prices the way they are I hope you don't have to drive that Explorer very far every day. <BR><BR>People rarely understand how expensive cars are. When the US government gives you a 32 cent a mile allowance to operate a car, it's for a reason. On average it really does cost that much to operate one.

Your husband is fortunate to have a wife with a brain. Most of the physician's wives I know just spend the money and don't worry their little heads where it came from. My wife and I both work and she knows money doesn't grow on trees. The truth is that most of the posters here don't have four children. My two brothers and I NEVER got to go on a vacation out entire childhood, just grandparent visits.

This is similar to another post on the Europe Thread. My husband &amp; I had his 2 teenagers for a time when we were 1st married (and child support included) so our trips were verrry low budget (camping, day trips,...). Now it is only the two of us, so we do have alittle more disposible income, but I still hunt out the bargains to keep our costs down &amp; we can enjoy more (since we both work - duel income)- We live in a small house, eat out most of the time for breakfasts (cheaper that dinners!) and only dinners once a month, keep our 2 cars for a long time, coupons &amp; Sales!!!,... Any extra $'s we get (bonuses, overtime pay, refunds &amp; rebates,...) goes into a separate savings account. We generally do a really big trip (2 - 3 weeks) about every 1 - 2 years and smaller trips inbetween (a few days to 1 week). With this plan we have gone to So. California 4 times in the last 2 1/2 years - Alaska Cruise (definatly in shoulder season &amp; like above booked an inside room - much less expensive.) - and now planing on a 3 week trip to Edinburgh / London &amp; Ireland for July 2003 (can't do shoulder or off season as we usually do because a wedding is our reason for going in July). We also save for our retirement - but why wait when we may not beable to get around as well when we retire? It is definatly a priority matter.

I am self employed (wife doesn't work)and make pretty good money. We keep expenses to a minimum where possible.<BR><BR>I view travel with my three children almost, if not more educational than going to school. We try to take at least two or three vacations each year, the last one running around 10k. We have not taken our kids to a theme park since they were about 7 or so and have no plans to ever go again.<BR><BR>This year we went to the NE and to Canada, next year it is to SF, up the coast and back down to SLC. Next year we are going to Europe. Heck yes it is pricey but worth every dime and the memories are....priceless.<BR><BR>RM

We love to travel. Just average folks. Fortunately, we don't have expensive cars, or a whopping mortgage. We live very simply, and our biggest advantage is we don't have any kids. We can take 2 nice vacations a year. Sometimes we may sqeak in 3 if we find that spectacular deal! I'd say the biggest expense in your case is the kids.

I go off season, otherwise I couldn't afford it.Searching the web for deals all the time.

I'm a single guy and make a pretty modest salary (around K$50). However, my monthly rent is quite reasonable here in Montreal and I do not own a car, which saves on expenses. Travelling is such a joy to me, that I give it high priority in life. I feel it helps me understand how others think, what their perspective is, which is priceless to my eyes. I'm willing to take Greyhound (I even enjoy Greyhound sometimes) to experience somewhere new and different; I stay with friends (who can and do stay in guest room) and don't mind sleeping on the couch if that's all a friend has. Some cities have dormitory accommodations in the summer for quite reasonable prices, which I have no shame in staying at. I find time the limiting factor in taking vacations more than money (admittedly though I've been travelling mostly around North America these days; furthest recent trip was to the Bahamas).

I can't imagine spending 8 grand in Cancun. You've gotta learn how to bargain shop. Whenever I get an &quot;inkling&quot; to travel-which is often, I just put in extra hours at work. I call this my &quot;splurge&quot; money because that's exactly what I like to do when I vacation. I like to spoil myself and be spoiled. So glad my boyfriend understands this. So, room service and great shopping in wonderful places is what I live for.

Wow, 8 grand is a LOT for a week's vacation, even for 6 people!<BR><BR>We travel inexpensively by <BR><BR>1. doing home exchanges, <BR><BR>2. using frequent flyer miles (get a cc and put EVERYTHING, including groceries, on it),<BR><BR>3. yes we did stay with relatives once, <BR><BR>4. chosing economical accomodations, even camping, <BR><BR>5. traveling off-season when possible<BR><BR>6. choosing economical activities and meals, rather than an all-incllusive deluxe place<BR><BR>7. not spending money on cars, clothes, other optional stuff (I drive a 1993 Escort, THAT's &quot;driving simple&quot;)<BR><BR>8. driving rather than flying<BR><BR>Using the above techniques, I have (for instance) taken 4 people to England and Wales for 3 weeks for $2500, 3 people to Hawaii for 10 days for under $1000, 3 people to Amish country for a week for under $500.

I think if you really set your mind on bargan shopping for vacations, you could come up with some deals. It has to be a hobbie, and you need to be diligent in searching for the deals. Granted, 4 kids is a drawback in terms of traveling. You also don't mention there ages with the exception one is an infant, but still I think 8 grand is extremely high for Cancun. I still think you could do educational trips as a family. Rent a place along the beach someplace, even if it meant cooking some meals versus eating out. I would check into some summer rates, along PDC in Mexico. You could check into Disneyland since you are in the west. Driving there wouldn't be that bad, then spend a week. I think you could do better than 8K. Maybe even consider leaving the baby with someone at this time, since it he/she is young and wouldn't benefit a vacation at this time. I also think you and hubby should plan some time away if even a long weekend someplace. You need some time alone!For other family ideas, it seems you could go to San Diego, do the zoo, Sea World, etc for a week and not spent 8K. EVen considering a cruise which leaves from S.D. would cut down on air fare costs if you drove. Just throwing out ideas.

Agree with a lot of the things said here. The main reason we can afford the things we do is: we live in a house that is WAY below our means. Yes, it would be nice to have a better home, but this really frees up a lot of our income.<BR>

From the original poster: Thanks to all of your sincere replies. Wow!!! This was the longest thread I have ever read without even one nasty response. Thanks so much. Regarding our cars- the Ford Explorer my husband drives is over 10 years old. (It really is a &quot;simple&quot; car when you compare it to the luxury cars... Jags, BMWs... in the doctors' parking lot... it really is comical how it stands out. We're actually quite proud of that. LOL!!!) We do use our American Express card to charge EVERYTHING we can (paid off monthly, of course) to get the FF miles. We have almost 200,000 miles. I've found, however, that they can be so difficult to use. For example, I tried to book trips on USAirways and Delta to the caribbean ONE YEAR in advance for the family (then 5 of us) and the seats were already taken. It's frustrating! Thanks to the poster re: the idea to cruise from Southern California. What a great idea. That way, we can drive to the port and save on airfare. Thanks again to everyone for your civil replies.

RM, you have your priorities right, IMHO. I also think Suzanne has a refreshing attitude about shopping for a lady (hope you get that apartment AND still get to Florida once in a while to eat those stone crab claws LOL).<BR><BR>Our family of 6 chooses travel over some of the luxuries that most folks take for granted. I just shake my head when people post about the $400 hotel rooms and $350 facials/massages. Just my opinion again, but anyone who foregoes family travel for the sake of owning a new SUV has caved in to society`s pressure. My wonderful wife does not work outside the home, I do not have a high paying job. Our kids laugh at the idea of paying $75 for a pair of tennis shoes that Nike has produced for all of $7. We are so fortunate to live in the fattest country in the world, if you can`t make it here you can`t make it anywhere (sorry Frank). My advice to the poster of this thread is &quot;allow yourselves to quit the rat-race while you still have your health (yes, that means quitting that dead end job, and your husband knows what I mean), drive those cars into the ground and find alternative means of income, and devote your lives to being with your kids&quot;. That may sound harsh, and I don`t mean it to. It is real advice meant in the kindest way. <BR>Just so nobody thinks I am advocating poverty, I must add that our 4 kids lack for nothing meaningfull, they have been all over the world and understand that they are incredibly well off compared to most of the world. They might be a little more inclined to look at our society in an iconoclastic way, taking the real value and passing on the 'hype'.

The only way I can afford to take my two teenaged daughters to NY for 5 days over Spring break, is to incorporate it into theie Christmas gift. (I also have a boy, 8yrs old.)<BR>The girls are getting a nice piece of luggage with air tickets and 200.00 shopping money inside. My son will not fly on a plane. Maybe when He is older. My husband gave me a choice. New wood floor in kitchen, or a trip to NY before my daughter goes off to school. They always wanted to go, my floor can wait. It is all about choices. Priorities. Just my 2 cents worth!

You are welcome for the cruise suggestion from S.D. I think if you really concentrate on it, put forth a lot of effort, not just jump into the first idea,(like 8K for Cancun) you will find something afforadable.

I agree that the Explorer and Minivan are simple cars.<BR><BR>My husband and I have no children (don't want any) and we can spend our money on ourselves. We both have stressful jobs and getaways help.

Dining out is incredibly expensive when you travel. That is why we usually stay at Marriott Residence Inns, they include a hot breakfast and a kitchen. You can pack a lunch at a small fraction of what it costs to eat out. Dinner can be a simple meal prepared in your hotel kitchen. Residence Inns even do your grocery shopping for you at no additional charge, except for the groceries, of course! Also, visit places where the natural landscape is the destination instead of the man-made version. We, too, make a very good living. My husband is a VP, one son in college and one in HS, and I don't work. It isn't that I mind spending $$$, I just HATE wasting it!! Good Luck

You know one of your best bests would be to rent a condo and forget the hotel idea. For example, you could rent a nice condo almost anywhere, say for example Las Vegas which is also close to where you live reducing air flight costs. It is a very economical place to travel A nice place with great swimming pools,etc. You could cook, or eat out and the food is also cheaper there. There are many kid places to entertain them that is also cheap. Include a day at Hoover Dam, and local sites as well. You could probably do this for several grand. Maybe 3K for a enture week. (well maybe 4K) Somewhere in that bracket. Half of the Cancun costs.

We (2 adults, 2 kids, 2 moderate incomes) spend about 15k per year on travel. In a typical year that gets us:<BR> -- a couple weekend ski trips. We drive (live in N. England), stay in town rather than on site, pack lunches. <BR> -- a week at the shore (New Jersey or Cape Cod). We rent a house with friends/family and cook our own meals. Kids ride around on bikes, hang on the beach and boardwalks. <BR> -- a ``big trip'' maybe to Disney or Grand Canyon or Italy. We look for great airfare and hotel deals before deciding when, where, or whether. <BR> -- Weeklong trips to grandma and grandpa's, summer and holidays. We drive, stay in cheap hotels. G&amp;G do the cooking.

Hi<BR>Sometimes you just have to be inventive. There are lots of good ideas on this post and I'll take the one about renting a condo a little farther. Many people are not aware that you can rent a timeshare condo (and they can be extremely nice) They can also be much cheaper than hotel rooms for 5/6 people.<BR><BR>This site gives rates for condos that are for rent - take a look - you might find a place you'd like to visit and you can cook some meals in and eat some out - result cheaper vacation more fun. Take a look <BR>www.rciholidaynetworkspecials.com