Advice on annual travel budget with HHI of 300K?

[Anonymous]

We increased our budget to $15k a year when we got to $300 and had a DC. From time to time we throw more $ into it if we have extra cash.

[Anonymous]

Traveling is a very wise investment opposed to typical American vacations to idiotic places like Disneyland. When you travel with your children they naturally become worldly just by waking up in the morning in a different country and that before you even visit Versailles that afternoon.

Amusement parks just on the surface have the potential to be dangerous. Furthermore the G-Forces on a child's brain can't be good.

If Europe is too expensive then take road trips across the United States. Turn every vacation into a learning experience and make them memorable.

[Anonymous]

$8k

[Anonymous]

HHI of $165 with a travel budget of $10-15k.

I guess that means you could afford $20-30k? Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you saving for college?

Yes. I think about $300/mo ($100 per month per child).

NP here. That's not nearly enough, especially considering that you have a HHI of $300k. If that's all you're saving, then the right answer for your vacation budget is $0.

Who says she needs or wants to fully fund college? Sure, her amount may not be enough but that doesn’t mean she gets a $0 travel budget. One is optional (college). Most don’t consider vacations optional. Even “staycations” usually require output of $.

Wait are you honestly arguing that college is optional but "travel" is not? Weird... I like travel a lot, and I also fully intend to pay for my kids' college. But if I had to eliminate one of them, it wouldn't be the college. But you do you, different strokes and all that.

I am saying that expecting someone to have a zero for vacation budgeting is unrealistic. To find college at the expense of ZERO money to visit far away family, or see a beach or see touristy things or another country is what is ridiculous. There can be a happy medium which may mean not fully funding college or it may mean not vacationing where you want.

Our college funds are fully funded so me doing me doesn’t really apply to this situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HHI of $165 with a travel budget of $10-15k.

I guess that means you could afford $20-30k? Enjoy!

Lol! We make 450k/yr and barely spend 10k on travel. Couldn't imagine spending 50k by your calculations. Seems like a collosal waste of money.

[Anonymous]

We make 375k and spend around 12k on vacations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We make 375k and spend around 12k on vacations.

We make about the same and spend closer to $25k on travel, which includes vacations with the kids and without, and trips to visit faraway family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Traveling is a very wise investment opposed to typical American vacations to idiotic places like Disneyland. When you travel with your children they naturally become worldly just by waking up in the morning in a different country and that before you even visit Versailles that afternoon.

Amusement parks just on the surface have the potential to be dangerous. Furthermore the G-Forces on a child's brain can't be good.

If Europe is too expensive then take road trips across the United States. Turn every vacation into a learning experience and make them memorable.

lol ooooookay.

We spent $3k one year on a big ski trip, $700 a year for another 3 years straight (a couple weekend trips) then, gasp, $7k this year on Disney, because it’s something you take your lumps and do when you have kids. HHI of $700k.

Travel is never an “investment.” On the other hand, why have a high income if you can’t enjoy things sometimes. But it’s a self-indulgent luxury whether to Disney or Berlin.

[Anonymous]

We do 5k a year with essentially $500 alloted per long weekend and 1 international trip every other year.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Most of you are sounding like my husband, with these figures, lol.

This post is brought to you by our latest disagreement whereby we are going to visit his family in Miami, and of course we have to go during school breaks which are more expensive. It costs $400/ticket to fly to Miami when we are looking but $177/ticket fly to Jacksonville and drive 5 additional hours each way. Guess which one he wants to do? His revised idea, then, is to rent an RV and drive both ways - but also, I can only take a week off work. And apparently, I think time is money

We could theoretically go a different time of year but it’s also a milestone birthday for his mother.

We actually haven’t done a ton of travel this year because I was “saving” for an international trip next year that is now unlikely to occur (for non-monetary reasons). I put “saving” in quotes here because I didn’t actually put any money aside except in my own mind. That is where I think a budget would help . But it appears there is a wide range of what travel budget would be acceptable.

[Anonymous]

Op: oh yeah I also meant to say that DH isn’t big on exchanging gifts so for gifts that I feel I would normally receive (all year) I always just say - I count the trip as my gift, yada yada. But again there is no quantifiable amount for that, just a mental note.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Traveling is a very wise investment opposed to typical American vacations to idiotic places like Disneyland. When you travel with your children they naturally become worldly just by waking up in the morning in a different country and that before you even visit Versailles that afternoon.

Amusement parks just on the surface have the potential to be dangerous. Furthermore the G-Forces on a child's brain can't be good.

If Europe is too expensive then take road trips across the United States. Turn every vacation into a learning experience and make them memorable.

lol ooooookay.

We spent $3k one year on a big ski trip, $700 a year for another 3 years straight (a couple weekend trips) then, gasp, $7k this year on Disney, because it’s something you take your lumps and do when you have kids. HHI of $700k.

Travel is never an “investment.” On the other hand, why have a high income if you can’t enjoy things sometimes. But it’s a self-indulgent luxury whether to Disney or Berlin.

The difference is the Brandenburg Gate and Check Point Charlie are real. The Magic Kingdom and Cinderella are just dopey. I you want to see something majestic and awe inspiring visit the Redwood Forest, Yosemite, or The Badlands.

And to answer your questions everything people spend money on is an investment and secondly why bother having a HHI if that money is not spent on experiences that enrich your children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Most of you are sounding like my husband, with these figures, lol.

This post is brought to you by our latest disagreement whereby we are going to visit his family in Miami, and of course we have to go during school breaks which are more expensive. It costs $400/ticket to fly to Miami when we are looking but $177/ticket fly to Jacksonville and drive 5 additional hours each way. Guess which one he wants to do? His revised idea, then, is to rent an RV and drive both ways - but also, I can only take a week off work. And apparently, I think time is money

We could theoretically go a different time of year but it’s also a milestone birthday for his mother.

We actually haven’t done a ton of travel this year because I was “saving” for an international trip next year that is now unlikely to occur (for non-monetary reasons). I put “saving” in quotes here because I didn’t actually put any money aside except in my own mind. That is where I think a budget would help . But it appears there is a wide range of what travel budget would be acceptable.

Where is all your money going? If you're not socking it away for college, and your DH is too cheap to spend $400/ticket to see his mother for her birthday, where is the money? What is the point to making $300k if you're going to live like a miser?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you saving for college?

Yes. I think about $300/mo ($100 per month per child).

NP here. That's not nearly enough, especially considering that you have a HHI of $300k. If that's all you're saving, then the right answer for your vacation budget is $0.

What a ridiculous answer! You are out of your mind. At $300k she can spend plenty on vacation.