How does anyone afford to travel now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

What was the last international vacation you took with your teens, where and when did you go, and how long did you stay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

I agree. We went to Europe over Spring Break with two teenagers and one under 10 and the trip easily cost us $15,000. Travel is very expensive these days. Granted we did stay in a nice hotel and did not rent an Air BnB but the tickets alone cost us $7K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

I agree. We went to Europe over Spring Break with two teenagers and one under 10 and the trip easily cost us $15,000. Travel is very expensive these days. Granted we did stay in a nice hotel and did not rent an Air BnB but the tickets alone cost us $7K.

It feels like we must all be comparing apples with oranges. I travelled to Paris with my 16-year-old daughter last spring break and it cost $1365 for direct flights with United and 800 euros for 4 nights in a hotel in Paris. We stayed 3 nights with a friend. If we had stayed at a hotel for seven nights, we would have spent about $1,350pp on flights and accommodation. If you asked me whether it was worth it, then I would definitely say yes, but I didn’t need to spend anywhere near what you did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a nurse, so very much true middle class. I live in a VHCOL city. I take 2-3 int’l trips a year by keeping them to a week or less, buying very cheap airfare and going off season/ shoulder season. Once there, I stay in the cheapest hotel I can find that is safe.

Of note, i literally never, ever order DoorDash. Anyone who has ever paid $29 all-in for a single hamburger is not allowed to whine about the costs associated with taking a trip— you are pissing away your money

I don’t pay the premium for Instacart. I don’t have regularly scheduled housecleaners. I go out to eat with friends sparingly, not just because it’s 7 pm and I don’t feel like cooking.

Oh ! And I don’t have a $800-$1000 monthly car pay like a few of my coworkers who wanted the brand new bronco instead of the 18 month old used Corolla.

Same here! Fellow nurse who makes $130K per year. I don't eat out much ( expensive and not healthy), no fancy clothes/entertainment, driving old car. I flew to Europe for $670 round trip early May, so off season; food and trains were not expensive in Europe. It's not that hard to save for trips, even on modest income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

I agree. We went to Europe over Spring Break with two teenagers and one under 10 and the trip easily cost us $15,000. Travel is very expensive these days. Granted we did stay in a nice hotel and did not rent an Air BnB but the tickets alone cost us $7K.

It feels like we must all be comparing apples with oranges. I travelled to Paris with my 16-year-old daughter last spring break and it cost $1365 for direct flights with United and 800 euros for 4 nights in a hotel in Paris. We stayed 3 nights with a friend. If we had stayed at a hotel for seven nights, we would have spent about $1,350pp on flights and accommodation. If you asked me whether it was worth it, then I would definitely say yes, but I didn’t need to spend anywhere near what you did.

To be fair to the PP above you, they mention traveling with 3 kids and you mention going with 1 kid. That's obviously going to have a very different cost when it comes to flights and accommodations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

I agree. We went to Europe over Spring Break with two teenagers and one under 10 and the trip easily cost us $15,000. Travel is very expensive these days. Granted we did stay in a nice hotel and did not rent an Air BnB but the tickets alone cost us $7K.

It feels like we must all be comparing apples with oranges. I travelled to Paris with my 16-year-old daughter last spring break and it cost $1365 for direct flights with United and 800 euros for 4 nights in a hotel in Paris. We stayed 3 nights with a friend. If we had stayed at a hotel for seven nights, we would have spent about $1,350pp on flights and accommodation. If you asked me whether it was worth it, then I would definitely say yes, but I didn’t need to spend anywhere near what you did.

To be fair to the PP above you, they mention traveling with 3 kids and you mention going with 1 kid. That's obviously going to have a very different cost when it comes to flights and accommodations.

Which is precisely why I said it cost $1,350 per person. For 5 people, that would be $6,700 but only for flights and hotel.

No judgement on them for spending far more - clearly they have a bigger budget. But different budgets and travel styles make it hard to compare costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

I agree. We went to Europe over Spring Break with two teenagers and one under 10 and the trip easily cost us $15,000. Travel is very expensive these days. Granted we did stay in a nice hotel and did not rent an Air BnB but the tickets alone cost us $7K.

It feels like we must all be comparing apples with oranges. I travelled to Paris with my 16-year-old daughter last spring break and it cost $1365 for direct flights with United and 800 euros for 4 nights in a hotel in Paris. We stayed 3 nights with a friend. If we had stayed at a hotel for seven nights, we would have spent about $1,350pp on flights and accommodation. If you asked me whether it was worth it, then I would definitely say yes, but I didn’t need to spend anywhere near what you did.

To be fair to the PP above you, they mention traveling with 3 kids and you mention going with 1 kid. That's obviously going to have a very different cost when it comes to flights and accommodations.

Which is precisely why I said it cost $1,350 per person. For 5 people, that would be $6,700 but only for flights and hotel.

No judgement on them for spending far more - clearly they have a bigger budget. But different budgets and travel styles make it hard to compare costs.

Also the PP who only has one kid stayed for free for 3 nights with a friend - that’s not possible with a family of 5. Keep in mind a family of 4 or 5 also needs two hotel rooms in Europe (Europe only allows 2 per room usually). Also food and entertainment would be way more expensive for 5 people vs 2. The point still stands - Europe is very expensive for families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

I agree. We went to Europe over Spring Break with two teenagers and one under 10 and the trip easily cost us $15,000. Travel is very expensive these days. Granted we did stay in a nice hotel and did not rent an Air BnB but the tickets alone cost us $7K.

It feels like we must all be comparing apples with oranges. I travelled to Paris with my 16-year-old daughter last spring break and it cost $1365 for direct flights with United and 800 euros for 4 nights in a hotel in Paris. We stayed 3 nights with a friend. If we had stayed at a hotel for seven nights, we would have spent about $1,350pp on flights and accommodation. If you asked me whether it was worth it, then I would definitely say yes, but I didn’t need to spend anywhere near what you did.

To be fair to the PP above you, they mention traveling with 3 kids and you mention going with 1 kid. That's obviously going to have a very different cost when it comes to flights and accommodations.

Which is precisely why I said it cost $1,350 per person. For 5 people, that would be $6,700 but only for flights and hotel.

No judgement on them for spending far more - clearly they have a bigger budget. But different budgets and travel styles make it hard to compare costs.

It’s not travel style in this case. It’s literally 3 more people going, which increases the cost enormously.

[Anonymous]

We have always traveled. I frankly can't imagine flying on a non-charter plane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

I agree. We went to Europe over Spring Break with two teenagers and one under 10 and the trip easily cost us $15,000. Travel is very expensive these days. Granted we did stay in a nice hotel and did not rent an Air BnB but the tickets alone cost us $7K.

It feels like we must all be comparing apples with oranges. I travelled to Paris with my 16-year-old daughter last spring break and it cost $1365 for direct flights with United and 800 euros for 4 nights in a hotel in Paris. We stayed 3 nights with a friend. If we had stayed at a hotel for seven nights, we would have spent about $1,350pp on flights and accommodation. If you asked me whether it was worth it, then I would definitely say yes, but I didn’t need to spend anywhere near what you did.

To be fair to the PP above you, they mention traveling with 3 kids and you mention going with 1 kid. That's obviously going to have a very different cost when it comes to flights and accommodations.

Which is precisely why I said it cost $1,350 per person. For 5 people, that would be $6,700 but only for flights and hotel.

No judgement on them for spending far more - clearly they have a bigger budget. But different budgets and travel styles make it hard to compare costs.

It’s not travel style in this case. It’s literally 3 more people going, which increases the cost enormously.

Yes but presumably with 5 people, there is a second paying adult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

I agree. We went to Europe over Spring Break with two teenagers and one under 10 and the trip easily cost us $15,000. Travel is very expensive these days. Granted we did stay in a nice hotel and did not rent an Air BnB but the tickets alone cost us $7K.

It feels like we must all be comparing apples with oranges. I travelled to Paris with my 16-year-old daughter last spring break and it cost $1365 for direct flights with United and 800 euros for 4 nights in a hotel in Paris. We stayed 3 nights with a friend. If we had stayed at a hotel for seven nights, we would have spent about $1,350pp on flights and accommodation. If you asked me whether it was worth it, then I would definitely say yes, but I didn’t need to spend anywhere near what you did.

To be fair to the PP above you, they mention traveling with 3 kids and you mention going with 1 kid. That's obviously going to have a very different cost when it comes to flights and accommodations.

Which is precisely why I said it cost $1,350 per person. For 5 people, that would be $6,700 but only for flights and hotel.

No judgement on them for spending far more - clearly they have a bigger budget. But different budgets and travel styles make it hard to compare costs.

Also the PP who only has one kid stayed for free for 3 nights with a friend - that’s not possible with a family of 5. Keep in mind a family of 4 or 5 also needs two hotel rooms in Europe (Europe only allows 2 per room usually). Also food and entertainment would be way more expensive for 5 people vs 2. The point still stands - Europe is very expensive for families.

Can people not read? I explicitly said $1350 would have been the cost if we had paid for a hotel for seven days and that this was per person. Is that so hard to understand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

What's wrong with them? I've honestly never heard of this behavior in my life. I barely ate 2 a day as a teen.

[Anonymous]

I haven't really notice an increase in price? But we have houses overseas and generally flight charter or class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS - I have 2 teens and no, they don't need 4 meals a day. I suppose if your kids only know McDonald's they might? You have zero imagination if you can't figure out a list of places to take a family vacation in the summer besides the most expensive cities in Europe! Hell if you hate to travel and not prefer it that's completely reasonable too! But to suggest you don't do it because it's not worth the expense, or it's not worth it because nobody needs to see any other place other than the US, is proof you're a dimwit.

My teenaged boys eat 4 meals a day. Sometime 5.

I agree with pp, frankly. Travel expenses abroad for 5 adults when high schoolers can travel is absurdly expensive (June, July, Spring Break, Christmas break). It might be "worth it" for $3000, but not "worth it" for $20,000. We aren't talking about trips to Kings Dominion, we are talking about flying to other countries for travel.

I agree. We went to Europe over Spring Break with two teenagers and one under 10 and the trip easily cost us $15,000. Travel is very expensive these days. Granted we did stay in a nice hotel and did not rent an Air BnB but the tickets alone cost us $7K.

It feels like we must all be comparing apples with oranges. I travelled to Paris with my 16-year-old daughter last spring break and it cost $1365 for direct flights with United and 800 euros for 4 nights in a hotel in Paris. We stayed 3 nights with a friend. If we had stayed at a hotel for seven nights, we would have spent about $1,350pp on flights and accommodation. If you asked me whether it was worth it, then I would definitely say yes, but I didn’t need to spend anywhere near what you did.

To be fair to the PP above you, they mention traveling with 3 kids and you mention going with 1 kid. That's obviously going to have a very different cost when it comes to flights and accommodations.

Which is precisely why I said it cost $1,350 per person. For 5 people, that would be $6,700 but only for flights and hotel.

No judgement on them for spending far more - clearly they have a bigger budget. But different budgets and travel styles make it hard to compare costs.

Also the PP who only has one kid stayed for free for 3 nights with a friend - that’s not possible with a family of 5. Keep in mind a family of 4 or 5 also needs two hotel rooms in Europe (Europe only allows 2 per room usually). Also food and entertainment would be way more expensive for 5 people vs 2. The point still stands - Europe is very expensive for families.

Can people not read? I explicitly said $1350 would have been the cost if we had paid for a hotel for seven days and that this was per person. Is that so hard to understand?

Not the PP but actually the way you wrote it was pretty confusing, I didn't follow at all.