Where do lower to middle class families go on vacation for the summer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mostly we visited family. Otherwise, we liked to rent the rustic cabins that the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club rents. They are really cheap and in beautiful spots and a step up from camping.

Omg, we just vacationed at one of the cabins there! 😃

We stayed in the Catoctin Hollow Lodge and it was beautiful... we loved it.

There's a cabin for everyone's taste preference -- from primitive & rustic, to modern and luxury.
There are cabins to suit every different taste & need.

For those interested, you can see all of the cabins at the below link (the Catoctin Hollow Lodge that we rented is listed under Maryland).

https://www.patc.net/PATC/Cabins/Geo_Cabin_List.aspx

Oops, forgot to add the price list.

There's a cabin for every price range too -- from $25 per night on up!

http://www.patc.net/PATC/Cabins/Cabin_Rates.aspx

Ugh, an exbf took me to one of those and I didn't sleep a wink. The mice (rats?) were literally knocking over things we'd left on the kitchen table! All night long.

[Anonymous]

I don't even know how to define lower and middle class anymore.
I'm not spending 5k on hotel/house for a week. That is too much. And I can afford it but just don't want to.
But, then again, I could just be cheap. I refuse to get an expensive phone or get a monthly plan. What am I going to use it for? Take photos and text, right? Watch movies?? The screen is so small, why would I do that. And I'm happy not having a monthly car payment.
As for camping. I lived in a refugee camp for a year, why would I want to sleep on the ground by choice and eat mediocre food. Rice and beans?! That's refugee food for us when we were there.

[Anonymous]

Our friends go to OC for a week or go camping.

I never went on any vacations. I grew up poor.

My kids travel every break. They don’t know how good they have it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are middle class, I think? HHI about $150,000, but 4 kids.

We drive instead of fly, even if it's a 14 hour+ drive

We camp

We'll stop at a grocery store to buy sandwich fixings and picnic, instead of eating in a restaurant for every meal.
We visit National Parks

For a long time my Dh had a job where he traveled, and he was allowed to accumulate points (from hotel rewards) for personal use, so we were able to stay at hotels for free from that.

My oldest is in college, and we've only been overseas as a family once; that was a huge splurge trip. Even at that, we stayed in just one major city, at a hotel that was outside of the city center (so much less expensive than one right in the tourist area.) We walked or took the subway instead of taxis.

Definitely not mc

[Anonymous]

It's cute how you assume everyone goes on vacation. Two months ago I had to fly across the country for my mother's funeral. I was there for 60 hours. That's the closest I've gotten to a "vacation" in ten years, and it'll have to carry me for years to come.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are middle class, I think? HHI about $150,000, but 4 kids.

We drive instead of fly, even if it's a 14 hour+ drive

We camp

We'll stop at a grocery store to buy sandwich fixings and picnic, instead of eating in a restaurant for every meal.
We visit National Parks

For a long time my Dh had a job where he traveled, and he was allowed to accumulate points (from hotel rewards) for personal use, so we were able to stay at hotels for free from that.

My oldest is in college, and we've only been overseas as a family once; that was a huge splurge trip. Even at that, we stayed in just one major city, at a hotel that was outside of the city center (so much less expensive than one right in the tourist area.) We walked or took the subway instead of taxis.

Definitely not mc

Having too many kids I does not make you middle class. We make that income and are comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are middle class, I think? HHI about $150,000, but 4 kids.

We drive instead of fly, even if it's a 14 hour+ drive

We camp

We'll stop at a grocery store to buy sandwich fixings and picnic, instead of eating in a restaurant for every meal.
We visit National Parks

For a long time my Dh had a job where he traveled, and he was allowed to accumulate points (from hotel rewards) for personal use, so we were able to stay at hotels for free from that.

My oldest is in college, and we've only been overseas as a family once; that was a huge splurge trip. Even at that, we stayed in just one major city, at a hotel that was outside of the city center (so much less expensive than one right in the tourist area.) We walked or took the subway instead of taxis.

Definitely not mc

Having too many kids I does not make you middle class. We make that income and are comfortable.

That’s UMC

[Anonymous]

We've done staycations before. Got up early, drove to Rehoboth Beach beach for the day, had dinner there and drove back in the evening. We did that on two different days during one week period. The other days, we took the children to water parks such as Splash Down Water Park, Water mine, there are a few other ones around. For the next vacation, I am ISO tubing down calm rivers in West Virginia that you can drive to and from the D.C. metro area in a day. Does anyone have suggestions for that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our friends go to OC for a week or go camping.

I never went on any vacations. I grew up poor.

My kids travel every break. They don’t know how good they have it.

+1. They breaks my heart sometimes to see how much my children take for granted.

[Anonymous]

We knew someone who would do a day trip to Rehoboth. I thought they were nuts to drive that far and back without a proper shower. It didn’t occur to me they wanted to save on hotel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are middle class, I think? HHI about $150,000, but 4 kids.

We drive instead of fly, even if it's a 14 hour+ drive

We camp

We'll stop at a grocery store to buy sandwich fixings and picnic, instead of eating in a restaurant for every meal.
We visit National Parks

For a long time my Dh had a job where he traveled, and he was allowed to accumulate points (from hotel rewards) for personal use, so we were able to stay at hotels for free from that.

My oldest is in college, and we've only been overseas as a family once; that was a huge splurge trip. Even at that, we stayed in just one major city, at a hotel that was outside of the city center (so much less expensive than one right in the tourist area.) We walked or took the subway instead of taxis.

Definitely not mc

Having too many kids I does not make you middle class. We make that income and are comfortable.

That’s UMC

Actually, per the PEW middle class calculator that is almost exactly in the middle. Do you have data to support that it's not middle class?

My sis and her fiance earn roughly the same and they are NOT wealthy. They live in an old, 2-bedroom condo in alexandria (not in old town but in an older large apartment/townhouse neighborhood and looks similar to the apartments torn down in arlington a few years ago. She's a teacher and he works for a local social service agency....they've been in their professions about 15 years. I would definitely NOT say that is wealthy. They are looking for a small home or townhome but their budget may make it impossible so they may be stuck in their little condo.

As comparison- I live in another area in VA but am still considered middle class and while our total pay is lower, we are considered a UMC. I was able to purchase an older, nice-sized single-family home in a great neighborhood with a big backyard, we pay for 2 kids in childcare and alll their needs AND are able to take lots of vacations and buy what we need to. We are pretty comfortable. I do not think my sister is as comfortable, even with a higher income due to the very high COL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've done staycations before. Got up early, drove to Rehoboth Beach beach for the day, had dinner there and drove back in the evening. We did that on two different days during one week period. The other days, we took the children to water parks such as Splash Down Water Park, Water mine, there are a few other ones around. For the next vacation, I am ISO tubing down calm rivers in West Virginia that you can drive to and from the D.C. metro area in a day. Does anyone have suggestions for that?

Check out Harper's Ferry and Gunpowder Falls. Enjoy - what a lovely summer activity!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just ran an income calculator and my income still falls within the middle class in my area, though a little more upper middle than lower middle with 127k for a family of 4 (not dc area).

I travel to lots of places as I've shared and they aren't luxurious at all but we find moments that feel luxurious and special to US. It often involves a very simple, outdated airbnb that has a nice VIEW that i've booked 6+ months in advance with the kids in a little loft with a little room for us.

Scott's cheap flights is awesome to follow, booking.com, airbnb, getting a travel credit card such as a chase sapphire preferred card (I have put my childcare, gas & groceries on it and earned tons of points!!) and then becoming very familiar with camping and camping gear! I'm not doing ultra low-budget this year, it's more mid-range so I'm happy to share if those want it but I will hold off for now.

I'm not sure this will be helpful for this summer but here my favorite ULTRA LOW budget vacations which are all camping or camping cabins.

1) Maine. Skip Portland (super expensive) but drive up to Mount Desert Island and either tent camp or rent a little camping cottage for about $700 a week at Bass Harbor Campground. Has a pool, next to the beautiful lighthouse with INCREDIBLE sunsets and near a few great/cheap places to eat/enjoy the sunset uncrowded. You can buy fresh lobster $5/lb on a good year and $8/lb last year...mac n'cheese/hotdogs for kids. Hiking and beaches are free with the national park pass and it truly is beautiful!! Gas is way up this year but I think we did this for about $1,300 one year??

2) Adirondacks: tent camp or rent a cottage. There are lots of little cottages within walking distance of awesome lake beaches and terrific hiking. I've seen some older cottages for like $600-$800 a week (tiny but workable!!)

3) Visit Quebec and get a lower cost airbnb or hotel in the old city for maybe 2-3 nights (this is your splurge) and then either tent camp or rent a little cabin in the provincial parks---they look BEAUTIFUL, clean, and modern and are very cheap. Absolutely beautiful area and you can grab some delicious treats. Depending on the season, I've found better lodging that is CHEAPER than staying at relatively nearby lake placid. summer probably isn't as bad.

4) Week at a VA or WV state park. Some of the cabins are outdated but pleasant. Douthat state park is one of my favorites in VA, Black water falls state park in WV is great (also just rent a cottage in the canaan valley, preferably with a pool). First Landing state park (VA beach) is also awesome but is extremely popular so you really have to book ahead even for tent sites!! I'm saying 6 months ahead or more! There's also a few state park beaches delaware and MD that I've not been to but I don't think they have cabins and you must reserve ahead of time.

5)Camping road-trip: this is pricier with gas right now but doing some dispersed camping and visiting national parks out west...driving out there. It also requires significant planning.

Can you post links for those rural sites in Quebec?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just ran an income calculator and my income still falls within the middle class in my area, though a little more upper middle than lower middle with 127k for a family of 4 (not dc area).

I travel to lots of places as I've shared and they aren't luxurious at all but we find moments that feel luxurious and special to US. It often involves a very simple, outdated airbnb that has a nice VIEW that i've booked 6+ months in advance with the kids in a little loft with a little room for us.

Scott's cheap flights is awesome to follow, booking.com, airbnb, getting a travel credit card such as a chase sapphire preferred card (I have put my childcare, gas & groceries on it and earned tons of points!!) and then becoming very familiar with camping and camping gear! I'm not doing ultra low-budget this year, it's more mid-range so I'm happy to share if those want it but I will hold off for now.

I'm not sure this will be helpful for this summer but here my favorite ULTRA LOW budget vacations which are all camping or camping cabins.

1) Maine. Skip Portland (super expensive) but drive up to Mount Desert Island and either tent camp or rent a little camping cottage for about $700 a week at Bass Harbor Campground. Has a pool, next to the beautiful lighthouse with INCREDIBLE sunsets and near a few great/cheap places to eat/enjoy the sunset uncrowded. You can buy fresh lobster $5/lb on a good year and $8/lb last year...mac n'cheese/hotdogs for kids. Hiking and beaches are free with the national park pass and it truly is beautiful!! Gas is way up this year but I think we did this for about $1,300 one year??

2) Adirondacks: tent camp or rent a cottage. There are lots of little cottages within walking distance of awesome lake beaches and terrific hiking. I've seen some older cottages for like $600-$800 a week (tiny but workable!!)

3) Visit Quebec and get a lower cost airbnb or hotel in the old city for maybe 2-3 nights (this is your splurge) and then either tent camp or rent a little cabin in the provincial parks---they look BEAUTIFUL, clean, and modern and are very cheap. Absolutely beautiful area and you can grab some delicious treats. Depending on the season, I've found better lodging that is CHEAPER than staying at relatively nearby lake placid. summer probably isn't as bad.

4) Week at a VA or WV state park. Some of the cabins are outdated but pleasant. Douthat state park is one of my favorites in VA, Black water falls state park in WV is great (also just rent a cottage in the canaan valley, preferably with a pool). First Landing state park (VA beach) is also awesome but is extremely popular so you really have to book ahead even for tent sites!! I'm saying 6 months ahead or more! There's also a few state park beaches delaware and MD that I've not been to but I don't think they have cabins and you must reserve ahead of time.

5)Camping road-trip: this is pricier with gas right now but doing some dispersed camping and visiting national parks out west...driving out there. It also requires significant planning.

Can you post links for those rural sites in Quebec?

And any links to the Adirondack cottages please! I always wanted to do that but don't know the first thing about where to stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just ran an income calculator and my income still falls within the middle class in my area, though a little more upper middle than lower middle with 127k for a family of 4 (not dc area).

I travel to lots of places as I've shared and they aren't luxurious at all but we find moments that feel luxurious and special to US. It often involves a very simple, outdated airbnb that has a nice VIEW that i've booked 6+ months in advance with the kids in a little loft with a little room for us.

Scott's cheap flights is awesome to follow, booking.com, airbnb, getting a travel credit card such as a chase sapphire preferred card (I have put my childcare, gas & groceries on it and earned tons of points!!) and then becoming very familiar with camping and camping gear! I'm not doing ultra low-budget this year, it's more mid-range so I'm happy to share if those want it but I will hold off for now.

I'm not sure this will be helpful for this summer but here my favorite ULTRA LOW budget vacations which are all camping or camping cabins.

1) Maine. Skip Portland (super expensive) but drive up to Mount Desert Island and either tent camp or rent a little camping cottage for about $700 a week at Bass Harbor Campground. Has a pool, next to the beautiful lighthouse with INCREDIBLE sunsets and near a few great/cheap places to eat/enjoy the sunset uncrowded. You can buy fresh lobster $5/lb on a good year and $8/lb last year...mac n'cheese/hotdogs for kids. Hiking and beaches are free with the national park pass and it truly is beautiful!! Gas is way up this year but I think we did this for about $1,300 one year??

2) Adirondacks: tent camp or rent a cottage. There are lots of little cottages within walking distance of awesome lake beaches and terrific hiking. I've seen some older cottages for like $600-$800 a week (tiny but workable!!)

3) Visit Quebec and get a lower cost airbnb or hotel in the old city for maybe 2-3 nights (this is your splurge) and then either tent camp or rent a little cabin in the provincial parks---they look BEAUTIFUL, clean, and modern and are very cheap. Absolutely beautiful area and you can grab some delicious treats. Depending on the season, I've found better lodging that is CHEAPER than staying at relatively nearby lake placid. summer probably isn't as bad.

4) Week at a VA or WV state park. Some of the cabins are outdated but pleasant. Douthat state park is one of my favorites in VA, Black water falls state park in WV is great (also just rent a cottage in the canaan valley, preferably with a pool). First Landing state park (VA beach) is also awesome but is extremely popular so you really have to book ahead even for tent sites!! I'm saying 6 months ahead or more! There's also a few state park beaches delaware and MD that I've not been to but I don't think they have cabins and you must reserve ahead of time.

5)Camping road-trip: this is pricier with gas right now but doing some dispersed camping and visiting national parks out west...driving out there. It also requires significant planning.

Can you post links for those rural sites in Quebec?

Of course! Check out SEPAQ: https://www.sepaq.com/pq/index.dot?language_id=1

I haven't done it (yet) but I visited Jacques-cartier national park (it's a provincial park) last year at christmas and discovered you can hike/snowshoe/ski to different cabins that are stocked with cooking/heating/bedding and are delightful!! I imagine this is possible at a variety of parks. I really loved that park though. I was truly amazed at the variety of snow sports available and how CHEAP they were!! It was wonderful!