How much do you spend on a summer vacation?

[Anonymous]

My rule is 1k per person if traveling w the kids. Just me and hubby- anything goes.

[Anonymous]

Typically the same place every year. 5 nights at the beach in SC is a total of approximately $1800 which includes boarding our dog at home. So about $600 per person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let my post be the one that urges everyone to go touch grass!

Family of five, HHI of about 160k. The past several years, we have done about 4 days at the beach in an Air Bnb that is not more than $2000. Last year, it was a one bedroom condo in ocean city, but ocean front and with an indoor pool. This year, it's a SFH that's about a 5 minutes walk to the beach in Norfolk, VA. Two years ago, it was Chincoteague, a house with a huge yard, but we had to drive 15 minutes to the beach. We make meals at the house and eat out (carry out) maybe once. So, all in all, we probably spend 3K +/- on summer vacation.

A family of 5 in a one bedroom condo? Frankly, I'd rather just stay home. That sounds miserable.

3 teens and we are not extravagant vacationers (don't even have valid passports TBH except for DH)....and I agree. Hard nope.

+ 1 - I mean if you are going to cook and live in a 1 BR all together - why even spend anything to vacation - that sounds worse than your life not vacationing? LOL

When we go away, no I am not cooking. I am not going to have a vacation where I'm living my daily routine life. If I have to see a beach or another environment from my daily one, I'll just watch a movie hah!

Man, when we travel it's like I'm in a movie. I am going to R&R, be able to thoroughly enjoy myself - as much as possible still being a mom to 2 teens I will seriously never understand why the idea of vacation is not practiced by all. When you have a break it's because you need to change up your routine and ideally, be able to explore a new environment completely (not drive to sit at a beach for 5 hours).

This post bothers me so much. Don't you understand the PP is vacationing and doing it within their means? Maybe they like cooking or cooking saves them enough money to stay an extra day. It's judgmental and entitled to imply there's something wrong with driving and sitting at the beach while cooking your own meals. People are not less valuable because they have less money.

There's no requirement that a vacation is exploring somewhere new or eating out or staying at fancy places. You don't even have to leave town to have a break. I don't even like the beach, so this is not about defending my own choices, I just think the PP is tone deaf and that kind of attitude results in ingratitude discussed recently on another thread.

To be fair OPs touch grass comment was a little snarky too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let my post be the one that urges everyone to go touch grass!

Family of five, HHI of about 160k. The past several years, we have done about 4 days at the beach in an Air Bnb that is not more than $2000. Last year, it was a one bedroom condo in ocean city, but ocean front and with an indoor pool. This year, it's a SFH that's about a 5 minutes walk to the beach in Norfolk, VA. Two years ago, it was Chincoteague, a house with a huge yard, but we had to drive 15 minutes to the beach. We make meals at the house and eat out (carry out) maybe once. So, all in all, we probably spend 3K +/- on summer vacation.

A family of 5 in a one bedroom condo? Frankly, I'd rather just stay home. That sounds miserable.

3 teens and we are not extravagant vacationers (don't even have valid passports TBH except for DH)....and I agree. Hard nope.

+ 1 - I mean if you are going to cook and live in a 1 BR all together - why even spend anything to vacation - that sounds worse than your life not vacationing? LOL

When we go away, no I am not cooking. I am not going to have a vacation where I'm living my daily routine life. If I have to see a beach or another environment from my daily one, I'll just watch a movie hah!

Man, when we travel it's like I'm in a movie. I am going to R&R, be able to thoroughly enjoy myself - as much as possible still being a mom to 2 teens I will seriously never understand why the idea of vacation is not practiced by all. When you have a break it's because you need to change up your routine and ideally, be able to explore a new environment completely (not drive to sit at a beach for 5 hours).

Why is that a big deal? Many of us live in small homes and share a hotel room. A one bedroom would be great. We usually just do a hotel room.

Do you have three kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let my post be the one that urges everyone to go touch grass!

Family of five, HHI of about 160k. The past several years, we have done about 4 days at the beach in an Air Bnb that is not more than $2000. Last year, it was a one bedroom condo in ocean city, but ocean front and with an indoor pool. This year, it's a SFH that's about a 5 minutes walk to the beach in Norfolk, VA. Two years ago, it was Chincoteague, a house with a huge yard, but we had to drive 15 minutes to the beach. We make meals at the house and eat out (carry out) maybe once. So, all in all, we probably spend 3K +/- on summer vacation.

A family of 5 in a one bedroom condo? Frankly, I'd rather just stay home. That sounds miserable.

3 teens and we are not extravagant vacationers (don't even have valid passports TBH except for DH)....and I agree. Hard nope.

+ 1 - I mean if you are going to cook and live in a 1 BR all together - why even spend anything to vacation - that sounds worse than your life not vacationing? LOL

When we go away, no I am not cooking. I am not going to have a vacation where I'm living my daily routine life. If I have to see a beach or another environment from my daily one, I'll just watch a movie hah!

Man, when we travel it's like I'm in a movie. I am going to R&R, be able to thoroughly enjoy myself - as much as possible still being a mom to 2 teens I will seriously never understand why the idea of vacation is not practiced by all. When you have a break it's because you need to change up your routine and ideally, be able to explore a new environment completely (not drive to sit at a beach for 5 hours).

Why is that a big deal? Many of us live in small homes and share a hotel room. A one bedroom would be great. We usually just do a hotel room.

Do you have three kids?

She’s got her kids crammed in the other queen and one on the pullout. Sounds like a blast! Especially with one bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Ignore the PPs. They are snobs who will complain about their vacation here while they’re on vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ignore the PPs. They are snobs who will complain about their vacation here while they’re on vacation.

Cramming people in a room is a trip not a vacation.

[Anonymous]

I will never take a beach vacation where I have to bring everything and clean up. That is not a vacation.

Camping not a vacation ever.
Have we gone, yes, but it is not a vacation. We even had a pop-up for a while. Fun when kids are little but no not a vacation.

Summer vacations are $10,000 however, I do realize not everyone can do that. It can easily be done for way less and be as wonderful. We go to Hawaii and CA or internationally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My rule is 1k per person if traveling w the kids. Just me and hubby- anything goes.

My goal is $1k per day. Family of four.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will never take a beach vacation where I have to bring everything and clean up. That is not a vacation.

Camping not a vacation ever.
Have we gone, yes, but it is not a vacation. We even had a pop-up for a while. Fun when kids are little but no not a vacation.

Summer vacations are $10,000 however, I do realize not everyone can do that. It can easily be done for way less and be as wonderful. We go to Hawaii and CA or internationally.

+1

I would just make the vacation less days if budgeting. We def spend but we can't afford to crazy but no matter how tight my budget, I'd rather enjoy myself and treat myself to a relaxing time not having to do any routine chores like cooking than to have to bring everything and clean up. Even if I only enjoyed a vacation every other year because I'm saving up. I simply could not deal with anything less. To each their own but I simply don't understand people who can that's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ignore the PPs. They are snobs who will complain about their vacation here while they’re on vacation.

Cramming people in a room is a trip not a vacation.

I only have two kids, not 3. But they are the same gender and get along reasonably well. 1 hotel room with 2Q is just not a problem for us. Not even a little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let my post be the one that urges everyone to go touch grass!

Family of five, HHI of about 160k. The past several years, we have done about 4 days at the beach in an Air Bnb that is not more than $2000. Last year, it was a one bedroom condo in ocean city, but ocean front and with an indoor pool. This year, it's a SFH that's about a 5 minutes walk to the beach in Norfolk, VA. Two years ago, it was Chincoteague, a house with a huge yard, but we had to drive 15 minutes to the beach. We make meals at the house and eat out (carry out) maybe once. So, all in all, we probably spend 3K +/- on summer vacation.

A family of 5 in a one bedroom condo? Frankly, I'd rather just stay home. That sounds miserable.

3 teens and we are not extravagant vacationers (don't even have valid passports TBH except for DH)....and I agree. Hard nope.

+ 1 - I mean if you are going to cook and live in a 1 BR all together - why even spend anything to vacation - that sounds worse than your life not vacationing? LOL

When we go away, no I am not cooking. I am not going to have a vacation where I'm living my daily routine life. If I have to see a beach or another environment from my daily one, I'll just watch a movie hah!

Man, when we travel it's like I'm in a movie. I am going to R&R, be able to thoroughly enjoy myself - as much as possible still being a mom to 2 teens I will seriously never understand why the idea of vacation is not practiced by all. When you have a break it's because you need to change up your routine and ideally, be able to explore a new environment completely (not drive to sit at a beach for 5 hours).

Why is that a big deal? Many of us live in small homes and share a hotel room. A one bedroom would be great. We usually just do a hotel room.

Do you have three kids?

She’s got her kids crammed in the other queen and one on the pullout. Sounds like a blast! Especially with one bathroom.

Must be nice to have so much money you can look down on people!

[Anonymous]

Totally depends on the trip. We really don't have a budget but it doesn't mean we are going all out every trip too.

This summer was a bigger one, about 15K per person.
Then we are taking a trip in August to a friend's beach house and our only costs will be good/dinner out and things like mini golf. So much less expensive.

Last summer we took 2 trips that were probably about 1500-2K per person each and then the week.at the beach as well.

[Anonymous]

I'm in the budget crowd and I guess my vacations "don't count as vacations." But this summer we did one trip for around $600, not counting gas and groceries (which we normally have to buy anyway). Main costs were 5 nights camping, 2 days canoe rental, and ferries and museum admissions.

We are also doing one where it will be $6-700 just for our share of the house rental for 3 nights. We'll all be crammed into 1 out of 7 bedrooms without our own bathroom...sigh, family. Somehow I feel like this will be more annoying than camping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It varies. Last year we spent around $1K/person visiting national parks out west (& a couple of other things). Plane tickets & rental car (well, and one day at Disney) were the main expense, since we camped and mainly ate groceries.

I would actually love to hear how you planned the national park trip for $1k/person including cars and plane tickets. I have been looking into this and it seems like the car and plane could easily eat up that entire budget. Also how did you deal with camping equipment? Did you fly with it all? I'm wondering if it might even be cheaper to buy new stuff there in some cases given checked baggage rates. Please share your tips!