How is everyone affording all of this international travel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im a single mom of 2 making $85k. My kids are 4 and 7 and they have been to 6 countries. Ive been to 25+. It's doable.

You must not be saving a lot of money? I am paranoid about being laid off and not being able to get another job for a few years and burning through all my savings or becoming so old/handicapped that I can't work anymore and have to live off savings. So I try to save 50% of my income.

I save just fine. No debt, great credit. I have around $225k equity in my house if needed too.

[Anonymous]

We use points for flights for our family of 4, and charge everything to get those points (cc bill paid in full every month). Stay in AirBnBs, eat breakfast in the AirBnB, inexpensive lunches, and maybe one expensive dinner out in a week, but mostly fairly casual - we value the experiences and try to eat where the locals eat, not the touristy places

I sometimes find package deals that are less expensive, or do a Costco trip over Christmas - they are way less money.

[Anonymous]

So many reasons. Our income varies but lately we make a lot - $1.8 million last year. Travel is a priority. Also small house, public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People can say what they want but the answers are as follows:
1) people make a lot of money
2) people go into debt

3) Parents and generational wealth is funding it
4) They have loyalty points from airlines and hotels from business travel
5) They get friends and family tickets/discounts from their relatives
6) People are frugal in other ways and spend money on travel
7) People are members of discount travel touring company and they travel off-season or when there are tour sales.
8) People are flexible about tour dates for airlines and hotels - usually retired folks or people who have flexible schedule.

[Anonymous]

Have 1 child
Save a lot
Didn’t buy more house then we needed
Don’t eat out a lot at home, do eat out on vacations
Get a Vrbo rather then hotel

[Anonymous]

Only #6 for us, and I don't think you are correct, I think more people are like us:

We live in the same house we bought over 25 years ago, don't try to keep up with the Jones, our cars are old (we drive our Hondas into the ground), our phones are old, we prioritize 2 things: education and travel. So we have enough in the 529s to pay for 3 years of college (the 4th will be covered by 529 growth and cash flow), mortgage is low, because we stretched decades ago and the house is paid off. When we started off, we paid half the mortgage every 2 weeks when we got paid, paying it off many years early and saving tens of thousands in interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im a single mom of 2 making $85k. My kids are 4 and 7 and they have been to 6 countries. Ive been to 25+. It's doable.

You must not be saving a lot of money? I am paranoid about being laid off and not being able to get another job for a few years and burning through all my savings or becoming so old/handicapped that I can't work anymore and have to live off savings. So I try to save 50% of my income.

I save just fine. No debt, great credit. I have around $225k equity in my house if needed too.

Something isn’t adding up. How do you own a home on $85k? Do you live in a shack in the hollers?

[Anonymous]

I budget with YNAB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People can say what they want but the answers are as follows:

1) people make a lot of money
2) people go into debt

You forgot - people save

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Points for flights. We charge all our tuitions (3 in college and 1 in private high school).

You lie lie lie.

As someone with 4 kids who went to different private schools and 2 in college there is no possible way. You have to pay through a service which charges a fee by bank transfer. Unless your kids go to for profit schools - in which case you’re wasting money

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Points + bonus. Mostly the latter.

But I just tell people points.

This!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We use points for flights for our family of 4, and charge everything to get those points (cc bill paid in full every month). Stay in AirBnBs, eat breakfast in the AirBnB, inexpensive lunches, and maybe one expensive dinner out in a week, but mostly fairly casual - we value the experiences and try to eat where the locals eat, not the touristy places

I sometimes find package deals that are less expensive, or do a Costco trip over Christmas - they are way less money.

Not understanding how the points don't run out at some point. If you get say, average 2 pts per dollar spent (amex) and a single premium economy flight is 50,000 points that's charging 25,000 for one 'free' plane ticket. Don't people using points have to get them from sign-on bonuses and constant business travel as well?

[Anonymous]

Credit card points and direct deposit into a vacation fund that doesn't get touched for anything other than vacations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Points for flights. We charge all our tuitions (3 in college and 1 in private high school).

I wish I could do that for my kid in college but there’s a fee to use a CC.

+1
I wanted to use CC too. I don’t think PP is telling the truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im a single mom of 2 making $85k. My kids are 4 and 7 and they have been to 6 countries. Ive been to 25+. It's doable.

You must not be saving a lot of money? I am paranoid about being laid off and not being able to get another job for a few years and burning through all my savings or becoming so old/handicapped that I can't work anymore and have to live off savings. So I try to save 50% of my income.

I save just fine. No debt, great credit. I have around $225k equity in my house if needed too.

Something isn’t adding up. How do you own a home on $85k? Do you live in a shack in the hollers?

I have a 4bd/2ba house I bought when I was 25 for $310k @ 2.75%. My PITI is $1900/month. I worked full time during college and paid down my tuition to minimize loans + save for a down payment Kids are in good public schools. We dont eat out. I dont do "girly" things like get my hair done, injections, etc. Our clothes are thoughtfully thrifted so no one can really tell. We dont eat out- I love gardening and cooking anyway. I put gas and groceries on united cc and pay it off every month to get miles. We fly basic economy united (2 kids can sit with adult without having to pay for seats). We home exchange and have stayed in places from adorable cozy flats to really nice SFHs. We have a blast in the process. Very, very happy with my life and my kids have had some incredible experiences.