Vacation-Frequency & Budget Questions

[Anonymous]

Holy cow - i gotta up my vacation budget! I make 6-8 times as much as the OP and our vacation budget isn't that much higher. Our big splurge is skiing over xmas (only a splurge because rates are double the rest of the year). We probably spend $8k on that, renting a condo, making our own food, etc.. Did a long ski weekend for $1500. Normally do a spring break ski trip for about $3-4k but aren't doing it this year. Summer is usually just a beach vacation, renting a house. We travel some other times of year but usually short trips for specific events. Sometimes travel attached to work trips (e.g., a weekend in Madrid or London but mostly paid for through work). We use a lot of frequent flyer miles. All in all definitely less than $20k.

When our income was in your range we did a week of skiing (in VT so we could drive) and a week at the beach (also driving). Maybe spent $3-4000?

[Anonymous]

330K HHI and we spend 6k on trips (2 adults and 2 kids). 1-2 trips to FLA to visit family (only pay airfare and maybe car rental), weekend driving trips, and 1 big trip for a week per year for about 4K. The big trip involves airfare (we have little kids, so we haven't gone too far recently) car rental, and a condo rental with many meals in. We like outdoors and museums, so it's easier for us to do cheaper vacations.

To me, spending 4K on a trip feels like a lot, so I try hard to find ways to save money. I'm thinking of getting a Southwest credit card to cover some of this year's airfare with bonus points.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/dealswelike/2013/02/28/southwest-50000-point-offer-is-back/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you considered beach vacations?

OP here. I have and we do (that's actually one of the trips I have planned this summer).

My post was not really about vacation ideas, but rather to get an idea of "typical" vacation budgets to see if we were overdoing it. Was curious if folks took vacations every season or just planned one big trip for the year and called it a day.

Based on everything you've said, you're over spending.

[Anonymous]

We make more than twice what you do and don't spend that on vacations. Mind you, we're a family of 3, but we probably spend like $3-4K on vacations. But we do take time off - we typically go to my parent's for a week in the summer (driving), rent a house in WV for a weekend in the fall, plus a week off at some point in the year.

You can't afford it.

If your kids don't like doing low-cost stuff, perhaps that's something you need to work on. Give them a much smaller budget for the trip than what you're currently doing and have them come up with the activities. Tell them if they can't make it work, it'll be a staycation. Kids have more fun when they plan it and when they realize how hard you work for that $.

[Anonymous]

Family of 4, HHI of about 200K and our vacation budget is about 3K a year. That includes a beach week at the OBX where we host extended family, a long weekend away for the parents and one or two long weekend trips to somewhere within driving distance with the kids. Every two years we also take an international trip so those years the budget is a little higher (maybe adding 1-2K depending on the destination).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK I will say it. You are way way overspending on vacations. If you are neglecting other savings priorities in order to do this, then no, you certainly can't afford it. You talk almost like this is out of your control -- it's an "addiction" you got from your dad, your kids hate cheap vacations, what's a girl to do? This is just silly rationalization. You are doing your kids NO favors by spending retirement and/or college savings on fancy trips. Grow up and start being responsible about your spending.

In my OP I made it pretty clear that I'm taking steps to turn away from spending like in past years (ex: cancelling spring break trip) and looking to others for guidelines so that I can assess what is reasonable to spend vs what is not.

Not sure why you find it necessary to attack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Family of 4, HHI of about 200K and our vacation budget is about 3K a year. That includes a beach week at the OBX where we host extended family, a long weekend away for the parents and one or two long weekend trips to somewhere within driving distance with the kids. Every two years we also take an international trip so those years the budget is a little higher (maybe adding 1-2K depending on the destination).

OP here. How do you manage a week-long beach trip (along with other trips) for under $3k for the year? Do you split the beach house costs with other family members?

[Anonymous]

OP here. One thing I should clarify: The bulk of our vacation budget ($6k or so) comes from bonuses my DH gets throughout the year.

Rather than save it (which I should!), I plan vacations. I'm really trying to get a handle on that and need to realize that we don't have to take a trip every season. For some reason, the idea of only take vacations once a year sounds depressing to me.

I love to travel but I realize that many times I've done it to my financial detriment.Just trying to reconcile wanting to travel with wanting to do it in a more affordable way.

I'm thinking I may have to go to a system where we take "big trips" ($5k or more) once every other year and on the alternate years do simpler things.

[Anonymous]

Rent a house in western North Carolina. They are reasonable and you can go rafting, gem mining, hiking, rock hopping, go to a storytelling and have a great family adventure. We prefer the houses without phone or tv and love rocking on the front porch listening to Carl Sandburg read his poetry for children. The children will love hiking to the top of a mountain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rent a house in western North Carolina. They are reasonable and you can go rafting, gem mining, hiking, rock hopping, go to a storytelling and have a great family adventure. We prefer the houses without phone or tv and love rocking on the front porch listening to Carl Sandburg read his poetry for children. The children will love hiking to the top of a mountain.

How old are your children? Do your teens like this sort of trip?

[Anonymous]

You still haven't answered, how much are you saving? You keep saying not enough, but how much is it? It is absolutely irrelevant in what increments you receive the money if your savings is not sufficient to support your spoiled lifestyle in the long-run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. One thing I should clarify: The bulk of our vacation budget ($6k or so) comes from bonuses my DH gets throughout the year.

Rather than save it (which I should!), I plan vacations. I'm really trying to get a handle on that and need to realize that we don't have to take a trip every season. For some reason, the idea of only take vacations once a year sounds depressing to me.

I love to travel but I realize that many times I've done it to my financial detriment.Just trying to reconcile wanting to travel with wanting to do it in a more affordable way.

I'm thinking I may have to go to a system where we take "big trips" ($5k or more) once every other year and on the alternate years do simpler things.

OP, I love to travel to, I've just found a way to do it on a budget--for example, camping, which you say you won't do. Visiting free/low cost places like museums and national parks, which you say you and your kids find boring and miserable, etc.

I think a "reasonable" amount to spend on travel on your income would be about $3,000/year tops. That's my opinion, as someone with the same amount of kids, and a similar income bracket as you.

[Anonymous]

i also have a similar HHI but less kids. we tend to do several mini vacations instead of big long ones. i find long weekend trips to be the perfect solution for breaking up long periods of no vacation or breaks. and we do it fairly cheaply by (mostly) staying local and using deal websites for very cheap hotel rooms. or camping.

[Anonymous]

We bought a house this year in the school district we wanted. We renovated the new to us house. We kept our old house until the new house was done. For 6 months, we paid 2 mortgages. Last year, we went to Disney, Jamaica, and Club Med. This year we are going to Hershey Park for the day.

OP--I think it all depends on how much money you have to spend on your vacations. If all of the other stuff is taken care of and you have the disposable income, then keep going as you have been. But don't go on vacation by sacrificing financial security in the long term. If you have no money for retirement, the vacations that you took your kids on will be resented when you are living with them in 40 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Family of 4, HHI of about 200K and our vacation budget is about 3K a year. That includes a beach week at the OBX where we host extended family, a long weekend away for the parents and one or two long weekend trips to somewhere within driving distance with the kids. Every two years we also take an international trip so those years the budget is a little higher (maybe adding 1-2K depending on the destination).

OP here. How do you manage a week-long beach trip (along with other trips) for under $3k for the year? Do you split the beach house costs with other family members?

Not PP, but similar HHI and family of 4 here too. We have a similar budget for vacations but sometimes go over by a bit.

Last year we spent a week on the Jersey shore in a condo (two bedrooms) and the rent for the week in June was $1400. Beyond that, there weren't many expenses since we ate at the condo, went out for ice cream, etc.

We then spent a week in August at family camp for just under $2K.

Other than that we have not spent time away.

I'm struck by your depiction of your children getting bored so easily. You might want to give some thought to that. If it were me, I would inolve them in vacation planning, including budgeting.