How much do you spend on summer vacations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We travel a fair amount for work, so luckily we have miles and other deals that come with our credit cards, etc.

For a family of four for Hawaii, we have spent $1200 on tickets (one full fare, one $99 companion ticket, one miles), and $900 on rental house (we are staying three nights at a resort on points). We will have to pay for the rental car (about $1000) and food and other costs, but that's not bad for 10 days in Hawaii.

We try to make the best of our miles that come with our credit cards -- we save those for vacations and other luxuries to bring down the cost of travel

For years, we were spending 2-3K on visiting family... and I finally put an end to that this year and said we are going on a real trip. Before, we'd end up in CA for one week and FL for another week (where our families are) and that left us with no time or money to take real vacations. Now that DS is in real school (instead of daycare), I wanted to take some family trips!

It is something we struggle with. We live away from family so every summer we would travel across country to see them costing about $5000. Then we took a year off to save money. The next year we decided to go somewhere else for a change and see other side of family. Then the next summer we booked our trip to visit my family again but my elderly relative died just before we got there. The guilt has been overwhelming. First you feel guilty for living far away, and then you feel guilty because you can not travel back as frequently as
you would like. I am really sad I did not go back those last few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(Also, I should add that I ruled out any flights with very late arrival times because we're traveling with a toddler and I'd rather eat the extra costs than deal with the fallout while on vacation.)

Oh. I get it. I have a 6 yo and will only fly direct from iad to lax or long beach most often on virgin America which seems to have the best fares lately, or jetblue.
Completely forgot parking costs. Do you pay less than $100 elsewhere?

[Anonymous]

We usually spend about $5k - $7k a year on vacation for a family of 4 and I think that is pinching every penny we possibly can. This year it will be more we are going to the Cayman Islands for 8 days and then in the fall we plan to do Disney World with the kids, they have never been.

Our hotel and flight alone for the Caymans was $3,400. that does not include food. We are staying in a hotel with a mini kitchen so we will cook some meals (lunch) and do some cheap eats.

Every other year I go back to my homeland in Europe and the tickets alone cost anywhere from $1,100 to $1,300 per person. Luckily we stay with my parents, but we still rent a car and eat out and at times leave the kids and go to another European country. When that happens our trip easily is $7k-$8k.

OP I can understand where you are coming from when we visit DHs family in the West Coast, I too feel like we are spending so much $$ just to spend time with family inside. MIL lives in a 2 bedroom house and now that the kids are bigger we no longer all fit in her office bedroom, the living room has two huge windows that have curtain toppers and because you can see the water so if one sleeps out there they are up at sun rise.

[Anonymous]

8000/yr for four of us.

[Anonymous]

We have same problem, have to fly West with 2/kids to visit family and it zaps our budget. Luckily I get 4+ weeks of vacation. So, yeah, $1600 (at least) airfare plus rental car that can fit the grandparents for excursions plus their house is small so $1000-3000 for a vacation rental or hotel. They are getting too old/unhealthy to travel far so we do daytrips from their area.
Luckily the East Coast is still kind of fun for me since I didn't grow up here, destinations like Hilton Head or Amelia Island are new and we are starting to discover what we like.

[Anonymous]

I try not to keep track. Just booked Sea Colony for $1200, and we'll head to the beach for another week and a couple long weekends and stay at a friend's place. The real costs are food and fun, and I don't keep track of that (but I'm sure DH does). We try to travel throughout the year (weekend trips to NYC or Williamsburg, etc), and we're currently planning a trip to Disney (which will cost a small fortune). It is what it is. Just be grateful you can afford to fly and don't have to drive.

[Anonymous]

How do you get a summer week at Sea Colony for $1200? We always pay between $3500-$4500, depending on unit!

[Anonymous]

We go Memorial Day week...cheap prices. The rest of the summer we stay at friends' places in Bethany and Lewes (for free). I can't imagine spending a few grand for a week at SC.

[Anonymous]

I love vacations.

[Anonymous]

About to spend $60K on a safari for 4. But it's a once in av lifetime thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:About to spend $60K on a safari for 4. But it's a once in av lifetime thing.

Wow, how old are the kids. I hope they are old enough to appreciate and remember it. Sounds nice.

[Anonymous]

Very little. We usually drive across country to see family and stop and inexpensive places along the way. My kids LOVED Rock City! They had more fun at Dollywood than they did at Disney. We also love to spend time in the Smokie Mountains
.
We have a 32 foot sailboat that will sleep all of us. We take a couple of longer cruises over the summer just to get away. We'll sail down the coast and anchor at different marinas along the way then sail back home. Just like camping, only on the water.

[Anonymous]

We normally budget 10k a year. Some years that means many trips, some years just one crazy overseas trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you get a summer week at Sea Colony for $1200? We always pay between $3500-$4500, depending on unit!

I had the same thought! Must be a VRBO or a friend's unit or a spring or fall rental or something

[Anonymous]

In the summer, we take one family trip that is probably about $6000 for family of four.

My DH and I take one or two shorter trips that total $6000-$7000.