How is everyone affording all of this international travel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hotels in Europe are the same price as in the US.

So airfare is the main difference.

Hotels in Europe are so much cheaper than in the US. And pls don’t compare a Sofitel in Paris to a Hampton Inn in Hartford.

This. Also midpriced hotels I'm Europe are so much more reliable decent than in the US, especially in tourist destinations. We've spent the same on a damp, moldy, run down hotel near a beach in Florida as we have on a lovely, well maintained hotel near a beach in France. And the hotel in France will have better food and nicer staff. Both will be "three stars" but since hospitality is taken way more seriously in Europe than the US, that will mean a lot more there.

Only outside of major European cities. The city hotels are outrageously priced.

Maybe at peak travel seasons prices will be higher but even gently off peak I find plenty of affordable options. Even in London! For me affordable is $150 a night or close enough.

I shutter to think at what hotel you are staying at in London at any time of the year for $150/night.

Looking at London right now over Thanksgiving, you can stay at a Marriott or several boutique hotels in Canary Wharf for under $150/night. All fairly highly rated. If you are willing to go to $200/night then like 50 more hotels pop up all over the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hotels in Europe are the same price as in the US.

So airfare is the main difference.

Hotels in Europe are so much cheaper than in the US. And pls don’t compare a Sofitel in Paris to a Hampton Inn in Hartford.

This. Also midpriced hotels I'm Europe are so much more reliable decent than in the US, especially in tourist destinations. We've spent the same on a damp, moldy, run down hotel near a beach in Florida as we have on a lovely, well maintained hotel near a beach in France. And the hotel in France will have better food and nicer staff. Both will be "three stars" but since hospitality is taken way more seriously in Europe than the US, that will mean a lot more there.

Only outside of major European cities. The city hotels are outrageously priced.

Maybe at peak travel seasons prices will be higher but even gently off peak I find plenty of affordable options. Even in London! For me affordable is $150 a night or close enough.

I shutter to think at what hotel you are staying at in London at any time of the year for $150/night.

Looking at London right now over Thanksgiving, you can stay at a Marriott or several boutique hotels in Canary Wharf for under $150/night. All fairly highly rated. If you are willing to go to $200/night then like 50 more hotels pop up all over the city.

That’s off season since the weather is bad and Brits don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Also how many of those “boutique” hotels can sleep a family or are two rooms needed?

[Anonymous]

We didn’t do it for years. Years and years. And now have the money to do it. And we don’t do it often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hotels in Europe are the same price as in the US.

So airfare is the main difference.

Hotels in Europe are so much cheaper than in the US. And pls don’t compare a Sofitel in Paris to a Hampton Inn in Hartford.

This. Also midpriced hotels I'm Europe are so much more reliable decent than in the US, especially in tourist destinations. We've spent the same on a damp, moldy, run down hotel near a beach in Florida as we have on a lovely, well maintained hotel near a beach in France. And the hotel in France will have better food and nicer staff. Both will be "three stars" but since hospitality is taken way more seriously in Europe than the US, that will mean a lot more there.

Only outside of major European cities. The city hotels are outrageously priced.

Maybe at peak travel seasons prices will be higher but even gently off peak I find plenty of affordable options. Even in London! For me affordable is $150 a night or close enough.

I shutter to think at what hotel you are staying at in London at any time of the year for $150/night.

Looking at London right now over Thanksgiving, you can stay at a Marriott or several boutique hotels in Canary Wharf for under $150/night. All fairly highly rated. If you are willing to go to $200/night then like 50 more hotels pop up all over the city.

That’s off season since the weather is bad and Brits don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Also how many of those “boutique” hotels can sleep a family or are two rooms needed?

DP. To be fair, OP’s question is about how international travel is affordable for some many people in this area. A really obvious way to make international travel affordable is to go off season or during a shoulder season. If you want to go to any destination during peak season, you’ll pay significantly more (in many cases, thousands more) for airfare and lodging.

I get why you wouldn’t want to go on, say, a beach trip off season, but a major city like London has plenty of great indoor attractions to fill 5-10 days, even if it’s not the best time to visit. I’ve done a ton of international travel this way and have always had a great time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hotels in Europe are the same price as in the US.

So airfare is the main difference.

Hotels in Europe are so much cheaper than in the US. And pls don’t compare a Sofitel in Paris to a Hampton Inn in Hartford.

This. Also midpriced hotels I'm Europe are so much more reliable decent than in the US, especially in tourist destinations. We've spent the same on a damp, moldy, run down hotel near a beach in Florida as we have on a lovely, well maintained hotel near a beach in France. And the hotel in France will have better food and nicer staff. Both will be "three stars" but since hospitality is taken way more seriously in Europe than the US, that will mean a lot more there.

Only outside of major European cities. The city hotels are outrageously priced.

Maybe at peak travel seasons prices will be higher but even gently off peak I find plenty of affordable options. Even in London! For me affordable is $150 a night or close enough.

I shutter to think at what hotel you are staying at in London at any time of the year for $150/night.

Looking at London right now over Thanksgiving, you can stay at a Marriott or several boutique hotels in Canary Wharf for under $150/night. All fairly highly rated. If you are willing to go to $200/night then like 50 more hotels pop up all over the city.

That’s off season since the weather is bad and Brits don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Also how many of those “boutique” hotels can sleep a family or are two rooms needed?

DP. To be fair, OP’s question is about how international travel is affordable for some many people in this area. A really obvious way to make international travel affordable is to go off season or during a shoulder season. If you want to go to any destination during peak season, you’ll pay significantly more (in many cases, thousands more) for airfare and lodging.

I get why you wouldn’t want to go on, say, a beach trip off season, but a major city like London has plenty of great indoor attractions to fill 5-10 days, even if it’s not the best time to visit. I’ve done a ton of international travel this way and have always had a great time.

Yeah, I'd have on problem going to London in the fall / winter. It's a year round destination.

I put in the dates for Marriotts at Canary Wharf and not finding anything under $150/night USD. There are some around 150 GBP/night. There's also some Hilton properties around $150/night USD but those are way far out and would be like staying at a hotel in Frederick to visit DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hotels in Europe are the same price as in the US.

So airfare is the main difference.

Hotels in Europe are so much cheaper than in the US. And pls don’t compare a Sofitel in Paris to a Hampton Inn in Hartford.

This. Also midpriced hotels I'm Europe are so much more reliable decent than in the US, especially in tourist destinations. We've spent the same on a damp, moldy, run down hotel near a beach in Florida as we have on a lovely, well maintained hotel near a beach in France. And the hotel in France will have better food and nicer staff. Both will be "three stars" but since hospitality is taken way more seriously in Europe than the US, that will mean a lot more there.

Only outside of major European cities. The city hotels are outrageously priced.

Maybe at peak travel seasons prices will be higher but even gently off peak I find plenty of affordable options. Even in London! For me affordable is $150 a night or close enough.

I shutter to think at what hotel you are staying at in London at any time of the year for $150/night.

Looking at London right now over Thanksgiving, you can stay at a Marriott or several boutique hotels in Canary Wharf for under $150/night. All fairly highly rated. If you are willing to go to $200/night then like 50 more hotels pop up all over the city.

That’s off season since the weather is bad and Brits don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Also how many of those “boutique” hotels can sleep a family or are two rooms needed?

DP. To be fair, OP’s question is about how international travel is affordable for some many people in this area. A really obvious way to make international travel affordable is to go off season or during a shoulder season. If you want to go to any destination during peak season, you’ll pay significantly more (in many cases, thousands more) for airfare and lodging.

I get why you wouldn’t want to go on, say, a beach trip off season, but a major city like London has plenty of great indoor attractions to fill 5-10 days, even if it’s not the best time to visit. I’ve done a ton of international travel this way and have always had a great time.

Yeah, I'd have on problem going to London in the fall / winter. It's a year round destination.

I put in the dates for Marriotts at Canary Wharf and not finding anything under $150/night USD. There are some around 150 GBP/night. There's also some Hilton properties around $150/night USD but those are way far out and would be like staying at a hotel in Frederick to visit DC.

Search Priceline and they will come up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hotels in Europe are the same price as in the US.

So airfare is the main difference.

Hotels in Europe are so much cheaper than in the US. And pls don’t compare a Sofitel in Paris to a Hampton Inn in Hartford.

This. Also midpriced hotels I'm Europe are so much more reliable decent than in the US, especially in tourist destinations. We've spent the same on a damp, moldy, run down hotel near a beach in Florida as we have on a lovely, well maintained hotel near a beach in France. And the hotel in France will have better food and nicer staff. Both will be "three stars" but since hospitality is taken way more seriously in Europe than the US, that will mean a lot more there.

Only outside of major European cities. The city hotels are outrageously priced.

Maybe at peak travel seasons prices will be higher but even gently off peak I find plenty of affordable options. Even in London! For me affordable is $150 a night or close enough.

I shutter to think at what hotel you are staying at in London at any time of the year for $150/night.

Looking at London right now over Thanksgiving, you can stay at a Marriott or several boutique hotels in Canary Wharf for under $150/night. All fairly highly rated. If you are willing to go to $200/night then like 50 more hotels pop up all over the city.

That’s off season since the weather is bad and Brits don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Also how many of those “boutique” hotels can sleep a family or are two rooms needed?

Well, yeah…that’s the point of this thread. People save money by traveling at non-peak times. I picked Thanksgiving because it’s actually a great time for Americans to consider taking a trip because you can tack on just a couple of vacation days and it’s not a big deal for kids to miss a day or two of school (our schools started making Wednesday an official holiday).

If you don’t have kids or want to take college kids…late May is also a great time to travel as weather is better and it’s still not peak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hotels in Europe are the same price as in the US.

So airfare is the main difference.

Hotels in Europe are so much cheaper than in the US. And pls don’t compare a Sofitel in Paris to a Hampton Inn in Hartford.

This. Also midpriced hotels I'm Europe are so much more reliable decent than in the US, especially in tourist destinations. We've spent the same on a damp, moldy, run down hotel near a beach in Florida as we have on a lovely, well maintained hotel near a beach in France. And the hotel in France will have better food and nicer staff. Both will be "three stars" but since hospitality is taken way more seriously in Europe than the US, that will mean a lot more there.

Only outside of major European cities. The city hotels are outrageously priced.

Maybe at peak travel seasons prices will be higher but even gently off peak I find plenty of affordable options. Even in London! For me affordable is $150 a night or close enough.

I shutter to think at what hotel you are staying at in London at any time of the year for $150/night.

Looking at London right now over Thanksgiving, you can stay at a Marriott or several boutique hotels in Canary Wharf for under $150/night. All fairly highly rated. If you are willing to go to $200/night then like 50 more hotels pop up all over the city.

That’s off season since the weather is bad and Brits don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Also how many of those “boutique” hotels can sleep a family or are two rooms needed?

I took my kids to London for Thanksgiving last year. It was lovely and we were lucky with the weather as it only rained once. As long as you have your jacket, you'd be fine, and the crowds were less than in summer. Kids are free and severely discounted on tube. Plenty of cheap or free museums.

Cheap tickets on points via Virgin. Hotels on points - Holiday Inn Express and Hyatt Blackfriars. Solid breakfast included in both, and affordable dinner options are plentiful in London.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You got a great deal. I fly to Sao Paulo a few times a year and have learned that IAD is the worst place to start the journey. It is hundreds, if not thousands cheaper, to go to a repositioning airport. I usually do Miami or Fort Lauderdale. It's a 200 dollar round trip and I end up on the flight from IAD or wherever. I tend to fly business, so I usually do Houston.

Have fun! It's a blast of a city if you are a food, music, culture fan.

Thanks! Yes, I love huge cities and I love food, music and culture. Would appreciate any suggestions for my trip.

[Anonymous]

DH makes a lot of money and loves to travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Credit card points.

I see a lot of people are saying this. I need to look more into earning points. It’s something DW and I have never really taken advantage of or even looked into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please just help me understand.

The same way they afford houses, cars, private schools, etc. They either make a lot of money or inherited it. And they enjoy travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We make $320hHI and our mortgage is $3200pITI and no daycare costs anymore. We get flights in points most of the time and pay for hotels or rent an apartment. Often cheaper accommodations and food than the US

can you share your ages and NW. You spend $15k annually right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hotels in Europe are the same price as in the US.

So airfare is the main difference.

Hotels in Europe are so much cheaper than in the US. And pls don’t compare a Sofitel in Paris to a Hampton Inn in Hartford.

This. Also midpriced hotels I'm Europe are so much more reliable decent than in the US, especially in tourist destinations. We've spent the same on a damp, moldy, run down hotel near a beach in Florida as we have on a lovely, well maintained hotel near a beach in France. And the hotel in France will have better food and nicer staff. Both will be "three stars" but since hospitality is taken way more seriously in Europe than the US, that will mean a lot more there.

Only outside of major European cities. The city hotels are outrageously priced.

Maybe at peak travel seasons prices will be higher but even gently off peak I find plenty of affordable options. Even in London! For me affordable is $150 a night or close enough.

I shutter to think at what hotel you are staying at in London at any time of the year for $150/night.

Looking at London right now over Thanksgiving, you can stay at a Marriott or several boutique hotels in Canary Wharf for under $150/night. All fairly highly rated. If you are willing to go to $200/night then like 50 more hotels pop up all over the city.

That’s off season since the weather is bad and Brits don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Also how many of those “boutique” hotels can sleep a family or are two rooms needed?

Well, yeah…that’s the point of this thread. People save money by traveling at non-peak times. I picked Thanksgiving because it’s actually a great time for Americans to consider taking a trip because you can tack on just a couple of vacation days and it’s not a big deal for kids to miss a day or two of school (our schools started making Wednesday an official holiday).

If you don’t have kids or want to take college kids…late May is also a great time to travel as weather is better and it’s still not peak.

+1. Honestly some of the major European cities have become downright unenjoyable during the peak times because they are SO crowded, and then you're paying more to boot. TWould much rather visit places like London during the offseason- it's also better that Thanksgiving isn't celebrated there because it means things are open! I'm not sure why the PP would see that as a downside honestly. Also I don't know about London specifically but some cities have started decorating for Christmas by then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH makes a lot of money and loves to travel.

This is the answer.

Everyone else is to embarrassed to say how much money they waste