How often for international travel as a family

[Anonymous]

HHI $400k with 2 kids in Pvt school. We try to do 1 big vacation for Spring or Summer and 1 medium + couple long weekend/beach summer weekend. In the past it really wasn't as ridiculous pricing as it has been for the islands or Mexico over holidays so we did that and 1-2 US cities for Spring and Summer. We have discovered it's almost over to not go away over winter and catch up on R+R at home as the kids have gotten older. We used to always go away though for winters.

This year - Miami spring and China/Tokyo summer
Last year - Positano/Rome/Venice summer and CR Spring
2022 was Jackson Hole summer, New Orleans Spr

We really feel it's important to travel and we all really enjoy it. We don't go to the same place 2x but I gotta say we loved CR and would return! If we went to Europe again we would do Greece. I couldn't make it work last yr with the number of days we had - I found Greece to be really expensive because of island hopping. On our list is Alaska and TBD summer place in CO. We really enjoy CA and have been all over it. We've done a lot of FL as well. My kids are so lucky to have travelled as much as they have for sure and we remind them of that frequently

We only started with Europe last yr in MS. Before MS it was strictly US/Canada/Mexico. I would categorically not do any place other than a beach vacation before MS ages internationally. I think there's a lot to see in US/Canada/Mexico! Our kids have seen a lot limited to these 3 countries

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HHI $400k with 2 kids in Pvt school. We try to do 1 big vacation for Spring or Summer and 1 medium + couple long weekend/beach summer weekend. In the past it really wasn't as ridiculous pricing as it has been for the islands or Mexico over holidays so we did that and 1-2 US cities for Spring and Summer. We have discovered it's almost over to not go away over winter and catch up on R+R at home as the kids have gotten older. We used to always go away though for winters.

This year - Miami spring and China/Tokyo summer
Last year - Positano/Rome/Venice summer and CR Spring
2022 was Jackson Hole summer, New Orleans Spr

We really feel it's important to travel and we all really enjoy it. We don't go to the same place 2x but I gotta say we loved CR and would return! If we went to Europe again we would do Greece. I couldn't make it work last yr with the number of days we had - I found Greece to be really expensive because of island hopping. On our list is Alaska and TBD summer place in CO. We really enjoy CA and have been all over it. We've done a lot of FL as well. My kids are so lucky to have travelled as much as they have for sure and we remind them of that frequently

We only started with Europe last yr in MS. Before MS it was strictly US/Canada/Mexico. I would categorically not do any place other than a beach vacation before MS ages internationally. I think there's a lot to see in US/Canada/Mexico! Our kids have seen a lot limited to these 3 countries

I love this post! I can probaby guess but why wouldn't you suggest things outside of teh US/CAN/MEX area before MS? Just length of time on the plane? Anything else?
And what is "CR" that you mention above?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $400k with 2 kids in Pvt school. We try to do 1 big vacation for Spring or Summer and 1 medium + couple long weekend/beach summer weekend. In the past it really wasn't as ridiculous pricing as it has been for the islands or Mexico over holidays so we did that and 1-2 US cities for Spring and Summer. We have discovered it's almost over to not go away over winter and catch up on R+R at home as the kids have gotten older. We used to always go away though for winters.

This year - Miami spring and China/Tokyo summer
Last year - Positano/Rome/Venice summer and CR Spring
2022 was Jackson Hole summer, New Orleans Spr

We really feel it's important to travel and we all really enjoy it. We don't go to the same place 2x but I gotta say we loved CR and would return! If we went to Europe again we would do Greece. I couldn't make it work last yr with the number of days we had - I found Greece to be really expensive because of island hopping. On our list is Alaska and TBD summer place in CO. We really enjoy CA and have been all over it. We've done a lot of FL as well. My kids are so lucky to have travelled as much as they have for sure and we remind them of that frequently

We only started with Europe last yr in MS. Before MS it was strictly US/Canada/Mexico. I would categorically not do any place other than a beach vacation before MS ages internationally. I think there's a lot to see in US/Canada/Mexico! Our kids have seen a lot limited to these 3 countries

I love this post! I can probaby guess but why wouldn't you suggest things outside of teh US/CAN/MEX area before MS? Just length of time on the plane? Anything else?
And what is "CR" that you mention above?

NP but CR is usually Costa Rica

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know how most of you manage yearly. Flights are crazy expensive and we have 2 teens and most European hotels only accommodate 2 people per room. Thus we always need 2 rooms. We’re going this summer for a week and just hotel expenses alone will be over $8,000.

We have done many cities in Europe and able to get 1 room with 2 queen beds. In Lisbon, we did have to get 2 rooms. We are spending about $8K, all in, flight, hotel, food and sightseeing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We usually go on two international trips per year. Family of 4, $180k HHI. We use credit card miles plus miles my DH accumulates from work travel and we do home exchanges with other families so flights and lodging is usually $0 or very close to it.

Because we stay at houses, we always have laundry machines and just bring a few days worth of clothes and travel light, we have kitchens so we usually eat out once per day, many of the families leave us their museum passes or other memberships to use while we are there, we do lots of free or low cost things like markets, hikes, beaches, rent bikes, explore around. Our hosts usually hook us up with cool things too. In Rome, their grandmother who owns a restaurant came and gave us a cooking class with local ingredients. In Barcelona, the neighbor kids included my kids in a massive water fight and then they invited us to the neighborhood block party that night with local food, drinks, live music, and dancing. In Stockholm, we overlapped with our hosts for a day and the mom owns a vintage boutique so she took my DDs and I sourcing with her. In Starnberg (outside of Munich) we arrived early on Christmas Eve and our hosts had cookie dough ready to go and our kids made and decorated Christmas cookies together while us parents got to know each other over mulled wine before they left.

Probably not 99% of dcumers style, but we LOVE it.

May I ask which service you use to do this? We're in California and would love to do a house swap exchange to get to Europe as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How often do you and your family travel overseas? What do you do to afford it or do you all have a high income?

They all have very high incomes and brag about the multiple international family trips they make throughout the year, complete with nothing less than business class/first class seats, or the private jet share they own.

They also brag on the Money forum about the millions they have saved for retirement by the age of 35, and say everyone who’s not a millionaire by 30 is just doing it wrong.

YET these very same people then make pity posts on the College forum, complaining that even though they are millionaires by 30 with multiple vacation homes and $300k+ salaries and multiple trips overseas every year with 3 kids in private school, they should not be “forced” (their words) to full pay any college for any of their kids, and they whine that they DESERVE (again, their words) discounts for elite colleges, free college and lots of financial aid.

That is who these posters are, but will never tell you.

Carry on~

[Anonymous]

Never

[Anonymous]

My kids (12 and 9) have only been to Canada. It’s a time issue more than anything-I’m divorced so I have to split school breaks, and by the time you add visiting grandparents occasionally, finding time for bigger trips become challenging.

We had a trip to Germany planned in 2020-which obviously got canceled. Covid, travel nightmare stories, and the Olympics have crushed my will to visit Europe or even fly domestically in the summer as a single parent the last few years. We finally started traveling more in 2023-but stayed in the US. This summer I have a massive work project that makes being gone for more than a week impossible so we’re doing 2 shorter US trips instead.

Next years school calendar has a bunch of 4 day weekends, so thinking about opportunities to do a smaller but out of the US trip that wouldn’t miss too much school.

[Anonymous]

We have a second home in Europe and I travel back every 6 weeks for 2 weeks. The kids travel their over their holidays.

[Anonymous]

We have always traveled a lot. Kids aged 11 and 13. Every summer to Europe for a month (where we are from, and we combine with trips to other nearby countries). We work from there as well so for the adults it isn’t just vacation.
Then 2 weeks over winter break - last year we spent it skiing and seeing friends in Switzerland and Italy. This winter break we are going to Japan.
We usually do a few long weekends in the Caribbean as well as a ski trip out west.
Spring break somewhere, and usually Thanksgiving somewhere since we don’t have family here. For those trips we have been to Panama, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica so far.

[Anonymous]

Our HHI is about $400k (though only last few years) with two teens in public. We love to travel but don’t really travel internationally. We did take a Disney Caribbean cruise when the kids were smaller but that is it. We are taking them to HI this summer and London/Paris next summer before my oldest graduates. I know it’s not popular here, but we all love Disney and Universal and find we get great quality time together there so we do one of those almost every year. In between we love to explore the US, either beaches, nature (we’ve done CO and AZ) or cities.

[Anonymous]

I'm hoping to do an international trip every 2-3 years, its just me, DD, and her dad (my ex). We split the costs of the trips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $400k with 2 kids in Pvt school. We try to do 1 big vacation for Spring or Summer and 1 medium + couple long weekend/beach summer weekend. In the past it really wasn't as ridiculous pricing as it has been for the islands or Mexico over holidays so we did that and 1-2 US cities for Spring and Summer. We have discovered it's almost over to not go away over winter and catch up on R+R at home as the kids have gotten older. We used to always go away though for winters.

This year - Miami spring and China/Tokyo summer
Last year - Positano/Rome/Venice summer and CR Spring
2022 was Jackson Hole summer, New Orleans Spr

We really feel it's important to travel and we all really enjoy it. We don't go to the same place 2x but I gotta say we loved CR and would return! If we went to Europe again we would do Greece. I couldn't make it work last yr with the number of days we had - I found Greece to be really expensive because of island hopping. On our list is Alaska and TBD summer place in CO. We really enjoy CA and have been all over it. We've done a lot of FL as well. My kids are so lucky to have travelled as much as they have for sure and we remind them of that frequently

We only started with Europe last yr in MS. Before MS it was strictly US/Canada/Mexico. I would categorically not do any place other than a beach vacation before MS ages internationally. I think there's a lot to see in US/Canada/Mexico! Our kids have seen a lot limited to these 3 countries

I love this post! I can probaby guess but why wouldn't you suggest things outside of teh US/CAN/MEX area before MS? Just length of time on the plane? Anything else?
And what is "CR" that you mention above?

I’m not PP, but we traveled to Europe with young kids and it was wonderful. So many amazing parks, food they loved. The first time, we did bring a stroller where both could sit in for the long walks. They were 3 and 6 so it wasn’t completely weird. They could nap while we pushed and walked. We’ve been to other places in Europe in their elementary school years - and I am so grateful when did this traveling. My kids are now in high school and I have found it difficult to schedule vacations with their obligations- summer school, sports, work, and so on,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We usually go on two international trips per year. Family of 4, $180k HHI. We use credit card miles plus miles my DH accumulates from work travel and we do home exchanges with other families so flights and lodging is usually $0 or very close to it.

Because we stay at houses, we always have laundry machines and just bring a few days worth of clothes and travel light, we have kitchens so we usually eat out once per day, many of the families leave us their museum passes or other memberships to use while we are there, we do lots of free or low cost things like markets, hikes, beaches, rent bikes, explore around. Our hosts usually hook us up with cool things too. In Rome, their grandmother who owns a restaurant came and gave us a cooking class with local ingredients. In Barcelona, the neighbor kids included my kids in a massive water fight and then they invited us to the neighborhood block party that night with local food, drinks, live music, and dancing. In Stockholm, we overlapped with our hosts for a day and the mom owns a vintage boutique so she took my DDs and I sourcing with her. In Starnberg (outside of Munich) we arrived early on Christmas Eve and our hosts had cookie dough ready to go and our kids made and decorated Christmas cookies together while us parents got to know each other over mulled wine before they left.

Probably not 99% of dcumers style, but we LOVE it.

May I ask which service you use to do this? We're in California and would love to do a house swap exchange to get to Europe as well.

We use both HomeExchange and People Like Us and have had great experiences across the board.

[Anonymous]

That all ended when we became parents. Our passports are expired and the kids don't have them.