How often for international travel as a family

[Anonymous]

HHI $500k+.

2-3x a year. Winter break is nothing fancy in Mexico, just an apartment rental near the beach. The last three years, we've also done a spring break trip - Europe, Central America, and Asia. Kids are 5 and 10 and great flyers. No issues at all on a 14 hour flight. I also did a quick solo Europe trip last year and am planning an additional Mexico trip this year to celebrate a big birthday.

We are budget conscious, flying coach and not staying at the Ritz. We use miles and other airline/hotel programs. When traveling as a family, we will share a single, simple hotel room when we're out and about most of the day. We will splurge for apartments when we're at resort locations and are spending more time at the home base.

[Anonymous]

Every two months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

That sounds exhausting. Do your kids never ask to just chill at home during some of their school breaks? I suspect they will prefer staying at home more during their time off, as they get older and into their teens.

[Anonymous]

We leave the country about once a year, alternating between trans-continental and Caribbean or Canada/Mexico.

Since 2019 we've done Canada, Caribbean, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland. Hoping to do Japan and the Azores in the next two years, plus hopefully a quick trip to Iceland or closer Europe and another tropical trip.

Skipping a big summer trip because our expenses were way up last year with a move. HHI his 450K.

[Anonymous]

HHI 135k but single parent of 8yr old. We do 2 international- Europe during spring and Asia during winter. He gets a beach vacation( normally California) during the summer - max 5 days.

I afford it by saving, using credit card points, and reserving hotel/apartments a year in advance. I buy international tickets usually 10 months earlier.

[Anonymous]

We travel quite a bit as a family (at least 3-4 domestic trips per year) but I don't always prioritize international vacations. I'm a big believer in seeing national parks, hiking, road trips, and trying to see as much as the US has to offer. Like many people in DC metro, I traveled a lot and had the opportunity to live in quite a few countries in my younger years. US travel, in my view, is one of the best countries with kids. It's stunning. I'd take it over Europe any day.

We try to hit up a new national park at least 1x per year. those can be done cheaply if within driving distance, with miles, or over a long weekend which makes travel easier.

International travel we also try for 1x per year, though had skipped in the COVID years.

You can do international on a shoestring if you pick the right destinations (e.g, SE Asia, Africa, LATAM can get good deals on lodging) and get a miles credit card if you don't have one. South Africa is a great place to get really nice hotels and meals for great value.

Pre-COVID we traveled overseas quite a bit to see family but usually went in November when tix were 1/2 of the summer costs. If you can skip a few days week before Thanksgiving you'll get lowest ticket rates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

That sounds exhausting. Do your kids never ask to just chill at home during some of their school breaks? I suspect they will prefer staying at home more during their time off, as they get older and into their teens.

It’s not exhausting at all, it isn’t like these trips are back to back. No, they never do, they love our trips. I guess we will see what happens as they get older.