Tell me about an expensive vacation experience that was worth every penny!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We managed to get tickets to the quarter finals for the Championship League game while in Madrid - saw Real Madrid play Man City, if I remember correctly. It remains a priceless memory for our sons, who still talk about it and reference it as 'the time mom got us tickets to the game and made our dreams come true'. I definitely had reservations about spending that amount of money on tickets (via Stubhub in a foreign country no less) but I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was worth every penny experiencing that with our kids.

That is so awesome!! How much were the tickets per person?

It ended up being around $2500 for four tickets, but the seats were awesome - first row, middle of the field. I literally lost sleep at night I was so worried about the tickets being a scam, not because of the cost (I could just let the credit card company deal with it) but because our two sons were so excited. It was all they talked about from the moment I bought them despite me trying to temper their excitement ('we may not get in', 'the tickets could be fake', etc.). As I said it was so worth it in the end, and I hope it is a memory they carry with them. I will definitely never forget the look on their faces when we cleared the ticketing entrance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently trying to justify a helicopter ride to a glacier for dog sledding in Alaska.

We did this in Alaska a few years ago with our middle school and elementary school aged children, and it’s still one of my favorite life experiences. We did the dogsled on the glacier, played with the dogs, then went to another glacier and took in the views, the kids drank the melted glacier water, and ran around. It was stunningly beautiful and one of the highlights of a snacking trip.

Sounds wonderful! Do you remember what company you went with?

+1 would love to know this as well!

[Anonymous]

Every single time we’ve spent it’s been amazing vs not. Truer these days than ever before. You get what you pay for. We are very very middle class but with one child we’ve decided to have a big travel budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People will call me super basic but here is my list —

Helicopter tour of kaui

Glacier dog sledding in Alaska

Getting the suite at el Tovar with the enormous patio looking over the south rim

Disney VIP private tour where they take you on all the rides with almost no waiting and drive you around between the parks — crazy expensive but you can do in one day what you would otherwise do in three so if you factor in savings on park tickets and hotel, it is more justifiable. I’m always embarrassed to tell people we did this though.

Oh and I don’t know if this was crazy expensive but chartering a boat for day snorkel trip for family — we’ve done that a couple times when we vacationed with my siblings and it is totally worth it to have the boat to yourself.

Snorkeling is so bad compared with diving. My 10 yo was eye to eye with a sea turtle today. I would never go back and neither would my kids.

DP. One upping that poster added nothing.

I was confident someone would call me basic and PP did not disappoint! FWIW, we are gojng to try a “discover scuba” dive this year. One of my teens is scuba certified and has done a lot of dives—the other has really bad asthma so it’s not great for them. But I also think scuba is a different experience than just a nice snorkel charter — they will often grill food, make fresh guac, etc. on board, you spend some time catching the rays, the often have slides or rope swings. It’s just a lovely way to spend a day relaxing.

I am the jerk PP and am so excited you are going to try scuba diving! I hope you love it! It’s so beautiful and some of the animals look like they belong on another planet. Xoxo

Please snorkelers and divers be aware to not choose the type of sunscreen that harms the coral. We all want our grandkids to have coral to explore too. The coral is getting killed and bleached by the heating of the oceans from burning fossil fuels, which is also a concern we should prioritize.

[Anonymous]

For me it’s about setting a budget I’m okay with but allowing some splurges within that. I’ve rarely regretted (maybe never?) paying for experiences while traveling or for convenience. If I’m spending $4000 on a vacation and $4300 will make it much better somehow, I’ll do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's put it this way: I've regretted going cheap on vacation, every single time! And *I* know better than to cheap out. But my husband continually thinks hotels/rentals are too expensive and if he makes the reservations, it's going to be to places that are dirty, or have inadequate hot water, or where something is somehow not right.

So for example, AirBnBs: I don't want to be stuck using one bathroom for our family. In many places in the world, you need to reserve a 12+ people rental to get two decent full baths, so that's what I do, even though we're 4 or sometimes 6. It also gets me "nicer" places, with decor and attention to detail, etc. Not a ramshackle mismatched place with kitchen things that don't work.

Hotels, same thing. I want comfort with nice cotton sheets and quality mattresses, light switch controlled from the bed, and well-designed bathroom fixtures, not the toilet paper 3 feet from the toilet. Healthy options at the breakfast buffet. I mean, are these BASIC things too much to ask?!? Yet they sometimes don't occur automatically in moderately-priced hotel rooms, which is why I upgrade.

I’m so confused about this. You know there’s a minimum bathroom field right? Why would you pay for 6 beds and 2 bathrooms when you need 2 beds and 2 bathrooms?

[Anonymous]

Whale watching in Parksville, Vancouver Island. Small boat and spectacular scenery. Whales were so close.

Ski accommodations close to lifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People will call me super basic but here is my list —

Helicopter tour of kaui

Glacier dog sledding in Alaska

Getting the suite at el Tovar with the enormous patio looking over the south rim

Disney VIP private tour where they take you on all the rides with almost no waiting and drive you around between the parks — crazy expensive but you can do in one day what you would otherwise do in three so if you factor in savings on park tickets and hotel, it is more justifiable. I’m always embarrassed to tell people we did this though.

Oh and I don’t know if this was crazy expensive but chartering a boat for day snorkel trip for family — we’ve done that a couple times when we vacationed with my siblings and it is totally worth it to have the boat to yourself.

Snorkeling is so bad compared with diving. My 10 yo was eye to eye with a sea turtle today. I would never go back and neither would my kids.

Teaching her kid to be a disgusting snob. PP, do you know what is going to happen to your kid when they sneer at a friend's snorkeling trip? They might get their @$$ kicked. Or they might get ... no more friends.

Not to mention that I think 10 year olds can only dive to 40 ft. That is so bad compared to real diving.

OP's post is also nonsensical. Sea turtles often swim at or close to the surface. I've been eye to eye with a sea turtle before...while I was snorkeling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently trying to justify a helicopter ride to a glacier for dog sledding in Alaska.

We did this in Alaska a few years ago with our middle school and elementary school aged children, and it’s still one of my favorite life experiences. We did the dogsled on the glacier, played with the dogs, then went to another glacier and took in the views, the kids drank the melted glacier water, and ran around. It was stunningly beautiful and one of the highlights of an snacking trip.

Is it super different from doing this in Scandanavia etc. (I am rolling my own eyes at myself for asking, but I do really want to know!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently trying to justify a helicopter ride to a glacier for dog sledding in Alaska.

I clicked on this thread to say helicopter in Alaska! Stupid expensive and worth every penny. We didn't do the glacier dog sled but flew to the glacier and it was wonderful.

I flew around Delani in a tiny prop plane and it was unforgettable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently trying to justify a helicopter ride to a glacier for dog sledding in Alaska.

We did this in Alaska a few years ago with our middle school and elementary school aged children, and it’s still one of my favorite life experiences. We did the dogsled on the glacier, played with the dogs, then went to another glacier and took in the views, the kids drank the melted glacier water, and ran around. It was stunningly beautiful and one of the highlights of an snacking trip.

Is it super different from doing this in Scandanavia etc. (I am rolling my own eyes at myself for asking, but I do really want to know!)

We did glacier dog sledding in Alaska and compared experiences with someone who did it in Scandinavia. Scandinavia version was much less touristy and my friends were doing it themselves. In Alaska, we were on a dog sled on the glacier and went in a big circle with an employee driving the sled. We also did a different dog sledding experience not on a glacier, but we were also just along for the ride (that time dogs were pulling an ATV)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did a luxury private tour in Peru - They handled everything. Hotels, flights, trains, drivers, drivers, and most meals. We did the Amazon, Machu Pichu, Cusco, and Lima.

The Galapagos

Private charters with captains in the Virgin Islands and in the Bahamas.

Only luxury vacation I have regretted is with Inspirato.

Why did you regret it?

Paying a membership fee for the ability to book an expensive home and then being charged a ton for airport pickup, meals prepared in the home, activities… I felt ripped off. Didn’t see the value added by their property concierge.

[Anonymous]

Taylor Swift tickets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taylor Swift tickets.

We’re spending a lot to go see her in Madrid in May. Plus lunch at Diverxo. Very excited

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taylor Swift tickets.

Same, took my girls to Atlanta to see her. When my 10 yr old starting singing cruel summer, I started to tear up. Just the most amazing experience and one I will never forget with my daughters. ❤️ it was worth every cent.