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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is eye opening considering how many people on DCUM act like it’s super pitiful if your annual vacations are to places like Rehoboth and Orlando. I also don’t understand how people are spending this little.

We are going to Key West for Spring Break and staying in 1 hotel room at a mid-level full service chain (Marriott, Hilton). Our flights and hotel alone are $6-7k once you factor in checking 1 big suitcase for all 4 of us, Uber to/from airport, resort fees and taxes, etc. It’s easily a $10k trip with a car rental, meals out, and excursions like renting kayaks and swimming with dolphins. And it seems like we always stay at really dumpy hotels compared to other families we know in a similar income bracket!

We’re traveling to a wedding on the West coast this summer and will tack on a national park trip afterwards. I’m sure the whole thing will cost $20k and we’ll be gone 2-2.5 weeks. A trip to Europe or South America would be equally costly. [/quote]

I agree, I’m always suspicious of DCUM travel costs. I think one thing that might happen is that people just remember the flights and hotels, but don’t add in costs for meals and activities.

Also, for us, we end up with higher priced flights because we won’t do a connection to save money or take really early or late flights. We also have to take vacations according to the school calendar, which adds to costs.

We’re a family of four, 300k HHI, and our travel budget is generally between 10k-20k. [/quote]

You have to bargain shop.  You stay at an under $200 a night hotel.  If you have younger kids, before 6th grade (or maybe 6th depending on what classes they are taking) you go during the school year, early fall is great.  You fly into a nearby airport if it's cheaper and rent a car.  You go to mostly fast casual vs. expensive dinners.  You use an air miles credit card, like South West.  You find any available discounts (for us, usually military).    You consider what things cost.

$20K for a West Coast trip seems a bit crazy.  [/quote]

That’s the worst case scenario if we go to Alaska instead of Banff, but I don’t think it’s that crazy. I also think people who claim their 10 day Europe trip was $10k are the same people who claim their commute to DC from Leesburg is less than an hour.

Flights are $3200 before checking any bags - and bags will be checked considering it’s a formal wedding with 3 dress-up events followed by hiking/kayaking. Hotel for 14 nights is $7000 with taxes and fees - we don’t get to choose where we stay for the family wedding part of the trip. 
That’s $10k before Uber to/fro the airport, renting a car and buying gas in 2 different cities, renting kayaks and bikes, paying for activities, and food. All the granola bar breakfasts in the world aren’t going to make it a cheaper trip. [/quote]

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