Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 12:39     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:We typically take 3 international trips a year but here's the deal:

- Our home is paid off, so no mortgage.
- Our cars are paid off
- We have no children
- We both work decent paying jobs
- We now live in a lower COL area than DC (Chicagoland, so not a gigantic difference but it is lower than NOVA)


This is us except we have kids. I’ll be traveling internationally 3 times this year (Europe, Asia, Caribbean). Kids on 2 of them.

I am good at travel on the cheap. For example, I got a trip to Asia last December for 44k airmiles round trip. It’s doable if you are willing to fly weird schedules and have long layovers.
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 12:38     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:I travel like that. It is my highest priority. But my trips are cheap. I’m astonished by what people pay. People always assume I’m paying a lot. But I’m not at all. I haven’t bought a ticket over $500 in years. Most of my domestic trips are about $100 round trip. I make convenience sacrifices, fly weird times, have connections and don’t take luggage.



Some of it is also contingent on your flexibility. Some people have to travel at the most expensive times (teachers, for example), so they are less likely to be able to get bargain airfare.
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 12:23     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So jealous of some family that take 5 exclusive trips a year. It is just too expensive for us. We have kids and with the cost of college rising we just don't have enough. And travel prices are so expensive now. I don't know how people do it. My husband and I both work tirelessly and still can't get by.


Surely you know how others do it - they have more money - whether it's family money or real estate investments or higher paying jobs.


This! We have friends in town right now from Europe. They travel all the time. Flew to the Super Bowl, back east to DC for a few nights, and now on their way to NYC before heading back. Were here in the fall, and since that time have been in numerous places around the world. The rich are different that you and I!
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 12:23     Subject: travel jealousy
I travel like that. It is my highest priority. But my trips are cheap. I’m astonished by what people pay. People always assume I’m paying a lot. But I’m not at all. I haven’t bought a ticket over $500 in years. Most of my domestic trips are about $100 round trip. I make convenience sacrifices, fly weird times, have connections and don’t take luggage.
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 12:18     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We typically take 3 international trips a year but here's the deal:

- Our home is paid off, so no mortgage.
- Our cars are paid off
- We have no children
- We both work decent paying jobs
- We now live in a lower COL area than DC (Chicagoland, so not a gigantic difference but it is lower than NOVA)


Way to bury the lede! Should have started with this one - its the only one that really matters.


lol! So true
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 12:10     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:It's so weird me to that people on DCUM have been on multiple international vacations. I never have (business travel, yes). But popping over to Europe for a long weekend? Cannot relate.


You can get flights to places like London and Iceland as low as $300s range at times $225 ish for KEF. Stay at a Premier Inn or Budget hotel and you are spending less than you’d estimate.
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 12:09     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So jealous of some family that take 5 exclusive trips a year. It is just too expensive for us. We have kids and with the cost of college rising we just don't have enough. And travel prices are so expensive now. I don't know how people do it. My husband and I both work tirelessly and still can't get by.


Surely you know how others do it - they have more money - whether it's family money or real estate investments or higher paying jobs.


Or they save and cut back on other things and that’s how they choose to spend it.
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 12:05     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:So jealous of some family that take 5 exclusive trips a year. It is just too expensive for us. We have kids and with the cost of college rising we just don't have enough. And travel prices are so expensive now. I don't know how people do it. My husband and I both work tirelessly and still can't get by.


Surely you know how others do it - they have more money - whether it's family money or real estate investments or higher paying jobs.
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 12:02     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We typically take 3 international trips a year but here's the deal:

- Our home is paid off, so no mortgage.
- Our cars are paid off
- We have no children
- We both work decent paying jobs
- We now live in a lower COL area than DC (Chicagoland, so not a gigantic difference but it is lower than NOVA)


Way to bury the lede! Should have started with this one - its the only one that really matters.


LOL -I thought the same thing. Guess what!! A lot of us were very frequent travelers when we didn’t have kids.
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 11:46     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:We typically take 3 international trips a year but here's the deal:

- Our home is paid off, so no mortgage.
- Our cars are paid off
- We have no children
- We both work decent paying jobs
- We now live in a lower COL area than DC (Chicagoland, so not a gigantic difference but it is lower than NOVA)


Way to bury the lede! Should have started with this one - its the only one that really matters.
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 11:45     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:If you want to travel, maybe consider getting a job in the airline or travel business.

That's what I did and travel is just a way of life. It might not get you rich but when you don't have to pay for flights you can at least travel like a rich person


Airline? Asking for one of my dc who would like this life I think!
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 11:37     Subject: travel jealousy
We typically take 3 international trips a year but here's the deal:

- Our home is paid off, so no mortgage.
- Our cars are paid off
- We have no children
- We both work decent paying jobs
- We now live in a lower COL area than DC (Chicagoland, so not a gigantic difference but it is lower than NOVA)
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 11:35     Subject: travel jealousy
If you want to travel, maybe consider getting a job in the airline or travel business.

That's what I did and travel is just a way of life. It might not get you rich but when you don't have to pay for flights you can at least travel like a rich person
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 11:33     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:So jealous of some family that take 5 exclusive trips a year. It is just too expensive for us. We have kids and with the cost of college rising we just don't have enough. And travel prices are so expensive now. I don't know how people do it. My husband and I both work tirelessly and still can't get by.


What kinds of trips? Can you give some examples and # of people?
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2023 11:21     Subject: travel jealousy
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It's so weird me to that people on DCUM have been on multiple international vacations. I never have (business travel, yes). But popping over to Europe for a long weekend? Cannot relate.


Depends on timeframe, right? Our family has traveled internationally (including Costa Rica, which clearly is international but not really substantively overseas) 4 times in 10 years. So no quick trips for long weekends, but yes have done it every 2-3 years. HHI around $250k, but we utilize points/miles to keep costs reasonable, and have low mortgage costs, no more student loans, no other debt.


Yes, probably. And I admit I fly J and F overseas, which isn't doable for our family, and the idea of 12+ hours in coach keeps me closer to home. We live way under our means, so maybe this is just some sort of mental block I have.