Anonymous
Post 04/11/2025 06:59     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
We are doing 14 days in Costa Rica (2 adults, 2 teens) for probably about $14,000. We did splurge on one accommodation but a lot of it was activities...fishing, guided hikes, snorkeling trip...all for 4 people. This is by far the most we've ever spent. But we won't likely be back so want to make the most of it. We went to Pacific Mexico a couple years ago and spent about $5k for a similar length of time! Generally we spend about $4k to $6k on a week renting a vrbo at a US beach location.

Other than that we do some local ski weekends in New England...cheap hotels but the food adds up there.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 12:44     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is the first year where we have several trips lined up since we started having kids. We have a 4 yo and a 1.5 yo. Up until now, we’ve done small weekend trips, a trip to Florida, and OBX.

For 2025 so far we have:

Jan - Parents weekend in NYC, mainly to see a broadway show - my Xmas gift (our first solo trip since 4 yo was born).

Feb - Weekend trip to NY for husbands grandmothers birthday party.

March - Weekend trip to Pittsburgh

April - Almost 2 weeks in Portugal with my parents and siblings. This will be my husbands and kids first time traveling internationally. I don’t think we’ll spend more than 12k on this though - we’re staying in airbnbs the whole time, split with family it comes out to 3k lodging. Air fare we used a combo of points and cash, so about 3k there.

August - Doing a week in Acadia before the oldest starts kindergarten. Normally we’d do OBX in September, but now that we have to follow the school calendar, booking a house in August is ridiculously expensive, so I thought we’d change it up and try something new. As of now we’re planning to drive to Acadia to save money. Most likely stop overnight somewhere in Connecticut on the way there.

Ideally I’d also like to add a long weekend trip to a beach in the summer (driving distance)
And maybe another weekend away in the fall sometime.

We are done having kids and so far both kids have been pretty good travelers, so I’m ready to get back to traveling again! Especially now that we’ll only have one in daycare starting this August.


OP here - thank you for sharing - how much are you budgeting for Acadia and Pittsburgh - both are on our list for trips!


Not really budgeting that much for Pittsburgh. I think we’ll stay well under 1k. Splitting an Airbnb with friends for two nights was $300. Don’t see us spending that much on food/any activities. We’re driving there.

Acadia - I’d say definitely under 4K, probably around 3k if it’d have to guess now.
We’re staying at an Airbnb with family. Our share is $1,800. We are planning to drive and will most likely use points to stop overnight somewhere on the way.
Our Airbnb has a kitchen so we’ll be doing a decent amount of eating in.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 11:28     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
I don't have anything planned yet, but we also don't really budget lol. I get 5wks vacation, DH will get his 3rd week in April. So we are waiting until at least then before we book anything.

We normally don't pre-plan anything, but go where the flight deals take us, which helps save. Going to creep on everyone elses plans and see if I get any inspiration.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 11:04     Subject: Re:What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
June Costa Rica 12 days/4ppl: 10k (rescheduled from this winter)

July:2 adults, 10 day dolomites; Slovenia; ; 7- 8k; flights on miles)

August: beach week obx 3500-4k

Xmas 2025: visit family on west coast 5k

So c25k; ; more than usual as we usually do one international; one west coast and one beach trip a year . This year we will take a second international trip since we skipped winter.




OP here, where in Costa Rica did you manage for 10K for 4 people for 12 days? Was this a package?


PP here. Costa rica has a wide range of accomodations and we are definitely more midrange travelers who prefer to travel more, but dont care about high end hotel rooms, etc (usually like air bnbs or simple accommodations).

Flights were c. 500/person; not renting a car this time, but we are staying 4 nights around la fortuna in an air bnb (160/night); we are doing one semi-package that includes one night in Tortuguero and one night rafting/tented camp which is 300 pp (includes most meals, transportation from arenal and will drop off near airport in san jose for our next destination, rafting, guided canal tour); then we are flying to /from the osa peninsula (our biggest expense flights at 1200 total for the flights), but staying in a very modest cabinas (still have killer views of the ocean).

flights 3200 (to/from costa rica and the drake bay flights)
arenal lodging 700 (air bnb)
rafting/tortuguero 1200 (package with most expenses)
drake bay lodging (700)

so 5800 for those costs leaving us +- 4 k for food, additional transport, activities.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 10:53     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
NYC for a family event on dh's side, France this summer to see family on my side. Then I'd like to go to Nantucket or Maine with just dh at end of summer.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 10:07     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
We’re a family of 5 doing a winter trip to NYC soon (train fare and hotels are really cheap right now, so can probably keep it under $2,500 for a 2-3 night getaway).

Disney for Spring Break (about $5-7k).

Visiting a national park for summer break (another $5-7k depending on where we decide to go e.g. airfare, lodging can vary a bit).

That is as far as we’ve gotten. We’ll probably add something else in and spend about 20k this year on travel.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 10:03     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Family of 5, and these are our plans for 2025:

-long weekend ski trip to Salt Lake City that we already did earlier this month
-Summer week in ME
-summer long weekend in Iceland
-1 week in Finnish Lapland like OP

About $40k which is on the higher end for us but I do YNAB and this is how I wanted to prioritize my spending this year.


OP here - Lapland! Where are you going in the region? Mind sharing more on where in Maine and the costs on that and Iceland for 5? 40k for all of those is incredible with that number of people


We are going to ME for a family wedding, but spending 4 nights in Acadia and making a week out of it. This time I paid $1,909.75 for 5 flights already, and I am paying $3K for a VRBO in Acadia for 4 nights (then separately paying 3 nights in a hotel, but I am not considering that part of my travel budget - that's part of my family events budget). I think for the purposes of this post here, I only budgeted $3K for the trip because that's the only portion I was considering a vacation. We have a 4th grader so our national park pass is free this year. Usually when we stay in a house rental, we eat 2 meals a day with groceries in the house and go out for one meal.
We also went to Acadia in 2017, and we drove that time and I paid $3K for the house rental for a week. This is my past post if you want to read it: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/644562.page

For Iceland, I bought our plane tix for $400/each already, and I believe I am budgeting $7K for the whole trip. I did the google flights explore feature to pick the trip, and with flights for $400, I picked Iceland. Actually only 3 of us are going - the younger 2 will be at camp. I believe I could have done it cheaper on my own, but I decided to have a travel agent plan it.

Lapland - Rovaniemi and Levi. What about you?

Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 08:57     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
Visit in laws in Newport Beach 3 weeks
- Use points for flight, free accomodations and use their car, we will definitely do some tourist activities like Disneyland one day and Legoland one day, surf lessons for the kids, the aquariums etc

Stay in our second home in Steamboat Springs
- 14 nights Christmas break ski trip
- 21 days summer
- 7 nights spring break skiing
$2200 epic ski pass for 4 people
- use points for flights
Will pay for activities like rafting, horseback riding, etc in summer. Own skis, sleds, ice skates.

- Napa 4 night couples trip
use miles for flights
$1000 for hotel after using points for part of the trip

- European Trip over Thanksgiving
$10k to Scotland for 4, outside of the season so pretty reasonable, 9 nights









Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 08:34     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
Anonymous wrote:Just returned from the Galapagos Islands a few days ago, technically the first trip of 2025.

Headed to Anguilla for my milestone birthday over MLK.

NYC for Presidents Day.

Roatan in April.

May add on Cabo to a work trip in June.

Small trips in July for our anniv - Annapolis, Charlottesville, etc

Need to be in LA in August, husband may join on the back end.

Friends wedding in Cabo in September, will paid with Mexico City and San Miguel as it's a big birthday for my husband. This is really the splurge for the year due to the $$$ all inclusive resort for the wedding at $450pn.

Parents are treating for Thanksgiving somewhere warm and tropical, has become a new tradition.

Nevis and Anguilla for Christmas and New Years. Was supposed to be Sri Lanka and the Maldives, but my husband wasn't feeling it with such a busy year.

We tend to stay in rentals that allow for self catering or use up my Marriott points. For example we go to Anguilla 2x yearly for two weeks each and spend $900 on lodging and $400 on car rental. In Roatan I used points for the flights and lodging for 9 days is $555.




Where do you stay in Anguilla?
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 08:30     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
We’re planning on 7-10 days in Greece this summer (depending on how much time DH can take). No set budget; it’ll end up being primarily whatever airfare for 3 costs as most of our lodging is free since we’ll stay at my ILs condo and just do 1 or 2 nights for side trips.

We’ll also likely have at least one trip to an admitted students day for DC but since we’re still waiting on decisions, I have no idea where or how many yet.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 08:26     Subject: Re:What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
January: Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland for 3 weeks.

April: Belize for 10 days

June: Australia and New Zealand for 3 weeks

That’s all I got so far. No idea of costs.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 08:20     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
Anonymous wrote:2025 travel plans - 2 adults, 5th grader and 3rd grader

2-3 nights away during spring break in either PA or VA. Actual destination TBD

June - May take a 2-3 night road trip within MD, VA or WV. Or might visit relatives.

Summer -10 day road trip. Might be to ME or VT. Also might be GA.

Might add a night at a great Wolf lodge or similar. Might also try to add a weekend in the Shenandoah mountains in the fall.

Total travel budget < 10K.


OP here - we haven't been to great wolf yet - what's your experience like? can you say more about where in maine and vt - we've been to maine twice and love it
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 08:20     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Fredericksburg in July for a FredNats game, beer, and hot dog. $75


OP here - love this! does that include stay or is it down and back?


Op, get a grip. How could they stay on this figure? Did you just fall off the turnip truck?
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2025 08:18     Subject: What is your travel budget and plan for 2025?
Anonymous wrote:Just returned from the Galapagos Islands a few days ago, technically the first trip of 2025.

Headed to Anguilla for my milestone birthday over MLK.

NYC for Presidents Day.

Roatan in April.

May add on Cabo to a work trip in June.

Small trips in July for our anniv - Annapolis, Charlottesville, etc

Need to be in LA in August, husband may join on the back end.

Friends wedding in Cabo in September, will paid with Mexico City and San Miguel as it's a big birthday for my husband. This is really the splurge for the year due to the $$$ all inclusive resort for the wedding at $450pn.

Parents are treating for Thanksgiving somewhere warm and tropical, has become a new tradition.

Nevis and Anguilla for Christmas and New Years. Was supposed to be Sri Lanka and the Maldives, but my husband wasn't feeling it with such a busy year.

We tend to stay in rentals that allow for self catering or use up my Marriott points. For example we go to Anguilla 2x yearly for two weeks each and spend $900 on lodging and $400 on car rental. In Roatan I used points for the flights and lodging for 9 days is $555.




OP here - Galapagos is bucket list for us - did you use a tour operator?
Anguilla is a recent find for us and we love it (just been twice so far) - how do you use Marriott points there?