As someone with 2 preteens who did Japan there is no way I would go for a short holiday. The jet lag will kill all of you.

I would fly 6 hours tops. Like E to W coast or something lol.

Also $10k for 4 is not a huge budget. Agree with PP that y'all have no idea how much it takes to travel these days!

I mean you can do $1k/pp on a cheaper flight to Japan but I'm not sure aid want that flight esp traveling with only 6 days' time or something.

I would find myself the coolest most interesting pretty fun splurge worthy place - a hidden gem out west maybe CO/AZ/NV/UT and go that. I'd spend the money at a dude ranch even. I would most def not hike it to Asia and I am Asian by the way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bali, Indonesia or safari in Kenya

For a whole family with a budget of 10k? Lol.

Getting to Asia or Africa can be done for 1k a person, and hotels are often cheaper than in the US. Safari in Kenya can cost as low as 2000 for a party of 4 for one week. It is totally doable for a family of 4.

Just got back from Japan. The yen is so weak right now- it’s a good time to go. If you can find affordable flights and hotel, the daily costs there are incredibly low.

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Anonymous wrote:If they like Costa Rica, what about Pamama or Belize? Or what about Peru/Argentina. It sounds like SE Asia could be a hit with your kids too but flights could eat up a lot of your budget. I'd see where you could get cheap flights and go from there.

Those are at the top of my list for our Budget! I just haven't found the right accomodations in Panama or Belize. Peru is doable in our budget though. Found great flights and a nice hotel in Machu Picchu. My Dh doesn't seem to think the kids will be able to do the hike though.

We took our kids but didn’t do the trek. So many interesting things to do in the Sacred Valley. You’d still spend a day walking around MP. Maybe go back the next morning if you stay in Aguas. I have plenty of adult friends who hated the trek and were too tired to enjoy MP when they arrived.

I agree. Machu Picchu is worth visiting without a trek. Plenty of walking while you’re there. Plenty to see/do in the region.

Thank you for posting this information. I find it helpful.

Anonymous wrote:This thread makes me realize people have no idea either what things cost or how much they actually spend on vacation.

You get to subtract what you would have spent at home, rt….?

But seriously, if traveling in an expensive area, we try to get an apart-hotel because having a kitchen saves a ton of money in places like Norway. But in a big city, we might stay in a hostel instead. Or sometimes even the Four Seasons for $300/night.

If we’re in Laos, we’re not cooking but our food is really inexpensive.

Food in casual restaurants in Japan is much more affordable than here.

We don’t typically stay in US hotel chains abroad. There are very nice and affordable options in most places.

Anonymous wrote:Hi! I need ideas for a fun and cultural family trip for kids 7 and 9. 10k Budget, Prefer international and do not want to repeat a destination we have been to! I would love a place we can get a little more for our money, like luxury hotel rooms under $500 per night.


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We have been on family trips to Alaska, Hawaii, Miami, Costa Rica, NYC, SF, Mexico, Vancouver, Disneyland, Southern California from LA or San Diego, New York City, Cape May, Austin, Martha's Vineyard, Boston, Rhode Island, Grand Canyon, Utah, New Mexico, Vail, Aspen, Disneyworld, Seattle/Portland and Carmel/Monterey. My husband and I have traveled extensively through Europe so it is not the top of our list.

Airfare is going to be your biggest obstacle to staying in budget.

Anonymous wrote:This thread makes me realize people have no idea either what things cost or how much they actually spend on vacation.

Why not both?

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Anonymous wrote:The key question here is what kind of vacation your kids and your whole family enjoy. My kids are similar ages to yours and we realized that vacations centered on urban settings are not setting them up for success. So we do more nature/hiking/animal focused trips. One of our upcoming trips will be focused on snorkeling, and for that we're thinking Curacao or St. John. Knowing what activities your kids enjoy would help with ideas.

Agree with this. My kid hates museums, cultural sites and walking. That means cities are out. On the other hand, she loves beaches, snorkeling, fish, animals, etc. So we tend to vacation in tropical locations (which we all love).

It means that cities should be a short part of another trip or your child will never learn to love museums, cultural sites and walking. Do Seattle for a couple of days, then the San Juan Islands for whale watching, etc.

Be more creative.

We lived in Seattle and have been to multiple of the San Juan Islands (orcas, etc) and Vancouver Island many times!

Uhh... that was an example.

This thread makes me realize people have no idea either what things cost or how much they actually spend on vacation.

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for Japan. We are headed there for spring break 2025.

To give you a sense of costs, our flights were $1k each (direct, would have been cheaper with a connection). We also spent about $1k for train tickets to get us around Japan while we are there. Hotels are about $300 a night on average.

My kids are the opposite of others mentioned here - they're too bored on a beach vacation. They love cities. So, I agree, make your decision based on what the kids will really love.

That’s over $10k.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cape Town. Depending on timing you can get cheap flights and you can do beach, city, kayaking with penguins, go to mountains. Lodging was not super expensive when I went and there's so much to do. Highly recommend the District 6 museum for important history but compact and won't take all day

This flight is brutal.

People are suggesting Japan. So yeah it's not going to be a short flight but it's certainly not going to be any worse than SE Asian and Japan

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cape Town. Depending on timing you can get cheap flights and you can do beach, city, kayaking with penguins, go to mountains. Lodging was not super expensive when I went and there's so much to do. Highly recommend the District 6 museum for important history but compact and won't take all day

This flight is brutal.

+1

I won't ever fly to Africa or Asia again in economy. Nope.

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Anonymous wrote:10K for a luxury trip for 4??? Assuming that's including flights, that's not going to get you far.

And ppl are suggesting Japan?! lol

This. 10k is not a luxury budget.

And this happens on every one of these threads. People claiming they make 2m and their annual travel budget is only 15k. People are lying. We travel extensively at luxury hotels and resorts and these places are always full, costing minimum 25k/week for a regular room.

Unless you are talking about, oh, a Taj or something ... no.

Anonymous wrote:Bali, Indonesia or safari in Kenya

For a whole family with a budget of 10k? Lol.

Anonymous wrote:Over Thanksgiving week, Germany is amazing as the holiday markets open. You can base yourselves in Munich and take day trips (including Salzburg, Austria) from there.

One of my fave trips ever was a week in Austria in late November to see the Christmas markets.