Anonymous
10/05/2025 10:09
Subject: How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Everyone mentioning points always neglect that there's always taxes and fees you still have to pay, especially for flights. 12,000 points plus $400 in tax and fees is typical for a cheap points ticket on economy to London using British Airways and Virgin as examples. Using one cent to the point, it's marginally cheaper than booking with cash. So the 50,000 points plus $200 in taxes and fees if flying to Paris or Amsterdam on KLM also isn't as great of a deal either (all assuming you use cash back as the alternative use for points).
But points can get you good deals on hotels.
OP, I have always traveled even when a broke grad student. I make a good income now but I still travel frugally. It's easy to travel cheaply in Europe while still having a good trip. The cost of living is so high in the US that a two week in Europe is partially offset by savings on consumption in the US during those two weeks. Most people traveling internationally are paying for it out of income, not family money or whatever. It’s a blend of salary and budgets. To be in the top 10% of wage earners in the US you need a salary of around $165k, and anyone making $100k+ can make an international trip happen, so assume at least 20% of Americans can afford to travel overseas. That is a lot of people.
Last but not least, flights have never been as cheap as they are now. I can buy round trip tickets to Europe slightly off season for $550 if booking far enough in advance. That is what we were paying for tickets to London 30 years ago!
I just booked round trip business from the US to New Zealand/Australia and the taxes were $75 per per person per leg, so $300 total. Cash value was ~$6500 a ticket. No one is using CPP on economy tickets.
And how many points was it? You conveniently left that off. And then compare the points + fees with the cost of an economy ticket, as that is the starting point for most people.
I'm glancing at the points calculators, business tickets to Europe typically have tax/fees starting at 500 each way. On top of 150k points. One airline seems to buck the trend and that is United, with much lower fees both economy and business, but much higher points required too. So it's a wash. Because if you're being honest, what you're probably doing is paying the cost of an economy ticket to fly business.
You can get better deals if booking much further out, 12 months, instead of six or so, but it does mean significant commitment long in advance.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 10:01
Subject: Re:How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious how many posts in this thread there are where the real answer is “I’m rich” but the poster still includes a lot of details about how virtuous they are as cope. “We have a 7 figure HHI so we can afford basically any kind of travel BUT ALSO I rollerblade to work so that’s somehow relevant”
DP
Eh, we have a HHI north of $350, but we have a very low mortgage, stuck with public schools, drive our cars until they die, don’t redecorate for fun, etc. Basically, we don’t blow money on a lot of things others do so we have more money to spend on travel.
Honestly, we don’t drink, and I believe we’ve saved thousands each year because of it. I’m shocked by how much people spend on beer, wine, and booze each week—whether they drink at home or at bars. I challenge drinkers to do the math and see for themselves.
Speculating you save “thousands” through the virtue of not drinking? Wow great work being an even worse example of what I’m saying 😂
If you know people who buy multiple bottles of fancy wine each week plus whatever fancy beer and booze for their DH AND however much they spend going out Friday and Saturday night, then you realize how much some people blow on drinking. I know this because I have friends and family like this who openly comment on how nice it must be to have money to travel as much as we do, and I’ve helped them run the numbers. In short: it’s an eye opening exercise for many people.
Sorry if I hit a nerve, pp.
You did not “hit a nerve.” Of course there are endless ways to blow a fortune—including international travel. But the key is to start with a fortune.
Okay.
But the same truth applies to people with less money. And fwiw, our HHI wasn’t always as high as it is now, but we still had disposable income for travel. A big part of it was living within our means and saving. We never were house poor even when we bought our first home when our HHI was closer to $100k.
I’m still wearing coats I bought in grad school. I have a handful of outfits I rotate each season and many of the pieces are 5+ years old.
I haven’t bought jewelry in 30 years. My DH bought a few nice pieces for me early on and that’s what I wear.
I don’t get manicures. I don’t buy tons of costly beauty products.
This is sort of how the stereotypical New England affluent lady rolls: less is more. Focus on a few nice things and that’s all you need.
That's all fine and dandy- we are pretty similar. But let's not kid ourselves- if we were each making $50k/year we wouldn't be traveling much at all.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:57
Subject: Re:How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious how many posts in this thread there are where the real answer is “I’m rich” but the poster still includes a lot of details about how virtuous they are as cope. “We have a 7 figure HHI so we can afford basically any kind of travel BUT ALSO I rollerblade to work so that’s somehow relevant”
DP
Eh, we have a HHI north of $350, but we have a very low mortgage, stuck with public schools, drive our cars until they die, don’t redecorate for fun, etc. Basically, we don’t blow money on a lot of things others do so we have more money to spend on travel.
Honestly, we don’t drink, and I believe we’ve saved thousands each year because of it. I’m shocked by how much people spend on beer, wine, and booze each week—whether they drink at home or at bars. I challenge drinkers to do the math and see for themselves.
Speculating you save “thousands” through the virtue of not drinking? Wow great work being an even worse example of what I’m saying 😂
If you know people who buy multiple bottles of fancy wine each week plus whatever fancy beer and booze for their DH AND however much they spend going out Friday and Saturday night, then you realize how much some people blow on drinking. I know this because I have friends and family like this who openly comment on how nice it must be to have money to travel as much as we do, and I’ve helped them run the numbers. In short: it’s an eye opening exercise for many people.
Sorry if I hit a nerve, pp.
You did not “hit a nerve.” Of course there are endless ways to blow a fortune—including international travel. But the key is to start with a fortune.
Okay.
But the same truth applies to people with less money. And fwiw, our HHI wasn’t always as high as it is now, but we still had disposable income for travel. A big part of it was living within our means and saving. We never were house poor even when we bought our first home when our HHI was closer to $100k.
I’m still wearing coats I bought in grad school. I have a handful of outfits I rotate each season and many of the pieces are 5+ years old.
I haven’t bought jewelry in 30 years. My DH bought a few nice pieces for me early on and that’s what I wear.
I don’t get manicures. I don’t buy tons of costly beauty products.
This is sort of how the stereotypical New England affluent lady rolls: less is more. Focus on a few nice things and that’s all you need.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:54
Subject: Re:How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious how many posts in this thread there are where the real answer is “I’m rich” but the poster still includes a lot of details about how virtuous they are as cope. “We have a 7 figure HHI so we can afford basically any kind of travel BUT ALSO I rollerblade to work so that’s somehow relevant”
Poor people think their daily Starbucks habits don’t add up, but they do. Dh and I come from frugal, well off families. We all have always paid cash for cars and never carried debt. Car loans aren’t worth it.
+1 it's a spending vs saving mindset. But, it's also about where you put your priorities. For us, it's travel, not things.
When we travel overseas, we usually go for like 3 weeks. It costs us anywhere from $10k to $20k depending on where we are going. I'm going to retire next year (when I'm in my mid 50s), and spend a lot of time traveling.[/quote
But travel is just spending. It’s also just consumption.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:54
Subject: How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
To save money on our international travel we:
Try to fly at the beginning or end of seasons.
Look for airline tickets many months in advance.
Try to stay in nice but not expensive accommodations. Even better if they include breakfast
Use AirBNBs
Don’t use travel agents
Do a lot of activities that don’t require additional fees (Outdoors/Hiking) Rarely do tours but will do tour if it makes sense (Vatican).
We buy a lot of our own food. We’ll have some dinners out but nothing lavish. We usually don’t eat bid dinners anyway.
We have a list of places we want to see and we regularly check prices. If we see a price we like, we pounce. We also compare international tickets with domestic. For example, when we went to Iceland, it was a cheaper ticket than flying to Phoenix for same dates. Same thing happened for Ireland. Those tickets were cheaper than flying to Seattle. Ireland is also relatively inexpensive to visit. Speaking about Iceland, they let you have layovers for several days if you want. We’ll take advantage of that on a future trip.
I know this is not International but last year a trip to Puerto Rico was same price as visiting OBX.
Try to fly at the beginning or end of seasons.
Look for airline tickets many months in advance.
Try to stay in nice but not expensive accommodations. Even better if they include breakfast
Use AirBNBs
Don’t use travel agents
Do a lot of activities that don’t require additional fees (Outdoors/Hiking) Rarely do tours but will do tour if it makes sense (Vatican).
We buy a lot of our own food. We’ll have some dinners out but nothing lavish. We usually don’t eat bid dinners anyway.
We have a list of places we want to see and we regularly check prices. If we see a price we like, we pounce. We also compare international tickets with domestic. For example, when we went to Iceland, it was a cheaper ticket than flying to Phoenix for same dates. Same thing happened for Ireland. Those tickets were cheaper than flying to Seattle. Ireland is also relatively inexpensive to visit. Speaking about Iceland, they let you have layovers for several days if you want. We’ll take advantage of that on a future trip.
I know this is not International but last year a trip to Puerto Rico was same price as visiting OBX.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:53
Subject: How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
In sum… we make a lot of money (but are also frugal in xyz ways that are pretty irrelevant)
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:53
Subject: Re:How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious how many posts in this thread there are where the real answer is “I’m rich” but the poster still includes a lot of details about how virtuous they are as cope. “We have a 7 figure HHI so we can afford basically any kind of travel BUT ALSO I rollerblade to work so that’s somehow relevant”
DP
Eh, we have a HHI north of $350, but we have a very low mortgage, stuck with public schools, drive our cars until they die, don’t redecorate for fun, etc. Basically, we don’t blow money on a lot of things others do so we have more money to spend on travel.
Honestly, we don’t drink, and I believe we’ve saved thousands each year because of it. I’m shocked by how much people spend on beer, wine, and booze each week—whether they drink at home or at bars. I challenge drinkers to do the math and see for themselves.
Speculating you save “thousands” through the virtue of not drinking? Wow great work being an even worse example of what I’m saying 😂
If you know people who buy multiple bottles of fancy wine each week plus whatever fancy beer and booze for their DH AND however much they spend going out Friday and Saturday night, then you realize how much some people blow on drinking. I know this because I have friends and family like this who openly comment on how nice it must be to have money to travel as much as we do, and I’ve helped them run the numbers. In short: it’s an eye opening exercise for many people.
Sorry if I hit a nerve, pp.
You did not “hit a nerve.” Of course there are endless ways to blow a fortune—including international travel. But the key is to start with a fortune.
dp.. I think you are missing the point.
You get to the fortune by not spending so much on other things. Many of us don't come from family money. When I started making $200k back in 2000, I still lived somewhat frugally. My mom made a comment about how cheap I am on myself because I didn't buy myself nice things making so much money. My sister made less than me, but herself lots of jewelry and name brand bags.
Making $200k in 2000 was already affluent. So the answer is: be quite affluent. Yes, also don’t be a complete idiot. But the first step is to be rich.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:50
Subject: Re:How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious how many posts in this thread there are where the real answer is “I’m rich” but the poster still includes a lot of details about how virtuous they are as cope. “We have a 7 figure HHI so we can afford basically any kind of travel BUT ALSO I rollerblade to work so that’s somehow relevant”
DP
Eh, we have a HHI north of $350, but we have a very low mortgage, stuck with public schools, drive our cars until they die, don’t redecorate for fun, etc. Basically, we don’t blow money on a lot of things others do so we have more money to spend on travel.
Honestly, we don’t drink, and I believe we’ve saved thousands each year because of it. I’m shocked by how much people spend on beer, wine, and booze each week—whether they drink at home or at bars. I challenge drinkers to do the math and see for themselves.
Speculating you save “thousands” through the virtue of not drinking? Wow great work being an even worse example of what I’m saying 😂
If you know people who buy multiple bottles of fancy wine each week plus whatever fancy beer and booze for their DH AND however much they spend going out Friday and Saturday night, then you realize how much some people blow on drinking. I know this because I have friends and family like this who openly comment on how nice it must be to have money to travel as much as we do, and I’ve helped them run the numbers. In short: it’s an eye opening exercise for many people.
Sorry if I hit a nerve, pp.
You did not “hit a nerve.” Of course there are endless ways to blow a fortune—including international travel. But the key is to start with a fortune.
dp.. I think you are missing the point.
You get to the fortune by not spending so much on other things. Many of us don't come from family money. When I started making $200k back in 2000, I still lived somewhat frugally. My mom made a comment about how cheap I am on myself because I didn't buy myself nice things making so much money. My sister made less than me, but herself lots of jewelry and name brand bags.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:48
Subject: Re:How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious how many posts in this thread there are where the real answer is “I’m rich” but the poster still includes a lot of details about how virtuous they are as cope. “We have a 7 figure HHI so we can afford basically any kind of travel BUT ALSO I rollerblade to work so that’s somehow relevant”
Poor people think their daily Starbucks habits don’t add up, but they do. Dh and I come from frugal, well off families. We all have always paid cash for cars and never carried debt. Car loans aren’t worth it.
+1 it's a spending vs saving mindset. But, it's also about where you put your priorities. For us, it's travel, not things.
When we travel overseas, we usually go for like 3 weeks. It costs us anywhere from $10k to $20k depending on where we are going. I'm going to retire next year (when I'm in my mid 50s), and spend a lot of time traveling.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:47
Subject: How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Everyone mentioning points always neglect that there's always taxes and fees you still have to pay, especially for flights. 12,000 points plus $400 in tax and fees is typical for a cheap points ticket on economy to London using British Airways and Virgin as examples. Using one cent to the point, it's marginally cheaper than booking with cash. So the 50,000 points plus $200 in taxes and fees if flying to Paris or Amsterdam on KLM also isn't as great of a deal either (all assuming you use cash back as the alternative use for points).
But points can get you good deals on hotels.
OP, I have always traveled even when a broke grad student. I make a good income now but I still travel frugally. It's easy to travel cheaply in Europe while still having a good trip. The cost of living is so high in the US that a two week in Europe is partially offset by savings on consumption in the US during those two weeks. Most people traveling internationally are paying for it out of income, not family money or whatever. It’s a blend of salary and budgets. To be in the top 10% of wage earners in the US you need a salary of around $165k, and anyone making $100k+ can make an international trip happen, so assume at least 20% of Americans can afford to travel overseas. That is a lot of people.
Last but not least, flights have never been as cheap as they are now. I can buy round trip tickets to Europe slightly off season for $550 if booking far enough in advance. That is what we were paying for tickets to London 30 years ago!
I just booked round trip business from the US to New Zealand/Australia and the taxes were $75 per per person per leg, so $300 total. Cash value was ~$6500 a ticket. No one is using CPP on economy tickets.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:46
Subject: Re:How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious how many posts in this thread there are where the real answer is “I’m rich” but the poster still includes a lot of details about how virtuous they are as cope. “We have a 7 figure HHI so we can afford basically any kind of travel BUT ALSO I rollerblade to work so that’s somehow relevant”
Poor people think their daily Starbucks habits don’t add up, but they do. Dh and I come from frugal, well off families. We all have always paid cash for cars and never carried debt. Car loans aren’t worth it.
Blah blah blah. The reason you (and I) can afford to travel as much as we do is because we are rich. The fact other rich people can squander their money is neither here nor there.
Sorry if you don’t want to believe this, but it’s not just Starbucks. It’s Starbucks and going out to brunch once a week and going out to drink on the weekend and buying lunch out every day and having 3 streaming subscriptions and needing to get manicures and buying new clothes all the time. Dh and I both grew up poor and now we are not. We are still not spendthrifts and guess what—it really does add up.
Yes! Of course there are many ways to waste your money! No one is disputing that!
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:45
Subject: Re:How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious how many posts in this thread there are where the real answer is “I’m rich” but the poster still includes a lot of details about how virtuous they are as cope. “We have a 7 figure HHI so we can afford basically any kind of travel BUT ALSO I rollerblade to work so that’s somehow relevant”
DP
Eh, we have a HHI north of $350, but we have a very low mortgage, stuck with public schools, drive our cars until they die, don’t redecorate for fun, etc. Basically, we don’t blow money on a lot of things others do so we have more money to spend on travel.
Honestly, we don’t drink, and I believe we’ve saved thousands each year because of it. I’m shocked by how much people spend on beer, wine, and booze each week—whether they drink at home or at bars. I challenge drinkers to do the math and see for themselves.
Speculating you save “thousands” through the virtue of not drinking? Wow great work being an even worse example of what I’m saying 😂
If you know people who buy multiple bottles of fancy wine each week plus whatever fancy beer and booze for their DH AND however much they spend going out Friday and Saturday night, then you realize how much some people blow on drinking. I know this because I have friends and family like this who openly comment on how nice it must be to have money to travel as much as we do, and I’ve helped them run the numbers. In short: it’s an eye opening exercise for many people.
Sorry if I hit a nerve, pp.
You did not “hit a nerve.” Of course there are endless ways to blow a fortune—including international travel. But the key is to start with a fortune.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:45
Subject: Re:How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious how many posts in this thread there are where the real answer is “I’m rich” but the poster still includes a lot of details about how virtuous they are as cope. “We have a 7 figure HHI so we can afford basically any kind of travel BUT ALSO I rollerblade to work so that’s somehow relevant”
Poor people think their daily Starbucks habits don’t add up, but they do. Dh and I come from frugal, well off families. We all have always paid cash for cars and never carried debt. Car loans aren’t worth it.
Blah blah blah. The reason you (and I) can afford to travel as much as we do is because we are rich. The fact other rich people can squander their money is neither here nor there.
Sorry if you don’t want to believe this, but it’s not just Starbucks. It’s Starbucks and going out to brunch once a week and going out to drink on the weekend and buying lunch out every day and having 3 streaming subscriptions and needing to get manicures and buying new clothes all the time. Dh and I both grew up poor and now we are not. We are still not spendthrifts and guess what—it really does add up.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:44
Subject: Re:How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious how many posts in this thread there are where the real answer is “I’m rich” but the poster still includes a lot of details about how virtuous they are as cope. “We have a 7 figure HHI so we can afford basically any kind of travel BUT ALSO I rollerblade to work so that’s somehow relevant”
DP
Eh, we have a HHI north of $350, but we have a very low mortgage, stuck with public schools, drive our cars until they die, don’t redecorate for fun, etc. Basically, we don’t blow money on a lot of things others do so we have more money to spend on travel.
Honestly, we don’t drink, and I believe we’ve saved thousands each year because of it. I’m shocked by how much people spend on beer, wine, and booze each week—whether they drink at home or at bars. I challenge drinkers to do the math and see for themselves.
Speculating you save “thousands” through the virtue of not drinking? Wow great work being an even worse example of what I’m saying 😂
If you know people who buy multiple bottles of fancy wine each week plus whatever fancy beer and booze for their DH AND however much they spend going out Friday and Saturday night, then you realize how much some people blow on drinking. I know this because I have friends and family like this who openly comment on how nice it must be to have money to travel as much as we do, and I’ve helped them run the numbers. In short: it’s an eye opening exercise for many people.
Sorry if I hit a nerve, pp.
Anonymous
10/05/2025 09:42
Subject: How is everyone affording all of this international travel?
People are rich.