Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Sorry if original post was snarky. I was just truly curious how average MC families take vacations. I guess DCUM is not a reflection of most MC families. I read these posts and I’m like geez am I failing my kids by not giving them these awesome vacations? People write here like going to the Caribbean and/or Europe is the norm for most families. I know I should be grateful. I’m going to read all this again and read suggestions.

I don't know if this is true for Europe or the Caribbean but I do feel this is true for the beach or Florida and I feel like we don't go anywhere. Florida involves a flight for us (can't tolerate long drives) and we are not fans of East Coast beaches (I can imagine why anyone would spend a mortgage payment for a week in a house in Ocean City or NC). Therefore any vacation we do is going to be pretty pricey so we just don't go. I hate the September question "how was your summer?" like it's supposed to be a fundamentally different time period. Judging from attendance at our community pool though I would say people really do travel. In August our pool is absolutely dead because everyone is away.

Anonymous wrote:This thread is timely. I’m actually struggling trying to find an affordable hotel/Airbnb near the DELMARVA beach and so far unsuccessful. Can’t afford the big chain hotels and the cheaper nicer motels has a three night weeekend during the holiday weekends or in the summer. We are a household of 4 with HHI of $150K. We definitely fall in the MC group. BTW I hate camping (the tent kind) so that’s a no go. We don’t have family in the country either.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Sorry if original post was snarky. I was just truly curious how average MC families take vacations. I guess DCUM is not a reflection of most MC families. I read these posts and I’m like geez am I failing my kids by not giving them these awesome vacations? People write here like going to the Caribbean and/or Europe is the norm for most families. I know I should be grateful. I’m going to read all this again and read suggestions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is timely. I’m actually struggling trying to find an affordable hotel/Airbnb near the DELMARVA beach and so far unsuccessful. Can’t afford the big chain hotels and the cheaper nicer motels has a three night weeekend during the holiday weekends or in the summer. We are a household of 4 with HHI of $150K. We definitely fall in the MC group. BTW I hate camping (the tent kind) so that’s a no go. We don’t have family in the country either.

I think you're missing the point--you're being too picky/selective and when you are "lower middle class" and want to take your family on vacation, you don't have that luxury.

Maybe don't stay at a DELMARVA beach; look into Virginia Beach, New Jersey beaches, etc.

If the hotel you can afford requires 3 nights stay, check into what it would take for you to stay 3 nights. Are 3 nights there cheaper than 2 at the other hotels?

And you refuse to camp so...

Lower your standards or make other sacrifices so you can raise your vacation budget.

Anonymous wrote:This thread is timely. I’m actually struggling trying to find an affordable hotel/Airbnb near the DELMARVA beach and so far unsuccessful. Can’t afford the big chain hotels and the cheaper nicer motels has a three night weeekend during the holiday weekends or in the summer. We are a household of 4 with HHI of $150K. We definitely fall in the MC group. BTW I hate camping (the tent kind) so that’s a no go. We don’t have family in the country either.

Anonymous wrote:This has derailed, but I'll still throw in my utterly MC family's 1980s vacations:

- Weekend at King's Dominion, camping at nearby campground
- Lancaster, PA to amish country (camping!)
- Multiple families crammed into non-beachfront rentals at the Jersey Shore. (No tvs, certainly no AC)
- One of our family friends bought an RV, so there was yes, yet MORE camping. The adults slept in the RV and the kids slept in tents.

Family meals for all of these vacations were cheap, Duggar-style casseroles, maybe grilled hotdogs or campers stew. Generic giant bags of cereal for breakfast, powdered reconstituted milk, bologna sandwiches and capri sun for lunch. Someone might spring for donuts or a crab boil one day. The highlight of any of these trips was the one evening outing where we played mini golf or went to the boardwalk and got an airbrushed t-shirt. Couples would rotate a night out while the other couples watched all the kids.

It was awesome and I remember it so fondly! Simple and fun.

Anonymous wrote:PP LMC 40K here. Im up and have insomnia so i figured I'd overshare


A few years back, we did a 2.5 week long trip down the California coast that did not break the budget.

Took some flexibility and A LOT of planning but it was one of the most amazing trips we've ever done as a family, and well worth the investment and sacrifice.

That year our family had experienced a lot of hardship and death, so I wanted to take the kids minds off it all and remind them that there is a big world out there.

Here it goes :

Details Family of 3. One Adult Two kids 8 and 10. Trip was two years ago. Spent about $3K.

Looked like this:

Prepping: No souvenirs that couldn't fit in a backpack rule. I let their journals/digital photos be their souvenirs. I also involved them with sourcing activities on the internet.

Packed - Every person had one backpack with essentials only. No toys. Four changes of clothing ( two jeans - two pair shoes rule) only. No formal wear. Wont list the whole packing plan here, but looked online for great packing tips. Packed dry food for snacking on airplane and ease of security clearance.

Total Cost for a non outdoor camping two week trip to California for a family of 3: About $3000

Here's how I did it (Best that I can remember)

Total Planning time: 6 months
Financial Savings time: 1 Year

Travel - (Total $1300)
Activities Budget ($400)
Food Budget ($400)
Lodging (Total $840)



LODGING BREAKDOWN

4 Nights - HI hostel in downtown San Fran, @ 60 per night, private room

2 Nights - Residence Inn style Hotel in San Fran (Expedia) @ 70 per night, liv room and bedroom and cooking space

3 nights - HI Hostel in Monterrey CA @ 90 per night private room

2 nights - Residence Inn style Hotel in Los Angeles @ 70 per night (Expedia)

3 nights HI Hostel in San Pedro (BEAUTIFUL) by Korean Bell

3 nights - A surprisingly nice AirBnB private apartment @ 90 per night



TRAVEL BREAKDOWN - ( Total $1300 )

Flights - 3 Multicity fares DCA to San Fran, LA to BWI (Total $750) (Booked to travel on Tue-Thur)

Amtrak California Coastal Line From San Fran - Monterrey - Los Angeles. Total ($150)

Uber/Lyft/Local Trolley/Local Bus/Ferry budget for two weeks ($250)
Zipcar budget for two weeks ($150)


Food Budget ($400)

- Free breakfast at every hotel and some hostels. We also had groceries locally delivered/sourced several nights and prepared meals. We ate at local budget friendly restaurants a few times, but less than five times that I can remember, we drank lots of water and packed our lunches

Activities Budget ($400) (Eventbrite was AWESOME for sourcing unique local free to low cost activities, most things we did were free)

- Beach days, Street Festivals, Car Shows, Cultural Events, Film Screenings, Monterrey Aquarium (Got Discounted Tickets from Craigslist), Alcatraz, San Francisco Bay Ferry to Oakland, Museums, Local Parks, Historical Sites, College Campus Tour, Book readings, Church visits, Free concerts, ran a 5K, too many to list!

I know this was long, (maybe better for a thread on the travel forum) but if OP wanted a little inspiration I hope this helps.

Planning, creativity, and priorities are key. We have a very low expense to income ratio in my home so I stretch my 40K per year a little farther than most people could.