Does anyone else think vacations are not worth the cost? (value, old)
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Let me add a little to my original post. I think traveling overseas for cultural experiences and new countries can be worth it. But for example, a vacation to Florida or cruise or all inclusive Mexico beach vacation seems like a waste. So like this year we are planning a family vacation to Florida for 6 days. I would much rather just visit my family for a long weekend and go boating at my brothers lake and do basically the same thing for free. Or last year a took a "boys trip" to Denver with some friends. All we did was drink at bars the whole time and cost me about 1K. Really wasn't worth it at all to me even though I don't see them often anymore.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Durpie22
Let me add a little to my original post. ... So like this year we are planning a family vacation to Florida for 6 days. I would much rather just visit my family for a long weekend and go boating at my brothers lake and do basically the same thing for free. Or last year a took a "boys trip" to Denver with some friends. All we did was drink at bars the whole time and cost me about 1K. Really wasn't worth it ....
Sounds like you can be more discerning and display leadership in vacation decisions and solve your problem. We all make wrong or unfavorable choices, and hopefully learn from them. If Florida is for spouse or kids... You grin and bear it, and participate with joy (make the best of it). Drinking trips with the boys may be over. Mine ended the day I turned 18 and became legal guardian for a disabled parent for the next 30+ yrs.
Next vacation, use your weighted spreadsheet to best meet your primary objectives. If you're a parent, those objectives may be tweaked to your dissatisfaction for about 15 yrs. But they don't have to be expensive, or outside of your financial goals. Nor should they be. By age 10 our kids were doing a significant part of the vacation and home planning, including the financial planning and daily spend. We were often overseas, so they did the daily fresh market shopping, currency exchange, plus travel planning for trips to other countries every weekend. They got to see and do what was important to them. Parents were just along for the ride. It was part of 'unschooling', and of growing up for both kid's and parents. We sacrificed the new floor, roof, house painting many times. When the kids were 14, we came back to USA and built new homes for us parents and each kid designed and built their own home before they left for college at age 16. (That was our 'vacation' for a few years... Building rural view homes. New floors and all.) Then we started traveling again. When you're not home, you don't wear out the floors!
As a frugal family vacation idea... We booking Monday and Friday air travel so we had a better chance of being bumped. We were able to get free trips for nearly 10 yrs by getting bumped as a family. One day we were going cross country and got bumped 3x ,,($1500 credits each + meals). That fueled more bookings on busy days. We were only a few hours late, and the rental cars were all out of compacts, so we had to take a minivan...... We were headed out for a 6 week camping field trip to do American History. Perfect!
Our best trips included a lot of surprises... Those are the memories. (And worth the disruption or expense.
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 03-17-2023 at 09:52 AM..
Our family lives all over, but I really don't consider visiting family a vacation even though we travel to see them often. We just took a long weekend vacation at the beach. We drove. We stayed at our favorite motel, an older building that could use some spiffing up, but to us, it's perfect, right on the beach with a kitchenette so we can cook most meals. It was worth it. It's always worth it. We need a break from work, peaceful time looking at the water and refreshing our souls. We only do this once a year.
Right, if you're visiting family you aren't really in tourist mode.
If you're not visiting, a big part of travel is that you're no longer home. You can forget those hassles and take a break from the routine, escape the ordinary, and it often feels like an adventure.
I should have also included tripadvisor.com as a resource. You can find cheaper hotels and places to eat, and they're often rated so you have an idea of what quality you'd get. When we started traveling we thought small, with day trips to places in the area and home in bed the same day. As we ventured further away from home we'd get a hotel for a one night stay. Sometimes we'd pack snacks or sandwiches for the road to save money. Then we bought an RV and camped, took some extended trips. We'd sightsee during the day and at night we built a campfire, grilled dinner, sipped wine and looked at the stars.
Wife is saying we ought to fly out to Gettysburg, which she's always wanted to visit. Consulting Roadside America, just in Gettysburg proper, here are some options.
Gettysburg: Civil War Tails: Miniature Catfight
Gettysburg: Dinosaur bridge
Gettysburg: Dobbin House Tavern: Slavery Museum
Gettysburg: Friend to Friend Monument
Gettysburg: Gettysburg - Sit with Abe Lincoln
Gettysburg: Gettysburg Museum of History
Gettysburg: Ike at the Office
Gettysburg: Jennie Wade, Bread Martyr: See the Bullet Hole
Gettysburg: Last Survivor Monument
Gettysburg: Lincoln Train Museum
Gettysburg: Lucky Nose of Col. O'Rorke
Gettysburg: Soldier's Orphanage Dungeon Tour
Gettysburg: Statue of the Pregnant Gravedigger
Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Cyclorama
Gettysburg: Time Warp: Abe Lincoln Meets Perry Como
I'm a single person and it can be around $2,000 for me to take a 5-7 day vacation. I feel like there's so many other things I could spend that money on for what is just a weeks trip. Basically after its over you are left with nothing. But lets say I spend that money on something physical like new flooring or whatever, I get to enjoy that purchase for a long time.
Just like in the investing area - we have opposite ideas. Vacations and travel are where I do spend my money, love seeing the country.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,690 posts, read 57,994,855 times
Reputation: 46171
Quote:
Originally Posted by ILTXwhatnext
...escape the ordinary, and it often feels like an adventure.
I should have also included tripadvisor.com as a resource. You can find cheaper hotels and places to eat, and they're often rated so you have an idea of what quality you'd get. When we started traveling we thought small, with day trips to places in the area and home in bed the same day. As we ventured further away from home we'd get a hotel for a one night stay. Sometimes we'd pack snacks or sandwiches for the road to save money. Then we bought an RV and camped, took some extended trips. We'd sightsee during the day and at night we built a campfire, grilled dinner, sipped wine and looked at the stars.
Wife is saying we ought to fly out to Gettysburg, which she's always wanted to visit. Consulting Roadside America, just in Gettysburg proper, here are some options.
Gettysburg: Civil War Tails: Miniature Catfight
Gettysburg: Dinosaur bridge
Gettysburg: Dobbin House Tavern: Slavery Museum
Gettysburg: Friend to Friend Monument
Gettysburg: Gettysburg - Sit with Abe Lincoln
Gettysburg: Gettysburg Museum of History
Gettysburg: Ike at the Office
Gettysburg: Jennie Wade, Bread Martyr: See the Bullet Hole
Gettysburg: Last Survivor Monument
Gettysburg: Lincoln Train Museum
Gettysburg: Lucky Nose of Col. O'Rorke
Gettysburg: Soldier's Orphanage Dungeon Tour
Gettysburg: Statue of the Pregnant Gravedigger
Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Cyclorama
Gettysburg: Time Warp: Abe Lincoln Meets Perry Como
Definitely go to Gettysburg and vicinity. We often go during fall colors and have enjoyed many memorable moments standing inside and old barn huddled around a wood stove sipping cider or cocoa (before heading to the freezing cold tent). We went to a local farm auction in Amish village and still have the treasures the kids bought displayed in our kitchen (30+ yrs ago).
Rent or take bikes and enjoy a few days there. Lots of hiking nearby too. We love going into the old hardware and harness shops. A cousin has a home built in 1780's and used as a Civil War hospital. Interesting stuff. And good local food. Some dairy farms have ice cream shops. Stop often! When we aren't camping, we do farm stays. Stuff is close by, so you can have a hub, and do day trips.
When I was raising my kids it was more important for the money to be spent on them and our house. Our vacations were modest. For the past 21 years we alternated between going to Europe and taking driving vacations in the states to see the national parks.
Last year I decided to go to Europe and I am going once a year through 2025 where previously it was 5-7 years between European trips. The big difference is my age and the reality is that life can be short. Also changed from independent travel to tours starting last year. It’s more expensive but worth it at this stage of life.
I'm a single person and it can be around $2,000 for me to take a 5-7 day vacation. I feel like there's so many other things I could spend that money on for what is just a weeks trip. Basically after its over you are left with nothing. But lets say I spend that money on something physical like new flooring or whatever, I get to enjoy that purchase for a long time.
SMART! I agree.
If I NEEDED to get away for my mental health for a few days ...gee whiz, I could go to a cute place 50 -100 miles away
and stay in a nice motel/hotel...see all the sights, (Museums are fun!), go shopping, eat great foods, swim in their pool... answer to no one.
But that's me - frugal and wise.
If it was up to me, Id be ok never going on vacation again but because my wife likes to, we go maybe once every 3 years now that the kids are older. Everyone has an opinion now and no one is happy with the others decisions and I find it to be a waste of money to go on vacation just to have everyone complain. When the kids were little though, it was fun and I definitely miss those days. Would definitely prefer to spend my money on something tangible these days.
Right, if you're visiting family you aren't really in tourist mode.
If you're not visiting, a big part of travel is that you're no longer home. You can forget those hassles and take a break from the routine, escape the ordinary, and it often feels like an adventure.
I should have also included tripadvisor.com as a resource. You can find cheaper hotels and places to eat, and they're often rated so you have an idea of what quality you'd get. When we started traveling we thought small, with day trips to places in the area and home in bed the same day. As we ventured further away from home we'd get a hotel for a one night stay. Sometimes we'd pack snacks or sandwiches for the road to save money. Then we bought an RV and camped, took some extended trips. We'd sightsee during the day and at night we built a campfire, grilled dinner, sipped wine and looked at the stars.
Wife is saying we ought to fly out to Gettysburg, which she's always wanted to visit. Consulting Roadside America, just in Gettysburg proper, here are some options.
Gettysburg: Civil War Tails: Miniature Catfight
Gettysburg: Dinosaur bridge
Gettysburg: Dobbin House Tavern: Slavery Museum
Gettysburg: Friend to Friend Monument
Gettysburg: Gettysburg - Sit with Abe Lincoln
Gettysburg: Gettysburg Museum of History
Gettysburg: Ike at the Office
Gettysburg: Jennie Wade, Bread Martyr: See the Bullet Hole
Gettysburg: Last Survivor Monument
Gettysburg: Lincoln Train Museum
Gettysburg: Lucky Nose of Col. O'Rorke
Gettysburg: Soldier's Orphanage Dungeon Tour
Gettysburg: Statue of the Pregnant Gravedigger
Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Cyclorama
Gettysburg: Time Warp: Abe Lincoln Meets Perry Como
Originally built for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Electric Map told the story of America's bloodiest battle to millions of Gettysburg visitors. After three years of community effort, 7.5 miles of wire and 632 new lights, the map is again able to tell the story of the most important battle of the Civil War.
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... We were headed out for a 6 week camping field trip to do American History. Perfect!
