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Old 06-13-2014, 07:51 AM
 
Location: Victoria TX
42,579 posts, read 86,729,723 times
Reputation: 36643

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earn Your Own Keep View Post
It's called being a successful business owner. Try it sometime.
Not good advice. Most people who try it fail. It's like saying "It's called playing in then NBA. Try it sometime". Not everyone possesses the skill set.

More than half of all small business startups fail in less than 5 years, taking all your life-savings (and vacation plans) down the tubes along with it. Almost 80% fail by the time your kids get to college -- again, taking your life savings with it. Not to mention destroying the hopes and careers of a few employees that you hired, which you probably don't care about, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

If it worked for you, fine, but please don't promise other people it'll work for them. That's a lie.

Last edited by jtur88; 06-13-2014 at 08:03 AM..
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Old 06-13-2014, 12:19 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,649 posts, read 57,721,648 times
Reputation: 46095
Quote:
Originally Posted by timberline742 View Post
This is smart. Also the way I do it. Pick my destination, save my vacation time, and save the money for the trip before I go. I refuse to go into debt for a trip. It seems like loads of people come back and spend 6 mos paying off their vacation. Makes no sense to me.
This is pretty normal rigor for 'employees' / worker bees.


Crumb, I would hate to have to earn 'time off' to travel, and to use my wage income (highly taxed) as travel funds.

I feel even more fortunate to have had jobs that paid me to travel (for over 40 yrs). Some as simple as truckdriving, but generally I have always been the first to volunteer for overseas assignments. I tag personal trips on front and back, as well as every weekend + schedule my work trips to put me in places I can enjoy (Often with my family).

If you luv to travel, I think it would be very hard to do it on 'earned-vacation-hours'. I guess I ruined my kids too, as one just quit the best job I can imagine, so he can travel more. I would suspect he will get an international job so that he can be paid to travel too. There are many more jobs than one can imagine that put you in places you could not afford as 'vacation / holiday'. A 28 yr old gal I know has a 'Finance job' checking out the Four Season's Hotels worldwide. Ski season is a great time to audit Whistler location!

I used to 'collect / earn' hotel and airline points, but after using Guest Hospitality homes for the last 25 yrs, I would be really happy to never spend another night in a 5* hotel. I still treasure my Air mileage and will use it for RTW (Round-the-World) tickets for two. I have built several homes and commercial properties using mileage credit cards. Each of my businesses has mileage credit cards for business expenditures. Currently I use a Fidelity Card that is no fee, and awards travel on various airlines / hotels / food / services.

I luv to travel much more than be home, but... that probably won't last forever (age / ability).

Last edited by StealthRabbit; 06-13-2014 at 12:28 PM..
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Old 06-18-2014, 06:29 PM
 
6,720 posts, read 8,355,433 times
Reputation: 10409
We have a variety of strategies to travel a lot.

We don't have debt besides our house mortgage, and we save for vacations.

When we were not making very much, I would work summer school and use that money for trips.

My husband travels for work and sometimes I tag along.

We are now pushing 40, and have been traveling 20 years. That's a lot of time to travel.

We go to places we can get a deal on airfare or hotel. Sometimes we use miles to book airfare. We are open to traveling anywhere relatively safe.

( we also drove inexpensive cars for years, didn't even have cable tv until 15 years ago, and I just got an iphone 2 years ago)

It's all priorities!

Last edited by Meyerland; 06-18-2014 at 06:39 PM..
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Old 06-19-2014, 12:54 PM
 
10,839 posts, read 14,664,479 times
Reputation: 7872
Assuming you are an average wage earner making 50-80K a year, the solution is

1. stop splurging on things you don't need but just want to have (a new phone when the old is hardly 2 years old, buying a another $70 shirt when you have 12 hanging in your closet)
2. stop wasting so much seemingly small amount of money regular on things like coffee, $10 foodcourt lunches with soda, large popcorns and coke at the movies etc. - they add up
3. cook your own damn meals. makes a big difference and it is healthier
4. stop expecting to "pamper" yourself in vacations. Too often I see people spending hundrends of dollars a night on hotels when they are not remotely wealthy, the argument is "since I am on vacation". I call that BS. You are outside most of the time, all you need is a clean quiet room with a comfy bed to sleep in, preferably in a central location. All the glamour and amenities are redundant.
5 book everything well in advance. You won't have deals when your trip is only a week or two away. Book 2 months ahead instead.

the idea is, with limited income, you need to think "do I really need it" every time you feel like buying something.

More imporantly, never carry any balance on your credit card. If you have an unpaid balance, pay it off first before even thinking about you "deserve" a vacation.
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Old 06-19-2014, 01:52 PM
 
17,273 posts, read 9,510,115 times
Reputation: 16468
Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli View Post
Assuming you are an average wage earner making 50-80K a year, the solution is

1. stop splurging on things you don't need but just want to have (a new phone when the old is hardly 2 years old, buying a another $70 shirt when you have 12 hanging in your closet)
2. stop wasting so much seemingly small amount of money regular on things like coffee, $10 foodcourt lunches with soda, large popcorns and coke at the movies etc. - they add up
3. cook your own damn meals. makes a big difference and it is healthier
4. stop expecting to "pamper" yourself in vacations. Too often I see people spending hundrends of dollars a night on hotels when they are not remotely wealthy, the argument is "since I am on vacation". I call that BS. You are outside most of the time, all you need is a clean quiet room with a comfy bed to sleep in, preferably in a central location. All the glamour and amenities are redundant.
5 book everything well in advance. You won't have deals when your trip is only a week or two away. Book 2 months ahead instead.

the idea is, with limited income, you need to think "do I really need it" every time you feel like buying something.

More imporantly, never carry any balance on your credit card. If you have an unpaid balance, pay it off first before even thinking about you "deserve" a vacation.
If I made that much money, I'd be traveling all the time. As it is, my checks don't have much leftover after paying bills & rent for travel or even clothes shopping, what have you. It's not easy to travel when you don't make that much. I'm finally getting to Nicaragua this year after wanting to go for years & years & the only way I was able to do it was using my credit card to book the flight & hotel. I know people say don't go into debt or use your credit cards but when it's the best option, that's what I'm going to use. Also, if you're single it's a lot harder to save money for trips. Dual incomes always comes in handy whether it's paying the bills or paying for a vacation.
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Old 06-19-2014, 03:52 PM
 
Location: On the corner of Grey Street
6,126 posts, read 10,084,630 times
Reputation: 11796
Quote:
Originally Posted by thefragile View Post
If I made that much money, I'd be traveling all the time. As it is, my checks don't have much leftover after paying bills & rent for travel or even clothes shopping, what have you. It's not easy to travel when you don't make that much. I'm finally getting to Nicaragua this year after wanting to go for years & years & the only way I was able to do it was using my credit card to book the flight & hotel. I know people say don't go into debt or use your credit cards but when it's the best option, that's what I'm going to use. Also, if you're single it's a lot harder to save money for trips. Dual incomes always comes in handy whether it's paying the bills or paying for a vacation.
I'm with you. I could do a lot with 50 to 80k! I'm single and I make decent enough for my area, but it's still difficult paying all the bills myself much less having a lot over for travel. I hope you enjoy your trip!
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Old 06-19-2014, 04:22 PM
 
1,922 posts, read 3,976,076 times
Reputation: 1342
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88 View Post
Priorities. If you have wanderlust and want or need to fulfill it, you will just have to set that is one of your life priorities, and use your money and your time to do that, instead of lesser things. It helps if you also have another hobby that can be pursued while traveling. Mine is birdwatching.

You have to start early, too. Arrange your professional career and your family planning in order to make travel fit into it. A lot of people, by the time they are 25, have already made lifelong commitments that clash with travel.
I like this. It's true about the lifelong commitments by 25. I'm glad I don't have any children, granted they're wonderful, but I'd like to at least travel outside of the US this year (for the first time) and travel to a few other destination spots by the time I'm 35.

My Caribbean ex boyfriend would always joke and say Americans are so spoiled and don't want to leave the US..maybe that's true, but I don't want to be a part of that grouping.
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Old 06-19-2014, 04:39 PM
 
Location: Colorado
2,483 posts, read 4,359,760 times
Reputation: 2685
Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli View Post
Assuming you are an average wage earner making 50-80K a year, the solution is
1. stop splurging on things you don't need but just want to have...
You mean like travel?
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Old 06-19-2014, 06:26 PM
 
6,720 posts, read 8,355,433 times
Reputation: 10409
Quote:
Originally Posted by thefragile View Post
If I made that much money, I'd be traveling all the time. As it is, my checks don't have much leftover after paying bills & rent for travel or even clothes shopping, what have you. It's not easy to travel when you don't make that much. I'm finally getting to Nicaragua this year after wanting to go for years & years & the only way I was able to do it was using my credit card to book the flight & hotel. I know people say don't go into debt or use your credit cards but when it's the best option, that's what I'm going to use. Also, if you're single it's a lot harder to save money for trips. Dual incomes always comes in handy whether it's paying the bills or paying for a vacation.
Nicaragua is on my to-go list. We just got a great deal on a trip to Costa Rica, so it will have to wait. We go where the deals on airfare are, so it may be awhile. Have fun!
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Old 06-19-2014, 08:45 PM
 
18,073 posts, read 18,736,202 times
Reputation: 25191
Quote:
Originally Posted by otterprods View Post
You mean like travel?
In reference to "how can be afford to travel so much". As in do not waste resources on things you do not need, in order to have those resources to afford to travel.
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