Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That's true for local trips. We did that when we went to Oregon last year.
I'm thinking of travel as being a significant distance; Europe, Hawaii, Asia, Caribbean, etc. Short jaunts within driving distance are doable, but if you want to go outside of your own little fishbowl you'll have to get more time off work to account for the 3-4 days of driving.
Within this country we drive and along the way we pick up the coupon books that have the motel deals. We also eat frugally by just getting a Subway for dinner and eating at Denny's for breakfast. Usually we eat healthy meals but when we travel we have to be very frugal.
We also use Groupons for restaurants and hotels and just spent a night at a good hotel in DC for a low price. Gas is cheap right now so we drove up and down the entire east coast, taking our time.
Overseas travel is getting to be a real problem because of the high airfare. I used to just save for a few months and I could go but now it's going to take a lot of saving. Still, I will check the fares and go in the off season. Luckily I've been a few times in the best seasons when airfare was still cheap so now I don't mind so much going in the poorer weather. The museums are still open and you still get to experience a different culture.
Was able to travel the world while in the military, lived in Europe. Central america is not far from America and is a quarter the price to travel opposed to Europe. People just need to do research. I took a 45 day vacation to Panama and paid around $2000 in total. Eat like the locals and take local transportation.
I was born into a traveling family like others. Travel isn't a luxury to me it's more of a necessity, not to mention my main passion in life. As far as being able to afford it without going into debt or cutting back in other areas, simple answer I can give you is not having kids helps a great deal.
Well we do have 2 kids but it would def be cheaper and easier to travel without them! However, they travel like champs! Been dragging them around since they were 6wks old!
Our biggest problem is not enough time off in the US! Living in Germany right now and in 18 months we have visited 19 countries. It helped to take a Baltic and Western Med Cruise. But we downgraded our requirements to an Inside Cabin and scored a kids sail free promo both times. I scour forums/message boards for deals and DIY tour options.
Normally we collect a ton of hotel points with Hilton but not the case here since Amex is not widely accepted for our daily shopping needs. I have been loyal to the Accor hotel chain while in Europe and have been able to earn a decent amount of money off of my rooms. Fortunately we get 30 vacation days and a ton of holidays to travel thru the year. The kids have several weeks off in fall/spring and summer plus 3 weeks Xmas.
We eat cheaply as much as possible on trips. Europe isn't big on coupons/kids eat free promos. I research the heck out of options and if I can't get the deal I am looking for then I pick a different location. I won't be going to Norway any time soon! Switzerland will be a huge splurge if we decide to go.
When the McD Big Mac Meal in Geneva is about $15 vs $8 here in Germany it makes me think twice.
We have a home that is less than we can afford, we drive average cars and keep them a long time. I'm not buying expensive clothes and purses. Shop consignment for kids as much as possible. Call to get fees reduced when possible, shop around when rates go up etc... It's possible but it has to be your priority.
My job is international in nature. When I had an assignment stateside I got the opportunity to go on trips of two weeks or so to various places for work. Not all were exactly top notch tourist spots but I did discover some lesser known corners of the world and found them pretty interesting. While on these trips I took advantage of after-hours and weekend sightseeing as well as layovers in hub cities like Vienna, Munich, Rome, Brussels, Tokyo, Seoul, and Istanbul for personal travel.
Now that I'm posted overseas, I'm traveling a fair amount in the country in which I live, both for work and pleasure. I'm also able to take advantage of cheap flights all over Europe. For example, I've booked flights to Athens, Budapest, and Barcelona in the $200 RT or less range and most of the other major cities like Paris, London, Berlin, and Amsterdam are around that price too. Even flights to places like Bangkok can be found for under $500 RT if you time it right. I also take advantage of AirBnB sometimes to save money.
A friend of mine was in his 50's.....single........lived in a smaller , older , trailer house in the country and had a factory job. When he and his siblings got a small inheritance e from his father passing away, he used it for a lengthy African hunting trip. If I was in his situation that would have been the last thing I would have done but he said he enjoyed it and never regretted it and certainly could never do/afford it again.
I agree with posters who say travel is a matter of priority.
I had a friend once in his mid 60's who lived in a trailer and had no savings and lived day to day and afraid that he would have to work until death. He told me that in his mid 40's he made a lot of money and he and his wife spent a month in the Amazon and spent $30,000. I told him that if he had saved that $30,000 he might have had some savings to be able to retire. He and his wife almost snapped my head off, they said ''they had precious memories'' of the trip and did not regret it. I said ''then keep working until you die and stop complaining''.
I guess I'm like you, a comfortable and secure lifestyle is more important than the ''memory'' of a vacation.
Without the memories of travel life would be too mundane to stand. As many posters on here have said it all about priority. We out aside "travel" money from each paycheck we get and use that yearly for vacations. I am amazed when I meet adults my age who have never traveled or evert been on a plane- but some people are uncomfortable outside their bubble and some just do not like to travel. And that is ok. I love to travel and experience different cultures.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
