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.
LADY: I am going down to Miami for five days, leaving tomorrow!
MAN: Why are you going there?
LADY: Why not!
MAN: Must be nice, but I don't have a thousand dollars to fly down there.
LADY: It only cost me $179 Round Trip
MAN: Your lying. It costs at least a thousand to fly to Miami (from Baltimore) and a hotel is $500 a night.
LADY: No, I got a nice 3 star hotel hotel on Priceline for $70 a night
MAN: Your lying.
LADY: What ever! as she walks away rolling her eyes.
===================
I wonder how many other people don't travel because they think it costs too much and miss out on the fun because of their ignorance?
Traveling for one person is very different than for a family.
We can't go anywhere because the cost is prohibitive for 5 people.
For example, on Disney property, hotels force you to book two rooms if you have three kids!!! Without taking into account that parents won't allow kids under 14 to sleep on their own in a foreign hotel room!
Plane travel with kids is also very expensive...and I would never do it.
Nope! Not true! "Few" families have the ability to overspend on trips.
Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli
People who complain travel is prohibitively expensive usually splurge too much when they do travel, and then assume this is the normal cost of traveling.
Honestly, traveling, including international traveling doesn't have to be expensive. Yes you can splurge if you have the means but you don't have to.
People often think they have to stay at brand name hotels - which can easily cost $200 a night in large cities. I am traveling to Madrid and there are many nice looking hotels in that price range, but I ended up booking one for under $70 a night, for the two of us. My hotel bill in super expensive Tokyo was $60 a night with my own room and shower.
People also take it for granted they need to eat at nice restaurants for every meal, ordering high end steaks, lobsters, with Champaign's, because they are traveling. No, you don't need to spoil yourselves like that. Have a good meal a day is enough, and you don't need to have that $60 a bottle wine just be feel special. What's wrong with a simple meal at the local eatery? Pamper yourself occasionally, but not excessively just because you are on a trip.
Many also have the habit of joining all these expensive English language tours, making a day tour which would cost $30 if organized by yourself cost $200 per person. I met a young guy who joined a tour visiting London, for Christ's sake. Honestly, unless you are 80 or the place is completely inaccessible, joining a tour is probably the most stupid way of traveling. For example, visiting Mont St Michel by public transit will cost 60 euros from Paris if you take public transit, but if you are lazy and join a tour, it costs 300 Euro easily.
Airfare is hugely exaggerated. It is much lower than say 5 or 6 years ago. You need to be aware of all those deals and be a little bit flexible with your time. I myself almost never travel in July/August because it makes absolutely no sense, even May and September can be expensive. Paris or Rome are still amazing in March or November. What's the obsession with the summer? the weather is a bit cooler, so what? Also in America, there are a crazy number of credit promotion which gives you points for traveling. If you don't take advantage of it, you missing big time. For example, I just got this car that gives me 50k points, which is enough for me to travel to Hawaii, S America or Europe (off peak season) RT for practically free. And I don't even live in the states.
LADY: I am going down to Miami for five days, leaving tomorrow!
MAN: Why are you going there?
LADY: Why not!
MAN: Must be nice, but I don't have a thousand dollars to fly down there.
LADY: It only cost me $179 Round Trip
MAN: Your lying. It costs at least a thousand to fly to Miami (from Baltimore) and a hotel is $500 a night.
LADY: No, I got a nice 3 star hotel hotel on Priceline for $70 a night
MAN: Your lying.
LADY: What ever! as she walks away rolling her eyes.
===================
I wonder how many other people don't travel because they think it costs too much and miss out on the fun because of their ignorance?
Quote:
Originally Posted by yandex
But not that far from the $1000 referenced in this statement:
That statement was in regards to airfare alone as indicated by the sixth line of the exchange.
That statement was in regards to airfare alone as indicated by the sixth line of the exchange.
Yes, I know that was in regards to the airfare. But if he doesn't have $1000 to fly there, he doesn't have $1000 for everything. He doesn't have $1000. Period.
I don't know of such folks are aware that if you book ahead of time, you can usually snag up much cheaper airfare. With lodging ditto here, but if you can travel during off peak times, that can have several hundred $$ off right there. It's those who are inflexible in their scheduling (e.g. kids, work, some sort of urgent situation) where
Quote:
Originally Posted by yandex
But just the airfare and hotel is $529. Once you figure in ground transportation, activities, meals, etc., you're probably not that far off from $1000.
Quote:
Originally Posted by keraT
That is true, an average trip will cost close to $1000. Maybe not too much more but average is $1K. I started traveling more when I realize its not too expensive to travel & life is short & I could care less about brand name clothes. Exchange price of MK purse with flight & we are even. But soon I realize no matter how stingy I am on a trip, the cost ends up close to $1000 between hotel, trans, eating out, activities & shopping. I try to keep to minimal but if you are in new place you have to do some activities & often times its hard to not do some shopping even if its something small for my nephews.
I've only gone to conventions and conferences that I can drive to. You do have to factor in the gas and wear and tear money on your vehicle, even if you drive 5 hours one way, but it's still cheaper and less hassle than flying. Here, I end up spending an additional $20 to $50 on food. Yes, I could save lots of money by bringing my own food. Sometimes when I'm rushed, I'll just eat a can of soup. Or just go to McDonalds. However, I live in a remote area. If I can enjoy a good steakhouse, BBQ, or "better burger" joint, then that's definitely as much part of the vacation as it is the convention/conference itself.
I'm going to be flying to visit family out of state, and yeah, airfare there alone is $650 (although it is roughly during the holiday travel period). Plus $100 for parking, about $50 of gas. Unfortunately, it does sound about right. I'd make sure you use a credit that gives you miles or better geared towards flight benefits if you fly a lot. And there's also the 1.5 weeks of PTO I'll be using up too!
I found the "conversation" in the OP to be, well, not very believable. I don't know ANYONE who would think that hotels cost $500 a night or that a domestic flight to a popular destination would cost $1,000. Seriously, OP?
I just priced a trip to Seattle for a conference next April. Airfare plus airport transportation to/from the two airports is more than $700. Add four or five nights at the conference hotel (with taxes) and the trip is way over $1,400, even without eating or getting around the city at all. (I usually don't stay at the conference hotel because it's always expensive, BUT I have to stay nearby, and hotels in the surrounding area usually aren't much cheaper.) This is the kind of travel I do for my job, and honestly, it's not fun at all. Frankly, just the logistics of getting to and from the airport (on both ends) are exhausting.
Now, if I had a month to explore Seattle, and I could find a cheap but clean little place to stay, I would likely enjoy it tremendously. In this case the $700 for airfare/airport transportation doesn't sound so bad, since the per-day cost of the total trip would be reasonable. But my work schedule right now doesn't allow for that kind of trip.
I love the IDEA of travel, but the reality of it is usually not so fun. If I could go somewhere for a month (at least), staying in one place but doing day trips to nearby locales before moving to a different place, then that would be wonderful. But running from place to place to place because you have only 10 days to see 8 major cities in 3 countries is simply not appealing to me at all.
Don't under estimate the possibility of extreme ignorance, but I'd guess the OP's original "conversation" is more of a conversation starter than a typical person's understanding of the costs of travel.
By the time you add up all the expenses, though, travel is more expensive than staying home but there are ways to travel less expensively than others. However, most of the less expensive options are usually best for folks who are just a tiny bit adventurous. AirBnB or even a standard B & B is outside the comfort zone of many people. Taking a bus tour with thirty other tourists is much more comfortable than going by yourself. At least, it is for many people.
We adore visiting Seattle, karen_in_NH_2012. Check into taking the train from the airport to your hotel. Won't cost more than a couple dollars and is clean, fast and well lit. It comes out under the downtown Macy's across from Pike's Place, I think. For a place to stay, we like the B & B on Capitol Hill. Getting around in Seattle by bus is really easy and you can get an ORCA card from a vending machine at the airport that is good on buses, light rail, ferry boats and to a limited distance heavy rail. The card can be recharged from a variety of places. Seattle is a lovely place to visit.
So most travel bores you, yet you spend your time on a travel forum reading about other people's travel and travel-related questions?
Nah, I just spend time CD counterpointing those who assume that their chosen lifestyle is appropriate for everyone. If you read the whole comment, then you would see that I was responding to someone who had made a comment to another that buying things of permanence (in this case countertops) was boring. Since there was an implication that travel was "superior" or "more sophisticated" I turned the remark around on them. But I suspect you know that and simply took offense that not everyone is a sophisticated world traveler.
Well, why do I find it boring. Start with airports and air travel. Boring and miserable, esp crammed into that tiny seat on long flights. Used to be better, but now it's all cattle class. If I never get in another plane, it will be too soon. Then, when you get there, what do you do? Walk around the town/village/city/ whatever. Eat. I mean what do folks really do on trips around Europe? Or even visiting Mickey here. Might be fun for the kids, but what a boring place.
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.
