vacation debts...is vacation a " must have" for most americans?..

[Dancing Fire]

even if they can''t afford it? i have friends getting themselfs into vacation debts.they''re still paying off their CC for their last vacation and now planning on another one . i don''t understand some people.

if i can''t afford to go,i''ll stay home and suffer.

 

[Mara]

i think it depends on priorities...

i know some people who regardless of what is going on in their lives take one large trip per year. even if they have to charge it, they do it because it's a 'life experience' that they will not do without. they always pay it off, but i guess from their perspective they don't mind paying a bit of interest to be able to go on their time table and do their own thing.

some people don't like staying home even if you can't afford to travel, which i can understand, for many people getting out there and traveling is more important than other luxuries. they want to get out and see the world, not just stay home and hoard their $$.

we want to travel more but have been waiting for the right time financially...we are hoping to finally go to europe for 2 weeks later this year which would be great...and then we want to go back to tahiti next year and hopefully another european trip the year after. if we decide to have kids it would be in 3-4 years so we want to get all our really important 'must have' traveling out of the way now!!

 

[monarch64]

We must know the same people, DF. We have friends who have just racked up a huge amount of CC debt and are still going on a cruise in two months, just because they feel like they "deserve" it. They''re the same people who''ve re-financed their house 3 times in the last 2 years because they can''t afford the mortgage payment. But yes, they still treat themselves to vacations. I guess it takes their mind off of their debt for a week, lol.

 

[cinnabar]

I used to know some people who had to have bigger and better vacations every year. They had marriage problems, and I suppose they thought that a second, third, fourth, twentieth honeymoon would help somehow. They used to get on so much better on vacation, but when they got back home and had to deal with all the hard bits of their normal lives (stressful jobs, terrible-teen kids) everything fell apart again.

 

[strmrdr]

whats a vacation?
never heard of such a thing.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 3/10/2006 1:25:37 PM
Author: monarch64
We must know the same people, DF. We have friends who have just racked up a huge amount of CC debt and are still going on a cruise in two months, just because they feel like they 'deserve' it. They're the same people who've re-financed their house 3 times in the last 2 years because they can't afford the mortgage payment. But yes, they still treat themselves to vacations. I guess it takes their mind off of their debt for a week, lol.

i feel like i deserve a lot of things that i can't afford.

yep...sounds like we know the same people,re-fi their house 2 times to support their life style and they wonder why they can't retire.

 

[monarch64]

The funny thing is, they think they''re "set for life" because the guy is in a union. So they think he has complete and total job security, which I suppose is why they think they can spend money the way they do. By the way, this is the same guy who got the Movado watch off the street and paid $500 for it, if you remember my thread on how the band on it broke right away and she doesn''t know it didn''t come from a store.

 

[sxn675]

I don''t know, I don''t like to charge anything we can''t afford. We use credit cards for everything because of rewards and such, but we don''t believe in carrying a balance...

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

I''ve never been on a vacation that I had to pay for. My husband is very "frugal"!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 3/10/2006 1:57:00 PM
Author: strmrdr
whats a vacation?
never heard of such a thing.

I wouldn''t have been nodding five years ago, but now I am. We used to go to Maine for a week each summer. One year my family decided it would be boring, but we did nothing else. Then we started having a series of problems: a lay-off; a heart attack; a move; and surgery on my two elderly parents. We have not been away in years. (And that''s OK, too.)

Deb

 

[fountainfairfax]

Someone I work with keeps a "vacation credit card." They take a week-long vacation twice a year, with each vacation costing what they feel they can pay off in 6 months. Take a vacation, charge the whole thing, pay it off over 6 months and start all over again. I have no idea whether or not they actually pay off the whole thing before the next vacation, they do seem to live outside of their means but who knows.

I have never taken a "real" vacation in my adult life, one where I go somewhere for an entire week and just do what I want.

Money is the only thing keeping me from taking my dream trip to a warm, sandy destination, no credit cards for me!

 

[monarch64]

I think vacations really are part of the "American Dream." My dad took us on a family vacation every year when my brother and I were teenagers, and he and my mom still spend a couple weeks of the year in FL. My dad came from a family who also took family vacations yearly, so that was just their thing. They also never ever ever used credit cards. My dad will tell me to this day that he has 1 Mastercard for emergencies, with x-amount of credit that he has never used. My mother just got her very first credit card at age 62. Can you believe that? They just grew up believing in "if you don''t have the money for ------, you can''t buy it until you do."

 

[ChargerGrrl]

I'm with Mara on this one. It's all about priorities!

I thank my lucky stars that I've been able to take a 2-week international vacation each year for the past 4 years. I've been to Italy, Australia, London, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Prague & Vienna. I'm kinda making up for lost time, as I didn't really travel much before, during, or after college! Why? I couldn't afford it.

I treated myself to an Italian Holiday for my 30th BDay, and caught the international travel bug. After that, I made it a priority to be able to have that experience every year. True, being a single gal and not having a ton of "personal" responsibilities helped!

But I'm not a fan of doing into debt. So I do my homework in the beginning of the year, and try to make my destination decision & book travel by March (I usually vacation in September). I then make minor adjustments in my lifestyle and contribute as much as I can to my vacation fund so that much of the trip is paid for before I go. I'm also a savvy traveller, and do extensive accommidations, activites, etc... research & find deals- I LOVE www.tripadvisor.com & www.travelzoo.com

No "big" trip for me this year- I'm getting married in September! Thank goodness he also likes to travel. We're already planning our way-future vacation plans. It's either going to be France or Thailand for our 1-year anniversary trip!

 

[sxn675]

I think that what DF is asking isn't necessarily the same thing as what everyone is answering. He's not asking if we take vacations period or like to travel, but if people go into debt to do so.

 

[Kaleigh]

No we don''t go into debt to go on vacation. We take a one week trip every spring to Antigua. This will be our 7th year and I really love the down time with my family. We have been going away to this resort with the same friends and it''s always a lot of fun. I don''t as a rule go away very much as I take care of my grandmother and that is a full time job. But have to say that one week away is bliss. Kids are getting so much older and I am treasuring these last family vacations.

 

[DonaBella]

I feel that "mini-vacations" or extended weekends can be very rejuvenating and not permit one to incur additional debt. My huuby and I try make it a point to take such trips once every couple of months...like going to see our favorite tribute band, sometimes staying over night in an inexpensive motel, going to a concert, etc. It doesn''t have to be grandiose to be a vacation. Even staying at a friend''s cabin for a couple of days is great and you can bring food from home and eat out a couple of meals and that''s it.

As for a regular yearly vacation irregardless of whether one can or cannot financially, I feel that is careless and selfish. It devalues the whole experience, IMO.

My hubby and I accrue plenty of miles with our cc due to our businesses and used some of those for our trip to the Caribbean. That helped alot but we still had to save for quite awhile for our lodging and spare cash for souveniers home. Planning helps, but if it isn''t there, it isn''t there. Make an adventure by being at home and find more creative ways to not go somewhere. We have and it has helped alot with involving our kids and friends sometimes.

It also makes those exceptional times when you have worked to plan diligently to get away that much sweeter...I totally won''t go into debt for travel...

 

[mrssalvo]

We don''t go into vacation debt either. When I was growing up my dad took his yearly bonus to pay for our family vacation. Now that I''m married hubby and I save in a vacation fund and go once a year and do other small getaways during the year.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 3/10/2006 10:30:53 PM
Author: sxn675
I think that what DF is asking isn''t necessarily the same thing as what everyone is answering. He''s not asking if we take vacations period or like to travel, but if people go into debt to do so.

You''re right...then I should say that no, we do not go into debt to take vacations. In the past if we couldn''t afford it, we have opted to wait until the next year.

When I met my husband I was seriously contemplating moving to Florida (my career would''ve easily allowed it), but he bribed me with "if you move to Chicago I promise to take you someplace warm every winter." It totally worked, lol! We went to Mexico the first February I was up here, and Jamaica the next. The next year we got married in September and were saving money for a house, so we skipped the tropics that year. This past year I wanted a Tag Heuer watch more than the vacation to Mexico we''d been discussing, and he wanted to go to Vegas in March, so we compromised and are renting a lake house in WI this summer for a week--I got the watch, he gets Vegas, and everyone''s happy and debt-free!!!

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 3/10/2006 10:50:22 PM
Author: kaleigh
We take a one week trip every spring to Antigua.

Which one, which one? I loved the St. James Club there and have always wanted to go back ... just curious!!

 

[AChiOAlumna]

I know one woman who puts an entire vacation on a credit card....but won''t take another one until the card is paid off. I can''t imagine all the interest that is racked up in the meantime?!

We, on the other hand, save up for a vacation...once we saved up, THEN we book the vacation and enjoy...upon getting home, we have no debt nor any charges to face.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 3/10/2006 11:07:06 PM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 3/10/2006 10:50:22 PM
Author: kaleigh
We take a one week trip every spring to Antigua.

Which one, which one? I loved the St. James Club there and have always wanted to go back ... just curious!!

Curtain Bluff. It''s very small and is all inclusive. We know the owners very well and all the staff. They are like family to us. When we pull up, they are waiting with hugs and kisses. To me it''s home away from home. Oh I wish I was there now....

 

[firebirdgold]

What moron racks up debt to go on a vacation? What part of that is relaxing?
I think vacations are really important, but it''s idiotic to take one you can''t afford when there are so many great vacations just waiting for you that are affordable. One of the best vacations I''ve ever had was a camping trip in a national park! The most expensive part was buying some camping equipment at walmart.

 

[DonaBella]

Date: 3/10/2006 11:55:12 PM
Author: kaleigh

Date: 3/10/2006 11:07:06 PM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 3/10/2006 10:50:22 PM
Author: kaleigh
We take a one week trip every spring to Antigua.

Which one, which one? I loved the St. James Club there and have always wanted to go back ... just curious!!

Curtain Bluff. It''s very small and is all inclusive. We know the owners very well and all the staff. They are like family to us. When we pull up, they are waiting with hugs and kisses. To me it''s home away from home. Oh I wish I was there now....

OOOh...that soiunds wonderful, Kaleigh! I would love to go to Antigua the next time DH and I head out to the Caribbean and the other islands as well...but your Curtain Bluff sounds enchanting...

 

[rainbowtrout]

Hm, well I suppose my mom is a "moron," then. She's been on a very limited income for the past 10 ys (disability payments and some stock) and puts herself into debt every time she travels. She puts a trip on a credit card and then pays it off over the rest of the year. It is a higher priority to her than food or a nicer place to live or sometimes insurance.
Do I want to live like her? Not really--but she's been to India, back home to the UK, and to Europe about three times. I think its kept her sane. It is all about priorities, and while it did make me anxious (and occasionnally bored with my food selection), I'd take our trips over having had some other things during the rest of the year.

She's also done the same thing (I think) with two trips for me, both educational, one to France and one to Morocco. I actually didn't know how she financed them until later.

So I don't imagine she thinks she "deserves" a vacation or any such nonsense, she just wants one and knows that she'll pay off the card before she takes the next one. Would I do it? Hell no. But I think it was an ok choice for her to make. She has no ambitions to own a house, no financial goals except funding her"retirement"--she hasn't actually worked for 10-15 ys, so that's sort of moot and she has a retirement acct, and I'm her only and pretty much grown child.

To be fair, there have been times when I wanted to throttle her for not telling me how a trip would work out. We went to Alaska two years ago and I only found out later that this meant she had no money to pay my health insurance premium, the only financial committment she ususally makes for my schooling. I had to take out a loan. Would I rather not have gone to Alaska? I don't know, honestly.


E

 

[MiniMouse]

I only go on vacations I can pay for. However, each one to their own. I just know if I went on a vacation that was charged to my credit card, which I couldn''t pay off immediately, my vacation would be one big worrying time. I wouldn''t enjoy it. Then I''d come home still worrying about how to pay for it. Now that would hardly be a rejuvenating and worthwhile holiday for me, but others may be able to cope with debt better than I can.

 

[diamondlil]

Charging a vacation with no intention of paying the bill in full at the end of the month would certainly not be my idea of relaxation!!! I don''t like debt of any kind, whether it be a vacation or anything else. Other than a mortgage and one car payment (which will be paid up very soon), I would not be able to sleep at night if I had debt. I know that''s not how many people live these days, so maybe it''s my old-fashioned upbringing. My parents still pay cash for everything. Besides, with the expense of putting two kids through college looming in our near future, the last thing I need is more debt.

 

[Mara]

i have a friend who takes a big trip per year and if she has to charge it fine, but she pays it off within 6 months and right after she charges it she moves it to something like a 0% card for 6 months and just pays it off. we are always talking about our finances so i know she definitely pays it off. but that is just her thing, a large trip per year, even if she goes by herself. she really likes to get out there and see the world.

there are so many 0% cards out there or 1% or so that for me cash doesn't need to be paid for everything nowadays if you can be smart about things and not let them languish on a card forever, you can still have what you want on your own timeline if travel is more affordable then and charge it to a low card then just pay it off. when we got my e-ring greg put some of it on his card, but he knew he was getting his bonus the next month (it had already been confirmed, just had to be paid) so when he got it, he paid it off without having to touch any savings. for him that was the ideal scenario. making someone else's money work for you if they are willing to offer it!

ETA it would be hard for me to put something like a $5k vacation on a card and then not worry about it because for us it is a luxury that you don't HAVE to have right away, that is why we are hoping to go to europe later this year but won't know more until it actually gets to be around summer to see how things are shaping up since we'd like to pay for the trip all directly. part of why we haven't gone previously but it looks like this year will be it!

 

[Richard Sherwood]

I couldn''t afford vacations, so I moved to the west coast of Florida, on the water.

Now I''m on vacation all year long...