2 Free Airline Tickets for 20 years service.

[summersalt]

I just received 2 airline tickets for 20 years of service with my employer. I can use them any time within the year. So here's the problem... I just started the debt snowball. I feel guilty for even thinking about taking a vacation this year. However, I also feel after 20 years with the same company, I deserve it. What should I do? I can't sell the tickets or give them away. I can only use them for myself. I guess it's the company's way of saying "you need a vacation"....

 

[PiperPizzaz]

I love Dave Ramsey but, we have never been gazelle intense and we are debt free now except the house. How about trying to find 'extra' money. Selling stuff on ebay or if you have any skills you can use as secondary income.

 

[DVCBELLE]

I guess it depends on how far behind you are. Having the tickets paid for is a major expense! Do you have relatives you can visit? Or find some found money anywhere?

Why not wait and use them at the end of this year - as a reward for staying on your debt snowball plan for a year!

 

[andrews_dad]

Flights are the HUGE expense on many vacation places. Some GREAT rooms in the Carribean can be had for peanuts, but the flights to get there are in the thousands. Set a strict budget for yourself for rooms, food, excursions, and incidentials and GO!!!

 

[ohlas]

Ok no yelling at me but dave always says as long as everything is current and you can pay cash for something and its not crazy,

Then only if i could pay for it in cash or prepaid. So anti murphy step 1k in bank. then make a plan put it in your budget....

 

[summersalt]

Ok no yelling at me but dave always says as long as everything is current and you can pay cash for something and its not crazy,

Then only if i could pay for it in cash or prepaid. So anti murphy step 1k in bank. then make a plan put it in your budget....

You've got a point. It's probably crazy not to use the tickets. That would be like throwing money away. We are current on all our bills and we have our $1k in the emergency fund. We have been saving and giving 10% for the past 20 years and only have 4 years left on our mortgage. If we budget for it now and pay cash, maybe a trip in Nov/Dec is not out of the question. I'm thinking maybe a cruise. Those are pretty cheap these days and food is included....

 

[Capo]

I would ask yourself the following questions:

1) How much are you in debt?
2) How much would you have to dish out for the rest of the trip?
3) Can you pay cash for your trip?

If you are in debt and you cannot pay cash for the remainder, I would highly suggest you not add even more financial burden to your plate. Even then, I would make it a 'budget trip' and not go all out. I agree you can't lock yourself away for 20 years as you pay off debt, but to equally go overboard with spending will only make things worse.

Good luck!

 

[deniselozano]

With a cruise, you are still paying for the food. We are in close to the same position right now, but we aren't getting free tickets. We have said that unless things are so bad that we can't keep up with our bills, we will always take the kids on a yearly vaca. We have been checking into cruises and we have done Disney every year for four years. For us, a cruise is at the same cost as Disney World. I rent DVC points usually at $8 per point and we watch what we spend on souvenirs. With a cruise, you need to think of all of the extra costs at all of the ports you will be stopping at. If you get off of the ship and want to go tour or see the sights, there will be extra costs associated with that.

 

[mdoll4]

A cruise? Still can run pretty expensive (or at least more than finding a nice hotel somewhere for a few days), especially BECAUSE all you can eat food is included, and even moreso if you factor in any shore excursions, etc. I'm no expert on cruises though (or your budget), so you could still try looking into one. They are especially cheap if you book one during the off-season. If you can get off work for a week in September, for example, you could probably get a great deal, and best of all, no kids!

You say not using the tickets would be like "throwing away money", but it's free to you, so you don't gain or lose anything either way. Heck, you spend LESS if you don't take the vacation. If money's really an issue, you should remember that.

I agree with some of the others that if you really want to take the vacation, try to go somewhere where you can find a cheap hotel, or ask around if any of your friends/co-workers own condos or second homes that they wouldn't object to you staying in for a few days. We have stayed cheaply in Santa Fe, NM and St. Augustine, FL this way.

Everyone deserves a break, so I hope you can figure something out!

 

[wdwfan16]

Fly to visit a person who you have not seen in a long time. It can be done cheaply.

 

[Free4Life11]

You've got a point. It's probably crazy not to use the tickets. That would be like throwing money away. We are current on all our bills and we have our $1k in the emergency fund. We have been saving and giving 10% for the past 20 years and only have 4 years left on our mortgage. If we budget for it now and pay cash, maybe a trip in Nov/Dec is not out of the question. I'm thinking maybe a cruise. Those are pretty cheap these days and food is included....

Your finances sound like they are in great shape.

You've been there for 20 years? Take your vacation girl. You deserve it!

 

[poohfriend]

You've got a point. It's probably crazy not to use the tickets. That would be like throwing money away. We are current on all our bills and we have our $1k in the emergency fund. We have been saving and giving 10% for the past 20 years and only have 4 years left on our mortgage. If we budget for it now and pay cash, maybe a trip in Nov/Dec is not out of the question. I'm thinking maybe a cruise. Those are pretty cheap these days and food is included....

I could pay cash for whatever vacation I wanted and have airfare for free...I'd go for it. Almost sounds like a gift you can't pass up.

And cruises are a fairly cheap way to vacation.

so, if you can pay cash and still keep current with your bills, I'd go for it as a wonderful gift. However, if it means getting further in debt, I would pass.

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

Well, my hubby and I are "Dave" people, and we think that vacations, as long as paid for in advance, are necessary for mental and emotional health. A big pile of cash in the bank will not buy time to "stop and smell the roses" or give us the opportunity to enjoy our loved ones.

If you and your spouse went September 19-24 and stayed in a standard Pop Century room, got four day MYW base tickets the total cost would be $994.86.

While they have not officially announced free dining for 2010, it seems very likely they will offer the incentive again this year. So, you would have five nights free dining.

Combine with Magical Express, and you could have almost a full week in Florida, complete with meals,transportation, and entertainment for less than a thousand dollars.

Pop Century has some beautiful bedrooms overlooking the lake, with King sized beds, which are quite romantic and lovely....they are also standard rooms, so no additional charge.

There are more than 20 weeks between now and when full payment would be due for the trip. So, if you could save $50 a week between now and then, then you would have your entire vacation + tips and parking costs covered.

So, if you can cut a little over $7 per day from your current budget, then you can have a paid in cash vacation to celebrate 20 years on the job!

 

[akcire]

I just received 2 airline tickets for 20 years of service with my employer. I can use them any time within the year. So here's the problem... I just started the debt snowball. I feel guilty for even thinking about taking a vacation this year. However, I also feel after 20 years with the same company, I deserve it. What should I do? I can't sell the tickets or give them away. I can only use them for myself. I guess it's the company's way of saying "you need a vacation"....

I would not let the free airfare go to waste. If you feel too guilty to do a "real vacation" you could volunteer for Disney and get the free tickets. Then you have a free Disney ticket and free airfare, now here is the crazy part......fly to California and visit Disneyland. You could stay as little as one night in a cheap Anaheim hotel if you wanted, and still get to visit Disneyland.

....or...you could fly to a National Park you would like to visit, and go camping.

Many places can be visited cheaply, are there any restrictions on your airline tickets? domestic , international?

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

The GADGAD promotion would be a great way to have a day in the parks free. You cannot combine it with the free dining promotion, in the sense that free dining requires the purchase of at least a one day ticket.

Yet, if you did the week of September 19-15 at Pop in a standard room, and purchased one day of tickets and used the GADGAD tickets, you could have two days in the parks, six nights of hotel, all your meals and transportation for $737.84

On the other days you could enjoy the fun of Disney's grounds, Downtown Disney, pool, visiting other resorts, riding the boats, monorails, and such.

 

[jgates]

I am not 100% familiar with how Southwest works, but I BELIEVE if you book a ticket through them you can change it with no fee. You may be able to even buy yourself some extra time by booking out towards the end of the 1 year with SW & then changing it when it got closer to the end of that year. I don't know if that would work 100% but the logic is there in the ability they give you to change flights with no fees.

 

[frostymom]

I am not 100% familiar with how Southwest works, but I BELIEVE if you book a ticket through them you can change it with no fee. You may be able to even buy yourself some extra time by booking out towards the end of the 1 year with SW & then changing it when it got closer to the end of that year. I don't know if that would work 100% but the logic is there in the ability they give you to change flights with no fees.

That's a great idea! So many great frugal ideas posted already. I would not let this go to waste either and I love Dave. I am working my my snowball too and have less than 800 to go on the cc, then car and house! Good luck. BTW we are going on vacation this year. Vacation is part of our budget.

 

[summersalt]

After much consideration and advice from you guys, I have decided....

To wait until December to book my flights for a trip in 2011. That gives us plenty of time to snowball our debt and budget for a trip.

Thanks for all of your advice. This is really a wonderful place to come for help. You guys are the best!

 

[a1tinkfans]

OP:

YEAH for you! Especially in this economy, even getting a "bonus" or acknowledgment of your hard work in the form of FREE tix, is awfully nice to hear about!


That SW idea is actually a really good one, see when their booking window opens for the time of year you'd like to travel. With no change fees, and your credit going right back to you if you decide to change dates, its an easy way to plan with flexability!
BY the way, cruises are great, are there any ports close to you (within a few hours) then you'd likely get some further discount because you can book either real far out or close up when they try to "fill" those spots. Cruise expenses can add up though (drinks,gambling,excursions) so watch for that.

What ever you choose, have a wonderful vacation, YOU deserve it!

 

[buckler]

Double check that there isn't any "fine print" that says your travel has to be completed by a specific date. It might be that you have to complete travel in 2010, not just book it by the end of 2010.