How much do you spend on vacations each year?

[disneysteve]

I don't track it to the penny, but in general, I'd say we spend $2,000 - $3,000 for a week's vacation. We usually do 2-3 weeks vacation per year. Plus we will do a few overnites or long weekends.

This year, we did a 7-day cruise 3 weeks ago. That ran about $3,000 total. We're doing 2-weeks in California this summer. I haven't booked that all yet, but figure about $4,000 for that. And then our annual Disney trip in November for about $2,000. This is the first year ever that we are doing 4-weeks vacation by the way. So total this year will be about $2,000 higher than usual, but that comes to about $9,000 plus a few hundred for the little weekend trips.

Is that a lot? Depends on your point of view. But DW and I work hard and enjoy traveling. We have no debt other than our mortgage. And we invest at least 16% of my income and 50% of DW's income for the future. If we choose to spend part of what's left on vacations, I see nothing wrong with that. We live pretty frugally overall, as I've discussed here many times. That allows us the freedom to take nice vacations which is something that we consider a priority. Everyone's priorities are different, and that's just fine. I know many people who have spent more on a tv than we spend on a week's vacation. Personally, I think they're nuts but to each his own. We just happen to value experiences and memories more than stuff.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Going to Disney usually costs us somewhere around $1200, that's two adults and everything is included in that: hotel, food, tickets, gas down, and extras if necessary.

Our trip to Atlanta is only costing us only about $400, that's hotel, food, gas, and other entertainment!

Oh yeah...DH and I are officially debt free now! Happened on the 16th of this month! :thewave:

 

[L107ANGEL]

I am with you all!! If you can afford it Good for you! I happen to be one on those people that 1) I am in debt! 2) I am cheap!!!

As for #1. I have a plan and I am working it out. I thank God I can!!

#2. I shop and look for discounts all of the time!!!!

Someday I hope to be in a postion to budget $5000.00 for a vacation or multiple in one year!
(Good for you! I am sure you deserve it)
For right now.... I am happy to stay off site, clip coupons, watch every penny and start planning our 2006 trip!

 

[Kimickey]

We usually spend in between $6000-$8000 per year. For us, we just want to enjoy each others company and have fun with our children. Our vacation is really the only time we get to spend time with each other for two weeks uniterupted. I'm in the military and DH is in hotel management so free time is VERY far, few and inbetween. Both of us have very busy and hectic schedules and look forward to spending the chunk of change.

 

[MagicalMom]

We only spend about $3,000 a yr. Some years more, some years less.

 

[FINFAN]

If we could spend what we'd LIKE to for vacationaing...I am sure we would spend about 9-10 thousand for a family of four. We like to go where its tropical, so usually fly from Chicago. However, what we dospend is only what we have saved prior to the trip. If we only have $1,500 to work with...we take the best trip we think we can for that amount. Some years we skipped a vacation and waited 'till we could afford at least 7 nights away, and airfare. My folks are in Florida tho, so we have visited them for our trips in the past. That is hard sometimes, when you can only swing 1 decent trip a year and you need to see family...not complaining, it 's just that the $$$ still gets spent (we stay in a hotel right near my folks due to size and sanity ) Anyway, our average is getting closer to $3200 for a 7-10 day trip, using wdw as an example...and it would be WAY more if not for codes etc. I think what you are spending is pretty normal for a family of 4 if you fly. We tend to throw a little into each "fund"...everyones savings styles are different...do what works for you.

 

[mareed]

About $12,000 per year. This is on an average of 3 Disney trips per year (back & forth between WDW & DL), as well as long weekends spent at Sea World (where we also purchase AP's). No debt other than house payment.

 

[crazelion]

I won't your jobs. Because spending that much on vacations what you is spending is a whole year working for me. I worked 2 jobs.

Okey going back to drooling now.

 

[HenDuck]

Average around $3,000 - $5,000 for a family of 3.

Sometimes less than $3k, rarely over $5k.

We have always bought DS a plane ticket, even when he didn't technically need one. We try to use our frequent flyer miles whenever possible and share accomodations with family if we can.

I envy those of you who can drive to Disney. We are from Hawaii and must fly so that adds to the expense.

We travel maybe once every other year. Sometimes more often if some special deal comes along.

We're not travelling this year because we're working on renovating the house. But next year when we go to WDW, we're going to take 10-12 days and really enjoy it.

Vacations are priority for us, especially me. So it's something I don't mind spending money on.

Thanks!

 

[skiwee1]

We spend around $15,000 a year at least on vacations. That would be my two WDW trips, 3 weeks at the ocean and a week skiing. This year we spent a lot more then that because we went to Utah to ski. So not worth it! We spent $10,000 just on that trip alone.

 

[kandeebunny]

On average for a WDW vacation for 2 (myself 21, and my DM) we usually spend around $1000 (hotel and tickets) we don't factor in food because our grocery bill normally is as high as eating at disney for a week (we have food allergies to all whole grains and dairy) and we don't factor in flights because we usually fly in to Ft Lauderdale for the summer and rent a car anyways as my mom owns a home there. If you want to factor in that plus a trip to FL in December we spend probably $3000 a year on vacations. I am in college on a full scholarship I have no debt (I own my car) and my mother has no debt (both houses pair and her car paid) it's worth it to us!

 

[Renate_do]

Dont know how you count with or without the money you spent on souverniers

Let me do it with only transportation, hotel, food, tickets

In 2004 we have been

2 weeks Club ALDIANA at Fuerteventura (one February on July ) 125€ = 160$ each cause we gave dancing lesson there and we got a vacations that is 5200$
2 weel Club CALIMERA at Sharm-el-Sheigh Egyt (December) 110€ =150$ same as above value = 2600$
10 trips to DLRP with 33days = 5600$

Spent 5600+250+110 = 5960$
"Earned" 5200+2600 = 7800$

makes 1730$ for us (just kidding)

okay seriously we spent almost 6000$ on vacation that is 9% of our income before tax or 18% after tax and social insurance (system is different than in US)

Greets Renate

 

[FreshTressa]

4-6k a year for our family of 4.

 

[swilshire]

I try not to think about it! My daughter says we've spent her college money at Disney World. Since she could have had a free ride if she had lived at home instead of in the dorm (her choice), then I have no sympathy for her.

We live frugally all year, cutting coupons, avoiding restaurants, buying most of our clothing second hand. We don't have cable. We cut firewood to provide most of our heat. Raise our own veggies and beef.

We do spend a fair amount on travel. We own five timeshares (which is at least one too many), so lodging costs are reasonable. We still eat in a lot on vacations and don't spend like it's going out of style. Last year we spent six weeks at Disney World to maximize our annual passes and because it was the last year all of the kids would be likely to be with us. (DD still missed one of the trips.) And we spent one week at the beach and another at a Hot Air Balloon Festival we attend every year. I used all of my vacation time and dipped heavily into the time I had banked from when the kids were little and we never went anywhere.

This year we have 4 1/2 weeks planned, which is about normal. We spent Spring break in DC and Williamsburg. In June we'll spend a week in Maine and another in Boston after our usual long weekend at the HAB Fest. In the Fall we'll go back to Orlando. We have Busch all-park 2 year passes that we bought in Williamsburg, so we'll hit Sea World and hopefully Busch Gardens Tampa one day. We may buy passes and go to WDW just one day to see any new stuff. The boys want to do Universal, but it will depend on whether a super ticket offer comes along.

In 2006, we're going to Hawaii for my 50th birthday. Couldn't make it on our 20th anniversary last year.

Sheila

 

[Kellydelly]

We are a family of 6 with one income and we spend around $2,500 for our annual vacation. That includes a home rental for a week in Orlando, theme park tickets for our stay (two babies are still free admission), 4 nites at a hotel on the Gulf (gotta get my beach fix!), food, gas, and lodging at a hotel on the trip down to FL and back. For $6,000 I could have quite the dream trip ! But spending what we do spend we have a very nice time and aren't staying in a shack or holding back on eating well .

 

[newholidayx2]

about $1500-$2K NOT counting WDW - we like getting away

 

[simonfam76]

this is going to be our second family vacation, we went to disney last year at spring break and decided that we needed a vacation once a year just to get away. last year we spent roughly 1400 that included the tickets and food (mom surprised me and paid for our week at the allstar resort). and this year we are going to universal. leaving may 30th and returning june 7th. staying at nick hotel first night (50 bucks) and then our room at best western movieland is 337.00 and our tickets ran around 400.00 and i'm figuring 1000 will cover our food and souvie's and gas for the time we are there. i'm still new to this vacationing thing lol. one year I hope to stay at a real nice resort but i think that will be when i finish school (going for med transcription) and i am working also. i love the planning though regardless of the money situation
but we want to be able to do a vacation once a year.
this is for a family of four also

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

There are so many variables to vacation spending. Each family is different. I would say we usually spend $1,000-$2,000 each year we do not visit Disney. Last year we spent about $4,000 on vacations, which incl. WDW. We have a mortgage, we have car payments, we haven't finished saving for our kids college educations (they are 3,5&7) and haven't saved much for retirement yet. We were able to visit WDW in 2004 and will not be going back til 2006. This year we plan on taking one small vacation that will cost less than $1,000 so we can start saving money for our 2006 WDW trip. We are currently a single income family, but not for much longer. I should also say that we typically take 2 one week vacations each year.

 

[patsal]

I set aside about 10% of our income for vacation travel and entertainment. When I was a stay at home and we were just starting out that number was much smaller than it is today. We work hard and we play hard. Seems fair. All my obligations are attended to and I can spend that much without taking away from other things. I still budget--can't part with the things I learned so I could stay at home when the kids were little. Really, though we could vacation quite comfortably just on what I no longer pay in daycare, now that the kids get home at the same time I do. That $6000 per year goes a long way!

 

[westjones]

I have to say, after watching that Travel Channel show called "Vacation Challenge", I feel much better about our spending. Today they spent $5000 for a weekend trip (2 adults, 3 kids). That is typical for that show.

DH says that is because so much of the cost is in airfare, and then they only go for a weekend! He figures that if we pay airfare, we should stay for the whole week.

This thread has helped me feel better. As I metioned (and to those of you in your early stages of marriage), we never had expensive vacations until we turned 40. We went tent camping, and to local attractions only.

I follow a tight budget all year long, and put any extra money away for our vacation, but bills are always paid first. I was raised by parents who didn't waste money, and didn't vacation. I suppose I am just feeling a little guilty. BUT I will get over it!

Thanks everyone!
DJ