Would you rather...

[rszdtrvl]

Many small vacations, definitely! At least now.

Three years ago we did our first vacation ever : Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Universal Studios.

The year after we did our second vacation : Disneyland.

This year we did our third vacation : Disneyland, Lego Land, Universal Studios.

All of those vacations were done during Spring Break.

This summer we did 2 nights at Great Wolf Lodge.

Next year, for Spring Break, we are just doing one night at GWL. We had fun, it is closer to home, cheaper, and my son really enjoyed it. He is 13 right now. Plus, we realized this latest spring break that we were Disneyed out. Tired of the crowds.

I would much rather do GWL a night during Spring Break, and 2 nights during the summer than do a long expensive trip. We are working really hard at reducing debt (besides the mortgage only $1200 to go!) and don't want to get into any debt for vacations. GWL is paid for during Spring Break already. If we are to go during the summer 2011, we will need to save up.

 

[neatokimmo]

I would much rather do several budget trips than one luxury trip. I've only got so much money to pull from for vacations. The least amount I spend on things that aren't important to me frees up more money in other categories.

Like we are going to DC on Thursday. We are packing breakfast and lunch to eat on the train. I'm bringing powered Gatorade to mix in our water bottles for drinks. I'll bring snacks and fruit with us. Oatmeal packets for breakfast. Food isn't important to me. Souvenirs aren't important to me. Really a room isn't either as long as it's clean. The experience of being there is what's important. The money I'll save from this trip by spending 5 minutes tossing things into a bag pays for one set of tips on the cruise. Or our share of one night in NYC. Or another set of train tickets to DC for Chinese New Year.

 

[disneychrista]

Since all our vacations are what most would consider "Budget" I would have to go with Budget.

 

[disneyofcourse]

double

 

[disneyofcourse]

I'd have to say I'm very picky about my vacations. I'd rather not take a vacation for a few months and save the money up for longer until I can afford what I like. I need nice hotels,eating meals out and room service. Well I don't need-need it, but I like it.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I do both so that I can do both.

We have what we consider an extravagant trip coming up in October. Yet, we just booked a short trip for this weekend and we are staying in a Motel 6.

Good lord, did I just type that? Yes, yes I did.

We felt the need to get away this weekend and Priceline failed to get me a posh place for what Motel 6 charges. It is supposed to be an upgraded Motel 6, or so they say.

We'll see. Regardless, I will be with Husband so it shall be an adventure.

I honestly thought he was calling my bluff by suggesting Motel 6. I sure showed him!

 

[Vijoge]

Well, there are budget vacations and there are budget Disney vacations! DH and I once camped at a state park for 10 nights for less than $500, including gas and food.

I suppose all of our Disney vacations could be considered budget by some standards.

The first time we drove to Florida, stayed off-site, and only ate at 1 TS restaurant.

The second time we drove to Florida, stayed at ASMO with a pin code, had DDP.

The third time we flew to Florida, stayed at CSR, and had free Dining.

Our next trip we're flying to Florida, staying at BLT using points given to us by our son who is a DVC member, and paying OOP for food.

 

[hipchickie]

budget, absolutely. Personally, i am not comfortable in a "5 star" setting...I have kids, and while they are well behaved, polite children; they are still kids, and I want to stay someplace "casual" enough to not be worried about them bothering other guests.
As the PP said though, what constitutes budget for us could be extravagant for others. While we go to disney often, and generally for 10 days every time, it is always in a value. We went to Africa a couple years ago, and Mexico next year...they cost about the same as our Disney vacation when broken down to per day.

 

[disneymom3]

We do budget vacations all the time. We have just as much fun, if not more (sometimes the thrill of the hunt of the bargain is a lot of the fun it itself....but maybe I am weird!)

And I honestly can't enjoy the all out expensive vacation knowing that it cost so much. Eating at Disney's all you can eat buffets cost around $150 for our family with tip and tax. That is what I can feed us on for a week. I just can't do it anymore. Or maybe I should say, I can't do it often.

This next trip I did buy Arabian Knights dinner tickets in advance when SkyAuction had them for $25 each (normally $63). So, it is a planned and pre-purchased event and was less than 50% of the cost.

So, we find ways.....but don't just go with an open ended credit card.....

Dawn

Oh my, we are thinking so alike these days. We went on a pretty all out trip to WDW last Jan. Our tickets were a deal and we stayed with a timeshare exchange at BCVs for most of the time, but still spent a LOT more than we usually do. I still feel like we spent too much even though we had it in the budget to spend. For me, the budget and doing it for a good price is part of the fun. I like saving money.

I grew up with parents who were kids during the depression. You just get used to a certain way of living. We had vacations every single summer. Always driving and most days stopping at a city park for picnic lunches that mom had packed in the cooler. Those lunches are probably my favorite memory of vacations. (That and the time my dad stopped on the side of a hwy so I could pick wild raspberries.) Now, I do that when we drive--which is always--and yep, my kids love it and depend on it. They also love eating cereal and having juice boxes in the car if we stay overnight with somewhere that doesn't have free breakfast.

I think that's what I can't do. I booked a cheapy cabin one year on a cruise, I swear I was maybe 1 floor above Charleston Heston rowing with the rest of the prisoners. It was horrible. My dh looked at me and said "never again, if we can't afford a decent cabin we'll skip"

So I guess I have a "level" where I won't go below no matter if it's the deal of the century.

Too funny. We have been in that type of cabin before. My wonderful mother took about 30 of us on a cruise for what would have been she and my dad's 50th anniversary. So, having to pay for 30 people, she basically got the cheapest cabins she could. Wow......we were right at the anchor. My brother swore the anchor was under his bed. His 6 yo was actually under there looking for it.

Now, I did go on a cruise when I was in college and we were down with Charleston Heston too. However, our room was huge and my roomate and I had never been on any kind of vacation on our own so we loved it.

 

[hopemax]

I like both. But would rather take a budget vacation somewhere, than stay at home for two long. My personality is a wanderlust.

My family has always been the type to look for deals. We took vacations to great and fabulous destinations, but they were always on as small of a budget as possible. If you are patient, and have the money stocked away, you can find some pretty amazing deals. When I was 18, my Grandma paid for us all to go on Alaska cruise...but we stayed in an inside stateroom. In 2007, we took the Magic to the Med, with a Veranda but with the discounts they were offering, it was like 50% off. The other Disney cruise, we had a veranda, but it was booked as a CM "space available" rate, so it was more than 50% off.

Although, as I get older, I find the more willing I am to spend the $45K to take those "around the world" cruises and such. The $1300 airfare to get back from Barcelona after the cruise was , but now, I'm starting to think it's not so bad . But I think, I'd rather give up eating out, give up cable, watch the thermostat than wait too long for another vacation.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

lol, around the world sounds awesome, and I've never been on that type of cruise. We are more the charter a sailboat in the virgin islands kind of folk. That was incredible, but it was a gift trip, lol.

Wanderlust is the word here, too. If I can find a way to make something an adventure, I am all about that. I enjoy the process, too. Finding a way to make it work is a part of the journey.

 

[Meandyou]

I would definatly take more budget vacations than more expensive ones. For us it is all about getting away from the every day and enjoying our kids. That being said I do have some standards like I need a bed and it has to be clean. We went to the beach once and even the dog would not walk into the room Needless to say we got our money back and found somewhere else.We went to Disney last year with them (4 and 2 years old) We ate many meals back at the condo to save money.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

ugh. I agree. I don't stay in nasty places. I like comfort, and finding it within budget is a treasure!

 

[patsal]

I'd rather go than miss out, so I 'd go super budget rather than not at all! While I enjoy a nice luxury vacation, every travel experience need not be one. I also feel like I'd be remiss to my children if I only gave them the best all the time. They may not be able to afford to go on high budget destinations but I wouldn't want them to give up travel altogether as a result. By showing them other options they have learned to be able to go and not worry about putting off travel until it can be 5 star.

I purposely took them to Spain on a very budget trip. I wanted to show them that once they had the transportation to Europe paid for, they could travel safely and on a very tight budget. We stayed in a nice, but small family accomadation for about $50 US per night. Clean, and a little off the beaten path, but close to a subway station. We used the public transportation, shopped in the local supermarket, went to all the museums and did a walking tour. When all was said and done we (family of 4) vacationed in Spain for 6 nights for around $1200 including the airfare. They learned more that trip than any other we had ever been on and it was very budget friendly. We even took the train to Toledo for a day trip so they learned to use that transport system as well.

 

[NancyIL]

I purposely took them to Spain on a very budget trip. I wanted to show them that once they had the transportation to Europe paid for, they could travel safely and on a very tight budget. We stayed in a nice, but small family accomadation for about $50 US per night. Clean, and a little off the beaten path, but close to a subway station. We used the public transportation, shopped in the local supermarket, went to all the museums and did a walking tour. When all was said and done we (family of 4) vacationed in Spain for 6 nights for around $1200 including the airfare. They learned more that trip than any other we had ever been on and it was very budget friendly. We even took the train to Toledo for a day trip so they learned to use that transport system as well.

That sounds like a wonderful trip, and I'm sure your kids will have fond memories of it for a long time!

For budget-friendly travel in Europe that doesn't involve backpacking like a college kid - I love Rick Steves' travel books. I just bought the 2011 edition of Europe Through the Back Door - which I first read in 1999 while planning our family's first trip to Europe. I also like his philosophy that "We travel all the way to Europe to enjoy differences - to become temporary locals." That was easier to do when my daughters and I stayed in an apartment in Paris for 3 nights and shopped in the market like the locals. It was quite a different experience than our previous visit to Paris - when my husband and I stayed in a fancy hotel off the Champs Elysees.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Lol, what a fun trip! I did Europe on $20 dollars a day many many years ago! I love teaching them that the world I a great place. My oldest spent the summer helping rebuild homes in Indonesia. He has the wanderlust gene.

 

[Ava]

For budget-friendly travel in Europe that doesn't involve backpacking like a college kid - I love Rick Steves' travel books. I just bought the 2011 edition of Europe Through the Back Door - which I first read in 1999 while planning our family's first trip to Europe. I also like his philosophy that "We travel all the way to Europe to enjoy differences - to become temporary locals." That was easier to do when my daughters and I stayed in an apartment in Paris for 3 nights and shopped in the market like the locals. It was quite a different experience than our previous visit to Paris - when my husband and I stayed in a fancy hotel off the Champs Elysees.

I love Rick Steves, I used to watch his show on PBS all the time.

I did the backpacking thing the summer after I graduated from college. My parents bought me a 15-trip Eurail Pass as my graduation gift & a friend and I spent a little over 6 weeks traveling. We hit 15 cities, making a loop from London to Prague & back. It was definitely a BUDGET trip but it was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We stayed in some really neat hostels & apartments - in Paris we stayed in the Montmartre district (where the Moulin Rouge is) & had the most gorgeous view of the Sacre Coeur from our window. The only bad experience we had was our hostel in Barcelona had bed bugs! We didn't discover it until our last night there, we both woke up itchy & my friend figured out why. We showered & left at 5am without paying for the rest of our stay. Spent the next couple of hours washing all of our clothes & bags, then took a nap on the beach. It was definitely a memorable experience.

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

Budget rather than none. But this year...none it is . But we are having a surprise baby...so I think I got a better deal .

We 'try' for a more expensive vacay every 2-3 yrs (Disney, or DCL), and we did DCL just last August. I don't know if we can continue to do expensive once baby #3 gets here...but I wouldn't mind a cheap beach trip or something economical in the next year or two.

 

[NancyIL]

I love Rick Steves, I used to watch his show on PBS all the time.

I did the backpacking thing the summer after I graduated from college. My parents bought me a 15-trip Eurail Pass as my graduation gift & a friend and I spent a little over 6 weeks traveling. We hit 15 cities, making a loop from London to Prague & back. It was definitely a BUDGET trip but it was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We stayed in some really neat hostels & apartments - in Paris we stayed in the Montmartre district (where the Moulin Rouge is) & had the most gorgeous view of the Sacre Coeur from our window. The only bad experience we had was our hostel in Barcelona had bed bugs! We didn't discover it until our last night there, we both woke up itchy & my friend figured out why. We showered & left at 5am without paying for the rest of our stay. Spent the next couple of hours washing all of our clothes & bags, then took a nap on the beach. It was definitely a memorable experience.

Great trip! That's the age to do the backpacking through Europe trip - before you get too picky about accommodations.

I wish I had traveled overseas when I was still single, but apparently I was too broke! I finally made it to Europe with my husband and kids in 2000, and returned in 2002, 2005, 2009, and 2010. Those weren't exactly cheap trips, but they were made possible because I got a lot of bang out of my travel bucks.

 

[fabmic]

I would rather a budget trip than no trip just so we could go deluxe in a few weeks. Some of my favorite vacations have cost the least amount of money. DH and I have camped to be able to go on a vacation.