Would you rather?

[HM]

One of our vacations each year is to our timeshare. I probably cook half our meals when we stay there and the others are eaten out or brought in.

When we do family trips to the beach (rent a house) we take turns making dinners and do mostly sandwiches for lunch. So, we cook then too.

We also do other vacations where we don't cook at all. They feel like a splurge to me. (I've never cooked at WDW....even in a DVC rental).

Me, I'm not huge on splurge. I like to be economical if possible. I have to get in a new mindset when we stay at an expensive place (The Homestead in VA or the Biltmore House in NC as examples).

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'm am so a luxury gal. For me these are my top reasons...

1) during my real life I'm a budget gal so for 48-50 weeks out of the year I'm thinking about cost. My vacations are my escape from reality so I splurge.

2) I know this sounds bad but as far as hotels go, I don't want to travel worst than I live at home. For me a hotel is more than a place to shower and sleep so I want to be at least as comfortable as I am at home.

3) I can do "staycations". I do know a lot of people who can't "stay-cation", I can. I love my region of the country, so much to do that If I'm on a non travelling budget I can usually have really nice weekends close to my home, pretty cheaply.

4) now cooking for me is a no-no. I love cooking but what I find is that in my family, often the person who does the cooking rarely sits down and enjoys the meal and then there is the clean up. I cook for my "men-folk", they're all sitting down enjoying the meal while I;m the one up checking food, turning stuff off and wiping down. uh, I think not. When we stay at a villa we do pick up cereal, entemmans, eggo waffles etc etc but the only thing I'm putting heat to is the water in the tea kettle to make some tea.
LOL I use to joke with my dh that, that was why God made the Broadwalk bakery.

We tried to do values 1 time and both dh and I said, we'll stay home and save up if the values were all our budget could handle.

We nearly did a staycation last year. Lots of fun stuff to do close to home. My concern was we wouldn't break the routine. We'd end up eating a lot at home, DW would be doing laundry, I'd be cutting the grass, still gotta walk the dog & get bills out of the mailbox. I'm not opposed to the idea, I'd just have to be side it was a REAL vacation from reality, not just work

 

[pryncess527]

I prefer to travel in luxury even if it means less often. I'm pretty satisfied by staycations at home -- with no kids and a healthy video game obsession, DH and I can "escape" the real world on a regular basis from the comfort of our couch. When we take a real vacation we like to splurge!

This is also why we have not been on a real vacation since our honeymoon 10 years ago, lol.

 

[DizMe]

A vacation is a luxury, and as such, I want it to be something that gives me an escape from what I do on a day-to-day basis. I have 5 kids (but only 3 still at home) and a father with Alzheimer's and cancer who lives with me and for whom I'm the primary caregiver.

I don't want to stay in a cheap motel and I don't want to cook, clean, do laundry, etc. I want it to be a getaway that gives me something I don't get very often, and for me that's time and being taken care of, neither of which happens at home. I love fancy but I'll take moderate as long as I can relax and enjoy my time off. I don't do cheap--I'd rather stay home.

So for me, I'd much rather stay in a very nice/luxury place and go less often, with the recognition that some trips (like Yosemite, for instance) will be about the surroundings and not the relaxation so they won't follow that rule.

 

[hsmamato2]

travel more If I can have one luxury trip, or 4 not luxury trips ina year, I will never choose luxury. I like to go places,and experience things. Many times,that means much less luxury than I have at home, sometimes it means more..... I don't mind camping,I also like a balcony at the Beach Club, or a nice room at Universal overlooking the parks, staying at a hostel (it was awesome) or a b&B where the locals hang out....(so nice) For me, it's about doing stuff. Not the room I'm sleeping in. I always bring food with me, since the one thing my family agrees on is we don't like getting up and dragging ourselves out to eat in the morning. A vacation is wherever we are, enjoying the srrounding while relaxing and getting the day started...(while relaxing) It's more relaxing for me to make my own coffee,and toast my own bagel than to go to a restaurant. (I save that for dinners lol)

 

[trinchick]

I'm a middle of the road person, in that as a PP mentioned, I'm not bringing a crockpot in my carry-on to make meatballs in a hotel room. However, I do like to rent a house/condo with a full kitchen so that we can eat breakfasts and a few dinners at home.

Like many others have mentioned, this isn't just about saving money, although that is a nice benefit. We have two small kids. For those who say cooking on vacation is no vacation -- well, neither is wrangling two small kids in a restaurant three times a day! More often than not they pick at their meals only to announce half an hour later that they're hungry. Plus I wolf down my food hoping to get the meal done before they get the wiggles. If I can keep our restaurant meals to one a day, we're all happier in the end.

We also like to take three vacations a year: a fun vacation (like Disney), a culture/city/history vacation (Washington DC or similar), and a relaxing vacation (beach). One of those trips is usually 2 weeks long. In all instances, I seek good values for accommodations, entertainment, and meals. Sometimes that may mean staying at the Intercontinental in London through a lucky Priceline bid and eating out all the time. Other times that may mean finding a waterfront cottage right on the beach and preparing all our own meals.

 

[eliza61]

We nearly did a staycation last year. Lots of fun stuff to do close to home. My concern was we wouldn't break the routine. We'd end up eating a lot at home, DW would be doing laundry, I'd be cutting the grass, still gotta walk the dog & get bills out of the mailbox. I'm not opposed to the idea, I'd just have to be side it was a REAL vacation from reality, not just work

Hey Gumbo,
We literally have to "plan" it just like an away vacation or your right, you can end up doing the same old routine.

So well plan a day in NYC and I'll investigate restaurants, parking, attraction times etc just like I do for the world.

A couple of times we've told people we were going out of time because we didn't want to start taking calls.

The only thing we stick with is the dog. LOL since usually we'll put him in a kennel for vacation and that can be ridiculously expensive.


It actually some times can turn out really nice because I've discovered some hidden gems in my own backyard.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We're definitely in the vacation more camp. We don't mind cooking on vacation, heck we even prefer it most nights. We always stay at a condo or townhouse with a full kitchen and enjoy having access to it. DH and I (and our kids to some degree) share cooking duties, as well as clean up, which is how we handle things at home too. We have breakfast at the condo, lunch at whatever park we're at and dinner sometimes at the park or sometimes at the condo. For dinners, if we're going to eat out, we usually get takeout and bring it back to the condo.

 

[Shanan]

We generally do the value resorts when we go to WDW but we do st down restaurants and enjoy our time there. We are hardly in our rooms so why pay extra for a room that we only sleep in.
DH travels a lot with his job so we normally don't travel that much. We are going to visit friends at their beach house in Galveston over July 4th weekend. Almost all of my vacation time was used up earlier this year with Family Medical Leave .
We are planning an Alaskan cruise in 4 years. After lots of research we are going to do an un-cruise. Have a separate vacation savings account that is set up at a totally different bank then where our regular checking/savings accounts are.
So I guess I am middle road for vacations

 

[mrsabbott]

I say we would be more middle ground kind of people.. I have realized that vacationing is a good thing for our family and plan to do it more often.. But we have to do it on a budget. But that budget is all about getting more bang for your buck. Finding the right lodging at the right price.. Getting a good deal on tickets.. And budgeting a way to eat out each day! Doing a load of laundry each day isn't a big deal for me. Bringing quick and easy breakfast foods, snacks, sandwich fixings, and a few frozen pizzas isn't too taxing for me. We breakfast at home, brings snacks with us to the park, and eat one big meal out.. On non park days, it's sandwiches, pizza, maybe leftovers from last nights dinner out.. It is all about easy to prepare and easy to clean up! Finding the right balance between budget and luxury is the key!

 

[chocolatemint]

I feel it's important to note that not everyone defines "luxury" the same way.

For example, DH and I love to cook. I find it far more luxurious and relaxing to be sitting by the private pool in my flip flops and bikini enjoying fresh seafood, a nicely grilled filet & a bottle of wine than bothering with all that's involved in going to a restaurant. I can make a really lavish meal in less time than it takes me to get dressed for a restaurant.

In my opinion, there's not much in life that's better than a gourmet picnic with a chilled bottle of wine right on the beach.

I do enjoy eating out -- if it's really fantastic and not something I can make myself, and if it's not every day. Restaurant food gets tiresome.

I also find it more relaxing to pack less and do laundry. We carry-on only, and lugging less stuff through the airport is much more enjoyable for us. I would much rather trade the ease of traveling light for a load or two of laundry that is going to only take me 10 minutes at most.

Taking Disney buses? Not relaxing, not luxurious IMO. So driving takes less time out of my vacation and is less of a chore than taking public transportation.

If I was going to have a really top-shelf vacation, I'd have a personal driver, chef and a maid for all these tasks, but that's out of the budget for now.

So all of that is to say -- we can do *our* level of luxury fairly inexpensively. And I would always choose more travel vs. less... ALWAYS.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

Definitely would rather take more vacations that were more budget minded than fewer more luxurious ones!(Although I know that many people would say ANY annual trip to WDW was a luxury! -- gotta love the bubble that is the Dis).

Now that I am a single parent and work a fairly demanding job, vacations are my best quality times with DS. At WDW, we usually stay at a value-- his preference at this age-- and good for the wallet too. We don't eat in the room unless we have a full kitchen-- like when we go to the beach. However, I don't mind leisurely cooking on vacation, as I don't get a chance to do it a lot during "real life".

 

[rab1022]

We faced this very dilemma last year. For the past few years we'd gone on a DCL trip every 6-8 months, but they were all in the off season. When our oldest entered kindergarten this year and we realized we'd have to sail during Spring Break/Summer, we looked at the prices and were blown away.

A few days later, we purchased a high-wall popup camper and annual passes to WDW!

In the past year, we've spent a total of 25 days at WDW! All told (trips, passes, camper payment, etc), we've only spent about $1000 more than we would have for a single 7 night cruise in the summer.

We both grew up camping and love it and both of our DDs think the camper is the coolest thing imaginable, so it works out great for us! Our goal next year is to spend an entire month at Fort Wilderness!

 

[hpsalb]

Like many others have mentioned, this isn't just about saving money, although that is a nice benefit. We have two small kids. For those who say cooking on vacation is no vacation -- well, neither is wrangling two small kids in a restaurant three times a day! More often than not they pick at their meals only to announce half an hour later that they're hungry. Plus I wolf down my food hoping to get the meal done before they get the wiggles. If I can keep our restaurant meals to one a day, we're all happier in the end.

Amen! I've also found that a quick meal in a cooler at WDW is faster than QS, since DS turns into a monster when he is hungry. He had a meltdown at HS just as we were about to head to H&V for lunch, couldn't wait 10 min. It's just so easy to grab the food and hand it over. Luxury or not, just makes our trip easier.

I would rather "cook" a meal myself so I can enjoy a nicer one later. I don't want to eat QS all day when I can make lunch and enjoy TS for dinner.

I also find it more relaxing to pack less and do laundry. We carry-on only, and lugging less stuff through the airport is much more enjoyable for us. I would much rather trade the ease of traveling light for a load or two of laundry that is going to only take me 10 minutes at most.

I totally agree with this, although my friends seem to think this is crazy. As long as we have a w/d in our place, it's not that hard. Going to a laundromat would be a different story.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Hey Gumbo,
We literally have to "plan" it just like an away vacation or your right, you can end up doing the same old routine.

So well plan a day in NYC and I'll investigate restaurants, parking, attraction times etc just like I do for the world.

A couple of times we've told people we were going out of time because we didn't want to start taking calls.

The only thing we stick with is the dog. LOL since usually we'll put him in a kennel for vacation and that can be ridiculously expensive.


It actually some times can turn out really nice because I've discovered some hidden gems in my own backyard.

We'd have to have some rules about chores & maybe shut off the mail

I'm sure we too would be stuck with the dog though

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I splurge on location. Ie ocean front or deluxe resort at Disney. I don't cook on vacation but I don't eat out every meal either. I'll buy food at the grocery store like yogurt, fruit , cereal etc. I'm a gold hilton member so get free breakfast at their hotels. We get carry out at the beach. At Disney we do 3 TS meals and some quick service meals in addition to groceries. I value location but don't spend a ton on food

 

[Arielle22]

We go away for at least a few days every year. It used to be we did Disney every 2-3 years but with recent raises we have been able to go more often.

When we go to Disney, we like to do luxury. I do not want to cook or do laundry. My favorite meal of the day is breakfast so we will do sit down. Usually we eat 2 full meals a day and snacks instead of a third meal.

Our other trips are more budget. The last few years we went camping and I cooked all but 2 meals.

 

[trinchick]

I don't cook on vacation but I don't eat out every meal either. I'll buy food at the grocery store like yogurt, fruit , cereal etc.

Yes, when I say we "cook" at the house/condo/cottage, I use that term very loosely! We make good use of the grocery store's prepared foods (rotisserie chicken, potato salad, salad bar, etc.) and toss together easy meals like pasta with jarred sauce, ground beef, and a salad (again from the grocery store salad bar) or hot dogs with chips and bagged caesar salad. Breakfasts are bagels/cream cheese, yogurt, fruit, cereal and the like. We don't spend our time slaving over a hot stove, that's for sure!

We also keep cleanup relatively easy. Breakfast is served on paper plates. Dinners are served directly onto plates out of the pots and pans instead of serving dishes, and we even put pots and pans into the dishwasher (gasp!). These are shortcuts we never take at home but it makes it so we can serve dinner, clean up and get back to the fun with relatively little effort.

 

[AquaDame]

Would you rather vacation more often on the cheap or less often with more luxury?

I'm curious as this being the budget board I see lots of posts about bringing food from home and cooking all meals on vacation.

This to me is not a vacation. I don't want to have to cook on vacation. I don't even want to cook in regular life lol. I am in the camp of traveling less often but spending more on luxury.

Obviously luxury travel and frequent travel means different things to different people, but relatively speaking which travel philosophy do you subscribe to?

I think thats just a difference in personality though. I love to cook and eat my own food... too often we go out, spend a ton of money and its really not better than what I can do on my own (sometimes its just yuck).

I don't subscribe to anything I like it all. Some vacations are quick cheapy ones, others are long expensive ones. Just depends what our budget is and what we want to do (I do not need luxury for a local beach trip or camping for example but if we are visiting a new city I like trying some of their "best" restaurants!)

 

[JandJ]

We take luxurious vacations at budget prices

You can go to some amazing places for less, and not sacrifice the finer things, if you're willing to do the work up front. Lots and lots of research and leg work to figure things out pays for itself in the long run. DH and I like to travel. We weren't blessed with children, we live well below our means, he works very hard at a very demanding job, and I'm in grad school studying my bum off so I can work very hard at a very demanding job. A luxurious vacation is a reward. But we're frugal at heart, so don't mind putting in the work to find luxury deals.