oneworld82

Dude... Those are your parents...

peachfront

I know. You said it but we were all thinking it.

But it goes the other way too. Those who know me, know that in a past life I played on a blackjack team, so I would get tons and tons of junkets and cruises and more trips than I could ever take. I could never get my parents to take any of those trips. Very sad. I actually took someone ELSE'S mom on one of my cruises.

The years go quickly, and the opportunity you think will always be there, might not always be there. I've used vouchers/points to visit the folks, even though it might seem silly when I could just hop in the car and drive. You can always earn more points, and "international travel" will always be there.

milesmuncher

Not only am I traveling beyond my means on miles and points, but so is the rest of the family!

Examples:

• Me and the Mrs sitting up front on our trip to South Africa in a few months
• Dad and step-mom's flight to SF, and hotels for a week in Wine Country as a wedding gift
• 2 of us + 4 in-laws to Hawaii for a family celebration
• 2 of us + my mom, + siblings w/ sig others to Greece at a date TBD

I certainly wouldn't have been able to cover all those w/o miles and points - and in many cases, family wouldn't have even been able to cover themselves. The fact that it's "on points" is what makes them feel alright about accepting the gifts in some cases as well. If they thought we were paying $, there's no way they'd accept!

Earning 'em faster than I can burn 'em...

chrisvt

Add me to the list.

Just booked three trips for my girlfriend and I, two on miles, and the third paying cash with the money we saved by using miles on the first two trips (and because the flights were too cheap to justify miles), all within the next 10 months. Not the most exotic or aspirational locations (camping in California, Riviera Maya in Mexico, and Paris>Rome) but exactly where we wanted to go.

Early 30s and make a decent living at a non-profit, but never could have afforded flights for all three within a single year. We don't feel guilty or apologetic about any of it and are already thinking about the next trip!

DHAST

I guess I spent a lot of time talking about how I don't feel all that compelled to visit their home. But, I did mention that we manage to get together once or twice a year at various points, so it's not like we never see them. It might not be at their house, but we still do things together. This year, we're meeting up in Chicago for a weekend before we fly out to Hong Kong

Honestly, though, the points thing is a two way street. I picked up a million points in my own name over the last year and a half (wife has crappy credit). If my mom and dad could do even half that, they'd have how many domestic plane tickets and hotel nights?

International travel might always be there, but my youth, ability to get around, and have the vacation time to do it may not be. My parents are in their early 60's and in perfect health. They can take a 1.5 hour plane ride as easily as I can.

I just don't feel all that compelled to visit a town I didn't grow up in.

Happy

Would she pay some of the bills out from her own sources?

Happy

We are in the same boat regarding long trips - ours generally are 30 to 45 days long - may be 1/3 of the length is covered by free hotel stays. The rest are all paid nights whether it is on land or at sea. I have also found the transportation cost a major cash item - whether it is inter-cities on LCCs in Europe, or the local trains for day trips, r/t from/to airports, metro/bus within cities - all add up to the biggest cash item from the total cash cost of a trip... Foods actually much lower than that as we often take picnic lunch when we travel in Europe.

AlohaDaveKennedy

And what is so wrong with spending like a backpacker? My scouts spend like backpackers all the time as they travel about on their adventures.

"Sure, we don't have to spend that much, but I don't want to stay in 5* hotels and then spend like a backpacker."

wise2u

I have found over the years that a good vacation seems to cost us $100 per day per person, even with suplementing it with free flights or free hotel.

Very few trips unless thoroughly planned can be done completely free.
a few examples: we enjoy all inclusive resorts for the simple fact that food and beverage can be the most expensive things besides a room in most foriegn countries. It is cheaper to go to the Riu in Playa del Carmen Mexico than it is to stay at a mom and pop hotel on 5th ave. and eat and drink in the overpriced tourist traps within walking distance...(not the case 10-15 years ago, but it is today....hell Florida is cheaper)
Most midrange AI resorts in MX and the islands run $100 pp/pn add free air to keep it near the magic number.
Cruises, weve been on 5 or 6 ...other than back to back x-mas/new years cruises I scored for free (just port taxes and tips) through Harrahs being partners with NCL...all have averaged about $100 pp/pn they are by far the most complicated to plan and budget without a calculator, on top of the low teaser cabin rate you have flights, transfers, port charges, required tips, fuel surcharges, bartab (or sneaking in some booze), soda cards, shore excursions....to be able to do it in a balcony cabin for $100 pp/pn is a good goal...and basically that is the rate they have stayed at over the last 15 years on 5 of the more affordable lines (carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCL, princess, celebrity) Fun way to see many places and decide which to return visit and stay for longer.
Hawaii...our favorite, but without AI resorts a bit of a challange. Flight from ATL (now DFW) was always on points, last time in First, will be hard to go back to coach. Hotels on points or a few I scored awesome deals on aution sites...we even prefer VRBO condos for some cities....having a kitchen saves on some meals. We always go for 2+ weeks and usually 2+ islands and when we get home car rental/parking/gas/food/beverage/entertainment still hits around $100 pp/pn sometimes more if we do helicopter tours and such.
I thought this would hold true in Europe as well even if we have free flights and hotel, because of the weak dollar and food/car rental/gas/entertainment prices....the coming years will tell....I think cruising the med might be a good way to start, and maybe staying near friends in Germany could keep costs down.
I thought this price point was a product of foriegn destinations but found even our domestic vacations seem to hover around that price point.
Granted Vegas can take as much money as you want to spend, but even our trips to the gulf coast of Fla. (driving from Ga.) would hit between $75 and $100 pp/pn...granted I usually didnt use many hotel points and stayed at cheap beachfront hotels, we rent a boat for a day or 2, and the rest is gas/food/drink....not hard to drop $1400 for a weeks stay.
When people ask how we travel so much I try and explain at first, and when I see the glazed look of boredom come over the listeners face, I drop it.
Personally I think you should make up something like I sneak on the planes, stay in empty rooms and eat out of dumpsters.....if everyone knew how easy it was and was as interested as we are, the deal would be dead from overusage.

P.S. next trip might come in much cheaper...6 nights in PVR for me and wife, 30k BA miles+$230 taxes, $200 transfers and taxis, 120k choice hotel points for the Barcelo AI resort in Puerto Vallarta, I can beat the number if we dont spend $770 in duty free/souvineers/ and entertainment (snorkel boats, zoo, daytrips into town)....probably wind up at $50-$60 PP/PN in addition to what the points cost us.

echip

Yup, transportations cost are not cheap. $50 to and from home airport = $100.
Another $50 to and from destination airport = another $100.
Foods are cheap in developing countries, but not so in developed countries.
For international, passport costs if you don't already have one or needed to renew. Also visa costs to some countries. Not to mention all the things on your to do list when you get there. All add up to lots of mula.

peachfront

You're not visiting a town. You're visiting your folks. There's something else going on here. In my example, I know perfectly well what "something else" was. My parents were convinced that playing cards to win was pretty much a crime and I was going to be gunned down like a movie villain so why hang out with me. I don't know, can't guess, what's going on with your family, but a couple decades from now, you might feel pretty silly about it. Or they might be the ones who feel silly, who knows. I'm pretty sure that now my folks regret the missed opportunities but there's no turning back the clock. There is no such thing as being in your early 60s and in perfect health. There's being in your early 60s and being in good health for your age but that's it.

amolkold

I'm 22 as well. Have many friends who are just stunned at the trips I've taken just this year (see: 2 TRs in signature). Have a job but not one that pays a ton.

I've had a Citi card since the day I turned 18. Also been an AMEX Authorized User since age 17. Sometime during age 20, I decided to use that high-700s FICO for something, and it was the BA 100K card. Miles have been pouring in ever since.

I go easy on the AoRs since my history isn't that long, but it'll be 6 months since my last app in a few weeks, and I'm reeling to get my hands on some of the post-summer blockbusters.

vxmike

I have that same problem. I've gotten to the point where I almost don't want to stay at the really nice hotels/resorts for that reason alone. It sucks to stay at a place but feel suckered when the resort fee hurts, you can't eat at the restaurant or have drinks at the bar/pool/beach, and the staff seem to look at you with disdain when I insist on schlepping my own bags to the room. Even though I could technically "afford" to do so especially that I've gotten a great or free rate on the room, it's just not my style to spend that kind of $$ on extras.

As for the "travel class envy" I've gotten used to that, and my friends/coworkers are used to the fact I travel to a lot more places than my peers and mostly in premium cabins. I don't have kids and have always worked tons of overtime, so I've always been able to do more than the more typical family people who can't work the extra hours and have the expenses of a family. It's the lifestyle I choose, and it comes with both pros and cons compared to the more traditional alternatives.

DHAST

Feel pretty silly about what, exactly? I've seen my folks once or twice a year for the last three years, just not in their town, and that's good enough for me. As you said, I'm not visiting a town, I'm visiting my folks. What's it to you in which town I actually see them?

DHAST

I spend *a lot* of time investigating the F&B options around the resorts I look at. We've eaten at a few hotel places (and even gotten room service) and it actually feels weird when we do. When we went to Bali last year, we stayed at the Laguna, and it was particularly bad in terms of the convenience of off-resort locations. On our trip this time around, it was a toss up between the St. Regis and the W, and the W won out because it's much more in the middle of things.

We're spending some time in Phuket as well, and *wood has a new property called the Naka Island. They've had some interesting rates and promos, and I've been half tempted to check the place out. However, speed boat transfers and F&B can be killers. Considering that the LM Khao Lak was/is running a low season special that gives two free drinks per room per day + 25% off F&B and 50% off spa, well, that won out.

I work with a mix of rather young people and a handful of old people. (The young kids are all math and science geeks and the old people are pretty much all retired aviation industry people.) I haven't run into the same "OMG you do what?" responses that some people talk about here. In fact, I get a few people who ask what cards they should be signing up for or ask about my opinion of a particular card -- including some of the old guys.

Just today, one of my friends asks me about a backpacker-type trip her and a friend are planning. (Others in the group want to do a lot of hopping around.) I asked her what her airfare and intra-country transportation costs are going to be. Considering I got her to sign up for the AA card last year, she looks at me and says "a couple grand. You're going to kick my ..., aren't you?" (Pretty much.) She's actually considering pushing off the trip a year so she can rack up some points.