I have had conversations with a few people over the last several weeks regarding how expensive travel is. While I agreed with them, there are some practical things you can do to cut costs, but still enjoy a luxury vacation. This is not to suggest I think you should just travel as cheaply as humanly possible (we discussed that), but there are ways to get luxury without spending $25,000 on a Norwegian cruise (seriously people do this).

 

Don’t Spend a Fortune 

I am targeting my readers who identify as middle class, upper-middle class, or ‘pretty wealthy’ for this conversation. Very few of us can just drop $35,000 for five nights at the White Lotus Hotel in Sicily for their base room. However, that rate does include breakfast!

Now if you are someone that can spend $35,000 on a vacation and not even notice than absolutely you should go, as it looks stunning. Maybe even spend $45,000 on a suite! However even if Matt and I could save for something like that overtime, we would likely not.  Here is why;

Ø Babies and Children

The reality is, unless it is an Adults Only property, you are one vile family or child away from being miserable. Judge me all you want, but I just have this feeling every time you go on vacation and see a loud child nearby or boarding your plane, you immediately pray to every deity you can think that child is sitting or staying nowhere near you. Imagine spending oodles of money to listen to a child all week!

Ø  Adults

In fairness to vile children, there are also vile adults. Matt and I once stayed at the Ritz Carlton Fort Lauderdale and the room and balcony was lovely. What was not lovely was the white trash in the room next to us smoking on their balcony all night and talking very loudly. That is a lot of money to spent to smell cigarettes all night.

Ø  Unpredictable Weather

Imagine spending what is costs to stay in one of those over-water bungalows in the Maldives or Bora Bora, and it rains the entire time.

Ø  Mediocre Staff and Hotel Services

The more you spend on a hotel, the more perfection you will expect. I guarantee if you spend more than you are comfortable with on a room, you will notice every single imperfection. I wasn’t expecting much when I used to travel to places like Saginaw or Fort Wayne for work. As long as my mediocre corporate hotel had a bed, a clean bathroom and coffee I was good. However if I spent $1100 dollars a night on a room, I will notice things like housekeeping not being done every day, or a long wait to be seated at breakfast or the bellman not being able to get us a taxi or the internet being sh*ty.

Flight Delays and Cancellations

You can even splurge for those Singapore Airways private suites, but if your plane stops working, well you are just as screwed as those in Economy. Matt and I got to experience an emergency landing on our way to Paris once, not fun. We were in Economy, but I assume it wasn’t fun for those up front either.

Ø  Babies and Children 

Just want to reiterate this point. If you must spend a fortune on a vacation, make sure it is at an Adults Only property 😊.

The list goes on, but the point is unless you have the means to fly privately and stay wherever you want for as long as you want, there will be imperfections, and that is okay, that is part of life.

Luxury and Value

Value does not mean cheap. When planning your vacation it is important to think about your finances and goals. How much can you spend without feeling stressed about it? That is a question you should consider on any purchase, but I think it is critical for vacations. While I would love to stay at the White Lotus Sicily Hotel, or an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora, they are likely not in the cards anytime soon. Even if I could swing the points or money, I know me and I know I will not love it or be relaxed due to the cost. That savings could have been invested into early retirement, or a new roof, or finishing the basement. Maybe instead of an overwater Bungalow, you stay on a nice beach villa in Thailand. While not free, those are dramatically cheaper, and you can still get that roof! Maybe instead of the White Lotus Hotel in Sicily, you stay at a four star in Sicily with nice views. You still get the Sicilian towns, the food, view and the ability to put more money away!

In Conclusion

The goal of this post is to get you thinking about travel budgets, why things can still go wrong and why your luxury should be met within reason. Part 2 (next week) will offer you practical solutions and suggestions that will still provide luxury, but for less money!

 

Bon Voyage,

Andrew