How do you justify holiday costs?

[RC1807]

condor said:

I think you're right there.
I dreamed of visiting the Galapagos when the first David Attenborough documentaries were shown - but certainly didn't have the funds to go. Recent TV programmes have shown how busy it is now with the various cruise ships and tourists.

If you don't scuba dive, you're not making the most of such an expensive trip.... Rays, hammerhead sharks....not the same if you're not in the sea with them

[Bill]

REALIST123 said:

If you’re not interested in the wildlife there’s definitely little point going.

If you are though, at least a decade or so ago, it was priceless. Face to face with albatross chicks on the nest, while the parents are performing their mating dance, having baby sea lions come up to your feet on a pristine beach, seeing them born, swimming with a whole harem of them with the beach master barking at you!

Swimming with sharks, turtles and endless species of fish.

The unique thing for me about the Galapagos was the behaviour of the wildlife, with no fear or interest in the tourists wandering among them.

You're making me regret not going now! To be fair we did try to go to Isla de la Plata.

[anonymous-user]

Bill said:

REALIST123 said:

If you’re not interested in the wildlife there’s definitely little point going.

If you are though, at least a decade or so ago, it was priceless. Face to face with albatross chicks on the nest, while the parents are performing their mating dance, having baby sea lions come up to your feet on a pristine beach, seeing them born, swimming with a whole harem of them with the beach master barking at you!

Swimming with sharks, turtles and endless species of fish.

The unique thing for me about the Galapagos was the behaviour of the wildlife, with no fear or interest in the tourists wandering among them.

You're making me regret not going now! To be fair we did try to go to Isla de la Plata.

Back then I would have recommended it to anyone, even now some memories are clear as day. Not just the island wildlife, sailing North through the night west of Isabella, phosphorescence streaming from the rear of the boat, 6000m of ocean below us, a clear night sky.

Worth every penny.

[jamoor]

StevieBee said:

Kermit power said:

I think a lot of people replying with things like "you only live once" are maybe missing a critical point.

Yes, it's great to travel, and I love it myself, but how do you justify the holiday costs that come from paying for a package?

I think you need to separate the concept of 'travel' from 'holiday'.

If one defines a holiday as a bit of sun and relaxation then you can grab no end of perfectly reasonable deals for less than £500.

Travelling is entirely different and something that truly broadens minds and opens eyes, something that can make you a better person sometimes. This is something that is worth investing in - the amount being that which you can reasonably afford.

It's the old death bed thing....how many people wish they'd saved a bit more money. How many people wished they'd seen more of the world?

Indeed, you can do travelling on a budget too although it depends where you want to go.

[GT03ROB]

Gawd knows how much I've spent on travel & holidays over the years. Was it worth it, without a doubt.

To sit at home & tend the garden may be very nice, but ultimately it's the equivalent of sitting in a box & looking at the world through a pinhole. It will lead to a myopic outlook on life.

I will say however the answer to this is not spending thousands on a summer trip to the Costa del Plonko

[anonymous-user]

Currently in week 4 of a 7 week SE Asia holiday, backpacking with some flashpacking. Will prob run up around £6-£7k. Two of us.

How do I justify it ? I don't. Its living.

[StevieBee]

jamoor said:

StevieBee said:

Kermit power said:

I think a lot of people replying with things like "you only live once" are maybe missing a critical point.

Yes, it's great to travel, and I love it myself, but how do you justify the holiday costs that come from paying for a package?

I think you need to separate the concept of 'travel' from 'holiday'.

If one defines a holiday as a bit of sun and relaxation then you can grab no end of perfectly reasonable deals for less than £500.

Travelling is entirely different and something that truly broadens minds and opens eyes, something that can make you a better person sometimes. This is something that is worth investing in - the amount being that which you can reasonably afford.

It's the old death bed thing....how many people wish they'd saved a bit more money. How many people wished they'd seen more of the world?

Indeed, you can do travelling on a budget too although it depends where you want to go.

That's a good point. I think we can get conditioned into expecting and requiring a certain standard and quality which of course comes at a price. But I've been fortunate to travel to some truly interesting places and the memories are etched in there forever but I struggle to recall the hotels I stayed in or the flights I took.

[rossub]

StevieBee said:

That's a good point. I think we can get conditioned into expecting and requiring a certain standard and quality which of course comes at a price. But I've been fortunate to travel to some truly interesting places and the memories are etched in there forever but I struggle to recall the hotels I stayed in or the flights I took.

Plenty of places where the accommodation adds to the experience though. A few that have for me:

Fairmont at Lake Louise
Chalet Hotel looking on to the Matterhorn
View Hotel at Monument Valley
Sky Tower in Auckland
Chalets at the foot of Mount Cook

None were cheap, but all definitely worth it.

[GT03ROB]

rossub said:

Plenty of places where the accommodation adds to the experience though. A few that have for me:

Fairmont at Lake Louise
Chalet Hotel looking on to the Matterhorn
View Hotel at Monument Valley
Sky Tower in Auckland
Chalets at the foot of Mount Cook

None were cheap, but all definitely worth it.

Mena House, Cairo.

History in every respect & views...not many better it.

[anonymous-user]

StevieBee said:

jamoor said:

StevieBee said:

Kermit power said:

I think a lot of people replying with things like "you only live once" are maybe missing a critical point.

Yes, it's great to travel, and I love it myself, but how do you justify the holiday costs that come from paying for a package?

I think you need to separate the concept of 'travel' from 'holiday'.

If one defines a holiday as a bit of sun and relaxation then you can grab no end of perfectly reasonable deals for less than £500.

Travelling is entirely different and something that truly broadens minds and opens eyes, something that can make you a better person sometimes. This is something that is worth investing in - the amount being that which you can reasonably afford.

It's the old death bed thing....how many people wish they'd saved a bit more money. How many people wished they'd seen more of the world?

Indeed, you can do travelling on a budget too although it depends where you want to go.

That's a good point. I think we can get conditioned into expecting and requiring a certain standard and quality which of course comes at a price. But I've been fortunate to travel to some truly interesting places and the memories are etched in there forever but I struggle to recall the hotels I stayed in or the flights I took.

I agree in the main though I can recall some of the places I’ve stayed, both of a ‘certain standard and quality’ as you so finely put it, and some not so, that have still created great memories.

A slightly run down plantation owner’s villa in the hills and an ex UN tent in the jungle of Sri Lanka being two of the latter category, though, as you imply, it’s mainly the location that scores.

[Whistle]

Going to Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis then Route 66 with a week in the National parks this summer.
Me my wife and 2 x teenage daughters.

Budget £20k for 5 weeks.

When as a family are we ever going to have an adventure like this again?

That’s how I am justifying it.

[djc206]

Whistle said:

Going to Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis then Route 66 with a week in the National parks this summer.
Me my wife and 2 x teenage daughters.

Budget £20k for 5 weeks.

When as a family are we ever going to have an adventure like this again?

That’s how I am justifying it.

If I may offer some advice, head north east from Atlanta and explore the Smokey’s a bit. This being PistonHeads the blue ridge parkway is a masterpiece of road design. I drove it in a GMC Yukon and still managed to have fun. No coppers out in the sticks there either. You will get stuck behind some knob who has never seen a corner before so rent something with enough guts to get past.

Chattanooga is a good place to spend an evening. Stir will do you a good meal and if you like your whisky/whiskey/bourbon then you’re in luck.

I’m going back to Nashville in June as I loved it so much. Memphis is raw, it’s like someone mated New Orleans and Nashville, bluesy but cleaner and safer than NOLA. Downtown Memphis hosts a car show for the locals with the police letting the owners take the piss with noise early on, worth looking it up. An hour north of Nashville is the national corvette museum.

I think my biggest thing with travel is envy. If anyone at work or a friend says they’re going somewhere or been somewhere I either want to be back there or go there. By the time I die I’m willing to bet I’ll have spent a veritable fortune on travelling vs tangible assets.

[Frank7]

Whistle said:

Going to Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis then Route 66 with a week in the National parks this summer.
Me my wife and 2 x teenage daughters.

Budget £20k for 5 weeks.

When as a family are we ever going to have an adventure like this again?

That’s how I am justifying it.

Good call, enjoy it, if you have time check out Zoo Atlanta in Grant Park, can’t recall the number, but there’s a MARTA bus from 5 Points station that goes there.
The pandas there practically know my wife, she makes a bee line for their enclosure, I almost expect them to call out, “Hey Nicky, how you doing?”
Don’t know if they’re still there, but Memphis Zoo had white tigers, and if you want live music, head for Beale Street.

[RDMcG]

I have travelled massively my whole life. It has had a huge impact on how I see the world. The accumulation of experience, the amazing things to see, the people to meet continue to be a thrill. Even a simple experience of watching a film these day is enhanced when I know the location, and how it feels to be there. There is no possible way to begin to understand somewhere like India without wandering around a bit, not staying just inside some western hotel.
Or going to the tobacco plantations in Cuba, or the amazing architecture of Singapore.

Justification is that the older you get, the less stuff matters.

It is also true that they way you see things at 20 is utterly different than seeing them at 70. I recall being 16 from Ireland and going to London for summer work and being dazzled by it, or seeing Paris at 21. It was all so utterly different, so magical.

I still love the endless highways and massive skies of the American SouthWest where you can just point and take random side trails, and there are more places to see. I have no bucket list ( dreadful term) but of course there is always somewhere new to see. Have never done a package tour or a cruise,nor have I ever stayed at a resort, so maybe they will show up when I am too enfeebled to do it solo

[GT03ROB]

RDMcG said:

I have travelled massively my whole life. It has had a huge impact on how I see the world. The accumulation of experience, the amazing things to see, the people to meet continue to be a thrill. Even a simple experience of watching a film these day is enhanced when I know the location, and how it feels to be there. There is no possible way to begin to understand somewhere like India without wandering around a bit, not staying just inside some western hotel.
Or going to the tobacco plantations in Cuba, or the amazing architecture of Singapore.

You put that far more eloquently than I ever could. It's the flavours, smells, feel. Everywhere is different. Everywhere an experience that grows you as a person. The bit you wrote about seeing a film in a location you've been & having an enhanced experience is spot on.

[rossub]

GT03ROB said:

You put that far more eloquently than I ever could. It's the flavours, smells, feel. Everywhere is different. Everywhere an experience that grows you as a person. The bit you wrote about seeing a film in a location you've been & having an enhanced experience is spot on.

I’m going to see some of the Goonies locations this year - does that count?

That and the ‘Overlook Hotel’ while I’m at it.

[carreauchompeur]

On a side note, Galapagos doesn’t have to cost a family hatchback, have a look at this and surrounding posts on my blog. Perfectly possible to do it independently without a major cruise element... Almost always spaces on boats within 1-2days once you get over there.

https://loquitohermoso.com/2016/08/13/santa-cruz-g...

[Bill]

REALIST123 said:

Back then I would have recommended it to anyone, even now some memories are clear as day. Not just the island wildlife, sailing North through the night west of Isabella, phosphorescence streaming from the rear of the boat, 6000m of ocean below us, a clear night sky.

Worth every penny.

OTOH we spent the time/money elsewhere getting other memories.

[ATG]

Jaguar steve said:

768 said:

How do you justify leaving the cash in the bank and not making the most of life? Do it, show us the pictures.

Easily justified. Leave cash in the bank to earn you a income so you can afford to make the most of life.

Quite. Rather than buying yourselves a few weeks of "freedom" each year, you can pay off your debt, build up some assets and be free all year round.

[Yetski]

ATG said:

Jaguar steve said:

768 said:

How do you justify leaving the cash in the bank and not making the most of life? Do it, show us the pictures.

Easily justified. Leave cash in the bank to earn you a income so you can afford to make the most of life.

Quite. Rather than buying yourselves a few weeks of "freedom" each year, you can pay off your debt, build up some assets and be free all year round.

And maybe die in the process, so waiting to make the most of life did you no good whatsoever.

What to do with your few weeks of freedom now, maybe have a daily check of your bank account in-between reading the financial times and pruning your begonias?

In my youth I lost too many friends to motorbikes (including a few near scrapes myself), in later life lost friends and family due to illness and the industry I have worked in.

I decided long ago to enjoy as much of my life as possible, no holds barred, and travel has been a massive part of that.

Admittedly sacrifices were made, and there's were times when I had nothing, but still managed to get away somewhere to create the memories.

The gambles luckily paid off eventually, but if it were all to end tomorrow there's enough in the memory bank to last 2 lifetimes with no regrets.

Horses for courses though I suppose.