What's Your Annual Travel Budget?

[mexexpat]

When we retired at age 50/51, we set a $10K yearly limit.

Now ages 65/66, we have no limit and decided in our mid-50s to no longer fly coach (we both have history of back problems).

We average $20-$25K a year in travel and don't feel guilty about it. Wish we had not been so conservative in our early retirement years.

Figure we have another 10 to 15 years of active travel. After that we may resort to guided tours and possible cruises (though we dread the thought of that).

 

[Dtail]

When we retired at age 50/51, we set a $10K yearly limit.

Now ages 65/66, we have no limit and decided in our mid-50s to no longer fly coach (we both have history of back problems).

We average $20-$25K a year in travel and don't feel guilty about it. Wish we had not been so conservative in our early retirement years.

Figure we have another 10 to 15 years of active travel. After that we may resort to guided tours and possible cruises (though we dread the thought of that).

Our budget for 2018 is 15k. Looking to upgrade it some more in the coming years if possible. 58/57 ages.

 

[W2R]

When we retired at age 50/51, we set a $10K yearly limit.

Now ages 65/66, we have no limit and decided in our mid-50s to no longer fly coach (we both have history of back problems).

We average $20-$25K a year in travel and don't feel guilty about it. Wish we had not been so conservative in our early retirement years.

Figure we have another 10 to 15 years of active travel. After that we may resort to guided tours and possible cruises (though we dread the thought of that).

I think your travel budget sounds reasonable, for someone who loves travel and can afford it. I am not sure if your projection of 10-15 years of active travel is realistic or not; I am pushing 70 and seem to be aging much more quickly now than I was at 65. So anyway, I'd suggest prioritizing your travel and getting the most important trips done ASAP. For example, do you long to climb Macchu Picchu, or perhaps shoot the rapids on the Colorado River or wherever-it-is that people do that? If so, do it right now. Do not assume that you will be able to do as much as you think, later on, because nobody really knows for sure.

Personally my annual travel budget is $0.00, but then we prefer staying home. I am living in my Dream Home and love being here so much.

I haven't traveled more than 5-10 miles from home, since I retired back in 2009. The one exception was in 2012 when I spent $913.80 on evacuating to Alabama for Hurricane Isaac, but I took that from my emergency funds rather than budgeting for it.

 

[aaronc879]

My personal travel budget is $0. If I can't afford to FIRE then I can't afford to travel IMO. If I had the time and money I may do some travelling but it's not a big deal to me.

 

[cathy63]

I think we will spend $18K to $20K on travel this year. That includes multiple road trips within CA for family visits, camping, holidays; a few days in Vegas; a FL Keys/Caribbean trip; and the Switzerland/Austria trip we're planning for fall. We're in our second year of retirement, and so far this year we've been away at least one night during every month. In July we're staying home!

 

[scrabbler1]

I don't like to travel any more. Mine is zero.

 

[Freedom56]

We set aside about $27K per year mostly for airline tickets. Since we are away from our primary residence for about 5 months of the year, we count the food, automobile, gasoline, and entertainment expenses separately as part of our regular budget.

 

[OldShooter]

We've spent anywhere from $10K to $40K in the past few years. It just depends on whims and opportunities. We typical buy private travel, with a guide and driver, work with the guide or the company to define an itinerary, and specify in detail the kind of accommodations we want. (B&B and small hotels) We avoid groups, even small ones, to the maximum extent possible. We marvel at the giant cruise ships, which look to us like floating dog kennels.

 

[Midpack]

Our travel budget is $3600/yr. However we've owned boats forever and that was costing us about $8000/yr so we deliberately traveled less, kinda figured we should indulge in one or the other, not both. But we sold our boat over the winter with no plan to get another soon if ever, so we'll be spending more on travel this year, but (much) less than the past total of both.

 

[Rickt]

This is our first full year of retirement at age 58.
Don't have a travel budget per se but after checking our financial records, I noticed we have spent $7K so far this year on travel (29 days outside home) .

I figure we will spend $15K -$20K in travel this year.

Thanks,
Rick

 

[Teacher Terry]

We are 59 and 64 and spend 10-14k/year. That gives us 2 nice trips.

 

[COcheesehead]

Now, about $12,000 - $15,000 per year. After we FIRE, I budgeted $48,000 a year, but I don't think we'll spend that much. I figure one big Euro trip, a big domestic trip and a weekend get away a month is what we'll do.

 

[Big_Hitter]

i'm budgeting $12K a year when retired; we spend maybe $3K a year now...

 

[athena53]

I think it will end up averaging about $15K/year and that's for just me. Typically two major trips a year with any long-haul flights in Business Class. This year it was 3 weeks in India and Nepal, used miles to fly Business, and Scotland with a side trip to Paris coming up in September. A few smaller trips, too- road trips to visit family, maybe a flight to see friends in Ohio, a bicycling trip to a B&B on the Katy Trail a few hours away (drive there but spend most of my time after that on the bicycle).

Next year: UnCruise in the Sea of Cortes in March, probably a meeting of my professional society in Honolulu and an UnCruise between Molokai and Honolulu in November.

ETA: UnCruise is the name of the cruise line- small ships, no fancy-dress nights, very nature-focused. Love those people.

 

[TheRunningMan]

Yikes, you all are making me re-think my travel provision of $10K. We are 53 and I have another 2-3 years of servitude. I suppose that what we can spend will depend on my number when I call it quits. I think I would travel less if I could claim my freedom sooner.

 

[aaronc879]

I think I would travel less if I could claim my freedom sooner.

I very much agree with this. If budgeting less for travel will get me out of full time work sooner then it's worth it.

 

[97guns]

No budget but probably spent around 6k already, leaving for Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia next month for 4 months, that’ll be at least another 6k

 

[mamadogmamacat]

No budget per se, I just track total spending. So far, 2 1/2 yrs into ER, I have spent only about 1.0k on travel, all local. I'm surprised my interest in it has waned since ER, as before that I would peruse brochures regularly and thnik "When I'm retired, I will go". I seem to be like W2R now, and also just enjoy my home and local community so very much. The pet care is a factor too of course, but I really do have very good resources to care for them in my absence if I really wanted to go away for more than a day trip. I just, again to my surprise, do not want to.

 

[athena53]

I'm surprised my interest in it has waned since ER, as before that I would peruse brochures regularly and think "When I'm retired, I will go". I seem to be like W2R now, and also just enjoy my home and local community so very much.

I've got really mixed feelings sometimes. That last 3-week trip is probably the longest I want to be away from home. I love my house and I have a good life here. I even feel a little bad pulling out of the driveway when I'm headed to the airport. Sill, it's the travel to interesting places that keeps my neurons firing. For now, I need both home and interesting destinations!

 

[ABQ2015]

This is my first year of retirement and I've budgeted $10-15K for both travel and entertainment (e.g., theatre and concert tickets). Looking through old ER threads on the topic helped me come up with this number. So far I've been on two 10-day trips and spent $4700. I have two additional trips planned through August and will add at least one more and some holiday travel by end of year. All travel is domestic but my touristy destinations tend to have expensive hotels.

 

[cathy63]

Now, about $12,000 - $15,000 per year. After we FIRE, I budgeted $48,000 a year, but I don't think we'll spend that much. I figure one big Euro trip, a big domestic trip and a weekend get away a month is what we'll do.

One of the most delightful things I've learned since retiring is that we don't do "weekend getaways" any more. It's way more fun to do getaways on weekdays when everyone else is working!

 

[brett]

We do not have a travel budget per sae. Since retiring our out of country travels have ranged from four months to seven months.

If we can afford it, which we can, we simply go. That typically means a combo of five starts to two stars to B&B's, condos, whatever. This year may be lower because of medical issues but we will compensate for it next year.

We try to hit the top spots on our respective bucket lists and priortize the top few based on prevailing attractive travel offers and currency values.

 

[Nemo2]

Last two trips, Bulgaria and then Romania, (with a transatlantic attached to each), totaled $12,096 Canadian, ~$9,390 US.....we can live with that.

 

[mpeirce]

Looking back:

2012 $16,000 - Africa, Virginia Beach, California
2013 $18,000 - California, Florida, Rhine Cruise, Germany/Austria, drive to west coast & back
2014 $20,000 - Florida, Rhine/Main/Danube Cruise, California, Road trip to Virginia
2015 $25,000 - Florida x 2, Gatlinburg/Asheville, Seattle/Portland,
2016 $27,000 - California x 2, Eastern Med Cruise, Virginia Beach, Mackinaw Island, Santa Fe/Breckenridge, Chicago
2017 $27,000 - Atlantic Crossing Cruise, Berlin/Prague, California, Hudson Valley/NYC

I see it trending up as long as the budget allows. If we hit big bear territory in the market, this is where we'd cut back. Travel is our main/first area of flexibility in spending.

 

[IMATERP]

May 2018 - 5 days Virginia Beach =. $800

August 2018 - 4 days Atlantic Beach, NC = $600

Jan 2019 - 10 day cruise to ABC islands = $4,200

So our total budget for this year is $5,600.


May 2017 - spent 10 days in Paris & Prague $3,600
Dec 2017 - 7 day cruise to Carribean = $ 1,800
July 2017 - 3 days in Asheville, NC. = $500

So, our budget for 2017 was $5,900.

A good estimate is 6k a year.

When wifey retires in 3 years, I could see us raising this to 8k as we will include an extra week.