Kron,
A bit more elaboration on why so many posters urge you to spend mucho money on a trip.
After reading a bit more of your posts, I figure that you are in your 30s, a bit younger than the "spendthrifts" who urged you on. This being a meeting place for self-proclaimed LBYM'ers, which is one of the reasons I joined, I have been wanting to tell the following story, which I am sure is not unique.
My parents both loved to travel. They had clerical jobs at the local state university, which did not pay much. The reason they stayed with the jobs was so that their four children could afford to go to college. The state gave huge tuition discounts to not just faculty's children, but also staff members. All of us got graduate degrees from the same university. Maybe we could get to go to more prestigious schools, but we had no money. We all stayed at home while attending school. But I digressed.
Making little as they did, as LBYM'ers, my parents were still able to save. Never knowing how to invest in mutual funds or stocks, other than buying CDs and EE-bonds, they still managed to save enough money to make 3-4 European trips in their 50s. This worked out well, because my father's health deteriorated in his 60s, right after he took retirement. Had he delayed his travel until he retired, he would not have the chance. He died when he was 74.
I was fortunate to make a decent living. We never really had a budget, because we never spent it all. After all the promotions and raises over the years, we have not changed our lifestyle much since we were in our late 20s, other than an occasional splurge, like a $100+ bottle of cognac. We were busy with our work, and raising two kids, so only took some domestic travels. When we were still both working full-time, I figured we saved 50% gross.
While we were dealing with my father illness, I also happened to read a story of a couple in their 50s, who always wanted to visit Venice, but kept delaying it for one reason or another. Then one day, the wife had sudden abdominal pain. It was intestinal cancer, if I remembered correctly. The treatment did not work, as you can predict. The husband later made the trip alone, as he promised her.
And that was the impetus for me to take my first ever European trip, planning the itinerary on my own. And I did that in 2003, after our start-up business folded, and my portfolio had dropped 50%. I had all the free time in the world, having just fired myself from the failing business. Other people would say I was nuts, but I had my health, and I still had some money. Well, 50 cents on the dollar anyway.
We enjoyed our trip, and I came back with a much better perspective of life. I owned up to my investment mistake, and made amendments. I got a part-time job, and had more time to read, and traveled some more. If you read my posts, you'd see that I like to jest, to tease people. I was not always like that.
Back to your case, it looks like it is not that "trip of a lifetime", as you thought. Obviously, you can go later at a more convenient time. There are less expensive alternatives like others have suggested. I think all other posters would also retract their recommendation that you go. See how these travel lovers always jump at the chance to tell people to spend money on travel. They are afraid that they've got more dough than what's left of their life. It's that simple.
PS. Some people do not like to travel, even when they have the money. Some of my friends have a very narrow comfort zone. It's their choice, and I wouldn't urge them on.
