Annual travel budget? Trips/nights?

[brett]

We decided on Morocco for the fall. Quite surprised that basic return air from Montreal-Casablanca direct was $835CAD Last year when I looked it was about $750CAD. Morocco has been on my bucket list for some time.

Why Morocco? We looked at several options for Sept/Oct travel in southern Europe. Morocco seem less impacted by inflation and supply/demand than other locales so we went for it.

We are seeing huge increases in air fares to SE Asia (Bangkok or Kualu Lumpur.. As much as 70 percent over previous years, more often almost double. Increases to most Europe flights as well, but not by nearly as much.

 

[Teacher Terry]

When I was married we spent between 4-14k/year depending on the trip. Besides going to Europe we had a motor home that we used to see the national parks. Now alone I am only taking tours with a friend that costs between 5-6k for 11 days. We went last year and this year. We have one booked for 2024 and that’s probably my last.

Traveling for 27 hours was hard, the jet lag was awful and after 6 trips it’s beginning to feel all the same seeing the palaces, castles, churches, etc. I never expected to feel this way but it happened on my last trip.

 

[rodi]

Not to be argumentative... but is it safe to assume the figures tossed out here are for 2 people? It's more expensive per person for solo travelers not sharing lodging... and less expensive per person for families that share an airbnb apartment over several people.

My previous post was for 2 people... but I did a trip without DH, to Mazatlan, a month before our Italy trip.

In general we have 1 BTD trip/year, and lots of smaller trips that include camping... driving and camping is a super inexpensive way to travel... but not for everyone.

 

[luckydude]

Not to be argumentative... but is it safe to assume the figures tossed out here are for 2 people? It's more expensive per person for solo travelers not sharing lodging... and less expensive per person for families that share an airbnb apartment over several people.

My previous post was for 2 people... but I did a trip without DH, to Mazatlan, a month before our Italy trip.

In general we have 1 BTD trip/year, and lots of smaller trips that include camping... driving and camping is a super inexpensive way to travel... but not for everyone.

I find that airfare is usually the most expensive part of a trip. In our case, we have a family of 4, so depending on what cabins we want to travel in, airfare alone can cost up to $10k or more.

As far as lodgings and food and whatnot, they are usually not all that expensive and good values can be found pretty much anywhere.

 

[brett]

Just the two of us.

Air has gone up significantly on some routes. Not so much on others. At the moment, for us, SE Asia is much higher, Mexico/Costa Rica is higher, and Europe is about the same. But you need to understand how to shop for air.

Two days ago we booked Montreal-Casablanca, Morocco for a 30 day stay in Sept/Oct. Air was $838 CAD ($620USD). Normally we do not book air so far out but prices seem to be going up. I thought that this was a good fare.

I used itmatrix and google flights to massage the dates for the best available fare at the time.

 

[music-and-ski]

Thread from September 2022 on this subject:

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f46/poll-do-you-have-a-yearly-travel-budget-during-retirement-115320.html

Thanks! I thought I had seen a thread on it but my search somehow failed me.

 

[skyking1]

Not to be argumentative... but is it safe to assume the figures tossed out here are for 2 people? It's more expensive per person for solo travelers not sharing lodging... and less expensive per person for families that share an airbnb apartment over several people.

My previous post was for 2 people... but I did a trip without DH, to Mazatlan, a month before our Italy trip.

In general we have 1 BTD trip/year, and lots of smaller trips that include camping... driving and camping is a super inexpensive way to travel... but not for everyone.

It most certainly is for cruises and all-inclusives in general.
We are posting as a couple too.

 

[arcyallen]

No budget. We'll try to save money where we can (Holiday Inn Express for most hotel stays) but are also considering a multi month world cruise that would be several years of typical travel expense. I'm currently sitting in a Comfort Inn, which is cheap but adequate. But I'll spend considerable money if it's something more meaningful to us.

 

[Out of Steam]

We really don't budget, but will be close to $20K this year, with an upcoming trip to Alaska taking somewhat over half. We may take a short trip to London in the fall, as I have an uncle living near there.

Total nights away will be 22-25, not including hiking trips where I will drive, either in the nights or the dollars.

 

[brett]

In the past, when we left home of 8-10 weeks we never knew if we were going to pick up a last minute cruise or last minute AI. If we see something good that is physically close to where we happen to be traveling we will seriously consider it.

What I notice now is that there there are very few of these last minute offers that appeal to us and they are considerably more expensive than they have been in the past. Pent up demand I guess.

 

[music-and-ski]

Not to be argumentative... but is it safe to assume the figures tossed out here are for 2 people? It's more expensive per person for solo travelers not sharing lodging... and less expensive per person for families that share an airbnb apartment over several people.

My previous post was for 2 people... but I did a trip without DH, to Mazatlan, a month before our Italy trip.

In general we have 1 BTD trip/year, and lots of smaller trips that include camping... driving and camping is a super inexpensive way to travel... but not for everyone.

Yes, I was asking about for 2 people. Sorry for not clarifying, I should have.

In my case, I think I could spend a *lot* less travelling as one person, even on a per-capita basis. I see teenagers with backpacks hanging around train stations or entering hostels and I think "wow, those were the days, I sure wish I could experience that again". My DW sees exactly the same scene and thinks "wow, those were the days, I'm sure glad I don't have to experience that again".

On the other hand, sometimes I want to splurge on something big (first class airfare, VIP tickets to a music concert), and my DW quickly shuts that down. So, as long as we're both alive, we operate in a comfortable middle ground — not cheap budget travel, but no extravagant expenses either.

 

[brett]

We spend based on value.

We will pay more for a certain cruise line/ship. Same for AI's We will always select 5 star hotels in less expensive cities like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. We save our Marriott points for more expensive hotels in places like Singapore, Rome, or London.

Our travel shopping mirrors our typical spend. We will spend more if the incremental value to us exceeds the incremental price. Our spring or fall trips are usually done in the shoulder season-less crowds, lower airfare, lower accommodation costs. We often find that buying direct vs through a booking engine can save us money or give more value like an upgraded room, breakfast, etc.

 

[N02L84ER]

The two of us average $4K per year. It has ranged from $2K to $7K over the past dozen years.

 

[OldConch]

When planning for retirement we budgeted conservatively. Our solidly middle-class retirement budget included 20% for travel and we had hoped for a couple of overseas trips per year. Expenses in general but healthcare in particular have been lower than expected so travel has bumped up to about 30%.

Points/miles and shopping for bargains has really helped stretch our budget. Currently in Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, we'll be overseas 142 days this year. Slightly under budget. Planning for next year already includes 7 weeks in N.Z., Australia, and Singapore, and 10 days in Mazatlan in April.

Brett, DW and I both agree that our March trip to Morocco was one of our favorites. The market in Fes is not to be missed. One of the most interesting places we've ever been. Why did we choose Morocco? We've never been before and found bargain basement flights DFW CDW CMN and return on Delta One and Air France.

 

[Pointby2]

We are flying from Orange County to Boston for a 13 day road trip. It's looking to be about $500 a day for the two of us. Two nights at my DW sister's house and some of the airfare is first class. About $6500 all in. We'll also do a trip to Scotland this year, probably will be another $10K. We don't budget, but two or maybe three trips a year is enough for us. So, max $25K a year.
Maybe we should get our more while we're still healthy and fit...

 

[53anddone]

$30,000 per year. We are in year 5 of retirement. This covers around 6 trips - One bareboat sailing, 2 ski trips, a European hiking trip, and annual family reunion and a miscellaneous one somewhere warm.

 

[jeroly]

I've been budgeting about USD $15k per year (for about 15 weeks of travel) prior to this year, but in a ‘blow that dough’ frame of mind i decided to not limit my travel spending this year and figured I’ll spend under $33k.

So far, though, I’m on target to spend around $23k i figure… after two of my six trips I'm at around $7,500 in five weeks of travel.

It’s been enjoyable not thinking about the costs so much and I’ve had some experiences / meals that have been awesome.Visiting (and dining in) the Chilean wine area of the Colchagua Valley was particularly memorable - but if i had been minding every penny I’d probably have skipped it.

 

[jdnd9091]

We are two years away from retiring, but spend between 30-70k a year at this time. This includes 1-2 trips a year with our two grown girls and our two grandkids. Those are the expensive trips, but my wife and I really enjoy staying at nice places. We also have a motor home that will get a lot more use once I retire. We love driving the country side and seeing new places, and a lot of times old places. I'm hoping we can keep that budget under 50k once I retire. I guess time will tell.

 

[brett]

I think that budget is a little meaningless and in itself can be a little misleading. Budget only hits on cost, not the resulting travel experience(s). We pay attention to cost...but it is the experiences that we are searching for Paying attention to cost/value does not mean that we always travel tourist class or lower. We are happy to pay for what we perceive to be value-travel or anything else.

It comes down to whether you want to travel, where you travel, how you travel, and whether you are traveling one star or six star. Camping, rving, cruising...whatever. And the usual health issues.

We will spend far more money during a month in Europe than we will during a month in Thailand, etc. Our next trip is Morocco. Not certain how much we will spend but it will be less than we would spend in Europe or in many NA cities.

I believe that a more interesting question might be how far or where did you go on XX budget. Anyone can book a 4 or 5 star hotel. Not everyone can figure out how to get good airfare, accommodation, etc. at a rate that stretches their budget and allow then to travel to, and experience, places they might otherwise not be able to or to travel more frequently.

Or where do you get the most value for your travel dollar based on your personal preferences.