Does anyone else think vacations are not worth the cost? (best, value)
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I'm a single person and it can be around $2,000 for me to take a 5-7 day vacation. I feel like there's so many other things I could spend that money on for what is just a weeks trip. Basically after its over you are left with nothing. But lets say I spend that money on something physical like new flooring or whatever, I get to enjoy that purchase for a long time.
You make a good point but seeing new places, or visiting family that lives far away, is pretty appealing to many.
If you have a life partner it's important that you share similar outlook on where to spend money.
A new floor can be enjoyed 365 days a year. But seeing parents or grandchildren and children is pretty important to many people too.
Our trips to the great national parks out west were a highlight we still talk about even though there were mishaps (we drove).
Grandparents and parents have passed away, good memories there too.
I "get it". I am not a big vacation person myself. I can enjoy vacation spots or entertainment venues without physically going there, from the comfort of my own home. I would rather spend that kind of money on needs, of which there are many, and wants of the sort that include a fancy meal or better car.
Everyone's priorities are different......that's all I will say.
It would depend upon the vacation, how much it cost, and how clever you are at saving money while you travel.
If you actually need a new floor and it is either the floor or a vacation, then opt for the floor because you need it and you don't "need" a vacation. . But most of us here don't use money we need for something else to vacation. Vacations are paid for with discretionary funds and many people have a vacation fund that they set aside until it grows enough to pay for a vacation.
A very big part of being careful with the budget is that you can have the things you need plus save up for hobbies and vacations.
You don't come home from a vacation with nothing. You come home with memories and an experience and a bit of mind stretching. Although, it would make the most sense to plan a vacation doing something you like rather than paying good money to be bored for a week.
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It's definitely a waste of money to take a vacation trip if you don't enjoy it. There are expensive vacations and economic ones, and we do both. Going to Maui, Hawaii for 5 nights on a package deal from Costco Travel, for example, is about $5,000 with flights, hotel and rental car, plus food and any entertainment. Our last vacation though, was a road trip down the Oregon coast and into California, over 6 days. The cost of motels, food, and gas was only about $1,100. In both cases my wife and I had a great time and it was well worth the costs. When I was single I never took a real vacation by myself. I might have gone camping overnight to do some fishing, but if I took a vacation it was with a friend or relative. I find it hard to imagine having fun without sharing the experience with someone else.
I'm a single person and it can be around $2,000 for me to take a 5-7 day vacation. I feel like there's so many other things I could spend that money on for what is just a weeks trip. Basically after its over you are left with nothing. But lets say I spend that money on something physical like new flooring or whatever, I get to enjoy that purchase for a long time.
It really depends on how you do it. It doesn't have to cost that much.
I had friends in Palm Springs (which used to be driving distance for me) and family in Florida, so my vacations were pretty cheap. So my only cost was transportation and the usual eating out, etc.
But you do you. If you'd rather have new flooring, there's nothing wrong with that.
I'm a single person and it can be around $2,000 for me to take a 5-7 day vacation. I feel like there's so many other things I could spend that money on for what is just a weeks trip. Basically after its over you are left with nothing. But lets say I spend that money on something physical like new flooring or whatever, I get to enjoy that purchase for a long time.
We are, in part, the sum of our experiences. The hidebound parochialism of living an entire life in a small town, with no challenges to ideas or lifestyles, is a life not lived. Echo chambers are all too common these days and IME dangerous not only to the individual but to society. Vacations that educate and provide exposure to the real world have a particular value.
Other vacations, particularly tourist trap vacations, might stimulate kids but have much less continuing value.
A good vacation or journey leaves you with much more than nothing. I traveled as a youngster around the U.S. in the 1960s in a little MGB with my brother. it took about a month and the memories are still with me.
My GF and I recently took a quick vacation to the Smokies and Cherokee. it was off-season so the place was not covered over with people, and it was a wonderful journey that had some unexpected events. The days were crystal clear, and the views were spectacular. There was a private visit to the shop of a master Native American silversmith, there was a meal that was one of the best meals I have ever had. I saw first-hand how the trees in areas of the Smokies are dead and a huge fire danger, I saw what looked like an out-of-place railroad bridge in the Ocoee Gorge and found out that it is the only power plant flume in the United States and a working historic landmark.
Traveling north to Knoxville area, we got to see what most people do when they think of vacation. Starting at Gatlinburg and through Pigeon Forge, the road was more like Coney Island and designed to suck money.
A floor will wear over time; if you move it is out of your life.
Vacations are much easier when you are younger. I'll share another secret - places change over time. When I saw Yosemite in the 1960s it was uncrowded. When I visited the Florida Keys in the 1970s, the road there was through farmland, not car dealership lots and mass housing. When going through Franconia Notch in New Hampshire, the Old Man in the Mountain was still there. Truthfully, many places are no longer of interest to me because they are either overdeveloped and crowded, or gone. See what you can when you can.
Such a vague question it's pretty much impossible to answer. It's up to the individual to determine if it's worth it or not. How do you compare the experience of visiting the Grand Canyon vs installing new flooring? Each person will value it differently. It's not as if there's some kind of universal scorecard where one can determine if something is worth spending money on vs something else. Current situations matter too. Eg. if my floors are torn up, I'd be more inclined to spend money replacing them rather than taking a vacation. Whereas if my floors are old but still in decent shape, I'd be more inclined to take a vacation with my money. As long as it's worth it to you, that's all that matters.
I like seeing new places, trying new foods, etc. As I got older I took to heart that I won't be taking any possessions with me. I take lots of pictures and look back on them sometimes, and the wife and I are always talking about the numerous trips we've taken. We used to take the dog with us in our camper; she peed in 16 different states.
And you never know. My niece visited Scotland and liked it so much that she'd move there if she could afford it. Maybe someday she will.
No. Vacations and travel are not overrated. In fact, some of my fondest memories are of the family vacations that my husband and I took our kids on. We also went on a romantic cruise just the two of us and we had a lot of fun.
Having a beautiful home is nice, too. Ideally, you will find a balance and spend some money on your home and some of it on having fun adventures. Life is short, live it while you can.
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