Race from $2M to $4M...and Beyond!

[Captain FIRE]

Beware, we have avid Disney fan friends. They go every year with their kids (1-2x). Avid cruisers - diamond plus on Royal. Took a Disney cruise and hated it. They felt it was so expensive parents were pushing their kids to get the max enjoyment out if the trip and thus diminishing fun (eg skipping naps to not miss things, then cranky kids, but a ship full of them. Or really insistent about privileges that don’t exist, pushing/cutting lines to see chars, etc). Basically forgetting civility. The cruise line double booked our friends and another couple in a pay-lots-extra cabana on an island. Instead of calming talking it through with them/staff, the other guy was trying to start an actual brawl. So enjoy your Disney cruise, but go in wary that people may be extra. crazy.

That said, Alaska is awesome! I lived there a few years and want to take the family there when the kids are older.

[Fomerly known as something]

My planned Alaska Trip is going to be pricey, but I like tiny boat Cruising.  I’ll go with a less than 100 passenger UnCruise.  They actually get to Anchor in Glacier not just pass by due to their size.

[lhamo]

We did the Alaska Disney cruise with extended family back in 2013 -- we really enjoyed it.  Favorite excursions were snorkling in Skagway (the current is warmer there for some reason so it isn't as cold as you would expect, but you do have to squeeze into dry suits) and the dog sled place, which IIRC was in Juneau.  I didn't find the kids to be any worse behaved than anyplace else with a large concentration of them, but I've never done a cruise before.  My daughter LOVED the free ice cream and still remembers that more than anything else on the trip. 

Oh, panning for gold at the gold rush museum was also fun -- IIRC we found about $80 worth between us.  I still have it in a container somewhere.

[2sk22]

Cruises are a hard no in my family as my wife simply hates the thought of being on a ship with so many other people. I'm ambivalent about cruises myself so it's no big loss. But there are plenty of other enjoyable ways to spend our travel budget, such as traveling at the front of the plane 😀

[deborah]

I went to Alaska by hiring an RV as a relocation one way (Seattle to anchorage) and went back with the Alaskan Marine Ferry, stopping for a couple of days in each place. Fantastic! Very few people and a lot more time in each place.

[couponvan]

I went to Alaska by hiring an RV as a relocation one way (Seattle to anchorage) and went back with the Alaskan Marine Ferry, stopping for a couple of days in each place. Fantastic! Very few people and a lot more time in each place.

Now this sounds like an adventure!

[Captain FIRE]

I went to Alaska by hiring an RV as a relocation one way (Seattle to anchorage) and went back with the Alaskan Marine Ferry, stopping for a couple of days in each place. Fantastic! Very few people and a lot more time in each place.

Yes, Alaskan state ferry is pretty awesome! Prices are fairly reasonable and you can see a bit. I think I traveled to Haines, Skagway, etc that way, in addition to Seattle/Juneau.

Fun fact: In Juneau we did not lock our car doors, because cars weren't really stolen there (only for parts). Had to register a car on the ferry months in advance to get a car in/out.

[Dicey]

DH wants to take our rig to Alaska, so my ears have perked up. I've heard a bit of Deborah's Alaska Adventure. Any other tales are appreciated.

[ixtap]

Cruises are a hard no in my family as my wife simply hates the thought of being on a ship with so many other people. I'm ambivalent about cruises myself so it's no big loss. But there are plenty of other enjoyable ways to spend our travel budget, such as traveling at the front of the plane 😀

If it's just the people, have you looked at smaller cruise ships? My parents enjoy those. I think they even consider the limited dining options a plus, as they don't have to make so many decisions.

[2sk22]

Cruises are a hard no in my family as my wife simply hates the thought of being on a ship with so many other people. I'm ambivalent about cruises myself so it's no big loss. But there are plenty of other enjoyable ways to spend our travel budget, such as traveling at the front of the plane 😀

If it's just the people, have you looked at smaller cruise ships? My parents enjoy those. I think they even consider the limited dining options a plus, as they don't have to make so many decisions.

Thats an interesting thought - it might work if it's a really small ship. I'll suggest that and see what she thinks

[farmecologist]

Cruises are a hard no in my family as my wife simply hates the thought of being on a ship with so many other people. I'm ambivalent about cruises myself so it's no big loss. But there are plenty of other enjoyable ways to spend our travel budget, such as traveling at the front of the plane 😀

If it's just the people, have you looked at smaller cruise ships? My parents enjoy those. I think they even consider the limited dining options a plus, as they don't have to make so many decisions.

Thats an interesting thought - it might work if it's a really small ship. I'll suggest that and see what she thinks

I'd suggest trying a river cruise.  We did our first Viking river cruise last summer and had a blast.  It really changed the cruising game for us.  No kids, very small ships, very small passenger count ( under 200 ), at least one included excursion per port, and you dock at an interesting place of interest every day ( i.e. - NOT a port ), etc... One downside, at least on Viking, is the average passenger age is quite high.  However, that didn't bother us at all.  There were some crazy fit seniors on our river cruise that were quite inspirational.

We liked our Viking river cruise so much that we are going to try one of their ocean ships soon.  Their ocean ships are similar in concept to their river cruises.  No kids, smaller ship size ( around 900 passengers max ), ALL rooms are balconies, included excursion at each port, etc...

And yes, you can find some relatively good deals on Viking if you hit their deals at the right time.  The biggest perk is free international airfare.  And you can even snag a free drink package along with the free air every now and then.  Drink package really isn't necessary though because they include beer/wine at lunch and dinner.   

[ixtap]

Cruises are a hard no in my family as my wife simply hates the thought of being on a ship with so many other people. I'm ambivalent about cruises myself so it's no big loss. But there are plenty of other enjoyable ways to spend our travel budget, such as traveling at the front of the plane 😀

If it's just the people, have you looked at smaller cruise ships? My parents enjoy those. I think they even consider the limited dining options a plus, as they don't have to make so many decisions.

Thats an interesting thought - it might work if it's a really small ship. I'll suggest that and see what she thinks

I'd suggest trying a river cruise.  We did our first Viking river cruise last summer and had a blast.  It really changed the cruising game for us.  No kids, very small ships, very small passenger count ( under 200 ), at least one included excursion per port, and you dock at an interesting place of interest every day ( i.e. - NOT a port ), etc... One downside, at least on Viking, is the average passenger age is quite high.  However, that didn't bother us at all.  There were some crazy fit seniors on our river cruise that were quite inspirational.

We liked our Viking river cruise so much that we are going to try one of their ocean ships soon.  Their ocean ships are similar in concept to their river cruises.  No kids, smaller ship size ( around 900 passengers max ), ALL rooms are balconies, included excursion at each port, etc...

And yes, you can find some relatively good deals on Viking if you hit their deals at the right time.  The biggest perk is free international airfare.  And you can even snag a free drink package along with the free air every now and then.  Drink package really isn't necessary though because they include beer/wine at lunch and dinner.   

Our American Cruise Lines trip in the Columbia River was only 100 passengers.

[2Birds1Stone]

Two birds.....

Yes my child?

[weebs]

But there are plenty of other enjoyable ways to spend our travel budget, such as traveling at the front of the plane 😀

Agree 100%.  We splurged on business class tickets back and forth across the pond this summer and it was fantastic.  Expensive...but fantastic.

[2sk22]

But there are plenty of other enjoyable ways to spend our travel budget, such as traveling at the front of the plane 😀

Agree 100%.  We splurged on business class tickets back and forth across the pond this summer and it was fantastic.  Expensive...but fantastic.

We are off to Europe next week for a vacation. I just realized that this trip will cost more than what we spent on travel for the first ten years after we got married - we didn't even have a honeymoon since we had no money! I'm getting dangerously close "Four Yorkshiremen" territory so I'll stop here :-)

[Exflyboy]

But there are plenty of other enjoyable ways to spend our travel budget, such as traveling at the front of the plane 😀

Agree 100%.  We splurged on business class tickets back and forth across the pond this summer and it was fantastic.  Expensive...but fantastic.

We are off to Europe next week for a vacation. I just realized that this trip will cost more than what we spent on travel for the first ten years after we got married - we didn't even have a honeymoon since we had no money! I'm getting dangerously close "Four Yorkshiremen" territory so I'll stop here :-)

"Travel in the first yen years of marriage"?.. Luxury!...:)

[Bateaux]

But there are plenty of other enjoyable ways to spend our travel budget, such as traveling at the front of the plane 😀

Agree 100%.  We splurged on business class tickets back and forth across the pond this summer and it was fantastic.  Expensive...but fantastic.

We are off to Europe next week for a vacation. I just realized that this trip will cost more than what we spent on travel for the first ten years after we got married - we didn't even have a honeymoon since we had no money! I'm getting dangerously close "Four Yorkshiremen" territory so I'll stop here :-)

Same.  No honeymoon and not a lot of travel first ten years.
The day after our marriage I was in a convoy headed to Fort Hood Texas. The Gulf War was starting, Bush 41 cut orders saying I belonged to Uncle Sam and not my wife.
In 1992 no longer active in the military, I got a pretty good job and worked for the company for 32 years. I worked five times as much overtime than I had vacation time. Thankfully on some of those long nights there were books I could read a few chapters of and travel in my own mind. It was quite a stir however when you had to put down a great John D McDonald novel about Florida and answer an alarm in Level A chemical gear. Walking into a fog of phosgene gas is something few will ever experience. At least I'm hopeful they don't.
I'm ready to see some of the places in those books.

[ixtap]

We got married when we moved to San Diego, so the whole ten years and a few months has been our honeymoon ;)

Most of that time, "vacation" meant visiting family or taking the boat out to the islands. The last 18 months or so have made up for it. I will think "we have been home for six weeks...oh, nvm, we did that road trip. I am actually typing this from the airport. My first solo trip in a very long time, but I am taking Mom and her sister to a resort, so still family time.

[Much Fishing to Do]

But there are plenty of other enjoyable ways to spend our travel budget, such as traveling at the front of the plane 😀

Agree 100%.  We splurged on business class tickets back and forth across the pond this summer and it was fantastic.  Expensive...but fantastic.

We are off to Europe next week for a vacation. I just realized that this trip will cost more than what we spent on travel for the first ten years after we got married - we didn't even have a honeymoon since we had no money! I'm getting dangerously close "Four Yorkshiremen" territory so I'll stop here :-)

heh, we definitely spend more EVERY year on vacation now than we did in the first 10 combined.  ("travel" was usually a day trip to our old MLB park for $5 seats, $20 of old time train rides with our little ones, or trips to one set of grandparents which would cost the tank of gas....finding the time off was even harder than the money). 

[couponvan]

I barely left the state of California before I turned 18 (Hoover Dam and the border of Oregon).  Travel since then has always been a priority, but I no longer stay at hostels.  I did splurge for the Big Front Seat on Spirit one flight and a cheap First Class day before auction win on another flight, but it wasn't that much better than economy. 

[farmecologist]

I barely left the state of California before I turned 18 (Hoover Dam and the border of Oregon).  Travel since then has always been a priority, but I no longer stay at hostels.  I did splurge for the Big Front Seat on Spirit one flight and a cheap First Class day before auction win on another flight, but it wasn't that much better than economy.

How are the Spirit premium front seats?  This is the only way I would ever fly on Spirit.  Spirit packs you in like sardines...and I can't stand them. 

[couponvan]

I barely left the state of California before I turned 18 (Hoover Dam and the border of Oregon).  Travel since then has always been a priority, but I no longer stay at hostels.  I did splurge for the Big Front Seat on Spirit one flight and a cheap First Class day before auction win on another flight, but it wasn't that much better than economy.

How are the Spirit premium front seats?  This is the only way I would ever fly on Spirit.  Spirit packs you in like sardines...and I can't stand them.

They are good but don’t come with food or drinks. You ARE first off and on the plane, which is nice with a tight connection. They will offer bidding prices before the flight if any seats are still unsold. My hack is that usually you can go in and buy the seats upgrade at that point for a few dollars more than the lower range of their bidding system.

I actually prefer Spirit to United at this point. No one on Spirit is a snobby traveler! Plus I am not a tall person so it’s fine for me. Also going to the actual airport to buy your Spirit tickets is about $34 RT cheaper per ticket. For 5 people it adds up. And our family uses 1 checked bag. Because their bag fees are high, you usually don’t wait very long for bags. Southwest took forever to get my bags last time.

[farmecologist]

I barely left the state of California before I turned 18 (Hoover Dam and the border of Oregon).  Travel since then has always been a priority, but I no longer stay at hostels.  I did splurge for the Big Front Seat on Spirit one flight and a cheap First Class day before auction win on another flight, but it wasn't that much better than economy.

How are the Spirit premium front seats?  This is the only way I would ever fly on Spirit.  Spirit packs you in like sardines...and I can't stand them.

They are good but don’t come with food or drinks. You ARE first off and on the plane, which is nice with a tight connection. They will offer bidding prices before the flight if any seats are still unsold. My hack is that usually you can go in and buy the seats upgrade at that point for a few dollars more than the lower range of their bidding system.

I actually prefer Spirit to United at this point. No one on Spirit is a snobby traveler! Plus I am not a tall person so it’s fine for me. Also going to the actual airport to buy your Spirit tickets is about $34 RT cheaper per ticket. For 5 people it adds up. And our family uses 1 checked bag. Because their bag fees are high, you usually don’t wait very long for bags. Southwest took forever to get my bags last time.

Thanks for the info.  We might try Spirit and do the the "big front seat" thing when/if the opportunity happens.  Only issue for us is Spirit rarely has direct flights to our destinations...similar to Southwest.  We have been flying Sun Country lately because they have cheap direct flights to NC.  And as we get older, direct flights are becoming much more of a big deal to us.

[ixtap]

I barely left the state of California before I turned 18 (Hoover Dam and the border of Oregon).  Travel since then has always been a priority, but I no longer stay at hostels.  I did splurge for the Big Front Seat on Spirit one flight and a cheap First Class day before auction win on another flight, but it wasn't that much better than economy.

How are the Spirit premium front seats?  This is the only way I would ever fly on Spirit.  Spirit packs you in like sardines...and I can't stand them.

They are good but don’t come with food or drinks. You ARE first off and on the plane, which is nice with a tight connection. They will offer bidding prices before the flight if any seats are still unsold. My hack is that usually you can go in and buy the seats upgrade at that point for a few dollars more than the lower range of their bidding system.

I actually prefer Spirit to United at this point. No one on Spirit is a snobby traveler! Plus I am not a tall person so it’s fine for me. Also going to the actual airport to buy your Spirit tickets is about $34 RT cheaper per ticket. For 5 people it adds up. And our family uses 1 checked bag. Because their bag fees are high, you usually don’t wait very long for bags. Southwest took forever to get my bags last time.

Thanks for the info.  We might try Spirit and do the the "big front seat" thing when/if the opportunity happens.  Only issue for us is Spirit rarely has direct flights to our destinations...similar to Southwest.  We have been flying Sun Country lately because they have cheap direct flights to NC.  And as we get older, direct flights are becoming much more of a big deal to us.

.
Do the front seats come with a free carry on? Spirit was not the cheapest once we each had a carry on each way.

[couponvan]

I barely left the state of California before I turned 18 (Hoover Dam and the border of Oregon).  Travel since then has always been a priority, but I no longer stay at hostels.  I did splurge for the Big Front Seat on Spirit one flight and a cheap First Class day before auction win on another flight, but it wasn't that much better than economy.

How are the Spirit premium front seats?  This is the only way I would ever fly on Spirit.  Spirit packs you in like sardines...and I can't stand them.

They are good but don’t come with food or drinks. You ARE first off and on the plane, which is nice with a tight connection. They will offer bidding prices before the flight if any seats are still unsold. My hack is that usually you can go in and buy the seats upgrade at that point for a few dollars more than the lower range of their bidding system.

I actually prefer Spirit to United at this point. No one on Spirit is a snobby traveler! Plus I am not a tall person so it’s fine for me. Also going to the actual airport to buy your Spirit tickets is about $34 RT cheaper per ticket. For 5 people it adds up. And our family uses 1 checked bag. Because their bag fees are high, you usually don’t wait very long for bags. Southwest took forever to get my bags last time.

Thanks for the info.  We might try Spirit and do the the "big front seat" thing when/if the opportunity happens.  Only issue for us is Spirit rarely has direct flights to our destinations...similar to Southwest.  We have been flying Sun Country lately because they have cheap direct flights to NC.  And as we get older, direct flights are becoming much more of a big deal to us.

.
Do the front seats come with a free carry on? Spirit was not the cheapest once we each had a carry on each way.

I don't think so.  Our Spirit value is definitely in group travel for 5 with 1 checked bag for the family.  Carry ons are pricey. 

[Taran Wanderer]

The 10-year-old behind me on a flight last week saw a Spirit plane and said, “It’s called spirit because 90% of the people who fly it end up as spirits.”  Clearly not true, but being charged for a carry-on? Yeah, with that and no legroom, I wouldn’t be caught dead flying Spirit.

[deborah]

You're all making me think that Spirit is the way to go! I absolutely hate the amount of carry on luggage everyone else has whenever I fly in America, the amount of time it takes to board and disembark because everyone there has so much, and the flouting of the rules and regulations limiting the size of bags so that people are trying to squeeze bags into places it doesn't fit.

[ixtap]

You're all making me think that Spirit is the way to go! I absolutely hate the amount of carry on luggage everyone else has whenever I fly in America, the amount of time it takes to board and disembark because everyone there has so much, and the flouting of the rules and regulations limiting the size of bags so that people are trying to squeeze bags into places it doesn't fit.

Checked bags are cheaper on Spirit, but DH can't check his laptop. And he no longer has a smaller bag for it.

[couponvan]

You're all making me think that Spirit is the way to go! I absolutely hate the amount of carry on luggage everyone else has whenever I fly in America, the amount of time it takes to board and disembark because everyone there has so much, and the flouting of the rules and regulations limiting the size of bags so that people are trying to squeeze bags into places it doesn't fit.

There aren't hoity toity people on Spirit or Breeze or Fly Frontier.  But there are some "interesting" people.  Breeze usually departs the gate 10-15 minutes early.  I've loved flying them, although their seats could use an extra cushion.  It avoids most heavy people flying them and their leg room is respectable.  It's the only nonstop to SFO from RIC as well, so I fly Breeze now almost every time.  I have clothing/pjs and toiletries at my mom's house, so I REALLY can just fly with a personal item.  The same goes for her.  She's got a full set of clothes and pjs and toiletries here.  It's $129 each way on their cheapest legs.

[Fomerly known as something]

Add me in as spending more on travel in a year than my first 10 years as an “Adult” when I mainly just visited family.  I still got to see some things as work has me travel frequently but all I traveled to personally was Michigan or Florida.

I’m not anti low cost airlines, but I like at least 1 flight a day to my destination and if I’m going with them I want direct, which mostly doesn’t exist for my preferred US routes.  Plus I’ve found as a single traveler not going to a family home plus adding in a bag (either carry on or checked) = costing close to the same anyway so I’d rather go mainline because with their large volume of flights there are more alternatives when things go wrong. 

[couponvan]

Add me in as spending more on travel in a year than my first 10 years as an “Adult” when I mainly just visited family.  I still got to see some things as work has me travel frequently but all I traveled to personally was Michigan or Florida.

I’m not anti low cost airlines, but I like at least 1 flight a day to my destination and if I’m going with them I want direct, which mostly doesn’t exist for my preferred US routes.  Plus I’ve found as a single traveler not going to a family home plus adding in a bag (either carry on or checked) = costing close to the same anyway so I’d rather go mainline because with their large volume of flights there are more alternatives when things go wrong.

Yes, the equation changes for solo traveling and brining things.  Breeze is having a 40% off sale flights through 6/13 and flights after 8/2?. Alas our flight is in summer when the fares are not lower, but still worked out fine. 

[jeroly]

I barely left the state of California before I turned 18 (Hoover Dam and the border of Oregon).  Travel since then has always been a priority, but I no longer stay at hostels.  I did splurge for the Big Front Seat on Spirit one flight and a cheap First Class day before auction win on another flight, but it wasn't that much better than economy.

How are the Spirit premium front seats?  This is the only way I would ever fly on Spirit.  Spirit packs you in like sardines...and I can't stand them.

Last week, my sweetie took her son out to Minneapolis to check out the University of Minnesota (he's a HS senior) and got a great price on Sun Country Airlines out of IAD.  However, they charged $45 (!!!) for a carry-on each way, plus she got suckered / scared into paying for seat assignments... another $20 each way; so, when all was said and done (especially when you throw in the cost of Uber roundtrip to/from IAD), it was no bargain.  I didn't hear either of them complain about the legroom or seat comfort, though, although they're not tall and it was a short flight.

[farmecologist]

I barely left the state of California before I turned 18 (Hoover Dam and the border of Oregon).  Travel since then has always been a priority, but I no longer stay at hostels.  I did splurge for the Big Front Seat on Spirit one flight and a cheap First Class day before auction win on another flight, but it wasn't that much better than economy.

How are the Spirit premium front seats?  This is the only way I would ever fly on Spirit.  Spirit packs you in like sardines...and I can't stand them.

Last week, my sweetie took her son out to Minneapolis to check out the University of Minnesota (he's a HS senior) and got a great price on Sun Country Airlines out of IAD.  However, they charged $45 (!!!) for a carry-on each way, plus she got suckered / scared into paying for seat assignments... another $20 each way; so, when all was said and done (especially when you throw in the cost of Uber roundtrip to/from IAD), it was no bargain.  I didn't hear either of them complain about the legroom or seat comfort, though, although they're not tall and it was a short flight.

True "bargains" are hard to come by these days.  Pretty much all carriers nickel and dime you these days in different ways.  Luckily, Google flights does allow you to add bags to the search, so the carryon fee shouldn't have come as a surprise.

Of all the low cost carriers we have dealt with, we like Sun Country the best.  This is likely due to the fact that they have direct flights to our destinations out of Minneapolis.  And I like the fact we can choose seats.  I'm more than a bit claustrophobic and will gladly pay to be near the very front of the plane, not to mention it gets you off the plane much faster.

We fly Southwest as well, but they always seem to have at least one connecting flight, and you can't choose seats.  They do have some great deals every now and then though, but we do pay for "early bird" to bump us further up in the queue.

I am also intrigued by Spirit's "big front seat", and will definitely try it if the opportunity presents itself.


And yes, I am considered the "travel bargain guru" of our family.  I'd wager many here are as well...haha.

[Car Jack]

We took Spirit to a Florida vacation for a week.  The nickel and dime system had me all pissed off when planning, then when I compared to every other airline, we were many hundreds cheaper on Spirit.  All 4 of us had the "personal item" and my type 1 diabetes son had his diabetes equipment in a separate bag and the Spirit people were all like 3 steps back with their palms up.  They wanted nothing to do with giving him any crap.  I have to think it's a Federal disability law and if they break it, the airline's probably in for Attorney Jackie from Seinfeld emptying their bank account.  Anyways, the 4 of us packed the way I pack (I flew everywhere for work for a while), so 4 of us had our stuff in a single checked bag.  What I really liked were the fiberglas, non reclineable seats.  No more stupid teenager in front of me trying to lay in my lap.  More room because the seat is way thinner.  It was comfortable enough as far as I'm concerned.

Don't know if things are changed at all.  Haven't flown for years and only for work stuff in the last 10.

[Dicey]

It tickles me that we're having this discussion on the "Race from $2M" etc. thread.

[jeroly]

We took Spirit to a Florida vacation for a week.  The nickel and dime system had me all pissed off when planning, then when I compared to every other airline, we were many hundreds cheaper on Spirit.  All 4 of us had the "personal item" and my type 1 diabetes son had his diabetes equipment in a separate bag and the Spirit people were all like 3 steps back with their palms up.  They wanted nothing to do with giving him any crap.  I have to think it's a Federal disability law and if they break it, the airline's probably in for Attorney Jackie from Seinfeld emptying their bank account.  Anyways, the 4 of us packed the way I pack (I flew everywhere for work for a while), so 4 of us had our stuff in a single checked bag.  What I really liked were the fiberglas, non reclineable seats.  No more stupid teenager in front of me trying to lay in my lap.  More room because the seat is way thinner.  It was comfortable enough as far as I'm concerned.

Don't know if things are changed at all.  Haven't flown for years and only for work stuff in the last 10.

I got a compact suitcase (Samsonite, I believe) that fit Spirit's criteria for 'personal item' and I can stow it under the seat in front of me.  Actually, it used to fit the criteria, and then Spirit changed the allowable dimensions (maybe from 9x14x8 to 8x14x7 or something like that, just a smidgeon), but they've never given me grief about it in the years since the official change.  If I pack it efficiently I can just squeeze in enough clothing and supplies for a four-day weekend getaway, and not have to pay anything above the cheapo base fare.

[Freedomin5]

It tickles me that we're having this discussion on the "Race from $2M" etc. thread.

I suppose this is how many of us got to the Race from $2M thread in the first place. :)

DH and I just had a discussion last night about whether it was worth spending an extra $20 pp for first class train tickets. Actually, I basically had the conversation with myself, with DH going, "Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever. It doesn't matter." We I ultimately decided that it's not worth it.

[jeroly]

It tickles me that we're having this discussion on the "Race from $2M" etc. thread.

I suppose this is how many of us got to the Race from $2M thread in the first place. :)

DH and I just had a discussion last night about whether it was worth spending an extra $20 pp for first class train tickets. Actually, I basically had the conversation with myself, with DH going, "Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever. It doesn't matter." We I ultimately decided that it's not worth it.

I'm guessing that this applies to your time in China?  The price differences in most Western countries are much more stark.

Now that I'm living large during my travels (I've let my travel budget balloon post-Covid to $1,500/week - not that I'm always spending that much, but I give myself the freedom to), I will allow myself the luxury of upgrading from economy class train tickets when traveling in developing nations.  On my most recent trip, to Indonesia, I splurged and spent $44 (vs. $16 for economy) on an 'exsecutif'-class seat for my six hour train ride from Jakarta to Yogyakarta.  Yes it had a slightly comfier seat, but more importantly: it was airconditioned at a temperature that was not subzero, there was no smoking in the car, and the bathrooms sported clean western toilets (not a pit in the floor that had been subject to shockingly bad aim) - money well spent.

[Bateaux]

I've been planning my next adventure.
Greyhound Bus from my town in Louisiana to New Orleans. $15
Amtrak from New Orleans to Gainesville, GA $46
Shuttle from Gainesville, GA to Amicalalola Falls. $62
The last 31 miles will cost me more than the First 500+ miles.
It pisses me off we don't have better bus service .

[couponvan]

It tickles me that we're having this discussion on the "Race from $2M" etc. thread.

I suppose this is how many of us got to the Race from $2M thread in the first place. :)

DH and I just had a discussion last night about whether it was worth spending an extra $20 pp for first class train tickets. Actually, I basically had the conversation with myself, with DH going, "Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever. It doesn't matter." We I ultimately decided that it's not worth it.

I'm guessing that this applies to your time in China?  The price differences in most Western countries are much more stark.

Now that I'm living large during my travels (I've let my travel budget balloon post-Covid to $1,500/week - not that I'm always spending that much, but I give myself the freedom to), I will allow myself the luxury of upgrading from economy class train tickets when traveling in developing nations.  On my most recent trip, to Indonesia, I splurged and spent $44 (vs. $16 for economy) on an 'exsecutif'-class seat for my six hour train ride from Jakarta to Yogyakarta.  Yes it had a slightly comfier seat, but more importantly: it was airconditioned at a temperature that was not subzero, there was no smoking in the car, and the bathrooms sported clean western toilets (not a pit in the floor that had been subject to shockingly bad aim) - money well spent.

Your return per hour for that difference was well worth the upgrade!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@Exflyboy - a decision has been made, and my son is going to OSU in the fall. I'm excited to check out Corvallis. We were there for admitted students day a few weeks ago, but a half marathon was taking place & we were re-routed & didn't get to check out the down town area. Please send any restaurant recommendations my way, or other fun local things to do. We have several trips planned, between orientation, move in weekend, parents weekend, etc.

[lhamo]

Not ExFlyboy, but we had some pretty good sushi downtown during our visit!  The park by the river is a nice walk (we stayed at the cheapish hotel just a couple of blocks north of the bridge -- I think it is a Holiday Inn Express?).

Congrats on having made the decision and hope it turns out to be a great fit for your kiddo!

[2sk22]

It tickles me that we're having this discussion on the "Race from $2M" etc. thread.

I suppose this is how many of us got to the Race from $2M thread in the first place. :)

DH and I just had a discussion last night about whether it was worth spending an extra $20 pp for first class train tickets. Actually, I basically had the conversation with myself, with DH going, "Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever. It doesn't matter." We I ultimately decided that it's not worth it.

I'm guessing that this applies to your time in China?  The price differences in most Western countries are much more stark.

Now that I'm living large during my travels (I've let my travel budget balloon post-Covid to $1,500/week - not that I'm always spending that much, but I give myself the freedom to), I will allow myself the luxury of upgrading from economy class train tickets when traveling in developing nations.  On my most recent trip, to Indonesia, I splurged and spent $44 (vs. $16 for economy) on an 'exsecutif'-class seat for my six hour train ride from Jakarta to Yogyakarta.  Yes it had a slightly comfier seat, but more importantly: it was airconditioned at a temperature that was not subzero, there was no smoking in the car, and the bathrooms sported clean western toilets (not a pit in the floor that had been subject to shockingly bad aim) - money well spent.

We just got back from a week in Europe:
Air tickets: $8k (business class, 2 tickets)
Hotels: $1500 (stayed only in non-chain boutique hotels)
Rental car and taxi: $500
Food: $400
Attractions: $500

Had a wonderful time and all of this spending had almost no effect on our net worth. We will do one more trip like this later this year, not sure where. No regrets.

We all have our foibles when it comes to spending - I just can't get myself to buy an expensive car but I have no problem spending on travel.

[jeroly]

It tickles me that we're having this discussion on the "Race from $2M" etc. thread.

I suppose this is how many of us got to the Race from $2M thread in the first place. :)

DH and I just had a discussion last night about whether it was worth spending an extra $20 pp for first class train tickets. Actually, I basically had the conversation with myself, with DH going, "Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever. It doesn't matter." We I ultimately decided that it's not worth it.

I'm guessing that this applies to your time in China?  The price differences in most Western countries are much more stark.

Now that I'm living large during my travels (I've let my travel budget balloon post-Covid to $1,500/week - not that I'm always spending that much, but I give myself the freedom to), I will allow myself the luxury of upgrading from economy class train tickets when traveling in developing nations.  On my most recent trip, to Indonesia, I splurged and spent $44 (vs. $16 for economy) on an 'exsecutif'-class seat for my six hour train ride from Jakarta to Yogyakarta.  Yes it had a slightly comfier seat, but more importantly: it was airconditioned at a temperature that was not subzero, there was no smoking in the car, and the bathrooms sported clean western toilets (not a pit in the floor that had been subject to shockingly bad aim) - money well spent.

We just got back from a week in Europe:
Air tickets: $8k (business class, 2 tickets)
Hotels: $1500 (stayed only in non-chain boutique hotels)
Rental car and taxi: $500
Food: $400
Attractions: $500

Had a wonderful time and all of this spending had almost no effect on our net worth. We will do one more trip like this later this year, not sure where. No regrets.

We all have our foibles when it comes to spending - I just can't get myself to buy an expensive car but I have no problem spending on travel.

Less than $30/day/person for food without a kitchen?
I wonder how you did it and, given that budget, why?

[2sk22]

Less than $30/day/person for food without a kitchen?
I wonder how you did it and, given that budget, why?

I realize that I left out one important thing - all of the hotels we stayed in included lavish breakfasts in the room price. so we loaded up on breakfast and  mostly skipped lunch and had a nice dinner every day. We are not too fussy about food and my wife is a vegetarian so that reduces our options a lot. Even so, all of our meals were excellent.

[2sk22]

Now that I'm living large during my travels (I've let my travel budget balloon post-Covid to $1,500/week - not that I'm always spending that much, but I give myself the freedom to), I will allow myself the luxury of upgrading from economy class train tickets when traveling in developing nations.  On my most recent trip, to Indonesia, I splurged and spent $44 (vs. $16 for economy) on an 'exsecutif'-class seat for my six hour train ride from Jakarta to Yogyakarta.  Yes it had a slightly comfier seat, but more importantly: it was airconditioned at a temperature that was not subzero, there was no smoking in the car, and the bathrooms sported clean western toilets (not a pit in the floor that had been subject to shockingly bad aim) - money well spent.

This reminded me - I visited Indonesia back in 1989 and had a wonderful time. I took the day train from Jakarta to Bandung which was over air-conditioned like you mentioned and shivered in a T-shirt. Apart from Java, I also visited Padang on the west coast of Sumatra and Bali (of course).

[couponvan]

@2sk22 how long was the flight? I am usually in the “economy flight for luxury rooms” camp because flight times are short and business class isn’t “that” much better than economy.

[jeroly]

@2sk22 how long was the flight? I am usually in the “economy flight for luxury rooms” camp because flight times are short and business class isn’t “that” much better than economy.

It's around 24 hours from the east coast to get there - maybe a bit less if you get a nonstop to Singapore (pricier ticket) and get a good connection for the 2+ hour flight to Jakarta.  My return via Jeddah left at 1:20pm EDT and arrived at 3:10pm the next day and included a three hour layover.  The other times I've been there I had traveled via Tokyo and it was about the same travel time.

[2sk22]

@2sk22 how long was the flight? I am usually in the “economy flight for luxury rooms” camp because flight times are short and business class isn’t “that” much better than economy.

Our flight was about 7 hours both ways. I have to say business class is a lot better than economy for overnight flights. We slept really well and were able to do a full day of sightseeing when we arrived. We have done transatlantic economy many times and we are usually like zombies for the first day in Europe, especially if your hotel does not allow early checkin. In this trip, I splurged and paid for an extra night to ensure that a room would be waiting for us when we arrived in the morning - luxe travel for sure :-)

[Fomerly known as something]

I recently discovered I’m good with the “middle class” on international flights.  Some are branded as Premium Economy, some they drop the economy part because it’s a very much a different class.  The seats are about the same as US domestic first class. I was team Business, but took a work trip to India that paying for Polaris was too dear but the middle product was something I was willing to pay and found I’m good with it.  My main economy complaint is that I feel like my shoulders are too wide to sit comfortably in regular economy and I’m always leaning away from the middle seat so my back hurts after a 3 hour flight.  If I had a significant other to lean into, I might not feel the same way about it.  The extra seat width and the ability to recline a tad more is enough for me to be happy and get an OK amount of sleep.