MMM worthy experience vacation?

[HipGnosis]

I need info / guideance / enlightenment on MMM worthy experience vacationing.

I am FIRE, but I live frugally out of concern for health care costs.

I've read here, and other places, about experience vacations, or is it vacation experiences?
But I have an illogically(?) hard time deciding to spend money on a vacation instead of something physical and tangible, like an improvement in my home.

I have gone to a lot of museums since I retired, I think they sorta count as experiences.  But so far they've all been day trips.  I cringe at the thought of paying $$$ for a room for a night because it would be the biggest expense of the trip.

[LifeHappens]

It's okay to not be interested in travel. Do you feel a desire to travel, or do you think you "should" feel a desire to travel?

[PoutineLover]

It's pretty hard to recommend a vacation if we have no idea what interests you, or where you are located. What makes you want to travel now?
If you don't want to pay for a room, you could do a workaway type vacation where you exchange labour for room and board, or couchsurfing, which is free and allows you to meet locals around the world (although it's better to think of it as a more of a cultural exchange than just a free spot to sleep, and it's usually expected to bring a small token of appreciation, cook a meal for your host, or something along those lines). If you've never traveled, you might want to pick an "easier" location, like somewhere that shares the same language or similar culture, but again, it would depend on what type of vacation you're looking for.
What are you hoping to gain from this experience? What's your budget? Do you have any dream locations you've always wanted to see? Have you considered travel hacking for cheap/free flights or hotels?

[Enigma]

Maybe go and see relatives.  Drop in on cousins and others.  Most will want you to stay at their place until you over extend your stay.  Just and idea...  The cheapest MMM worthy experiences that I have had was staying at my aunts' (plural) houses in Daytona Beach FL.  Also I used to work overseas and have friends in Texas and DC.  I have stayed at their places as well.  Sometimes I give them a little money and do not mind it as bad as giving it to a hotel chain.  Just some ideas.

[letsdoit]

i wonder the same thing, for an experience, prob overseas, with 8 yo and 10 yo in tow

something volunteer-y,  something that gives perspective.

prob better than joining the tourist hordes.
i hate the prices on most of those volunteer programs you can arrange from abraod. 
gotta get boots on the ground and arrange it yourself, i guess.  lemme know if there are experienced heads out there

[YK-Phil]

What about vacation where you can learn something interesting, such as small-scale organic farming, a community project in India or Iowa, a bison farm in Australia or sheep farm in New Zealand, a llama operation in British Columbia, whatever you feel like doing. Check HelpX (volunteer work in exchange for free accommodation and food on farms, backpacker hostels, lodges, horse stables and even sailing boats), or WWOOF (worldwide movement linking volunteers with organic farmers and growers to promote cultural and educational experiences based on trust and non-monetary exchange, thereby helping to build a sustainable, global community). There are hundreds of places, both on the other side of the world in exotic locales, or close to your own home-town. All you need to pay is travel to get there and back, the rest is paid for in exchange for volunteer work, usually light duties, for a few hours a day.

[remizidae]

If you're already financially independent and you're wondering about this, why not...try it? You can get a very nice hotel room for $100 a night in many cities. You can afford to spend a few hundred dollars if only to satisfy your curiosity.

[OurFirstFire]

If you do want to travel (and not just think you should), I recommend making it a challenge.  Most of what people spend a lot of money on are just about not leaving their comfort zone - fancy hotels and English speaking tour guides so you never have to figure your own way around a new city.  Staying in hostels, sleeping in cars, figuring out public transportation, shopping at a grocery store or local market will make the trip much more meaningful, teach you new skills, and save money.  Find the cheapest place you can fly in Europe at the cheapest time of year, and make it a goal to spend less than $1000 including airfare for a two week trip (for example).  Going to someplace with a low cost of living is nice also - for me part of the entertainment is how cheap my meal and beer is.

[letsdoit]

i agree wth the above.
if i ever have a guide i completely zone out and almost feel like a schoolgirl being led around.  passive agressive!

[letsdoit]

what would travel be without that moment of looking at the subway map for the first time nad being like, What?!
and then 2 days later you're proficient.
or getting lost down an alley. 

when we were in rome, there were 80 roman office jockeys fighting to get into this hole in the wall for lunch.  we just jumped in the swarm bc we knew it had to be legit.
i remember the faces of a passing tour that looked at us enviously as they were led away like cattle

[BECABECA]

Although I haven’t taken a Workaway trip yet, I fully intend to soon, ideally when my wife is also retired and can come along too. It sounds like a great way to get immersed in a local scene and it’s just a bonus that it comes with free lodging.

Have you looked into AirBnB? For our last vacation to Tokyo we put our house up on AirBnB while we were gone and it paid for nearly the whole vacation (we got a good deal on flights and stayed in a small AirBnB apartment).

I also recommend visiting family. But I do it as a Workaway type trip... I visit my mom in the fall when she has tons of raking leaves and other yard work to do. And I just got back from visiting my sister for a week while they were rehabbing their bathroom. I also have a lot of family in one spot, so I can fly in for a month and hop around from one project to the next, staying at whoever’s house I’m currently working on. And I really appreciate coming back home, since by then my body needs a recharge!