Author Topic: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway  (Read 7293 times)

cbr shadow

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Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« on: February 28, 2013, 03:36:17 PM »
My wife turns 30 in August and I was hoping to surprise her with a short 2-3 day trip to a tropical destination such as Dominican Republic or Mexico.  I would like for us to get there and have some of our close friends waiting at the resort for an added surprise.  Where do I start for planning this?  I need to keep costs down so that the antimustachian friends are able to afford it.  I was thinking I'd call an Apple Vacation agent to get a "square deal" type of 3 day package.  I'd like for it to be all inclusive.
So my questions are:
1) Where do I start?
2) Do you have any suggestions on where to go that will meet the above criteria?
Since I'm sure this is relevant, we live near Chicago.

Jimbo

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2013, 04:49:17 PM »
Is this... trolling?... Can't tell.

I'm turning 30 in three weeks. If my wife organizes something like this, the friends will have a very unhappy camper with them.

I guess YMMV.

(this plan sounds so antimustachian to me, I'm sorry)


Jack

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2013, 04:53:52 PM »
It makes no sense to spend money on plane tickets only to stay for 2-3 days. Plus, you should stay long enough to get "resident" rental rates instead.

Southern Stashian

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2013, 05:01:49 PM »
Where do you live at? Here in FL you can get tickets to the Bahamas for @ $50 each way out of the local airports (if you know someone) which makes a 2-3 day trip reasonable. Living anywhere else though be prepared to spend some $$$. Key West is beautiful this time of year (very tropical) but be prepared to spend some $$$.



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« Last Edit: February 28, 2013, 05:06:41 PM by Southern Stashian »

Splashncash

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2013, 06:21:33 PM »
Is this... trolling?... Can't tell. 


My thought exactly.  I would be miserable.  Fortunately, my husband would never do something like this so all is good.  :-)

121 Seconds

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2013, 02:16:09 AM »
Surprise her with a dinner that you lovingly cooked yourself. Invite her favourite 4 friends around to enjoy the meal. Between the main and dessert, stand up and tell her why you love her.

Spending Money does not = The amount you love her.

Mama Mia

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #6 on: March 01, 2013, 08:17:21 AM »
Surprise her with a dinner that you lovingly cooked yourself. Invite her favourite 4 friends around to enjoy the meal. Between the main and dessert, stand up and tell her why you love her.

Spending Money does not = The amount you love her.

I love this!!!  I just celebrated my B-day & DH made me breakfast in bed & in lieu of gifts, he took the day off and took me to my favorite restaurant for lunch and we went to a book store. Then we came home and he made us brownie sundaes!

cbr shadow

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #7 on: March 01, 2013, 08:23:48 AM »
Jeez I guess this was the wrong place to ask?  This was not trolling - I post on this forum very often.

Neither of us would be miserable on this trip.  Sometimes I wonder if people that make comments like that are just making themselves miserable by being (what they interpret as) mustachian.
 We're very mustachian but I guess everyone values different things..  We went on a week long all inclusive trip to Punta Cana 3 years ago for $520 each which included airfare, resort, food, drinks, and most activities.  I thought that was an outstanding deal and would happily do it again.  I wanted it to be a short trip (3 days) because most of our friends are not mustachian and have little extra money.

My wife and I have between 50-65% savings rate and have a goal of saving $80k this year which I'm starting to think was a low estimate.  We live in a small home, no debt outside of our mortgage,  max retirement accounts, etc.

These responses surprised me.  There are people on here with hobbies that I would NEVER want to spend money on, but that is what they value so that's up to them and I understand that.  I have a friend that is really into Saltwater fishkeeping and spends what I would consider a lot of money on the hobby.  Outside of that he's very mustachian and will be retiring early even though he started late. 
If I have a high savings rate and am mustachian in most other parts of my life, who are you to judge when I want to splurge on my wife for her 30th birthday?

gecko10x

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #8 on: March 01, 2013, 08:41:14 AM »
I'm with you cbr. Unfortunately, I have no useful advice to give here- sorry.

mustachecat

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #9 on: March 01, 2013, 08:54:24 AM »
OP, as long as you can afford it (in the MMM sense, and it sounds like you can), I say go for it!

However, I'd personally be uncomfortable inviting friends, especially since, as you say, they are not as responsible as you are. Sure, they make their own decisions and can always say no, but if you know they have little extra money, it seems, well, unsporting to dangle this opportunity in front of them.

Okay, that's out of the way! For flights, I'm signed up for travel deals newsletters on Travelzoo (the best in my opinion), Kayak, Airfare Watchdog, and Fly.com. Fly.com has a fare calendar for deals from most major US cities (Chicago is definitely on it) for the next 90 days, which is a good way to benchmark prices. Airfare Watchdog has something similar, but I think the timeframe is different. I've also had good luck with bidding on flights using Priceline's Name Your Own Price feature.

I often get notification of specials from Travelzoo about deals for CheapCarribbean.com. I have zero experience with the site and its packages, so this is not an endorsement. But for instance, the site is running a $24/person/night special for some place in the Dominican Republic: http://www.cheapcaribbean.com/landing-pages/1823.html

Jimbo

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2013, 09:10:48 AM »
For me, it was the fact that you decided what was - I am sure - a good way to please your wife but implied that a lot of people would have to spend a good chunk of money (I am guessing at least 300$) on it.

You know, people will feel obligated to say yes even though it might not be the best use of their money. I dont understand why my generation makes such a big deal about turning 30, but it might be more important to you than me.

With every birthday celebration in a circle of friends it get ridiculous pretty fast. I get aggravated by the sheer number of restaurant outings involved in birthday celebration, if we had to purchase plane tickets for every birthday, I'd be pretty pissed (and not going).

My birthday party : come to my place, let's order cheap food/cook, eat, drink and be merry.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with splurging if you can afford it. My two cents...

meadow lark

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #11 on: March 02, 2013, 09:03:33 AM »
I think it sounds great, and if we were friends I would go with you!  (Depending on price, of course.).  I don't have any great suggestions, but do you have airline miles?  Florida is fun, and not too pricey to get to.  Cabo is great, also San Diego.  I think b/c this is such a short trip I would focus on the shortest distance to a tropical place.

sulaco

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #12 on: March 02, 2013, 09:50:22 AM »
I wouldn't book with a package group, but you can get their price sheet and try to beat it.

I surprised my wife with a trip to Thailand for her 30th (as in, she didn't know where we were going until we were on light rail to the airport). We love traveling, so this was something I knew she'd enjoy. I arranged all lodging and transportation, and for a week the entire thing was reasonably cheap.

We always travel this way because packages will inevitably include something you don't want, but still have to pay for. We also set aside a portion of our savings every year specifically for trips.

TripAdvisor is fantastic for finding lodging that meets your standards and is still cheaper than the resorts.

Place a hold on every book you can get from your library about your destination. 3 days isn't much, but you want to be as knowledgeable as possible - best beaches, local food, things outside heavily tourist end areas.

In terms of all-inclusive - I've found that while its nice to not have to worry about meals, this privilege is priced in and the food is mediocre. A trip to the grocery store (or bring your own) - especially if your at a vacation rental with a kitchen - means included breakfasts, lunches, and then you can find great places for dinner.

That said, it was difficult planning a trip by myself was a challenge. I found not having someone to confirm decisions with, or bounce ideas off of challenging.

Splashncash

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2013, 12:13:17 PM »
Hey cbr, should have explained myself more.  I would be miserable on a trip like that.  I don't like going somplace that far away for just 2 or 3 days.  If I go, I want to stay and enjoy.  Your Punta Can trip sounds great.  But the part that really got me was inviting the friends.  I think someone else mentioned it - it would be hard to say no when you pitch it to them.  Just my opinion, ymmv.   

savingtofreedom

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Re: Tropical Destination Surprise Weekend Getaway
« Reply #14 on: March 18, 2013, 03:51:28 PM »
Jeez I guess this was the wrong place to ask?  This was not trolling - I post on this forum very often.

Neither of us would be miserable on this trip.  Sometimes I wonder if people that make comments like that are just making themselves miserable by being (what they interpret as) mustachian.
 We're very mustachian but I guess everyone values different things..  We went on a week long all inclusive trip to Punta Cana 3 years ago for $520 each which included airfare, resort, food, drinks, and most activities.  I thought that was an outstanding deal and would happily do it again.  I wanted it to be a short trip (3 days) because most of our friends are not mustachian and have little extra money.

My wife and I have between 50-65% savings rate and have a goal of saving $80k this year which I'm starting to think was a low estimate.  We live in a small home, no debt outside of our mortgage,  max retirement accounts, etc.

These responses surprised me.  There are people on here with hobbies that I would NEVER want to spend money on, but that is what they value so that's up to them and I understand that.  I have a friend that is really into Saltwater fishkeeping and spends what I would consider a lot of money on the hobby.  Outside of that he's very mustachian and will be retiring early even though he started late. 
If I have a high savings rate and am mustachian in most other parts of my life, who are you to judge when I want to splurge on my wife for her 30th birthday?

Hi CBR,

Have you looked into renting a house?  If your friends are low on cash you could pay for the rental, alcohol and food and then it may not be so painful for them out of pocket. If I were you I may chat casually with some friends to see if this is really viable for them - it sounds like it could be hard for them to swing this. 

I agree Tripadvisor is a great resource - does VBRO work in foreign countries - I may check that out.

I agree though, I think mustachianism is going to be different for different people - different things make us happy and obviously you are in a good position to afford this.  If this is what your  wife likes - go for it!