How can you afford to travel?

[candlebizmom]

Some of you have really been on several cruises! I can't wait to share all of my experiences here. As far as expenses are concerned, well I will have to agree with the priority thing. I think we all can come up with the money if it is important enough to us.

 

My first cruise which isn't until November is only 560.00. Not even sure if that is a good deal. LOL

 

It is part business training part FUN. It doesn't include airfare but I have found a flight at 365.00 so far. I'm happy with the cost so far.

I guess with experience I'll find better deals but this was an all inclusive as far as the cruise itself.

 

Look forward to reading more stories here.

 

Tracy Russell

[usha]

I see by your profile that you're going to be on the 2/8/09 Westerdam. We are also. I enjoy your posts very much and hope we can meet on the cruise.

Esther

Thanks, Esther! Yup, we're really looking forward to Westerdam, and I hope to meet you onboard too! :)

[C 2 C]

we will also take fewer but longer cruise to conserve airfare & try to combine our Carib cruises

 

The above quoted airfares for Rome are discouraging--hope they moderate soon or we may well cancel our next cruise from Rome--hate to do it but there will come a break point..the cruise line just posted an offer for reduced fares if you book with them so maybe that'll work out for us as well!

 

I'm a cruise addict having cruised over a dozen times a year for the last 5 years. Some of them have been short 4 & 5 day cruises but getting to the cruises is getting to be the problem. The cruise lines have done an exceptional job in providing affordable itineraries. There have been some cut backs but their costs have gone up more than the fares. At one time I could rent a car for $50 per day and drive 1,200 miles to the port. I can now rent a car for $150 per day. Now it costs $200 just to get to the airport and rent a car. Parking a car at the cruiseport can cost $150 per week, 600 per month ( I like B2B).

 

There is a breaking point, a point where the product is just not worth the cost. I just cancelled our Solstice spring TA because the price was double what we paid for Galaxy this year. And the Euro Zone is just too pricey once you get off the ship. I can afford the cruise, I just can't afford to get off the ship!

For 2010 we have finally decided to cruise from NZ. A 12 night inside cabin for two is $3,158. The cost of the flight and Tax is $4,975. Fortunately we cruise back to Canada so the actual flight cost will be less.

[Moeve]

It is a case of setting priorites - the kids sleep on th pullmans instead of having their own cabin (its better then not going at all) So it means we have a shower sheduale or part of the group showers in the spa..... It doesn't matter because at least we all get to go.

 

At home we don't eat out - that saves a bundle. Think twice about driving around (do you really need x or can it wait until I can do something else on the trip) or can I use the bicycle for it. Everytime you want to spend money think about it if you really need that or if there is an alternative. There are lots of ways to save a bit here and there and you would be suprised just how much it adds up to.

 

We started taking ALL our appliances off the standby mode. That saved us almost the cruise price of one child.

[Hflors]

We started taking ALL our appliances off the standby mode. That saved us almost the cruise price of one child.

 

What do you mean "taking all our appliances off the standby mode? I am trying to save as much electricity as I can, but I have not heard of this?

 

Thanks

[Moeve]

When you turn off the TV at night - don't just use the remote but phyically press the button on the TV. Same thing with Video,dvd and music centres. Some lamps especially those with sliders for diming - even when they off they are still pulling electricity so we added an extention cord with a switch and we turn it off there.

 

Printers turn them off at night or when not in use same thing for screens.

 

Sleep mode still uses energy. Just go int every room in your home and see just how many appliences have this sort of convienient standby mode. Then have a look at all of you light bulbs. I don't know if they offer them in the US yet but you could check at home depot for greener / more efficient light bulbs that use half the enrgy to produce the same amount of light (draw back they take a few seconds to come to full strength) They are more expensive to buy but they are also more durable.

[Sky Sweet]

One of the easiest ways to save money is to ignore all the discount coupons that you receive for items that you didn't plan to buy.

 

There was a time when I would run to a store every time I received a discount coupon and wound up buying stuff I didn't really need. Now instead of focusing on the money I will save with them, I think about the money I will be spending that I wouldn't have otherwise.

[Fabian52]

:) :cool: :cool: I love to travel. I look forward to the actual planning and looking for different places to go each year. Yes eveything has gone up but if you make a few concessions every week like (don't go to Starbucks or Dunkin donts 5 times a week) you would be surprised how much money you can save.

Book a cruise where you want but book the inside guaranteed cabin, save that money for booking excursions. That's one way to save money. Also using the credit card as long as you pay it off each month use your points towards a cruise. Just about every cruise line has its own credit card.

After a year or so you practically have a free cruise.

Use your frequent flyer miles if you can to either get upgraded or make the flying arrangements yourself. You would be surprised how much money you can save that way.

There are many ways to do it. If you get a yearly bonus from work, save it for a year and save some money each month and see how much money you can save.

If you want to really go and can afford it now I say go. We plan on retiring in about 3 years so we are traveling now while we are in good health and can afford it.

[lives to cruise]

Well, I can now happily state that I can afford to travel because a major cruise line has repositioned (Sept 2009) a beautiful ship to sail out of a port that is less than a half hour away from my home. No high air fare!

[Sky Sweet]

Well, I can now happily state that I can afford to travel because a major cruise line has repositioned (Sept 2009) a beautiful ship to sail out of a port that is less than a half hour away from my home. No high air fare!

 

Hi lives to cruise :)

 

Which beautiful ship will be sailing out of Baltimore next year?

 

I am curious because my daughter lives in Virginia and it will be very convenient for her family.

[Jimsgirl]

Until recently, I saved money each month so that I could cruise three times a year. ( I travel alone).

 

Now however that looks like becoming a thing of the past. I used to joke that I was spending my daughters inheritance, but now both she and I are supporting another family.

 

My grand son in law lost his construction job months ago, as everyone knows there is no new construction going on, and stores here are closing because their sales are so low now. Every day the newspaper lists more and more families losing their homes. Chris and David (and the two children) would also have lost their home/car (ia car is essential here as we have no public transport) except my daughter has picked up the cost of their mortgage and I have picked up the cost of the car payments, - bought just a month before he lost his job.

The irony is that they are driving around in a 2008 car whilst I am paying over $300 a month for them, and driving a 15 year old car myself.!!!!

 

Did try to book a "cruise deal" this week, well deal did not apply to singles, went out of a port that proved almost impossible to fly to, and cost a arm and a leg when you did find a flight. Even the agent could not believe how high the cost was, how few flights - and this was between states here not overseas. The air lines are cutting domestic flights so much, and there are no trains anymore.

 

Unless you can drive to the port (regardless of the price of fuel) just getting to the ship is a major headache. Before someone says "oh there are cruises going out of Ft Lauderdale, so why is she complaining" I would remind you Ft Lauderdale is on the other side of the state, to fly you have to go to Ft Myers or Tampa, to Atlanta, change planes to come back to Ft Lauderdale

Forget going to Alaska, getting back from the west coast again is almost impossible unless one stays overnight at disembarkation in order to fly at the crack of dawn the next day.

Non stop flights???? What are these? Once they were the norm, now the airplanes expect us to travel 2000 miles in order to go 900 miles and to be packed like sardines in a can without food or drink.

Airlines used to treat us as honoured guests, provided meals and drinks, and entertainment, and still made a profit, Yes fuel costs more, but that is no excuse for their bad attitude towards their passengers

[lives to cruise]

Hi lives to cruise :)

 

Which beautiful ship will be sailing out of Baltimore next year?

 

I am curious because my daughter lives in Virginia and it will be very convenient for her family.

 

 

The Carnival Pride. It will begin sailing September 7th and will do 7 & 6 day cruises to the Turks and Nassau.

 

Now I know some will say "ewwwwwwwwwwww Carnival" but cruising is cruising and to be able to just hop onto a ship with no other expenditures will be wonderful!

[Sky Sweet]

The Carnival Pride. It will begin sailing September 7th and will do 7 & 6 day cruises to the Turks and Nassau.

 

Now I know some will say "ewwwwwwwwwwww Carnival" but cruising is cruising and to be able to just hop onto a ship with no other expenditures will be wonderful!

 

Hi lives to cruise :)

 

Thanks for the information. This sounds like a very good option for one of our three generation family cruises.

 

By then our granddaughter will be old enough for Carnival's kids club, which will be very nice for our daughter and son in law.

[YOW]

Unless you can drive to the port (regardless of the price of fuel) just getting to the ship is a major headache. Before someone says "oh there are cruises going out of Ft Lauderdale, so why is she complaining" I would remind you Ft Lauderdale is on the other side of the state, to fly you have to go to Ft Myers or Tampa, to Atlanta, change planes to come back to Ft Lauderdale

Forget going to Alaska, getting back from the west coast again is almost impossible unless one stays overnight at disembarkation in order to fly at the crack of dawn the next day.

Non stop flights???? What are these? Once they were the norm, now the airplanes expect us to travel 2000 miles in order to go 900 miles and to be packed like sardines in a can without food or drink.

Airlines used to treat us as honoured guests, provided meals and drinks, and entertainment, and still made a profit, Yes fuel costs more, but that is no excuse for their bad attitude towards their passengers

 

I know. And as this is a thread about how we can afford to travel, what you are describing is a large contributor to why many have been able to keep travelling. The airlines chose to focus on the part of their market research which said they needed to compete on price. That saw prices actually decreasing (when adjusted for inflation) for many years. What did they sacrifice? Meals, non-stops, comfort, service, everything you've named. In short, they went from being a service to being a commodity. I'm not making excuses for bad attitudes, but am providing reasons why these are prevalent not only in airlines but in many so-called service businesses.

 

Back to the topic... If many of us here are to be able to afford travel going forward, we will have to give up something else. It isn't of much use to reflect on 'what once was' given the dynamics in the travel industry now. I'm thankful for the travel we've been able to do, and understand that much of it came in an era which saw conditions largely unsustainable for the long term. Whatever 'deals' and 'bargains' we'll be able to get in the future will not be compared to those we saw in the past.

[Napi's Mom]

For 2010 we have finally decided to cruise from NZ. A 12 night inside cabin for two is $3,158. The cost of the flight and Tax is $4,975. Fortunately we cruise back to Canada so the actual flight cost will be less.

Wow...We're paying 600$pp less than that w/air for a CC cabin this year...and that's for air to/from Chicago. NZ to Australia 14 nt. cruise...aft cabin!:eek:

[Tinwoman]

I pay cash for everything. I was taught at a young age to invest. I bought my first piece of land at age 21, (I am now 50) was able to turn it around and buy a small house that I kept for a few years. Sold it at a huge profit. I did this over and over for the last 20 years. Since then I have paid cash for everything. Including trips. I have credit cards but never use them except for reservations and such, and I pay them off within the month.

I have a pickup I bought in 2000 new and still have it. I have a Mazda Miata that I bought last year with cash.

I am so glad that I had folks that taught me at an early age to invest. (land, baby girl they ain't makin any more of it)

I have paid with cash including my new home for everything ,if I couldn't pay with cash it had to wait until I could.

I have several rental properties, which I maintain.

I retired from being a police detective this year.

I am never going to be rich, but I do have some disposable income, and I plan to see the world with it. :)

[caribbeanboy]

Stay single and don't leave the nest. This is how I do it. Buy an over year car every 6 years i.s.o. 4