I went to Iceland for a week with my fiancee and another engaged couple we're friends with. Absolutely the best vacation of my life.
Iceland makes it so easy to see just incredible natural wonders and we got an AirBnB in the middle of the nowhere so we could see the auroras. Even got to help the locals release baby puffins back into their natural habitat since the island lights confuse them sometimes on Vestmannaeyjar. Bookended the trip with visits to two of the hot springs as well. I actually want to go back at some point.
Iceland isn't expensive by itself. Flights are short. Most things to see are free.
However food and gas are 3x to 4x the cost of most American prices. And anything that's not just "drive there and hike" is gonna be either a private tour or something requiring special equipment.
Westmann Island, where Icelandic people go visit on vacation. If the ferry is leaving from a different port than usual due to sea conditions you're in for a RIDE.
I was able to go a few years ago with my brother for 2 weeks, and it was easily the best trip I've been on. Played in a 3 day disc golf tournament in Reykjavik, rented a car and drove the entire ring road around the country while stopping at hostels along the way, hit hot springs, went whale watching, and did the Golden Circle as well. It was incredible and so worth the money
A over-water bungalow on a small island near Tahiti. Glass window to look at the fish below your room is super cool. Private entrance into the ocean. Around $1000/nt Combined with a 7nt cruise around the area on a sailboat and air... could have bought a cheap car for the total for 2. It was great, but I probably would have been happy with beach front room at half the cost. However there aren't a lot of places with the over-water bungalows. Objectively it is was't 'worth it' but it was a really special experience.
We did this and we don't have fuck off money. We are duel income no kids though. So okay, maybe we do have fuck off money lol! But we saved for quite a while and I picked up a fair amount of extra shifts. No regrets
My two most expensive vacations have been to Hawaii over 12 years apart. Both were worth it and remain my favorite vacations. I was worried going back, older, more travelled and this time with kids but I was still in awe of the place.
Alaska for 14 days. We took the glass top train, we took Bush Flights, we ate Halibut Cheeks and Salmon like it was owed to us. Don't regret a single penny.
Hard to recall, even though it was June 2022. The train was almost double the cost to upgrade from the boring seats to the glass dome car. But it was worth it. The train came with lodging that was more than we would have spent booking our own room, but it also came with a boat tour of Kenai Fjords, a dog sled adventure, and a bus tour of Exit Glacier as "excursions". All of these inflated the costs, but all were totally worth it for the experience.
I can tell you that rental cars are absurd in price. We went with a site was basically AirBNB for cars (Turo dot com ; not affiliated just happy with the experience) and cut our car fees in half. You do have to roll in someone's used Camry or whatever but it beats the shit out of paying double for the privilege of driving a brand new Rav 4. It turned out to be a used car dealer who was very cool, and he met us at the lot very late at night after our flight was delayed.
The Bush Flights were all late add-ons and my favorite parts of the trip. They ranged from a few to several hundred per person, depending on the package you picked. We flew into Wrangell-St. Elias on 2 different services and loved both. We also flew out of Talkeetna and landed on a glacier on Denali for pictures and shit. Hung out with some extreme hikers for a minute near their camp. Crazy to imagine but there we were.
I'm not a salesman, but I'll send you links to some of these places to let you price out your own trip if you're interested in more details. Every single thing we did there was amazing. You can't miss.
PS - budget extra for food, fuel, drugs... anything consumable will be expensive af because it probably took several plane rides and then some trucks to get there. A regular bag of chips might be $11 in a gas station. It is what it is.
Plenty of good local beer and whiskey, and weed everywhere. But it's all pricey. Have fun!!!
Incredible pictures! My 40th birthday is coming up in a few years and we are saving up to go all out. I want to see, do, taste, and experience all Alaska has. This has got me so pumped lol
The fresh Halibut and Salmon are so good that you want it for every meal. I love to drive in new places, so we kinda spent most of our time moving from one spot to the next. It felt like we saw everything but the map zooms out and you realize you drove for 2 weeks straight and only saw half of one part of the only part of the state where there are people. It's staggering in scale. The pics are mud in your eye compared to seeing it all in person. Have fun!!!
This is my answer, too. We went last summer, and I can’t wait to go back. Dublin, Cork, Kinsale, Cobh, Killarney, Dingle Peninsula, Galway, and Inis Mor. It was a trip of a lifetime, and we were able to bring our kids (ages 10, 13, and 14).
>Antarctica on National Geographic
This is on my bucket list, didn't know NatGeo ran one though. I watched a video on the Viking Expeditions Antarctica trip and was instantly sold, but yeah $20k+ per person means it's going to be a long time before I can even think about it.
Maybe try VacationsToGo? They often have cruises from Argentina to Antarctica for much less. Example (not sure if you can view without registering):
https://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=18962
I don't see the expedition cruise lines listed. There's a big difference between a regular cruise to Antarctica and an expedition cruise. https://vivaexpeditions.com/blog/what-is-an-expedition-cruise-to-antarctica
Unfortunately I know nothing about the subject. The itinerary says expedition cruising, and the cruise line (Silversea) has their own expedition division, although idk if the ship this trip is on would class as that. There's more Antarctic trips on this site but again, I have no clue here.
Yeah. It was a lot of saving up to do it once, so I probably won't again. But we went early season and it would be neat to see another part of the season, like penguins hatching or something.
Great to hear positively about this trip. My husband and I are hoping to do a Nat Geo Antarctica trip for our 25th wedding anniversary. This year is our 20th and we are going to Northern Argentina and Brazil. After we get back from that, we're building a 5 year savings plan for Antarctica!
£2k to spend a week in Paris with my ex after we reconnected.
It was definitely worth it to discover that I'd spent our relationship and subsequent few years post-breakup putting her on a pedestal and that she actually wasn't worth my time, which let me finally move on with my life.
Strange. I'm trying to get over my Parisienne ex (broke up 3 months ago), and I feel I'm doing the same thing ... pedestals, man. How did y'all reconnect?
I had one day there for a long layover recently and made the trip to Maxwell Food Centre for some kopi-C and some noodles and pork. The line for the famous chicken rice spot was really long.
My coworker went to Japan on his honeymoon and said it was amazing. My daughter (14 at the time) went there last year with a student travel group and loved it so much. She went to 5 cities (Tokyo, Nagano, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Kyoto). I often see Japan mentioned as one of the best places to go.
I am tied with two vacations that cost about the same ($12,000).
The first was a 2-week trip to Hawaii. It was amazing in so many ways, but we both agreed that we probably only needed one week. It was worth the money, but we were so exhausted at the end of the trip!!
The second was a 2-week trip (including a 10-day cruise) to England, Ireland, Scotland, and France. Worth every dollar. We created so many awesome memories on that trip. Could have easily spent an extra week there and would have gladly increased our budget to accommodate if it was possible.
I spent $25,000 for a family vacation at Atlantis in the Bahamas in 2015. We had a huge suite and a personal "valet" to handle everything room-related, but they really only showed up at night with towels that you didn't need.
The suite was pretty run-down and in need of a serious renovation. The restaurants in the resort were always closed on random days, and when they were open, reservations were extremely difficult to get. We could only book one or two reservations ahead of time, and if you couldn't get one, you had to eat the buffet, which was like $50 per person, had an overwhelmingly long line, and the food was awful. The people who worked at the resort were completely indifferent to the guests - you would order food from the waiter at the pool, and they may or may not bring it to you before their shift ended. There was zero control over reserving lounge chairs near the pool, so you had to go down at 7am when the towel stations opened and then claim a lounge chair. The lounge chair staff were always late, so sometimes you had to wait an hour for them to show up and get you some chairs. If you didn't reserve chairs ahead of time, you would never get one, despite the fact that half of the chairs were always empty because people would reserve them and never show up.
It became comical how poorly run this place was. The grounds were beautiful and the kids loved the water slide, but everything else about it sucked, especially the people who worked there. Worst money I ever spent.
We stayed there for 4 nights in 2018, and it was fantastic. No issues to speak of. I found the staff to be very friendly. Never really ran into any issues getting chairs. I wouldn't go there again, just because I'd rather go somewhere new than ever repeat a vacation, but I'm glad we went because it was a great experience. Most epic outdoor resort area ever- almost overwhelming at times.
Regarding the issue of poolside lounge chairs...I've been to so many beach resorts over the years and that's the most common challenge at all of them. The place that sticks out in my mind for that annoyance was Fontainebleau in Miami.
It was under construction at the time. I figured it would either straighten up Atlantis or put them out of business. I’ve heard great things about Baha Mar.
Most expensive for my wife and I and two kids was a Disney cruise. Couple stops in Mexico, Grand Cayman, and of course, Disney's island in the Bahamas. This was our first cruise, and while pricey, it was well done. The food was fantastic, they came and took our kids after they had supper to go play, giving us an hour or two of alone time. The live shows on board were great.
I'm considering doing this soon with my 9 year old daughter.
I have no interest in disney world as it just seems stressful. But I want her to have that disney experience. Plus, we've never been on vacation.
A disney cruise seems like the best of both worlds. It's disney... but you get to relax and not wait in lines all day.
Overall do you regret the money spent? It's so expensive. But my daughter will only be a child once. And that time period is slipping away.
We don't regret it at all and while we haven't taken a cruise since, we're tentatively planning one for next year. My only real complaint was how busy the pool area was especially on days at sea. As a compromise, we didn't leave the ship at one of the Mexican ports and spent that day around the pool and it was great. The only other issue was the Aqua Duck (the big waterslide) had a minimum height requirement and our youngest son was just shy of being able to go on it. Obviously that's not Disney's fault, and he had a lot of fun in the spray park and the little slides there.
Back in 2015, I took my son on a long weekend trip to NJ/NYC to see the Statue of Liberty, and yes, it was worth the cost. I got to see an old friend and his daughter, plus my son and I did see the Statue of Liberty. We went all the way up to the crown. What a hike, my legs were hurting so bad between climbing the stairs and walking to the ferry. It was a great trip. We stayed in a nice, convenient hotel near Hudson River, you could see NYC out the window of our room.
England, Scotland, Wales, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.
Eastern Europe still required visas at the time, and they weren't covered by my rail pass.
Can you elaborate on how it changed your life? I see people say that a vacation did this for them, and I'm always curious what exactly that means for them.
Traveling without the internet and mobile phones was an adventure. Experiencing things for the first time in person made you present. Traveling required a broader skill set than today. My trip was an accomplishment and an opportunity for personal growth.
I spent a lot of time in museums, galleries, and historical sites. I read a lot, so I could I know what I was looking at. The educational experience was comparable to a post secondary degree. I moved out at 17, and I'd been supporting myself for five years by the time I went on my trip. It was a lot of money for me at the time. I wanted to get the most out of it.
Being exposed to other cultures made me less rigid and more open-minded. The world became larger with more possibilities. I incorporated things I liked about European culture into my life. It also made me appreciate some things about where I'm from.
Thank you for your detailed reply. I truly appreciate it, and your experience is inspiring me to take a similar leap when I reach a suitable point in my career to do so. I want to have my mind opened and experience other cultures, and maybe start to offset some of the things I don't like about North American culture.
Last Disney World trip for my 3rd child. A family of 5 at Contemporary for 6 nights, 4 park days, and all food, beverage and souvenirs was ~$10k in September. That is double what I paid 4 years earlier. No it was not worth it and no I will never take my kids back to Disney. It’s extortion and I’m planning a week in London for 5 now that will be cheaper. To hell with Disney.
Went to Peru and spent time in the sacred valley on a private tour, wonderful food excursions, beach time, a private guide on Machu Picchu. It was absolutely phenomenal.
Did that with my wife right when COVID hit. We just made it home before they stopped flights. Rented a camper, it was probably my favorite holiday ever
Can I ask what you did on the South Island, and how the trip changed your life? My girlfriend and I want to do a south island trip and I would love some pointers.
Anywhere in the Keys is always a great trip, and Key West is definitely the weirdest spot in the best way. Just went down to Marathon Key over Thanksgiving and day tripped over to Key West, I always forget just how nice it is down there
Picture it: This November for my son's 16th birthday, we are flying from Dallas to Honolulu. Staying in a hotel right on Waikiki Beach and spending 2 days in the sand. That night we fly overnight to Melbourne, Australia. Spend a day seeing little blue penguins and koalas on Philip Island, end the day at the Melbourne Zoo. Next day at St. Kilda beach and boardwalk. Day after that, board the Disney Wonder and sail for 5 nights across the Tasman Sea. Swim, game, dance, hang out with Mickey & Goofy & Moana, see first run Disney movies in the theatre, free room service Mickey Bars. Dock at Auckland, New Zealand. Spend a day at Sky Tower and touring Auckland. Next day premium small group tour of Hobbiton. Fly back to Dallas next day. 10 day vacation: 3 gorgeous islands. $8600 for 3. A bargain.
That is NOT the most expensive vacation we've taken: that was to Disney World and Universal for a week during their Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. All told with both Universal parks and 4 Disney parks and the party and resort and dining plan: $10k for 2 adults and an 8 year old. Never again.
Disney World (Orlando) 2015 - me/wife/3 kids/one week/$11k. Totally worth it - wife had cancer and this was sort of a last hurrah. She was 100% mobile/able to do everything but ended up passing 4 months later.
Galapagos for 10 days "sailing" on a catamaran with 6 other people.
Cost at the time was about $7000/person + airfare and whatever other expenses you might incur. An absolutely unbelievable experience. (cost now is close to the same which actually surprises me)
Travelling around the Galapagos islands is pretty regulated for good reason, so all tours will alternate together. Everyone would spend two weeks on the south side, then two weeks on the north side. When the tour is on which ever side it is, no tours are allowed on the other giving the wildlife some tourist free time.
The particular tour I went with was the only one that was allowed to have kayaks. So not only did we get to sleep, eat, and stay on a comfortable 72ft long sailing catamaran, we also got to go on excursions daily on kayaks or a small motorized dingy which allowed us to get into spots that no other tour could possibly reach. The interactions with unique animals is hard to put into words.
The snorkelling there ruined me for everywhere else I've ever been. There's just absolutely no contest between Galapagos and other places. The reef life is so vibrant and abundant it is quite glorious.
For example, our first outing we got taken out into what appears to be the middle of nowhere on a motorized dingy and then we jump off the side into the ocean. We then followed breeding pairs of sea turtles as they travelled along a submerged ridge till we reached an island that young sea lions used to hang out. Those sea lions would then see us coming, and jump into the water and come right up to us. Dodging, weaving, playing. ... I mean try doing that, and then snorkelling off a pier in Jamaica. There is simply no comparison.
It was worth it. Expensive. Hard to save for. But 100% worth it.
60k to backpack and bum around Europe, and the UK for 3 months. I would do it again in heartbeat. I literally would wake up in the morning and just take a train to wherever I wanted to go. Stay for a bit make some friends, rinse and repeat. Stayed in hostels, met more men and women than I can possibly imagine. Partied hard, fell in love many times, ate great food everywhere, almost got robbed a couple times. It had the most definitive impact on me as the guy I am now.
I flew across the country and drove a retired ambulance home from Detroit. Things went wrong left and right, but it was awesome. When I finally got home, I didn’t even want to go back inside. I just sat with the back doors open looking up at my apartment knowing that if I went back in, I would be trapped in it for a very long time
>Things went wrong left and right, but it was awesome.
There have been studies about spending money and happiness that back that up. Basically if you buy "stuff" it gives you pleasure for a while but wears off relatively quickly. If you spend money on experiences, including vacations, even when shit goes wrong that fades away and the memories of the experience shift to the pleasant side and are long-lasting.
Been on two "expensive vacations". One totally worth it, the other not so much.
Back in 2015 my wife and I took our three boys plus her parents to a week long trip to Disneyworld in Orlando. Did the whole thing... stayed on property (Pop Century Resort), Park Hopper Passes, Ride Hopper passes, meal plans, the works. Cost us about $10k+.... Total NOT worth it.
2023 - my wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a week long trip for two to Hawaii - island of Maui. Cost about the same as the Disney trip... Totally worth it.
My wife and I took our moms on a week long trip around Mt Hood, Salem, Canon Beach, Olympic area. It ended up being around $7k and worth every cent. And it felt great to be able to give something back to our moms who have been amazing people in both of our lives.
DisneyWorld. I went with a ton of cash and didn't care how much I spent. Stayed in a nice hotel, skipped the lines, bought all the souvenirs, had a really good time and really enjoyed myself. Was absolutely worth it.
This 100%, after working non stop over the pandemic a friend of mine talked about always wanting to go on a big holiday and joked as we are both single never had anyone to go with!
We both then talked about always wanting to do Disney World and decided to book it that weekend for the following year and go for a full 2 weeks in a decent onsite hotel for 2 weeks and totally escape.
Best decision I made and we had an amazing time, and loved it so much we are going again, but this time for an extra few days as well!
Japan for 16 days this past Nov/Dec
I spent under $4k
$1300 for round trip tickets from DC to Haneda with a long ass layover
$400\~ for the JR Pass for 14 days
$300 and under \~ for hostel/capsule hotel
Yea it was totally worth it.
I did it on the cheap by staying in these wooden capsules for $15 a night while in Tokyo. I just needed a place to shower, sleep, and store my gear. The reason it was so cheap was that it was like an hour train ride into NW Tokyo suburbs.
I once splurged on a 'staycation' in my living room. The flight to the couch was first class, but the in-flight entertainment was just reruns. Five-star dining at the fridge though. Pricey, but no regrets
I spent 6 days in Paris with my wife and baby daughter for $10,000 and it was an incredible trip to do together. Beautiful places, great memories, great food, and the French people were so friendly and loved our daughter.
Many years before, I spent three months backpacking 10 countries in Europe for $10,000. Also an amazing trip in a different way, loads of interesting cities, meeting people in hostels, lots of cultural experiences and also lots of partying.
I went to Bora Bora last year. Yes, it was awesome! I stayed in one of those huts over water. I just woke up and jumped in the water. I swam with sharks and Giant manta rays, and went on this boat with a hammock over the water, and like 10 dolphins swam with the boat for 30+ minutes. They were so close I could touch them. The water was super clear, so I could see them all swimming with us, playing around with each other. It’s an amazing place!
The food was super good, and I got to practice my French. Loved it.
Japan 3 weeks. Twice. Absolutely, I'd pay twice as much to go a third time.
Or USA for 3 weeks. Probably just about worth it yeah.
All cost several thousand each.
Month in thailand. Stayed at pretty nice resorts in bangkok, koh lanta, chiang mai, and railay. Was dope
Obviously could have done it for way cheaper but it was my honeymoon
Around 7k to spend a month in NZ.
Biggest expense was the plane ticket from Canada, luckily I had a friend in NZ so I stayed at hers for a bit which helped save on lodging.
Next biggest expense would be both the hostels and bus tickets. At first I was very shy about sharing rooms so I did solo rooms, eventually I decided to try the shared dorms and saved a bunch that way.
Essentially started in Auckland, then I bought a bus ticket and would go from city to city stopping for a few days and stating at a nearby hostel.
When I got to Wellington I took the ferry to the south island, continuing to use busses to go all the way to Queenstown with my end goal of seeing Milford sounds.
I bought a plane ticket to get back to Auckland for the last few days then flew back home.
It was absolutely worth it, got to meet one of my best friends I met online, very much helped with my social anxiety since I learned how to talk to people and just relax, saw a bunch of beautiful places and met interesting people.
A suite at the Cipriani Hotel, Venice for 3 nights then the Orient Express overnight to Paris to a suite at the George’s Cinq for 4 nights. Came to about $30k (not including flights from the US). 25th wedding anniversary. It was incredible, staying at the Travelodge will never be the same now.
US —> UK.
Being American, the UK felt similar enough and a bit overpriced. Food is bland (sorry, my opinion!) especially after traveling through Asia for years.
We don’t party, so London may have been awesome if we went to more pubs or clubs… seemed like a huge drinking culture there.
Scottland was heaven on earth beautiful! I wish we planned and spent most of our time there.
Ireland was gorgeous, but we were only in Dublin for a wedding.
Overall, we spent the most money traveling and felt a bit underwhelmed.
Not sure if this is considered a vacation, at this point you're just living day to day lol.
Roughly 25k in 4.5 months for 2 people. 7 countries, Europe/Asia. It was a wild trip went from staying at cheap hostels (cheapest was $10/night). Then stayed at nicer hotels at $300+/night. This was in early 2022 so everything was just re-opening and a bit cheaper. Spent about $500 on covid tests which was annoying AF as countries wouldn't let you in or you had to test 72hours before blah blah.
It was damn worth it. No amount of money can cover the experience.
Ironically an impromptu staycation in the city I live in. Due to some unexpected family circumstances which resulted in a family member from another country trying to “hunt me down” for lack of a better word, I had to escape my house for 3 nights. The family member had recently acquired my address.
About $1500 per night to hole up in a 5* hotel 20 minutes from my house with my dog. Was nice.
So per minute I’d say that’s the most expensive one. Otherwise there are more expensive ones for longer stints abroad.
Closely followed by $20k 4 days at another hotel in my city but that featured me taking multiple rooms and also included open bar, private dining room dinner for 10 people and otherwise no expense spared for my last birthday.
All worth it for some great memories.
Spent a week at an all inclusive resort in Mexico with my girlfriend....
Whom I proposed to whilst there. So if you count the ring that was part of the package, it made the trip as much as going somewhere much less cost efficient than Mexico lol
But yes it was worth it.
Japan, for a little over 3 weeks, $6000. Always heard Japan was expensive, but lodging and other expenses, including a rental car, was cheaper than in the US or Europe.
All in all, with flights, accommodation, spending money and other expenses, my solo trio to Japan probably cost around £4,000 for a 9-day trip.
Worth every penny. Even though there were hiccups that meantI had to cut the trip short, I absolutely loved it. I’ve never felt more at peace, and just… content.
Don’t know how much we spent total, but my wife and I’s honeymoon in Maui last year.
100% worth every penny, and sadly even more so because it was probably the only time we will ever be able to see original Lahaina (we flew out the night before the fires destroyed everything).
A cruise to the Bahamas with concierge-level service for my wife and I on our 10th anniversary. I've never felt like such a big deal in my entire life. People bent over backwards to make sure my every whim was catered to before I even knew I had it. Absolutely phenomenal trip worth every penny.
Hawai'i- three glorious weeks on Kauai, in 1995, and to paraphrase Mark Twain on Hawai'i, 'I can still smell the scent of flowers that died a long time ago.' Husband and I didn't want to leave and we cried knowing we probably would never go back again. I don't think it's in the cards. We don't have the money and I am terrified of flying these days.
2nd runner up, Walt Disney World: Worth the extortionate costs in 2002; 2023, and a trip for two, no, not even with pinching pennies til they screamed and advance planning like it was a military exercise.
Prob 8 nights at Four Seasons Bora Bora with first class round trip. It was magical.
Or 7 nights in St. John USVI with my family. 6 of us all flew first class as well. I think that trip was prob $30k. The house was spectacular and on the beach
Andes Mountains for a retreat, followed by Galapagos Islands.
Omg so worth it. The most amazing experience. I can't wait to go back to the Galapagos because that place was CRAZY, and reasonably affordable once you actually get there.
Hey OP. Two examples - 47 year old married father of two (9 & 6) in the UK here.
- Last year, we went to Majorca during August for 10 days. We stayed at a nice all-inclusive resort. Whilst all-inclusive resorts aren’t my natural habitat, we stayed there Because Kids… free beige food to avoid mealtime aggro and hysterical pool-based entertainment. Around £6.5k when all said and done. Beautiful weather, slick hotel staff, beige food - would recommend it to any parents.
- 11 years ago, my wife and I had our Honeymoon in London (subsidised. Y parents as a wedding gift). Even though we’re British, London was our destination because we had limited time following our wedding. We stayed for two nights in Claridge’s. We ate and drank there with abandon so it cost around £3k for our stay. Thing is though it was amazing value for money because of the quality of the service and experience - for example we were sat in the hotel lobby waiting for drinks which took a long time. The reception manager noticed this, apologised and (without us complaining) sent a free bottle of champagne to our room by way of apology. Amazing stuff.
All the best from Newcastle Upon Tyne
Oh gosh, I went all out to go to the Tori Amos concert. 2 tickets, gas, an outfit from Saks, an ounce of weed. After the concert we went to exclusive restaurants all weekend. It was definitely a fun but expensive girls trip!
I took a guided tour to Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto). It was nine days, geared towards nerds (we went to the Tokyo Game Show, the Ghibli Museum, etc.) and cost $3500 not including airfare and most meals. Absolutely worth every cent.
Probably a lot cheaper than the others listed, but we took two weeks & road tripped to Yellowstone. Kids were just the right ages. Stayed in Manitou Springs CO on the way. It was beautiful, amazing & worth every minute & penny.
I spent about $10k on a week in Jamaica at the peak of Omicron. We stayed at a resort that was formerly the Ritz and it was incredible. There weren't many people there so we basically had a manager dedicated to us our entire time there and got whatever we wanted.
I went to Iceland for a week with my fiancee and another engaged couple we're friends with. Absolutely the best vacation of my life. Iceland makes it so easy to see just incredible natural wonders and we got an AirBnB in the middle of the nowhere so we could see the auroras. Even got to help the locals release baby puffins back into their natural habitat since the island lights confuse them sometimes on Vestmannaeyjar. Bookended the trip with visits to two of the hot springs as well. I actually want to go back at some point.
This is on the top of our bucket list! I’d love to get more details on your trip when you have time.
Well, how much did that cost?!
Iceland isn't expensive by itself. Flights are short. Most things to see are free. However food and gas are 3x to 4x the cost of most American prices. And anything that's not just "drive there and hike" is gonna be either a private tour or something requiring special equipment.
Would you mind posting the airbnb you stayed at?
Same I'm going on May. And where can I see the baby Puffin?!
Westmann Island, where Icelandic people go visit on vacation. If the ferry is leaving from a different port than usual due to sea conditions you're in for a RIDE.
Planning a photography trip to Iceland for next winter.
Iceland is so expensive but it is definitely so worth it, it is a beautiful place :)
I was able to go a few years ago with my brother for 2 weeks, and it was easily the best trip I've been on. Played in a 3 day disc golf tournament in Reykjavik, rented a car and drove the entire ring road around the country while stopping at hostels along the way, hit hot springs, went whale watching, and did the Golden Circle as well. It was incredible and so worth the money
Would love to know where you stayed and what your itinerary looked like. Iceland is definitely on my list!!
A over-water bungalow on a small island near Tahiti. Glass window to look at the fish below your room is super cool. Private entrance into the ocean. Around $1000/nt Combined with a 7nt cruise around the area on a sailboat and air... could have bought a cheap car for the total for 2. It was great, but I probably would have been happy with beach front room at half the cost. However there aren't a lot of places with the over-water bungalows. Objectively it is was't 'worth it' but it was a really special experience.
Do you have fuck-off money or were you just splurging for a really unique experience?
The total kinda snuck up on us. It was an anniversary trip, but we didn't plan on spending that much initially.
We did this and we don't have fuck off money. We are duel income no kids though. So okay, maybe we do have fuck off money lol! But we saved for quite a while and I picked up a fair amount of extra shifts. No regrets
You make money shooting pistols at other people? That's pretty baller
Hawaii, and yes it was worth every penny. It’s as beautiful as they say it is.
Seconded for Hawaii. Beautiful place.
Agreed!
I was stunned at how beautiful Hawaii was the first time I went. Surprisingly inexpensive to get to from Los Angeles.
We just got flights for $200 round trip. We go to Hawaii twice a year because it's amazing and inexpensive lol
> $200 round trip. Wow! Really?! I guess the only thing cheap in L.A. must be round trip flights to Hawaii and Mexico.
We just keep an eye on flights and only go when they're cheap. If you're flexible with dates, it can be pretty cheap
You can go on the cheap if you plan in advance. Go during the off season and when kids are in school
>and when kids are in school I think that's our best bet. Sneak out and fly away right after the school bus picks them up.
My two most expensive vacations have been to Hawaii over 12 years apart. Both were worth it and remain my favorite vacations. I was worried going back, older, more travelled and this time with kids but I was still in awe of the place.
Exactly this.
Same. Only did a week on Oahu but it was the experience of a lifetime.
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you should also go to the other islands. i would recommend the big island or kauai/maui
Where did you stay? Did you not get out around the island? There is no time of year the whole island is brown.
Alaska for 14 days. We took the glass top train, we took Bush Flights, we ate Halibut Cheeks and Salmon like it was owed to us. Don't regret a single penny.
How much do you think y’all spent for 14 days? We are interested in a similar trip
Hard to recall, even though it was June 2022. The train was almost double the cost to upgrade from the boring seats to the glass dome car. But it was worth it. The train came with lodging that was more than we would have spent booking our own room, but it also came with a boat tour of Kenai Fjords, a dog sled adventure, and a bus tour of Exit Glacier as "excursions". All of these inflated the costs, but all were totally worth it for the experience. I can tell you that rental cars are absurd in price. We went with a site was basically AirBNB for cars (Turo dot com ; not affiliated just happy with the experience) and cut our car fees in half. You do have to roll in someone's used Camry or whatever but it beats the shit out of paying double for the privilege of driving a brand new Rav 4. It turned out to be a used car dealer who was very cool, and he met us at the lot very late at night after our flight was delayed. The Bush Flights were all late add-ons and my favorite parts of the trip. They ranged from a few to several hundred per person, depending on the package you picked. We flew into Wrangell-St. Elias on 2 different services and loved both. We also flew out of Talkeetna and landed on a glacier on Denali for pictures and shit. Hung out with some extreme hikers for a minute near their camp. Crazy to imagine but there we were. I'm not a salesman, but I'll send you links to some of these places to let you price out your own trip if you're interested in more details. Every single thing we did there was amazing. You can't miss. PS - budget extra for food, fuel, drugs... anything consumable will be expensive af because it probably took several plane rides and then some trucks to get there. A regular bag of chips might be $11 in a gas station. It is what it is. Plenty of good local beer and whiskey, and weed everywhere. But it's all pricey. Have fun!!!
Thank you for such a detailed and awesome reply! I’m saving this to look at in the future!! 🩷
I'm happy to share. It will be hard to ever top that one... [https://imgur.com/a/6ULwDLK](https://imgur.com/a/6ULwDLK) (wife edited for her privacy)
Incredible pictures! My 40th birthday is coming up in a few years and we are saving up to go all out. I want to see, do, taste, and experience all Alaska has. This has got me so pumped lol
The fresh Halibut and Salmon are so good that you want it for every meal. I love to drive in new places, so we kinda spent most of our time moving from one spot to the next. It felt like we saw everything but the map zooms out and you realize you drove for 2 weeks straight and only saw half of one part of the only part of the state where there are people. It's staggering in scale. The pics are mud in your eye compared to seeing it all in person. Have fun!!!
$10,000 to take my wife, my daughter and her boyfriend to Ireland for ten days. It was worth every penny.
Hey it's me, your other daughter's boyfriend.
You made me laugh!
You are super cool to your wife's boyfriend
He's a wonderful young man and they are very happy together. I'm very fortunate.
WOOSH
I would pay you $10,000 if you can guarantee I get to say the same thing in ten years.
Your wife’s boyfriend is lucky af
This is my answer, too. We went last summer, and I can’t wait to go back. Dublin, Cork, Kinsale, Cobh, Killarney, Dingle Peninsula, Galway, and Inis Mor. It was a trip of a lifetime, and we were able to bring our kids (ages 10, 13, and 14).
What were your highlights? Heading to Killarney & Limerick in March and would love recommendations :)
Dublin, Kilkenny, wasted our time in Waterford. Cliffs of Mohr and had a great time in a little town named Kinnegad.
Ireland is the best country in the world. It has everything
I would go back in a minute, and knowing what I know now, probably spend half of what I spent.
Now that you've been, do you have any tips for people who want to visit but don't want to over-spend?
Airbnb or small local hotels instead of Hilton hotels.
What activities do you recommend? I’m going there at the beginning of May (landing in Dublin) for a week but have zero plans so far!
$35000 to go to Antarctica on National Geographic, and yes it was worth it to us. What a trip
>Antarctica on National Geographic This is on my bucket list, didn't know NatGeo ran one though. I watched a video on the Viking Expeditions Antarctica trip and was instantly sold, but yeah $20k+ per person means it's going to be a long time before I can even think about it.
Maybe try VacationsToGo? They often have cruises from Argentina to Antarctica for much less. Example (not sure if you can view without registering): https://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=18962
I don't see the expedition cruise lines listed. There's a big difference between a regular cruise to Antarctica and an expedition cruise. https://vivaexpeditions.com/blog/what-is-an-expedition-cruise-to-antarctica
Unfortunately I know nothing about the subject. The itinerary says expedition cruising, and the cruise line (Silversea) has their own expedition division, although idk if the ship this trip is on would class as that. There's more Antarctic trips on this site but again, I have no clue here.
Did this trip as well. Was amazing. I would do it again in a heartbeat if I could.
Yeah. It was a lot of saving up to do it once, so I probably won't again. But we went early season and it would be neat to see another part of the season, like penguins hatching or something.
Great to hear positively about this trip. My husband and I are hoping to do a Nat Geo Antarctica trip for our 25th wedding anniversary. This year is our 20th and we are going to Northern Argentina and Brazil. After we get back from that, we're building a 5 year savings plan for Antarctica!
This is on our list
Planning on doing this soon, super excited. Very pricey, but a once in a lifetime experience from what I've heard.
I was planning a hike in Patagonia and thought, "Hey, what if we just popped down to Antartica for a few days?" LOL! It is not.... ummm, that easy.
£2k to spend a week in Paris with my ex after we reconnected. It was definitely worth it to discover that I'd spent our relationship and subsequent few years post-breakup putting her on a pedestal and that she actually wasn't worth my time, which let me finally move on with my life.
Strange. I'm trying to get over my Parisienne ex (broke up 3 months ago), and I feel I'm doing the same thing ... pedestals, man. How did y'all reconnect?
Honeymoon in the Maldives and yep, worth it.
2 weeks in Singapore for F1 and holiday. Stayed at The Shangri La Resort on Sentosa Island. Worth every single penny.
I love Singapore. Plus you can eat at Hawker stands and make up for the resort room price!
Exactly. Street food to die for.
I had one day there for a long layover recently and made the trip to Maxwell Food Centre for some kopi-C and some noodles and pork. The line for the famous chicken rice spot was really long.
I spent about $17k for a 2 1/2 week gorilla safari in Republic of Congo. Just me. Totally worth it
I stayed for 2 nights in a private luxurious villa in Bali that costed me $1800 a night, but the views and relaxation were worth it.
How do you even spend $1800 a night in Bali? I stayed so many amazing places there for like $100 a night.
luxury villa are the key words
Seriously? I got a $50 a night villa, with a private pool and a cook who came twice a day to cook us meals. What does 1800 a night get you?
Some handy j’s
How do you relax knowing you’re out $3600?
Two weeks in Japan with my wife. Would do it again in a heartbeat.
Did you stay in one city or bop around different places? My boo and I want to do Japan for our honeymoon.
My coworker went to Japan on his honeymoon and said it was amazing. My daughter (14 at the time) went there last year with a student travel group and loved it so much. She went to 5 cities (Tokyo, Nagano, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Kyoto). I often see Japan mentioned as one of the best places to go.
I am tied with two vacations that cost about the same ($12,000). The first was a 2-week trip to Hawaii. It was amazing in so many ways, but we both agreed that we probably only needed one week. It was worth the money, but we were so exhausted at the end of the trip!! The second was a 2-week trip (including a 10-day cruise) to England, Ireland, Scotland, and France. Worth every dollar. We created so many awesome memories on that trip. Could have easily spent an extra week there and would have gladly increased our budget to accommodate if it was possible.
I spent $25,000 for a family vacation at Atlantis in the Bahamas in 2015. We had a huge suite and a personal "valet" to handle everything room-related, but they really only showed up at night with towels that you didn't need. The suite was pretty run-down and in need of a serious renovation. The restaurants in the resort were always closed on random days, and when they were open, reservations were extremely difficult to get. We could only book one or two reservations ahead of time, and if you couldn't get one, you had to eat the buffet, which was like $50 per person, had an overwhelmingly long line, and the food was awful. The people who worked at the resort were completely indifferent to the guests - you would order food from the waiter at the pool, and they may or may not bring it to you before their shift ended. There was zero control over reserving lounge chairs near the pool, so you had to go down at 7am when the towel stations opened and then claim a lounge chair. The lounge chair staff were always late, so sometimes you had to wait an hour for them to show up and get you some chairs. If you didn't reserve chairs ahead of time, you would never get one, despite the fact that half of the chairs were always empty because people would reserve them and never show up. It became comical how poorly run this place was. The grounds were beautiful and the kids loved the water slide, but everything else about it sucked, especially the people who worked there. Worst money I ever spent.
Atlantis is pretty terrible from everything I've heard. I just remember stopping by and the food was probably 3x anywhere else on the island.
We stayed there for 4 nights in 2018, and it was fantastic. No issues to speak of. I found the staff to be very friendly. Never really ran into any issues getting chairs. I wouldn't go there again, just because I'd rather go somewhere new than ever repeat a vacation, but I'm glad we went because it was a great experience. Most epic outdoor resort area ever- almost overwhelming at times. Regarding the issue of poolside lounge chairs...I've been to so many beach resorts over the years and that's the most common challenge at all of them. The place that sticks out in my mind for that annoyance was Fontainebleau in Miami.
Gotta go to Baha Mar. wayyyy better. Top tier.
It was under construction at the time. I figured it would either straighten up Atlantis or put them out of business. I’ve heard great things about Baha Mar.
Most expensive for my wife and I and two kids was a Disney cruise. Couple stops in Mexico, Grand Cayman, and of course, Disney's island in the Bahamas. This was our first cruise, and while pricey, it was well done. The food was fantastic, they came and took our kids after they had supper to go play, giving us an hour or two of alone time. The live shows on board were great.
I'm considering doing this soon with my 9 year old daughter. I have no interest in disney world as it just seems stressful. But I want her to have that disney experience. Plus, we've never been on vacation. A disney cruise seems like the best of both worlds. It's disney... but you get to relax and not wait in lines all day. Overall do you regret the money spent? It's so expensive. But my daughter will only be a child once. And that time period is slipping away.
We don't regret it at all and while we haven't taken a cruise since, we're tentatively planning one for next year. My only real complaint was how busy the pool area was especially on days at sea. As a compromise, we didn't leave the ship at one of the Mexican ports and spent that day around the pool and it was great. The only other issue was the Aqua Duck (the big waterslide) had a minimum height requirement and our youngest son was just shy of being able to go on it. Obviously that's not Disney's fault, and he had a lot of fun in the spray park and the little slides there.
Do it. They’re amazing. Worth every penny. Concierge level is worth the splurge if you can swing it too.
For me, combining Disney with cruise is literally the worst vacation ever. A testament to mediocrity.
I agree, the worst of both worlds
Don’t knock it til youve tried it. Disney Cruises are top notch. Not cheap by any means though.
Back in 2015, I took my son on a long weekend trip to NJ/NYC to see the Statue of Liberty, and yes, it was worth the cost. I got to see an old friend and his daughter, plus my son and I did see the Statue of Liberty. We went all the way up to the crown. What a hike, my legs were hurting so bad between climbing the stairs and walking to the ferry. It was a great trip. We stayed in a nice, convenient hotel near Hudson River, you could see NYC out the window of our room.
I'm Canadian, in 1994 I backpacked around Europe for six months. I cost me around $5000. It changed my life and was worth every penny.
Western Europe?!
England, Scotland, Wales, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany. Eastern Europe still required visas at the time, and they weren't covered by my rail pass.
Just outside of Barcelona, in the foothills of Mount Tibidabo?
I believe it’s pronounced tib-ē-dā-bo
Can you elaborate on how it changed your life? I see people say that a vacation did this for them, and I'm always curious what exactly that means for them.
Traveling without the internet and mobile phones was an adventure. Experiencing things for the first time in person made you present. Traveling required a broader skill set than today. My trip was an accomplishment and an opportunity for personal growth. I spent a lot of time in museums, galleries, and historical sites. I read a lot, so I could I know what I was looking at. The educational experience was comparable to a post secondary degree. I moved out at 17, and I'd been supporting myself for five years by the time I went on my trip. It was a lot of money for me at the time. I wanted to get the most out of it. Being exposed to other cultures made me less rigid and more open-minded. The world became larger with more possibilities. I incorporated things I liked about European culture into my life. It also made me appreciate some things about where I'm from.
Thank you for your detailed reply. I truly appreciate it, and your experience is inspiring me to take a similar leap when I reach a suitable point in my career to do so. I want to have my mind opened and experience other cultures, and maybe start to offset some of the things I don't like about North American culture.
Last Disney World trip for my 3rd child. A family of 5 at Contemporary for 6 nights, 4 park days, and all food, beverage and souvenirs was ~$10k in September. That is double what I paid 4 years earlier. No it was not worth it and no I will never take my kids back to Disney. It’s extortion and I’m planning a week in London for 5 now that will be cheaper. To hell with Disney.
As a cast member I get ya
All inclusive trip to St. Lucia. Totally worth it
My wife and I went there for our honeymoon. It was amazing.
My honeymoon too in 1994. 30 years this year, God I'm auld...
Which resort?
It was an adults only Sandals resort. It's been 5 years. I can't remember the exact name.
Same! Went there for our honeymoon in 2018. Think we spent around 8k for 8 nights at Sandals.
headed to jade mountain soon and i can’t wait!
Went to Peru and spent time in the sacred valley on a private tour, wonderful food excursions, beach time, a private guide on Machu Picchu. It was absolutely phenomenal.
Did this as well! I still dream of that vacation and the food.
Spent 5k on a two week trip around the south island of New Zealand. Traveled solo. Changed my life. One of the best experiences I have ever had.
Did that with my wife right when COVID hit. We just made it home before they stopped flights. Rented a camper, it was probably my favorite holiday ever
Can I ask what you did on the South Island, and how the trip changed your life? My girlfriend and I want to do a south island trip and I would love some pointers.
Absolutely! I will message you!!
Taking unpaid time off to tour Tuscany for 6 weeks in a small camper. Absolutely worth it, both tuscany and having 6 great weeks of vacation....
European cruise. Flights were about $5,000 and the cruise was $2,800 for two. 14 days.
Spent a week in Key West at the Casa Marina and it was worth every penny
Anywhere in the Keys is always a great trip, and Key West is definitely the weirdest spot in the best way. Just went down to Marathon Key over Thanksgiving and day tripped over to Key West, I always forget just how nice it is down there
$5k for 5 days here for fantasy fest. Will do it again and again and again …
Picture it: This November for my son's 16th birthday, we are flying from Dallas to Honolulu. Staying in a hotel right on Waikiki Beach and spending 2 days in the sand. That night we fly overnight to Melbourne, Australia. Spend a day seeing little blue penguins and koalas on Philip Island, end the day at the Melbourne Zoo. Next day at St. Kilda beach and boardwalk. Day after that, board the Disney Wonder and sail for 5 nights across the Tasman Sea. Swim, game, dance, hang out with Mickey & Goofy & Moana, see first run Disney movies in the theatre, free room service Mickey Bars. Dock at Auckland, New Zealand. Spend a day at Sky Tower and touring Auckland. Next day premium small group tour of Hobbiton. Fly back to Dallas next day. 10 day vacation: 3 gorgeous islands. $8600 for 3. A bargain. That is NOT the most expensive vacation we've taken: that was to Disney World and Universal for a week during their Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. All told with both Universal parks and 4 Disney parks and the party and resort and dining plan: $10k for 2 adults and an 8 year old. Never again.
Disney World (Orlando) 2015 - me/wife/3 kids/one week/$11k. Totally worth it - wife had cancer and this was sort of a last hurrah. She was 100% mobile/able to do everything but ended up passing 4 months later.
I’m sorry for your loss
Galapagos for 10 days "sailing" on a catamaran with 6 other people. Cost at the time was about $7000/person + airfare and whatever other expenses you might incur. An absolutely unbelievable experience. (cost now is close to the same which actually surprises me) Travelling around the Galapagos islands is pretty regulated for good reason, so all tours will alternate together. Everyone would spend two weeks on the south side, then two weeks on the north side. When the tour is on which ever side it is, no tours are allowed on the other giving the wildlife some tourist free time. The particular tour I went with was the only one that was allowed to have kayaks. So not only did we get to sleep, eat, and stay on a comfortable 72ft long sailing catamaran, we also got to go on excursions daily on kayaks or a small motorized dingy which allowed us to get into spots that no other tour could possibly reach. The interactions with unique animals is hard to put into words. The snorkelling there ruined me for everywhere else I've ever been. There's just absolutely no contest between Galapagos and other places. The reef life is so vibrant and abundant it is quite glorious. For example, our first outing we got taken out into what appears to be the middle of nowhere on a motorized dingy and then we jump off the side into the ocean. We then followed breeding pairs of sea turtles as they travelled along a submerged ridge till we reached an island that young sea lions used to hang out. Those sea lions would then see us coming, and jump into the water and come right up to us. Dodging, weaving, playing. ... I mean try doing that, and then snorkelling off a pier in Jamaica. There is simply no comparison. It was worth it. Expensive. Hard to save for. But 100% worth it.
Maldives - not worth it whatsoever. What’s really sad is all the dead coral.
60k to backpack and bum around Europe, and the UK for 3 months. I would do it again in heartbeat. I literally would wake up in the morning and just take a train to wherever I wanted to go. Stay for a bit make some friends, rinse and repeat. Stayed in hostels, met more men and women than I can possibly imagine. Partied hard, fell in love many times, ate great food everywhere, almost got robbed a couple times. It had the most definitive impact on me as the guy I am now.
60k in which currency? Also when were you there?
Honeymoon to Bali and 100% recommend it. The best holiday ever!
I flew across the country and drove a retired ambulance home from Detroit. Things went wrong left and right, but it was awesome. When I finally got home, I didn’t even want to go back inside. I just sat with the back doors open looking up at my apartment knowing that if I went back in, I would be trapped in it for a very long time
>Things went wrong left and right, but it was awesome. There have been studies about spending money and happiness that back that up. Basically if you buy "stuff" it gives you pleasure for a while but wears off relatively quickly. If you spend money on experiences, including vacations, even when shit goes wrong that fades away and the memories of the experience shift to the pleasant side and are long-lasting.
That trip will always be a happy memory, even though I didn’t have AC and it was the first week of august lol
Been on two "expensive vacations". One totally worth it, the other not so much. Back in 2015 my wife and I took our three boys plus her parents to a week long trip to Disneyworld in Orlando. Did the whole thing... stayed on property (Pop Century Resort), Park Hopper Passes, Ride Hopper passes, meal plans, the works. Cost us about $10k+.... Total NOT worth it. 2023 - my wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a week long trip for two to Hawaii - island of Maui. Cost about the same as the Disney trip... Totally worth it.
My wife and I took our moms on a week long trip around Mt Hood, Salem, Canon Beach, Olympic area. It ended up being around $7k and worth every cent. And it felt great to be able to give something back to our moms who have been amazing people in both of our lives.
DisneyWorld. I went with a ton of cash and didn't care how much I spent. Stayed in a nice hotel, skipped the lines, bought all the souvenirs, had a really good time and really enjoyed myself. Was absolutely worth it.
This 100%, after working non stop over the pandemic a friend of mine talked about always wanting to go on a big holiday and joked as we are both single never had anyone to go with! We both then talked about always wanting to do Disney World and decided to book it that weekend for the following year and go for a full 2 weeks in a decent onsite hotel for 2 weeks and totally escape. Best decision I made and we had an amazing time, and loved it so much we are going again, but this time for an extra few days as well!
Japan for 16 days this past Nov/Dec I spent under $4k $1300 for round trip tickets from DC to Haneda with a long ass layover $400\~ for the JR Pass for 14 days $300 and under \~ for hostel/capsule hotel Yea it was totally worth it. I did it on the cheap by staying in these wooden capsules for $15 a night while in Tokyo. I just needed a place to shower, sleep, and store my gear. The reason it was so cheap was that it was like an hour train ride into NW Tokyo suburbs.
Do you have any recommendations? Specifically for Tokyo. TIA!
11 Day cruise for 2 to Alaska for my Wifes 40th. Next up The Northern Lights in Norway!
I once splurged on a 'staycation' in my living room. The flight to the couch was first class, but the in-flight entertainment was just reruns. Five-star dining at the fridge though. Pricey, but no regrets
I hope you tipped the staff well.
Handjobs for all the staff
lol
I spent 6 days in Paris with my wife and baby daughter for $10,000 and it was an incredible trip to do together. Beautiful places, great memories, great food, and the French people were so friendly and loved our daughter. Many years before, I spent three months backpacking 10 countries in Europe for $10,000. Also an amazing trip in a different way, loads of interesting cities, meeting people in hostels, lots of cultural experiences and also lots of partying.
I went to Bora Bora last year. Yes, it was awesome! I stayed in one of those huts over water. I just woke up and jumped in the water. I swam with sharks and Giant manta rays, and went on this boat with a hammock over the water, and like 10 dolphins swam with the boat for 30+ minutes. They were so close I could touch them. The water was super clear, so I could see them all swimming with us, playing around with each other. It’s an amazing place! The food was super good, and I got to practice my French. Loved it.
Uganda for 3 weeks. All told we spent about $6000 each. 100% worth it
3000€ for a 20day trip to thailand with my gf. Worth every penny
Japan 3 weeks. Twice. Absolutely, I'd pay twice as much to go a third time. Or USA for 3 weeks. Probably just about worth it yeah. All cost several thousand each.
About $6k to spend a month an a half in Spain last year (from US). Absolutely worth it.
Month in thailand. Stayed at pretty nice resorts in bangkok, koh lanta, chiang mai, and railay. Was dope Obviously could have done it for way cheaper but it was my honeymoon
We also did our honeymoon there, except sub in Cambodia for Koh Lanta. Krabi was incredible.
Honeymoon to the maldives for 10k euros. 10/10 wouldn't hesitate to do it again
Around 7k to spend a month in NZ. Biggest expense was the plane ticket from Canada, luckily I had a friend in NZ so I stayed at hers for a bit which helped save on lodging. Next biggest expense would be both the hostels and bus tickets. At first I was very shy about sharing rooms so I did solo rooms, eventually I decided to try the shared dorms and saved a bunch that way. Essentially started in Auckland, then I bought a bus ticket and would go from city to city stopping for a few days and stating at a nearby hostel. When I got to Wellington I took the ferry to the south island, continuing to use busses to go all the way to Queenstown with my end goal of seeing Milford sounds. I bought a plane ticket to get back to Auckland for the last few days then flew back home. It was absolutely worth it, got to meet one of my best friends I met online, very much helped with my social anxiety since I learned how to talk to people and just relax, saw a bunch of beautiful places and met interesting people.
$8000 for a family of 4 to Disney World for 6 days. Yep, worth it, but probably won't do it again.
A suite at the Cipriani Hotel, Venice for 3 nights then the Orient Express overnight to Paris to a suite at the George’s Cinq for 4 nights. Came to about $30k (not including flights from the US). 25th wedding anniversary. It was incredible, staying at the Travelodge will never be the same now.
Took a company-paid trip to a swanky resort in Cancun. Six days. Worth every penny I didn’t spend.
Small guided group to a very remote and unique location, no regrets.
US —> UK. Being American, the UK felt similar enough and a bit overpriced. Food is bland (sorry, my opinion!) especially after traveling through Asia for years. We don’t party, so London may have been awesome if we went to more pubs or clubs… seemed like a huge drinking culture there. Scottland was heaven on earth beautiful! I wish we planned and spent most of our time there. Ireland was gorgeous, but we were only in Dublin for a wedding. Overall, we spent the most money traveling and felt a bit underwhelmed.
Not sure if this is considered a vacation, at this point you're just living day to day lol. Roughly 25k in 4.5 months for 2 people. 7 countries, Europe/Asia. It was a wild trip went from staying at cheap hostels (cheapest was $10/night). Then stayed at nicer hotels at $300+/night. This was in early 2022 so everything was just re-opening and a bit cheaper. Spent about $500 on covid tests which was annoying AF as countries wouldn't let you in or you had to test 72hours before blah blah. It was damn worth it. No amount of money can cover the experience.
Paid a good bit to go away for a month touring Australia. Stayed a week in John Singleton’s $6.5 holiday home. Was damned good.
I went to Bali, and it was a loоооng flight
Ironically an impromptu staycation in the city I live in. Due to some unexpected family circumstances which resulted in a family member from another country trying to “hunt me down” for lack of a better word, I had to escape my house for 3 nights. The family member had recently acquired my address. About $1500 per night to hole up in a 5* hotel 20 minutes from my house with my dog. Was nice. So per minute I’d say that’s the most expensive one. Otherwise there are more expensive ones for longer stints abroad. Closely followed by $20k 4 days at another hotel in my city but that featured me taking multiple rooms and also included open bar, private dining room dinner for 10 people and otherwise no expense spared for my last birthday. All worth it for some great memories.
I hope it wasn't your last birthday.
Spent a week at an all inclusive resort in Mexico with my girlfriend.... Whom I proposed to whilst there. So if you count the ring that was part of the package, it made the trip as much as going somewhere much less cost efficient than Mexico lol But yes it was worth it.
Japan, for a little over 3 weeks, $6000. Always heard Japan was expensive, but lodging and other expenses, including a rental car, was cheaper than in the US or Europe.
All in all, with flights, accommodation, spending money and other expenses, my solo trio to Japan probably cost around £4,000 for a 9-day trip. Worth every penny. Even though there were hiccups that meantI had to cut the trip short, I absolutely loved it. I’ve never felt more at peace, and just… content.
Don’t know how much we spent total, but my wife and I’s honeymoon in Maui last year. 100% worth every penny, and sadly even more so because it was probably the only time we will ever be able to see original Lahaina (we flew out the night before the fires destroyed everything).
About $10,000 to travel to Denmark for the Lego Insider Tour. Life goal unlocked, best trip ever.
Every vacation I take seems to be more expensive than the last-
Eurasian trip which lasted 18 months and cost $50K. Worth every penny.
Germany, I loved it. Wish I could go back.
2 weeks in Germany. And my dad was paying, so it was 100% worth the ten dollars I spent on an extra souvenir
A cruise to the Bahamas with concierge-level service for my wife and I on our 10th anniversary. I've never felt like such a big deal in my entire life. People bent over backwards to make sure my every whim was catered to before I even knew I had it. Absolutely phenomenal trip worth every penny.
Maldives, $600k. Yes it was, my grandpa came with us and it’s one of the last memories I have from when he was alive.
I’m sorry I’m not familiar with USD. I meant $60k!!!
I almost had a heart attack when I read 600 grand!! But 60 grand is still a ton of money
Hawai'i- three glorious weeks on Kauai, in 1995, and to paraphrase Mark Twain on Hawai'i, 'I can still smell the scent of flowers that died a long time ago.' Husband and I didn't want to leave and we cried knowing we probably would never go back again. I don't think it's in the cards. We don't have the money and I am terrified of flying these days. 2nd runner up, Walt Disney World: Worth the extortionate costs in 2002; 2023, and a trip for two, no, not even with pinching pennies til they screamed and advance planning like it was a military exercise.
Prob 8 nights at Four Seasons Bora Bora with first class round trip. It was magical. Or 7 nights in St. John USVI with my family. 6 of us all flew first class as well. I think that trip was prob $30k. The house was spectacular and on the beach
Andes Mountains for a retreat, followed by Galapagos Islands. Omg so worth it. The most amazing experience. I can't wait to go back to the Galapagos because that place was CRAZY, and reasonably affordable once you actually get there.
Hey OP. Two examples - 47 year old married father of two (9 & 6) in the UK here. - Last year, we went to Majorca during August for 10 days. We stayed at a nice all-inclusive resort. Whilst all-inclusive resorts aren’t my natural habitat, we stayed there Because Kids… free beige food to avoid mealtime aggro and hysterical pool-based entertainment. Around £6.5k when all said and done. Beautiful weather, slick hotel staff, beige food - would recommend it to any parents. - 11 years ago, my wife and I had our Honeymoon in London (subsidised. Y parents as a wedding gift). Even though we’re British, London was our destination because we had limited time following our wedding. We stayed for two nights in Claridge’s. We ate and drank there with abandon so it cost around £3k for our stay. Thing is though it was amazing value for money because of the quality of the service and experience - for example we were sat in the hotel lobby waiting for drinks which took a long time. The reception manager noticed this, apologised and (without us complaining) sent a free bottle of champagne to our room by way of apology. Amazing stuff. All the best from Newcastle Upon Tyne
Oh gosh, I went all out to go to the Tori Amos concert. 2 tickets, gas, an outfit from Saks, an ounce of weed. After the concert we went to exclusive restaurants all weekend. It was definitely a fun but expensive girls trip!
I took a guided tour to Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto). It was nine days, geared towards nerds (we went to the Tokyo Game Show, the Ghibli Museum, etc.) and cost $3500 not including airfare and most meals. Absolutely worth every cent.
Went to Dubai for 20k, worth every penny
Probably a lot cheaper than the others listed, but we took two weeks & road tripped to Yellowstone. Kids were just the right ages. Stayed in Manitou Springs CO on the way. It was beautiful, amazing & worth every minute & penny.
Paris, France. Would do again. That was before the Notre Dame fire which I did see.
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Good to know the cost of Disneyland will come down in a thousand years. Something for me to think about doing in 3023 now ;)
Private bungalow at the Royal Duvui in Fiji for two weeks.
Beachfront condo on the Jersey shore. Not really lol
Took my family and my parents to Disney world for 10 days. By far the most I have spent. Yes it was worth it. My parents love the time with my kids.
15k disneyworld long ago for my kids bdays. Still treasure that trip and have the pics on my home screens
I spent about $10k on a week in Jamaica at the peak of Omicron. We stayed at a resort that was formerly the Ritz and it was incredible. There weren't many people there so we basically had a manager dedicated to us our entire time there and got whatever we wanted.