Question

Okay, I’m probably an outcast in this group LOL! I’m only 25 and my wife is 29. We do not own any credit cards and don’t plan on getting any. ❤️ I have a question! How do you all afford to go on cruises and other huge trips to Mexico, etc. !? Do you all save up cash or use your credit cards to be able to go on these amazing trips? How the heck would you even know how much cash to save if you wanted to go on a nice romantic trip like Mexico, Hawaii, etc. I seriously get super jealous seeing a lot of people on my fb going to all these stunning places. I’m from Oregon and I’ve only been to California, but that’s because my wife is from there. I always wonder how people afford to do all these amazing things. I guess you could say I was sheltered as a child  I’ve never even been to Disneyland! That’s one of the places I want to go to when we move back to CA. ❤️

Answer 1

I’m a travel agent and cruising is actually a very easy way to vacation. If you book with plenty of anticipation, you are able to set everything up and then you have a final payment date to pay everything off by. If between the time you book your cruise and up until your final payment is made, the prices drop, you are able to take advantage of the reduction too. Different cruise lines have different process for their final pymenr date, but typically, most 7 night sailings require final payment anywhere between 90-120 days prior to departure. Right now with the scare of coronavirus, any cruises departing in the next month or two are priced incredibly low and it’s a great time to take advantage of some of the lowest prices I’ve ever seen in the past few years!  

Answer 2

Save cash, it’s so much better going on a trip, enjoying it fully, and coming home without the burden of paying for a trip you already took. We love cruises, you can book them so far in advance and then budget monthly before final payment is due. And there are very few extras to have to save up for. So nice!  

Answer 3

You can google (location) cruise and it will give you a websites/suppliers that do those cruises and you can quite yourself so you know more or less how much to save

Answer 4

First. don't get jealous of things people put online. most of it is fake and/or with a huge debt. that's why you gotta budget and use your sinking funds. let's say you want to go to Mexico next year and its $3k. so divide that in the months in between and that's it . save every penny for that!  

Answer 5

We have a separate savings account for our vacation fund. We throw a set amount in there each month, plus extra when we have it (overtime $, birthday, Christmas) we also put money in our vaca fund instead of buying gifts for each other. I’d rather travel than I’m have more stuff sitting around the house

Answer 6

I pay cash for any/all trips we take.  

Answer 7

We do cash. We obviously buy plane tickets before so we know how much that is ahead of time. And hotels you know ahead of time. Then we just try to figure out about how much we’ll need for food per day and decide how much we want for souvenirs. Then save a little extra just in case. We always come home with extra.  

Answer 8

We do all cash and it sometimes takes years to save. We did a cruise to the Adriac Sea for our 20th anniversary and it took us several years to save the $10, 000. We were able to pay cash for cruise, plane, excursions and anything else we wanted. We are now saving for our 25th and working on $15, 000. Sit down and decide where you might want to go and start pricing things out. Flights, rooms, food, excursions, misc stuff and get a rough estimate of what you think you might need. Decide when you might want to go and that gives you an idea of how long you have to save. It really makes it so nice to pay cash and enjoy a debt free vacation. We love to travel and our bucket list is long. We try to do smaller trips in between our big ones that we can do for less money but still have a getaway. Hawaii is amazing and definitely recommend it. Good luck on your journey.  

Answer 9

I'm curious too! Not super interested in travel but curious how people afford it. I'm in/from Washington state, have never been to another state, only to Canada for a week 3 summers with my Grandparents in High School.  

Answer 10

I work a lot of OT to afford the extras I want!  

Answer 11

Doing research on those trips. Mexico depending on where you go the food can be really cheap or average priced because tourist pricing. Calculate what expenses you plan on having and high ball it. That way you have left over versus being strapped potentially. Hawaii. Generally a bit on the pricier depending on your type of stay as well. And the thing too is if you swim a lot you're probably going to get hungry often so budget for maybe 4 meals instead and snacking. It's easier to do with credit card in my opinion. I save up the money first and then use credit card and pay it off with the money I saved. So it's a matter of what are YOUR interests and what you want to do. Hawaii is easier with cooking some meals but then you might pay more for the stay. And again back to the whole do your research, you can search these trips ahead of time. Like a lot of people mentioned the cruises. If you have an idea of what month you want to go, start researchjng the pricing for that month and look into food costs and options for fun. See what are extras and see what you may potentially be interested in. And of course, high ball it so you can have bsck up.  

Answer 12

We have credit cards but we pay “cash” for all our trips. Put the trip on the card to earn the points and pay it off with cash on hand before interest hits. We are going to Bali in a couple weeks paid with cash. We have a separate savings account we pay save for travel.  

Answer 13

I'm not sure how to travel without a credit card. Most hotels if not all require a credit card for incidentals. Most if not all car rental companies require a credit card. I'm not sure how you do everything cash only nowadays.  

Comments

@eozoic you can usually pay cash on the last day of your hotel stay and they won't charge your card. not sure if car rentals work the same

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@haphazardly87 ok so you do need a credit card though. just dont have to pay with it. Gotcha! ☺

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If you use a rewards type card, and just be prepared to use the cash to pay it off by the end of the month

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@eozoic you could do a debit card

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@eozoic I’ve used my debit card for years with no issues.  

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@ulrika ok good to know

Answer 14

Air bnb and Turo don’t require credit cards to travel! We use those a lot! Also I save $200 each paycheck towards a vacation and when I’m ready to pay for things it comes out of that account. When traveling I budget for food and such but anything extra comes out of my travel account.  

Answer 15

Husband and I went to Scotland in September. Planned that trip for 2 years but paid in all cash. Booked a tour at a set price, our airfare, and spending money per day. We are heading to Hawaii in March and it will also be all cash. There are plenty of deals. I also suggest joining a Facebook group for the place you plan on traveling to. There seems to be groups for everything. You can do it. We love traveling and not having to use a credit card for it.  

Answer 16

We travel often so we do our best to keep a travel sinking fund stocked up! We use a travel agent to book trips which helps estimate the cost. All inclusive resorts are nice too because you know the expense far in advance. All extra income we have at the end of each month is split- half goes to pay extra on debt, half is extra for our travel sinking fund!  

Answer 17

Cash only

Answer 18

I use my credit card for EVERYTHING but pay it off in full monthly. I get between 2-5% back on all of my purchases and that adds up quickly! That goes into our vacation fund

Comments

My mortgage company even takes a credit card  

Answer 19

Do an all inclusive vacation. Then you know in advance the cost so you can save. You will have airlines and alittle bit if spending cash. We research 2 years in advance of a big vacation and then set up a sinking fund to start saving. Its doable that way and no credit cards

Answer 20

So as far as trips I’m from CA. I actually live about 20 minutes from Disneyland. So in Southern California cruises to the Gulf of Mexico are super cheap. I mean like $250 if you don’t care where your room is located. If you are in southern Florida I believe those 3 day cruises to the Bahamas are also around $250 for the absolutely cheapest room. I’ve even seen them go under $200 if you book a last minute trip. Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive. There are tons of websites out there that sell rooms just to fill them up dirt cheap.  

Answer 21

Oh and Groupon has tons of trips for cheap. You just absolutely must read the fine print. I know one person that booked a 1 week vac from southern Cali to Greece for 2 people and paid $2200. That included airfare, room, and a tour of something.  

Answer 22

Sage save save and you can get a Bargain for cruises if you call and talk to someone. Never take the first offer they give you

Answer 23

I set up an account through Stash. I just have a certain amount go into that account each week, and it’s surprising how quickly it seems to add up! We’ve been able to pay the bulk of our last few vacations with this account. Also, find a travel agent to help with getting some great deals on great places. Usually you have to pay a certain amount right away, then the rest is due later, so you have more time to save.  

Answer 24

When I planned my trip I was able to pay it in 6 months. Then we shared a ride with others to the port. We travel the Princess Cruise  .  

Answer 25

I try to go as frugal as possible. I used a student discount website for a flight so Spain, my partner and I stayed in hostels instead of hotels and found cheaper ways to visit tourist attractions. When I went to amsterdam, I booked my flight about 5 months in advance and only booked the week it was $300, rearranged my PTO from work to accommodate and couchsurfed since I was by myself this time. I personally save $200 monthly for travel because its that important to me. That might change in a few years but for now, its one of my top priorities.  

Answer 26

Im a travel agent and we have vacation layaway. It doesn't cost an extra dollar its just a service. You put down a 200 deposit (or less) per person and your final payment is due 45 days before departure. I specialize in all inclusive Mexico resorts. I have a trip in layaway at all times.  I did a cruise last year and it cost me a ton more than an all inclusive

Answer 27

We cash flowed a Hawaiian cruise using a vacation layaway

Answer 28

I use cash envelopes. Whatever the cost of my cruise is I divide by the amount of time I have before final pmt is due and I put that amount away weekly. Easy peesy. We go every year. We look for the one we want, book it and save weekly. My current one is $30 a week.  

Comments

@armenta12 I do this to but I always calculate my monthly payments but a month or 2 less - incase something happens and you need extra funds.  

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@coimbra I go through vacations to go a lady name Katrina. Yes, I book it. Sometimes there is a special on booking down payment. We usually go Royal Caribbean and while you are on the cruise, if you book the next one, they only charge $100 pp to book. Sometimes carnival has a $50 pp special. Perhaps Katrina might be able to let you know when there is a down pmt special. Not sure. The balance is due 90 days from the cruise.  

Answer 29

Set up automated online savings accounts. I have multiple savings accounts for different events. I NEVER stop saving. I get paid every 2 weeks and then have a certain amount deducted and dispersed into these savings accounts the same day. For example, I have a vacation and Christmas account (plus a few more). Once Christmas is over, my next paycheck is still adding to that Christmas account for the next year. Pay yourself first and set up a budget you’re comfortable with. As for the credit cards, my husband and I have recently started using them the last 3 years or so for airline and hotel miles. The key is to use it for your monthly bills and pay it off every 2 weeks. Don’t ever pay interest on it. Just last year, my son flew to London and back, my husband to Florida and back and a family of 4 to Puerto Rico all free with credit card points. We just had to pay tax.  

Answer 30

I saved up for over a year to surprise my husband with a cruise. I saved over $3000 (cruise plus airfare). We leave in a few weeks and for the last two months we have been saving as much as we can to have for fun money while away. I set up automatic withdrawals for every pay period. We also use extra money left over from our gas budget and envelopes.  

Answer 31

Credit cards can be good to build credit (buy a house, get good interest rates) if you use it wisely - only spend what you have the money to pay it off at the end of every month. Or you can always immediately pay the balance on your credit card once charges have been processed - I do this a lot. I use the points I get from my credit card to pay off my charges too.  

Answer 32

Get a prepaid credit card like Capital one where you pay the money first and then spend it. Most booking places require a credit card.  

Answer 33

Not helpful but just wanted to say #LakerNation❤️ to a fellow SWOCC student

Answer 34

If you want to get discounted disney passes - DM me

Answer 35

We cash flow trips!  

Answer 36

I get a bonus from work so I pay cash. I just save otherwise and let Me Tell you how much more enjoyable it is than having to pay for it after the fact

Answer 37

Some cruise companies do lay away u pay on it the whole year before u go

Answer 38

I went to Italy/Spain for a few weeks last year and I budgeted $5000 thinking that would be plenty. ended up costing $14000! Nearly 3x what I expected. Just our flights (now we flew all around) were $5000. then I went to Dublin/london/Paris 2 months later and that trip cost me about $5000 (both of these are for me and my 10 year old daughter). We did California 3 weeks later and that cost me under $2000 but we had somewhere to stay so that cut that back. I took the cash I had and the rest went on a cc and I paid it off after. If you can save in advance then you don’t get charged 30% interest on it sitting on your credit card

Answer 39

Be careful with prepaid credit cards, lot of them have a usage fee, and then a monthly fee. Talk to your bank, you can get an account that pays interest while you are saving, you might have to tell them when and where you are traveling so you don’t have problems using it

Answer 40

I also live in Oregon ❤ I am travel agent and am able to set up payment plans for people :) My husband and I also started a sink fund for travel and are trying to build it up!