Are you strong enough to...

go a year without a holiday in order to pay for that 'extra special, but expensive trip'?

I would love to do a World Cruise but don't think it'll happen so might have to settle for doing it in two halves. This would still mean having to save up and probably do without a holiday for a year. Could you do it?

When we were on a tight budget way back when, we lived within our budget. When we could not afford to take luxury vacations, we didn't. So, yes..... I am strong enough.

I have no desire to take a World Cruise so that would not be my 'goal'. :)

If you are talking about the present day, saving up isn't an issue, we travel where we want and when we want.:)

Ahhhh I remember those "lean" years when we were extremely lucky if we were able to take a one week trip to the beach. We had to really pinch our pennies to make it work.

But now we have raised our family and are about to retire in June (YEA!!!!), so we are blessed to be able to cruise at least 3 times a year now.

I would have no problem saving up for any trip I would like to take in the future.

Early on that is what we had to do and we would do it.

Keith

There were days when we saved and saved. Today we are enjoying the benefit of that savings, to our surprise, better than we ever expected.

go a year without a holiday in order to pay for that 'extra special, but expensive trip'?

 

I would love to do a World Cruise but don't think it'll happen so might have to settle for doing it in two halves. This would still mean having to save up and probably do without a holiday for a year. Could you do it?

My DH and I do without lots of things in the short term. I personally don't have a reliable, regular income, so car payments are out of the question for me. I save, and pay cash for my vehicles. We did without vacations for several years when we "downsized" our work lives. We consider ourselves "overeducated, underemployed-by-choice, latter-day hippies" :D

If you decide to try for your goal, remember me if you get discouraged. ;) We do without the newest electronics, dinners out, daily trips to the coffee shop, quick weekend jaunts, a housekeeper (which to be honest I miss a LOT!), yard service, a new lipstick every week, you know..... the stuff that seems like it costs almost nothing, but over the course of a year really adds up. We take a vacation now every year, paid in advance, and sometimes I manage a 2nd vacation :D Having said that, we are deferring a cruise that we have been planning for a year, due to family commitments and real estate expenses. We'll still get a vacation this year, but it'll be a lot lower-key.

Good luck! If you really want that world cruise (or part thereof) consider how you can console yourself with a stay-cation. For me, a week of working in the garden during the day and watching movies every night worked as a stay-cation when I had a real (super-high-pressure) job.

No way could I go a year without taking holiday. That is almost like being celibate for a year, no way

go a year without a holiday in order to pay for that 'extra special, but expensive trip'?

 

I would love to do a World Cruise but don't think it'll happen so might have to settle for doing it in two halves. This would still mean having to save up and probably do without a holiday for a year. Could you do it?

we do it all the time.. Mr Spook cannot always take time off to take any leave( vacation). we did save for about 5 years to afford our last Disney trip and will be waiting probably 2-3 before we can do that Alaskan Cruise we want to do next

Shoot, when we were starting out, going to my mother's for "vacation" was all we could do! It was hardly a real vacation, but I guess it was better than staying home!

Yes...if there was something I needed to "save up" for, I could do that!

I went without truly traveling anywhere overnight for pretty much my entire life- this year, my 33rd year of life, was the 1st time I've traveled overseas and more than a day anywhere. I plan to go on more overseas / other countries starring with the Caribbean and Canada 1st; maybe when I'm in my later 60's-70's and retired, I'll do a around the world in 80 days trip.

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

I am absolutely not strong enough to not take a vacation. This year two of my three weeks off having been caring for my hubby, who had a hip replaced, after our short cruise was paid off and not refundable (didn't buy insurance either, because I am broke) so I am cruising with a friend. Now, I have learned my lesson. Next year, I am just going to look up a cruise on a specific date, and take whatever cabin type I can get with the money I have saved from now until then-may go on a new ship, a new line, a new place, whatever, I will be happy to be with hubby again. BECAUSE we are really saving for two years for Alaska. Oh, and the saving part will have to start once DH can go back to work, he no work, he no get paid! and we are in the hole big time, but not to the point, of me saying lets stay home, but lets be frugal.

When I'm dead, I'll stay home!

I could not. My vacations are my only down time all year. I work and go to school full time with OT and only have certain weeks a year I am able to be on vacation. If I would stay home, I know I would not be relaxing and probably just going to work. So for my health, I need to have that down time.

My DH and I do without lots of things in the short term. I personally don't have a reliable, regular income, so car payments are out of the question for me. I save, and pay cash for my vehicles. We did without vacations for several years when we "downsized" our work lives. We consider ourselves "overeducated, underemployed-by-choice, latter-day hippies" :D

 

If you decide to try for your goal, remember me if you get discouraged. ;) We do without the newest electronics, dinners out, daily trips to the coffee shop, quick weekend jaunts, a housekeeper (which to be honest I miss a LOT!), yard service, a new lipstick every week, you know..... the stuff that seems like it costs almost nothing, but over the course of a year really adds up. We take a vacation now every year, paid in advance, and sometimes I manage a 2nd vacation :D Having said that, we are deferring a cruise that we have been planning for a year, due to family commitments and real estate expenses. We'll still get a vacation this year, but it'll be a lot lower-key.

 

Good luck! If you really want that world cruise (or part thereof) consider how you can console yourself with a stay-cation. For me, a week of working in the garden during the day and watching movies every night worked as a stay-cation when I had a real (super-high-pressure) job.

I am so grateful that as soon as we were able to afford traveling we went multiple times each year to Europe, Caribbean, domestic resorts, Las Vegas, city vacations etc Then we started adding cruises to the list of places to go and things to do. We enjoyed over 90 cruises in addition to dozens of other trips. Then one day my always healthy, never ill, strong, still working DH was no longer healthy. His health got worse and when we realized all hope of recovery was gone, we both knew we had made such a good choice to travel where we could when we could.

At first we stayed in better moderate priced hotels and soon were fortunate to be able to stay in top hotels for many years.

Do it...... Now, if you can.

If you cannot, don't overstretch your budget. You won't enjoy yourself if you spend money you don't have for your vacation and have to worry how to pay for it.

JMO...

Its more about a vacation time limit for me. If you're talking taking a cheaper trip so we can go somewhere crazy next year, sure. Its what I'm doing this winter.

I am so grateful that as soon as we were able to afford traveling we went multiple times each year to Europe, Caribbean, domestic resorts, Las Vegas, city vacations etc Then we started adding cruises to the list of places to go and things to do. We enjoyed over 90 cruises in addition to dozens of other trips. Then one day my always healthy, never ill, strong, still working DH was no longer healthy. His health got worse and when we realized all hope of recovery was gone, we both knew we had made such a good choice to travel where we could when we could.

 

At first we stayed in better moderate priced hotels and soon were fortunate to be able to stay in top hotels for many years.

 

Do it...... Now, if you can.

If you cannot, don't overstretch your budget. You won't enjoy yourself if you spend money you don't have for your vacation and have to worry how to pay for it.

JMO...

 

When my husband and dad died within 5 months of one another, it forced me to evaluate what is truly important to me

We are in the same situation this year, and are managing to save for and take both a smaller trip and the dream vacation this year. We call it a wallet diet...no unnecessary expenses, everyone cuts back and finds ways to save. This means no trips for treats after extra curriculars for the kids, no new clothes for me (that's a hard one!), lunches from home and taking a hard look at monthly bills to find opportunities for saving. We are taking our family of 4 on an 11 day Christmas and New Years cruise in December, then going to Hawaii for two weeks over Easter, including a week on POA. Everything will be paid in full, no dipping into any funds other than those designated for travel. The wallet diet will be worth it :)

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

go a year without a holiday in order to pay for that 'extra special, but expensive trip'?

 

I would love to do a World Cruise but don't think it'll happen so might have to settle for doing it in two halves. This would still mean having to save up and probably do without a holiday for a year. Could you do it?

I think most of us would have to do serious saving for a WC - very few have the time or the finances to do multiple cruises annually or 90 cruises in a lifetime. They would be the minority, I am sure, and good luck to them. However, back to reality and your question - yes, I would be strong enough to go a year without a cruise or holiday. Not more than that though.;)

When my husband and dad died within 5 months of one another, it forced me to evaluate what is truly important to me

How I would have treasured had my father lived to meet my DH. We can all play my story is worse than yours and mine likely is but that isn't the point. My point is if you can travel and wish to, don't put it off. If you are on the fence, err on the side of enjoy while you can as long as it is within your means.

How I would have treasured had my father lived to meet my DH. We can all play my story is worse than yours and mine likely is but that isn't the point. My point is if you can travel and wish to, don't put it off. If you are on the fence, err on the side of enjoy while you can as long as it is within your means.

 

It's a pity it's too late to edit that part out, as I'm sure you didn't intend it to sound so nasty - and it is so unnecessary. The OP's question is valid and deserves better than this.

I saved for many years in order to do a world cruise. I didn't completely stop traveling but I did cut back. I am now saving for my second world cruise.

I saved for many years in order to do a world cruise. I didn't completely stop traveling but I did cut back. I am now saving for my second world cruise.

I followed your blog when you did your world cruise - as I do with all the blogs of the HAL world cruises. Likely the closest I will ever get to doing one.:D Yours was a great blog, by the way.

Yes, we're strong enough.

We take a big (for us) cruise every 2 - 3 years. We could manage to pay for a shorter, less expensive trip more often, but we chose to save for a longer time to afford airfare and a cruise.

When friends are taking their annual trips south to get away from winter, we hunker down, save, and dream of our next cruise.

go a year without a holiday in order to pay for that 'extra special, but expensive trip'?

 

I would love to do a World Cruise but don't think it'll happen so might have to settle for doing it in two halves. This would still mean having to save up and probably do without a holiday for a year. Could you do it?

You've gotten many answers that cover the spectrum of possibilities. Now, could YOU do it? :) Do you have enough incentive/motivation to forgo a vacation for a year or more, in order to do one of your dream cruises?

We deliberately chose a saner way of life. When we downsized our lifestyle, we did lots of advance planning and research. I was shocked at how some things I once thought were important to my "happiness" (dinner out 5x/week, club memberships, weekend getaways, clothes shopping excursions, season's tickets to ballet, opera and such) were truly unimportant when it came to making our decisions. Being realistic about expenses enabled us to have exactly the kind of life we want. In truth, much of what I spent money on was not at all important -- it was all just "stuff" that I used as "consolation prizes" because I was not really living the life I wanted.

If you are motivated enough to take that cruise, you won't feel deprived by giving up one year's vacation. So, do you think you can do it? :)

You've gotten many answers that cover the spectrum of possibilities. Now, could YOU do it? :) Do you have enough incentive/motivation to forgo a vacation for a year or more, in order to do one of your dream cruises?

 

We deliberately chose a saner way of life. When we downsized our lifestyle, we did lots of advance planning and research. I was shocked at how some things I once thought were important to my "happiness" (dinner out 5x/week, club memberships, weekend getaways, clothes shopping excursions, season's tickets to ballet, opera and such) were truly unimportant when it came to making our decisions. Being realistic about expenses enabled us to have exactly the kind of life we want. In truth, much of what I spent money on was not at all important -- it was all just "stuff" that I used as "consolation prizes" because I was not really living the life I wanted.

 

If you are motivated enough to take that cruise, you won't feel deprived by giving up one year's vacation. So, do you think you can do it? :)

It's all about choices and we all can make them.

I am not stalking you Cow Princess, but I do tend to watch for your posts as I find you have a lot of insightful posts.

This is one of them.