2023 Travel Summary

[Ken555]

How was your 2023?

In 2023, I traveled a total of 154 nights:

• 5 cruises for 58 nights in Balcony cabins for 41 nights, Ocean View cabin for 10 nights, and Inside cabin for seven nights on two Virgin Voyages transatlantics and three other Celebrity, Royal, and MSC cruises in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and US East Coast (Tampa to Boston)
• 33 nights in Hawaii (Hilton & Westin timeshares in Kona, Kauai, and Maui)
• 17 nights in other Westin timeshares
• 46 nights elsewhere (mostly in Europe)

I used:

• 82,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
• 25,000 Hyatt points
• 133,000 IHG points
• 1 "free" credit card Hyatt certificate ($99 annual credit card fee)
• 3 "free" Marriott credit card certificates ($95 and $125 annual credit card fees + no cost 40k cert for Titanium level)

My 2023 timeshare cost per night was $89.

My 2023 travel cost per night average for all travel expenses (accommodations, car, cruise, flights, trains, misc other was $103.77. This assumes no direct cost for the hotel points.

My 2023 travel cost per night average for all travel expenses, including calculating hotel points per thepointsguy Dec 2023 valuation and the annual credit card fees, was $117.39.

Actual cash rate for the hotel points nights would have been $4659, but as per thepointsguy the valuation would be:

• Marriott @ $0.0084 per point (TPG: $688.80; Cash: $826, value of 2.01% for credit card spend; credit card night certs were valued at $1008 for the room I had reserved and $1981 for the upgraded suite I actually had)
• Hyatt @ $0.017 per point (TPG: $425; Cash: $1333, value of 5.33% for credit card spend)
• IHG @ $0.005 per point (TPG: $665; Cash: $1345, value of 3.03% for credit card spend)

For comparison:

• In 2022 I traveled a total of 172 nights at an average cost of $108.35
• From 2016 thru 2023 I traveled a total of 851 nights at an average cost of $104.33

So far I've been pleased with the travel mix of timeshares, cruises, and hotels.

For 2024 I have so far planned 127 nights of travel which include three transatlantic cruises (two on Royal Caribbean and one on Windstar), 48 timeshare nights (at Westin and Sheraton (Kauai) resorts), and time in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, Albania, and England. While some of the costs for this year are unknown yet, my best estimate is that my average nightly cost will be $112.

Also, all transatlantic flights were in Premium Economy (cash) or Business (miles).

 

[rickandcindy23]

Wow! You need to conduct classes on traveling on a dime!

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Wow, that's a lot of interesting data. I'm reminded of the scene in Lebowski, when Bunny points to Uli floating in the pool (bottle of JD next to Uli, iirc). Bunny says "Oh, that's Uli. He's a nihilist." Lebowski (or El Duderino for those not limited to brevity) says "Oh, THAT MUST BE EXHAUSTING."
After a dozen or more vacations, I think I'd need a vacation.

 

[slip]

Wow, that's a lot of interesting data. I'm reminded of the scene in Lebowski, when Bunny points to Uli floating in the pool (bottle of JD next to Uli, iirc). Bunny says "Oh, that's Uli. He's a nihilist." Lebowski (or El Duderino for those not limited to brevity) says "Oh, THAT MUST BE EXHAUSTING."
After a dozen or more vacations, I think I'd need a vacation.

I was going to say the same. I'd need a vacation from all the vacations.

 

[beejaybeeohio]

@Ken555
Wow! Just Wow!

 

[bizaro86]

Nice detail, and that's a very impressive total cost for that much travel. I'd be curious to know what size TS units you typically used?

 

[Ken555]

Wow, that's a lot of interesting data. I'm reminded of the scene in Lebowski, when Bunny points to Uli floating in the pool (bottle of JD next to Uli, iirc). Bunny says "Oh, that's Uli. He's a nihilist." Lebowski (or El Duderino for those not limited to brevity) says "Oh, THAT MUST BE EXHAUSTING."
After a dozen or more vacations, I think I'd need a vacation.

I was going to say the same. I'd need a vacation from all the vacations.

Some may say it's too much of a good thing. I get that. But I learned long ago that I prefer to enjoy other cities not just by museums and excursions and heavily structured days but rather by experiencing the area as locals do. Sure, I'll visit museums and other tourist destinations but not every day and certainly not all day.

In 2023 I had eight trips from 5-41 nights, with an average of just over 19 nights per trip. When I travel, I don't exhaust myself with full days of playing tourist.

I've found that at least for me combining a cruise (or two) in a single trip helps with the overall focus of the trip, since cruises are more physically relaxing than most other types of travel.

Nice detail, and that's a very impressive total cost for that much travel. I'd be curious to know what size TS units you typically used?

Most are 1-bed or Westin/Sheraton studios. I won't stay in a timeshare studio at non-Westin/Sheraton properties due to their lack of size and amenities. I rarely need a 2-bed unit and not at all in 2023.

In 2023 I spent 25 nights in a studio (all in Hawaii) and 24 nights in a 1-bed (Hawaii and elsewhere). And a week of those studio's was at a Hilton timeshare (on the Big Island) where I stayed in a studio but friends had a 1-bed and that's where we usually spent our time (when not out). So... it's almost like having a 2-bed, but they weren't connected units.

 

[rickandcindy23]

My cost per night is way higher than yours. Our Hono Koa 2 bedroom is $2,900 per week X 3 weeks. We are questioning that expense, but when we get to Hono Koa on 2/17 for the three-week stay 40 feet to the water, we will probably decide it's worthy of the fees. Not really, not compared to Westin or Marriott OF. I am sure owners have walked away and we are paying their fees, while Soleil Mgmt stands by and collects these outrageous fees and defends the expense.

But who do you talk to, ever, that has any say at all in any resort? The people at the check-in desk (open only during business hours at Hono Koa)? The people whom we call to make reservations at 9 AM on the dot Pacific time? Send a note to accounting with the payment each year? No higher-ups will ever see the complaints. Sure, maybe the front desk will relay the information to someone above them, but where does that go? We might as well remain silent.

I honestly don't know how you do all of that traveling so cheaply. But I do know that if I rent Westin Ka'anapali every year and don't stay there and enjoy the amenities and resort, I can pay all of the Westin and Hono Koa fees with those two OFC units because I rented the studio side for $3,200, the 1 bedroom for $4,200. $7600 X 2 will pay almost all of the fees for all 5 Maui weeks, and then I can say we very nearly stayed free on Maui for 3 weeks, but we bought Westin to use and not rent.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

More power to you. "average of just over 19 nights per trip" = There you go. We spent the summer in Kyoto in 2022. almost 3 full months. Stayed in the same place the whole time. Touristed sometimes. day-trips sometimes. I guess 1 night in Koyasan. (I think that was the name.) Plenty of time for runs & gym. No hurry. Plenty of stress-free time. I gave up on anything < 7 nights of travel the day I retired. Ask Uli the nihilist.

 

[Ken555]

I honestly don't know how you do all of that traveling so cheaply.

I use my WKV SOs or trade in via II using my SDO weeks to reserve Maui.

 

[Ken555]

More power to you. "average of just over 19 nights per trip" = There you go. We spent the summer in Kyoto in 2022. almost 3 full months. Stayed in the same place the whole time. Touristed sometimes. day-trips sometimes. I guess 1 night in Koyasan. (I think that was the name.) Plenty of time for runs & gym. No hurry. Plenty of stress-free time. I gave up on anything < 7 nights of travel the day I retired. Ask Uli the nihilist.

Friends convinced me to join them on a 27 night cruise in 2025 from Singapore to Seattle via Tokyo (with several ports in Japan). I'll be combining this with ~5 nights each in Taipei and Singapore. There are many ways to travel.

 

[Ken555]

This spring I have a 33 night trip which includes a transatlantic cruise and five nights in Athens, Tirana, and eight nights in the London area, with an average nightly cost of $104. On this trip I'm staying at Marriott and Choice hotels paid via points.

I'm really trying to use my Marriott points since they keep devaluing the program and I want to use most of my points over the next few years, so I'll be spending ~334,000 on this upcoming trip. I know there's a direct cost for these points (I compare hotel/airline points programs to a 2% cash back credit card so I know if I redeem a value in points for less than $0.02 per $ I know I would have earned more by using my cash back card instead. In this case, it seems these 334,000 points would be 2.06%...not great, but not terrible. Still, this is indicative of how poor Marriott redemption options exist these days - I'd rather just get the 2% cash back in future if this continues. I've already primarily moved all my spending to other credit cards such as the 2% cash back and the IHG credit cards (which offer decent, though generally not as nice, properties as Marriott) since my results with IHG have been much better in terms of value. I'm also tired of Marriott lessening elite benefits...I'm Titanium and it doesn't feel much different than when I started many years ago. Marriott seems to have lost their way, but that's another topic.

I'm also trying to use up my Choice points which I earned when it was Radisson.

 

[rickandcindy23]

This spring I have a 33 night trip which includes a transatlantic cruise and five nights in Athens, Tirana, and eight nights in the London area, with an average nightly cost of $104. On this trip I'm staying at Marriott and Choice hotels paid via points.

I'm really trying to use my Marriott points since they keep devaluing the program and I want to use most of my points over the next few years, so I'll be spending ~334,000 on this upcoming trip. I know there's a direct cost for these points (I compare hotel/airline points programs to a 2% cash back credit card so I know if I redeem a value in points for less than $0.02 per $ I know I would have earned more by using my cash back card instead. In this case, it seems these 334,000 points would be 2.06%...not great, but not terrible. Still, this is indicative of how poor Marriott redemption options exist these days - I'd rather just get the 2% cash back in future if this continues. I've already primarily moved all my spending to other credit cards such as the 2% cash back and the IHG credit cards (which offer decent, though generally not as nice, properties as Marriott) since my results with IHG have been much better in terms of value. I'm also tired of Marriott lessening elite benefits...I'm Titanium and it doesn't feel much different than when I started many years ago. Marriott seems to have lost their way, but that's another topic.

I'm also trying to use up my Choice points which I earned when it was Radisson.

We have a bunch of Radisson points to use. We had the credit card and accumulated a lot of points just with the annual fee. I forget to use them.

 

[Ken555]

We have a bunch of Radisson points to use. We had the credit card and accumulated a lot of points just with the annual fee. I forget to use them.

I used a lot of them in Europe, but now it’s different since it’s Choice. I don’t like most of the Choice hotels. The Radisson Blu Chicago is quite nice, tho.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[jp10558]

More power to you. "average of just over 19 nights per trip" = There you go. We spent the summer in Kyoto in 2022. almost 3 full months. Stayed in the same place the whole time. Touristed sometimes. day-trips sometimes. I guess 1 night in Koyasan. (I think that was the name.) Plenty of time for runs & gym. No hurry. Plenty of stress-free time. I gave up on anything < 7 nights of travel the day I retired. Ask Uli the nihilist.

Hell, since I got WFH and a timeshare, I'm done with less than 7 days of travel for fun, unless it's a quick weekend trip to see family ~3 hours away. I'm doing a week. I kind of wish I could figure out perhaps how to do more than a week, but often there's not an obvious way (to me) to get consecutive weeks (and I don't have that many points for in the system I do vs RCI Extra Holidays).

 

[slip]

Some may say it's too much of a good thing. I get that. But I learned long ago that I prefer to enjoy other cities not just by museums and excursions and heavily structured days but rather by experiencing the area as locals do. Sure, I'll visit museums and other tourist destinations but not every day and certainly not all day.

In 2023 I had eight trips from 5-41 nights, with an average of just over 19 nights per trip. When I travel, I don't exhaust myself with full days of playing tourist.

I've found that at least for me combining a cruise (or two) in a single trip helps with the overall focus of the trip, since cruises are more physically relaxing than most other types of travel.



Most are 1-bed or Westin/Sheraton studios. I won't stay in a timeshare studio at non-Westin/Sheraton properties due to their lack of size and amenities. I rarely need a 2-bed unit and not at all in 2023.
Loop
In 2023 I spent 25 nights in a studio (all in Hawaii) and 24 nights in a 1-bed (Hawaii and elsewhere). And a week of those studio's was at a Hilton timeshare (on the Big Island) where I stayed in a studio but friends had a 1-bed and that's where we usually spent our time (when not out). So... it's almost like having a 2-bed, but they weren't connected units.

Hey, I get it, you obviously love it and you enjoy what you are doing.

I had to travel some for work bit not a lot and that was enough for me. A couple trips a year now and I'm fine. I don't tell others how to travel.

You love it so do while you can.

 

[Ken555]

Hey, I get it, you obviously love it and you enjoy what you are doing.

I had to travel some for work bit not a lot and that was enough for me. A couple trips a year now and I'm fine. I don't tell others how to travel.

You love it so do while you can.

If I lived in Hawaii as you do, I might not travel as much.

I used to travel more for work which is one of the reasons I’m not impressed at all by the large hotels and prefer modest, clean, and comfortable hotels instead these days.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[PamMo]

Well, you beat me on 2023 vacation days and scorched me on data, @Ken555! I only had 145 days. I'm sure I could figure out my costs, but do I REALLY want to know? Spending time with family in interesting places is priceless!

 

[Ken555]

Well, you beat me on 2023 vacation days and scorched me on data, @Ken555! I only had 145 days. I'm sure I could figure out my costs, but do I REALLY want to know? Spending time with family in interesting places is priceless!

Not everyone needs or wants to know what they spend... but I do! I track it since it continuously reinforces my travel decisions, such as keeping/buying timeshares. I evaluate many financial factors annually, and travel is just one of them. Of course, spending time with friends and family is "priceless" - and many of us are going to be saying that more frequently in future as our timeshare MFs continue to increase by huge annual amounts, since many of us won't be able to justify it in any other way!

 

[alwysonvac]

How was your 2023?

In 2023, I traveled a total of 154 nights:

• 5 cruises for 58 nights in Balcony cabins for 41 nights, Ocean View cabin for 10 nights, and Inside cabin for seven nights on two Virgin Voyages transatlantics and three other Celebrity, Royal, and MSC cruises in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and US East Coast (Tampa to Boston)
• 33 nights in Hawaii (Hilton & Westin timeshares in Kona, Kauai, and Maui)
• 17 nights in other Westin timeshares
• 46 nights elsewhere (mostly in Europe)

I used:

• 82,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
• 25,000 Hyatt points
• 133,000 IHG points
• 1 "free" credit card Hyatt certificate ($99 annual credit card fee)
• 3 "free" Marriott credit card certificates ($95 and $125 annual credit card fees + no cost 40k cert for Titanium level)

My 2023 timeshare cost per night was $89.

My 2023 travel cost per night average for all travel expenses (accommodations, car, cruise, flights, trains, misc other was $103.77. This assumes no direct cost for the hotel points.

My 2023 travel cost per night average for all travel expenses, including calculating hotel points per thepointsguy Dec 2023 valuation and the annual credit card fees, was $117.39.

Actual cash rate for the hotel points nights would have been $4659, but as per thepointsguy the valuation would be:

• Marriott @ $0.0084 per point (TPG: $688.80; Cash: $826, value of 2.01% for credit card spend; credit card night certs were valued at $1008 for the room I had reserved and $1981 for the upgraded suite I actually had)
• Hyatt @ $0.017 per point (TPG: $425; Cash: $1333, value of 5.33% for credit card spend)
• IHG @ $0.005 per point (TPG: $665; Cash: $1345, value of 3.03% for credit card spend)

For comparison:

• In 2022 I traveled a total of 172 nights at an average cost of $108.35
• From 2016 thru 2023 I traveled a total of 851 nights at an average cost of $104.33

So far I've been pleased with the travel mix of timeshares, cruises, and hotels.

For 2024 I have so far planned 127 nights of travel which include three transatlantic cruises (two on Royal Caribbean and one on Windstar), 48 timeshare nights (at Westin and Sheraton (Kauai) resorts), and time in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, Albania, and England. While some of the costs for this year are unknown yet, my best estimate is that my average nightly cost will be $112.

Also, all transatlantic flights were in Premium Economy (cash) or Business (miles).

Thanks for sharing your 2024 plans.
Out of curiosity, I went searching for your prior posts and I really like your train of thought. Your older posts has given me some good ideas/tips for travel during retirement such as cruiseplum..com . And thanks again for sharing your thought process and tidbits along the way.

I've added some links below to your prior posts, in case anyone else is curious.

[ 2012 ] How much are you paying a Night?

:eek: Thats the kinds of trades i could get if i deposited my SBP? Starwood resorts -> http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/starwood_vacation_ownership_resorts.html You should be able to trade into all the Starwood properties, except for Harborside, Westin St. John, and holiday weeks...

tugbbs.com

Would you retro NOW?

I can't speculate on what will happen with MVC, but I'm a firm believer that you should buy where you would want to go. In the end if the program gets demolished you will at least have home resort usage. I think they will offer something to bring SVN owners into the MVC sphere as it only makes...

tugbbs.com

Starting research to attempt a year of cruising and time sharing next year.

a few years ago I read a blog about a couple who travelled around the world on repositioning cruises (of course I didn't bookmark it :rolleyes: ) - they also did things like take trains across countried but, they seem to have had great trips at great prices

tugbbs.com

Bonvoy Points - Best value in use?

I had no idea that some Westin hotels were either left out or wanted to stay out of Bonvoy. Does anyone know? I suspect the hotels were more valuable to Marriott than the Marriott brand was to the hotel. In other words, even if the hotel didn't have "Marriott" on the door, it would still be...

tugbbs.com

Hotel sticker shock

We're home now. The place where we stayed was in a fabulous location, but definitely had a "lipstick on a pig" remodel. As in a painted bathroom vanity (beige) with the prior dusty rose showing through the scratches and chips and a newish pocket door to the bathroom that wouldn't slide easily...

tugbbs.com

Hotel Credit Cards & Annual Free Nights

Advice and suggestions welcome. I've been reviewing my hotel credit cards and their included benefits. Many years ago I switched from airline cc's to hotel cc's since I found much more value from the hotels than flights, and in general that is still true (I still have both, tho). After this...

tugbbs.com

 

[Ken555]

Thanks for sharing your 2024 plans.
Out of curiosity, I went searching for your prior posts and I really like your train of thought. Your older posts has given me some good ideas/tips for travel during retirement such as cruiseplum..com . And thanks again for sharing your throught process and tidbits along the way.

I've added some links below to your prior posts, in case anyone else is curious.

[ 2012 ] How much are you paying a Night?

:eek: Thats the kinds of trades i could get if i deposited my SBP? Starwood resorts -> http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/starwood_vacation_ownership_resorts.html You should be able to trade into all the Starwood properties, except for Harborside, Westin St. John, and holiday weeks...

tugbbs.com

Would you retro NOW?

I can't speculate on what will happen with MVC, but I'm a firm believer that you should buy where you would want to go. In the end if the program gets demolished you will at least have home resort usage. I think they will offer something to bring SVN owners into the MVC sphere as it only makes...

tugbbs.com

Starting research to attempt a year of cruising and time sharing next year.

a few years ago I read a blog about a couple who travelled around the world on repositioning cruises (of course I didn't bookmark it :rolleyes: ) - they also did things like take trains across countried but, they seem to have had great trips at great prices

tugbbs.com

Bonvoy Points - Best value in use?

I had no idea that some Westin hotels were either left out or wanted to stay out of Bonvoy. Does anyone know? I suspect the hotels were more valuable to Marriott than the Marriott brand was to the hotel. In other words, even if the hotel didn't have "Marriott" on the door, it would still be...

tugbbs.com

Hotel sticker shock

We're home now. The place where we stayed was in a fabulous location, but definitely had a "lipstick on a pig" remodel. As in a painted bathroom vanity (beige) with the prior dusty rose showing through the scratches and chips and a newish pocket door to the bathroom that wouldn't slide easily...

tugbbs.com

Hotel Credit Cards & Annual Free Nights

Advice and suggestions welcome. I've been reviewing my hotel credit cards and their included benefits. Many years ago I switched from airline cc's to hotel cc's since I found much more value from the hotels than flights, and in general that is still true (I still have both, tho). After this...

tugbbs.com

Wow, thanks. I hadn't read those posts since I wrote them, with a few exceptions, and it's interesting to see them again. My approach to travel decisions hasn't changed all that much over the years though the vendors I use certainly have.

Cruiseplum.com is a great resource, but it's not always accurate. If you have status discounts with the cruiseline cruiseplum won't include those. And, it's sometimes out of date.

 

[kanerf]

For me 2023 was 346 nights in timeshares and hotels for an average per night of $44.06. Most of this is from staying in the D.C. area where I work. Home is in PA about 3 hours away, so I don't get home often.

 

[bizaro86]

Not everyone needs or wants to know what they spend... but I do! I track it since it continuously reinforces my travel decisions, such as keeping/buying timeshares. I evaluate many financial factors annually, and travel is just one of them. Of course, spending time with friends and family is "priceless" - and many of us are going to be saying that more frequently in future as our timeshare MFs continue to increase by huge annual amounts, since many of us won't be able to justify it in any other way!

Yeah, I think it's important to know how much things cost. We travel a lot less than that, but still more than average (I think 65 nights is a lot considering we are not retired and have kids in school, so mostly have to do school schedule). Our total cost of accommodations was much higher per night, which I think is a mix of larger unit sizes and peak times. Sometimes that overlaps to create much higher costs (eg 4 people on an NCL cruise over new years was multiples of the cost of 2 people doing the same itinerary during the fall).

I for one appreciate seeing hotel points evaluated at the opportunity cost of the cash back. We had a few Bonvoy nights and the value there definitely makes me miss the old SPG program. I'm still doing better than cash back with that card, but it's getting very close.

 

[Maplel33s1e#]

@Ken555 Wow,154 nights exploring the world across cruises, timeshares, and various destinations is seriously impressive. I especially love the breakdown of costs and point usage – so thorough and helpful!

My 2023 was a bit more grounded, mainly due to some life changes, but I still managed to get in some amazing trips to South America, including Chile. Hiking the W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park was an absolute highlight – the mountains, glaciers, and turquoise lakes were just breathtaking. I also spent some time exploring Santiago, Valparaiso, and the Atacama Desert.

I have a soft spot for the Marriott Bonvoy system too, although I also dabble in Hyatt and IHG for variety. Your breakdown of point valuations and comparisons is fascinating. I love the mix of luxury and budget-conscious approaches, and the way you prioritize maximizing value through points and timeshares is truly inspiring.

Keep the travel updates coming! I'm excited to see what adventures you get up to next, and maybe pick up some tips for my own future journeys. If you ever head to South America, my go-to was this site https://gowithguide.com/chile for Chile. And if you ever have any questions about South America, especially Chile, don't hesitate to ask – I'd be happy to share my experiences!

Best,
James

 

[letsgobobby]

Friends convinced me to join them on a 27 night cruise in 2025 from Singapore to Seattle via Tokyo (with several ports in Japan). I'll be combining this with ~5 nights each in Taipei and Singapore. There are many ways to travel.

i see the seattle to singapore cruise on prices but not the reverse?

totally in awe of your skill at keeping costs low. we travel a lot for working stiffs but much more expensively. having a family of four is expensive. and being tied to the school calendar is expensive. but we anticipate traveling off and shoulder season more often as the kiddos fly the coop.