Travel Now . . . Things Only Go Up In Price

[Timeshare Von]

I wondering what great travel tips others have found in their retirement. My sister has turned me on to cruising, and after just a couple trips with Royal Caribbean, we've scored matching casino offers that will have us doing a 7 night Boston2Canada for $227 each and a 5 night Tampa2Mexico for $114 each in the coming months. These are great travel deals, and I feel fortunate to have these opportunities.

What really got me thinking about this is all of the great travel I have done over the past 20 years or so. Trips that if taken today, would be at least twice or 3X's the cost. Some of my favorite examples are:
. . . 13 night safari in Kenya & Tanzania for roughly $5,000 (including business/first class airfare using miles on B/A)
. . . 10 nights in Cancun at an A/I resort for just $110/night for the 2 of us (DH & me)
. . . 6 day/5 night polar bear expedition in Churchill, Manitoba for $2,800 (avoided the single supplement by having them pair me up with a roommate . . . it was great!)
. . . and of course, too many timeshare trips to mention! I/we have especially enjoyed our trips (each for 2 weeks) to England/Scotland, Ireland and Scotland again, plus the 4 2-week trips in Alaska by RV made possible by bartering our Hawaii timeshare with a family in Fairbanks.

Now that I've retired and we'll soon own no timeshares, I'm really curious what others are doing to maximize their vacation dollars. I am especially interested to do as much travel sooner than later, because I do have the time and my health, but also limited money to enjoy travel in the coming few years.

 

[WinniWoman]

I wondering what great travel tips others have found in their retirement. My sister has turned me on to cruising, and after just a couple trips with Royal Caribbean, we've scored matching casino offers that will have us doing a 7 night Boston2Canada for $227 each and a 5 night Tampa2Mexico for $114 each in the coming months. These are great travel deals, and I feel fortunate to have these opportunities.

What really got me thinking about this is all of the great travel I have done over the past 20 years or so. Trips that if taken today, would be at least twice or 3X's the cost. Some of my favorite examples are:
. . . 13 night safari in Kenya & Tanzania for roughly $5,000 (including business/first class airfare using miles on B/A)
. . . 10 nights in Cancun at an A/I resort for just $110/night for the 2 of us (DH & me)
. . . 6 day/5 night polar bear expedition in Churchill, Manitoba for $2,800 (avoided the single supplement by having them pair me up with a roommate . . . it was great!)
. . . and of course, too many timeshare trips to mention! I/we have especially enjoyed our trips (each for 2 weeks) to England/Scotland, Ireland and Scotland again, plus the 4 2-week trips in Alaska by RV made possible by bartering our Hawaii timeshare with a family in Fairbanks.

Now that I've retired and we'll soon own no timeshares, I'm really curious what others are doing to maximize their vacation dollars. I am especially interested to do as much travel sooner than later, because I do have the time and my health, but also limited money to enjoy travel in the coming few years.

I actually hate that our trip to a Italy is costing as much as a used newer model car and I know it won’t be any better than the wonderful trips we’ve taken in the past- mostly via timeshares. Our last hurrah.

After this we are keeping our local timeshare 40 minutes away for a few more years and we also are only doing short road trips mainly to nearby Vermont and possibly Maine. We will rent timeshares or condos so have that kitchen and living room as we have done on the past. Just one week per year plus our one timeshare week.

We’ve got everything we like right here where we live and we will also take some day trips around our own state.

 

[Timeshare Von]

I actually hate that our trip to a Italy is costing as much as a used newer model car and I know it won’t be any better than the wonderful trips we’ve taken in the past- mostly via timeshares. Our last hurrah.

After this we are keeping our local timeshare 40 minutes away for a few more years and we also are only doing short road trips mainly to nearby Vermont and possibly Maine. We will rent timeshares or condos so have that kitchen and living room as we have done on the past. Just one week per year plus our one timeshare week.

We’ve got everything we like right here where we live and we will also take some day trips around our own state.

I do like the idea of smaller local trips too. I didn't mention my love for road trips and car camping, which I'm also planning to continue for as long as my body will allow.

Italy (and Greece) is on my somewhat short wish list of travel, but yes, the cost is sorta choking me. I may end up "settling" for catching just the highlights via a cruise.

 

[stmartinfan]

I'm hoping to travel to destinations that are less popular! We did a 9 day trip planned by a travel agent in Latvia last year that included nights in Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; Riga, Latvia; and Vilnius, Lithuania. It was a fascinating trip with beautiful scenery and historic old cities, and I learned so much about the unique history of each country. We stayed in 4 star hotels, had drivers that picked us up for transport to sites outside the cities and between destinations, and private tour guides for several hours each day. The best part was hearing from our different guides about their experiences under communism.

And the cost was only $1700 per person (plus what we spent on food and tips) for 5 of us. Locals were glad we came, because they have seen some drop off in European tourists because of the Ukrainian war. Prices in the former USSR countries haven't caught up to the rest of the EU yet but the tourists aren't swarming there like they are to places like Paris and major Italian cities, where we had to fight crowds on our visit two years ago.

We have already seen most of the major European sites, so are thinking about where else we can go that's interesting and not over crowded.

 

[Daytripz]

I think the most “valuable” travel hack currently we have is the Southwest companion pass. And with all the changes that are going on at Southwest, I wouldn’t be surprised if that benefit disappears in the next year.

With the companion pass, we were able to grab a last minute week at the Marriott Los Suenos in Costa Rica - then we just paid for one fare to Costa Rica. I added my husband as my companion and got two for one airfare. Such a deal!

 

[claraj]

a last minute week at the Marriott Los Suenos in Costa Rica

Enjoy!!!!! My favorite resort so far. I’ve been there twice and can’t wait to be back.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I actually hate that our trip to a Italy is costing as much as a used newer model car and I know it won’t be any better than the wonderful trips we’ve taken in the past- mostly via timeshares. Our last hurrah.

After this we are keeping our local timeshare 40 minutes away for a few more years and we also are only doing short road trips mainly to nearby Vermont and possibly Maine. We will rent timeshares or condos so have that kitchen and living room as we have done on the past. Just one week per year plus our one timeshare week.

We’ve got everything we like right here where we live and we will also take some day trips around our own state.

We can honestly say that going to Europe, specifically Rome, Bologna and Venice, along with our Mediterranean cruise was not the thrill we thought it would be. We did love Pompeii, Santorini was pretty but a tourist trap of sorts. We had worries of not getting back to the ship in time, which was stressful, as the gondola line was backed up.

We enjoyed Rome and the Colosseum. Our tour guide to us to an overlook of the city and the area where the chariot races took place. We loved The Vatican tour.

Three weeks, lots of money and hotel points, one great Airbnb in Venice and a very bad Airbnb in Civitavecchia before our cruise.

I wasn't the only one that thought the Airbnb before the cruise was awful. Our son got up early with a severe backache and packed the kids' stuff and headed to the port early. He was sick of the smell of the very old building and wanted fresh air. Everything in the place needed updated and painted. The windows didn't seal at all. No screens to keep out bugs. It was such a dump. The kitchen had no warm water. The showers were unusable.

 

[SunSand]

I wondering what great travel tips others have found in their retirement. My sister has turned me on to cruising, and after just a couple trips with Royal Caribbean, we've scored matching casino offers that will have us doing a 7 night Boston2Canada for $227 each and a 5 night Tampa2Mexico for $114 each in the coming months. These are great travel deals, and I feel fortunate to have these opportunities.

What really got me thinking about this is all of the great travel I have done over the past 20 years or so. Trips that if taken today, would be at least twice or 3X's the cost. Some of my favorite examples are:
. . . 13 night safari in Kenya & Tanzania for roughly $5,000 (including business/first class airfare using miles on B/A)
. . . 10 nights in Cancun at an A/I resort for just $110/night for the 2 of us (DH & me)
. . . 6 day/5 night polar bear expedition in Churchill, Manitoba for $2,800 (avoided the single supplement by having them pair me up with a roommate . . . it was great!)
. . . and of course, too many timeshare trips to mention! I/we have especially enjoyed our trips (each for 2 weeks) to England/Scotland, Ireland and Scotland again, plus the 4 2-week trips in Alaska by RV made possible by bartering our Hawaii timeshare with a family in Fairbanks.

Now that I've retired and we'll soon own no timeshares, I'm really curious what others are doing to maximize their vacation dollars. I am especially interested to do as much travel sooner than later, because I do have the time and my health, but also limited money to enjoy travel in the coming few years.

Now that I'm retired, our last big trip was to Italy. This was our first organized tour group and it turned out perfectly. I arranged our airfare to Milan, then the tour company did everything else. All transportation in Italy was in comfortable bus with about 35 guests. All hotels, portage, city/museum tours, along with most food & wine was included. We met some terrific people from US, Australia, Europe, etc. It may have cost a little more than if I arranged it myself, but well worth it. I'm OK with a professional tour company helping me eliminate travel stress. Already planning the next one.

 

[jp10558]

Now that I'm retired, our last big trip was to Italy. This was our first organized tour group and it turned out perfectly. I arranged our airfare to Milan, then the tour company did everything else. All transportation in Italy was in comfortable bus with about 35 guests. All hotels, portage, city/museum tours, along with most food & wine was included. We met some terrific people from US, Australia, Europe, etc. It may have cost a little more than if I arranged it myself, but well worth it. I'm OK with a professional tour company helping me eliminate travel stress. Already planning the next one.

I think the problem I have with tour companies is just that it feels like work to me having to be up at time X, 2 hours at this place, 45 minutes here, 1 hour lunch etc. TBH my "hours" aren't most peoples - we're night owls and if we don't work to get up we'd head out around 2PM and do stuff till 1AM most days. Which doesn't work anymore (except maybe in Vegas) - even NYC closes up early last time I checked now. No more 1:45AM deals at Macy's on the way out the night we arrive! OTOH, if I'm on a mixed working trip, I'm still kind of tied to EST and 9:30AM-4PM or so working on my laptop, though I can flex stuff around. So my other not totally vacation trips also don't really work with tours.

 

[isisdave]

I think the problem I have with tour companies is just that it feels like work to me having to be up at time X, 2 hours at this place, 45 minutes here, 1 hour lunch etc. TBH my "hours" aren't most peoples - we're night owls and if we don't work to get up we'd head out around 2PM and do stuff till 1AM most days. Which doesn't work anymore (except maybe in Vegas) - even NYC closes up early last time I checked now. No more 1:45AM deals at Macy's on the way out the night we arrive! OTOH, if I'm on a mixed working trip, I'm still kind of tied to EST and 9:30AM-4PM or so working on my laptop, though I can flex stuff around. So my other not totally vacation trips also don't really work with tours.

Spain maybe? I'm a lark married to an owl, so we've never even attempted one of those "be at breakfast by 7am" kind of things, it's all been independent and arranged by me. It's a lot of work. There's a big opportunity for someone who can arrange "Night Owl Tour Company."

 

[SusanRN]

Italy (and Greece) is on my somewhat short wish list of travel, but yes, the cost is sorta choking me. I may end up "settling" for catching just the highlights via a cruise.

By chance do you have free airfare to Europe where you could fly into a city in Italy and out of Athens? If not, you could get the Greece highlights through a cruise, return to Rome, and plan several days in Rome, Florence, and Venice afterward. I did that with my young adult daughters 15 years ago.
Italy is fabulous for those with an interest in history, art, and architecture. Despite being a psych major in college (and with a law degree and, later, a nursing degree), I have always said that the most useful courses I took in school were two semesters of Art History -- helped me appreciate what I later saw in my travels.

 

[Cornell]

I'm hoping to travel to destinations that are less popular! We did a 9 day trip planned by a travel agent in Latvia last year that included nights in Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; Riga, Latvia; and Vilnius, Lithuania. It was a fascinating trip with beautiful scenery and historic old cities, and I learned so much about the unique history of each country. We stayed in 4 star hotels, had drivers that picked us up for transport to sites outside the cities and between destinations, and private tour guides for several hours each day. The best part was hearing from our different guides about their experiences under communism.

And the cost was only $1700 per person (plus what we spent on food and tips) for 5 of us. Locals were glad we came, because they have seen some drop off in European tourists because of the Ukrainian war. Prices in the former USSR countries haven't caught up to the rest of the EU yet but the tourists aren't swarming there like they are to places like Paris and major Italian cities, where we had to fight crowds on our visit two years ago.

We have already seen most of the major European sites, so are thinking about where else we can go that's interesting and not over crowded.

This is exactly the kind of travel I enjoy

 

[CalGalTraveler]

We still like traveling to Europe once a year but our last trip was very expensive despite having a timeshare that was relatively inexpensive and using free hotel nights. Food in Portugal and Spain was much cheaper than where we live.

Airfare was 2/3 of our trip so looking for ways to stay longer (however we both still work and have pets). We plan to use more budget carriers (Norse, Level, French Bee) who offer premium seat options to lower the cost.

Our timeshares are still the best value vacation and we have several trades in mind using HGVC/EU DEX which has plenty of availability.

We also use credit card sign up bonuses but the value of those points for airfare and hotels have devalued significantly. Earn and burn.

These trips take time to plan and are exhausting to take because we walk so much so aside from cost that's why we don't do this more often. Sitting on a beach at a timeshare is a restful vacation and we do that too.

 

[b2bailey]

We can honestly say that going to Europe, specifically Rome, Bologna and Venice, along with our Mediterranean cruise was not the thrill we thought it would be. We did love Pompeii, Santorini was pretty but a tourist trap of sorts. We had worries of not getting back to the ship in time, which was stressful, as the gondola line was backed up.

We enjoyed Rome and the Colosseum. Our tour guide to us to an overlook of the city and the area where the chariot races took place. We loved The Vatican tour.

Three weeks, lots of money and hotel points, one great Airbnb in Venice and a very bad Airbnb in Civitavecchia before our cruise.

I wasn't the only one that thought the Airbnb before the cruise was awful. Our son got up early with a severe backache and packed the kids' stuff and headed to the port early. He was sick of the smell of the very old building and wanted fresh air. Everything in the place needed updated and painted. The windows didn't seal at all. No screens to keep out bugs. It was such a dump. The kitchen had no warm water. The showers were unusable.

I had a disappointing ABnB trip which soured me on using it in the future.

 

[b2bailey]

Now that I'm retired, our last big trip was to Italy. This was our first organized tour group and it turned out perfectly. I arranged our airfare to Milan, then the tour company did everything else. All transportation in Italy was in comfortable bus with about 35 guests. All hotels, portage, city/museum tours, along with most food & wine was included. We met some terrific people from US, Australia, Europe, etc. It may have cost a little more than if I arranged it myself, but well worth it. I'm OK with a professional tour company helping me eliminate travel stress. Already planning the next one.

What cities did you visit -- # of days?

 

[klpca]

I had a disappointing ABnB trip which soured me on using it in the future.

Me too. I can't believe that people prefer them. We even had to stay and wait for a cable guy show up to repair something once. Seriously? But my husband needed to have internet access to work. I am team timeshare all the way, followed by legit B&Bs (with a host and breakfast), then hotels.

 

[Luanne]

Me too. I can't believe that people prefer them. We even had to stay and wait for a cable guy show up to repair something once. Seriously? But my husband needed to have internet access to work. I am team timeshare all the way, followed by legit B&Bs (with a host and breakfast), then hotels.

We also like condo rentals through reputable local agencies. Do not like Vrbo, their fees have gotten ridiculous. I am talking mostly Maui.

 

[ScoopKona]

I still haven't noticed.

I know it's happening. But the way we travel is essentially inflation-proof. If we can afford day-to-day expenses at home, we can afford them elsewhere. The only real question is, "can we afford the airfare and accommodations?"

My prediction is that a huge number of tourists will take a "back to basics" approach to traveling -- as a matter of necessity. That's going to put pressure on the places we tend to visit. It's also an opportunity for a "Rick Steves on the cheap" presenter.

 

[stmartinfan]

We also like condo rentals through reputable local agencies. Do not like Vrbo, their fees have gotten ridiculous. I am talking mostly Maui.

I wish it was easier to find more of the local agencies for rentala when we travel in Europe. We have had great luck with one we've used twice in London. Prior to the growth of VRBOm we also were happy with one we found in Paris, but couldn't locate a similar one for our last trip. We were lucky and liked our VRBO apartment, but I prefer having an agency that has vetted the places and can step in if there are problems.

 

[Timeshare Von]

I had a disappointing ABnB trip which soured me on using it in the future.

I have also had mixed results with ABnB . . . and stopped using them.

 

[Timeshare Von]

I still haven't noticed.

I know it's happening. But the way we travel is essentially inflation-proof. If we can afford day-to-day expenses at home, we can afford them elsewhere. The only real question is, "can we afford the airfare and accommodations?"

My prediction is that a huge number of tourists will take a "back to basics" approach to traveling -- as a matter of necessity. That's going to put pressure on the places we tend to visit. It's also an opportunity for a "Rick Steves on the cheap" presenter.

The airfare is what is choking me/us the most. BITD I traveled enough for work to have plenty of miles to fly us both for free, often in 1st class. In transition I started doing the credit card churn, but even that has been tightened down and not as easy to navigate.

 

[SunSand]

What cities did you visit -- # of days?

Milan to Lake Como - Venice - Florence - Rome. The tour was 10 days. An example of how a tour company helps.. when we arrived in Florence to see the David sculpture, the museum staff went on strike. The tour director "bribed" the doorman to let us in to see David, the masses of people outside were turned away. Also, to have dinner outside in a Tuscany vineyard and a private dinner at the Vatican, are experiences that I could not have arranged or afforded on my own. This was an Insight Vacation, the tour itself for 2 was around 10K all in.

 

[jp10558]

Me too. I can't believe that people prefer them. We even had to stay and wait for a cable guy show up to repair something once. Seriously? But my husband needed to have internet access to work. I am team timeshare all the way, followed by legit B&Bs (with a host and breakfast), then hotels.

I usually talk up hotels, but I can see where AirB&B like TSs can shine. Looking in June 2025 for Ceder Point for 5 days, the Hampton Inn for 2 rooms is $2,435. AirB&B claims $1,033 for the same time. Even adding in junk fees to get us to $1,500, it's almost a thousand dollar difference! One hotel room is 1,217 for the 5 days. But IDK how much a risk it is trying AirB&B, and if I could get away with 1 hotel room vs 2, I'd be tempted to stay with Hamton Inn. But for over a thousand dollars difference? I might well take the risk, with the knowledge that I can still probably book on the day one of the Hiltons within 22 miles if I have to.

 

[silentg]

We took a trans-Atlantic Cruise and tour of the Baltic. Once in a lifetime trip. Loved it! We have two timeshares and not investing in more.Cruising has become a more pleasurable experience. We have booked most cruises from Sandy on Tug. A cruise to Alaska is scheduled for August, 2025.
Being retired, allows us the flexibility to travel in uncrowned seasons.
We are in the process of downsizing, moving to a 55+ gated community, still in Central Florida. Moving by the end of 2024. New era in life after 37 years in our house. I’ll keep you informed of this adventure.

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

I do like the idea of smaller local trips too. I didn't mention my love for road trips and car camping, which I'm also planning to continue for as long as my body will allow.

Italy (and Greece) is on my somewhat short wish list of travel, but yes, the cost is sorta choking me. I may end up "settling" for catching just the highlights via a cruise.

Don't forget "timeshare lights" - hotel suites. Not as nice as a "for purpose" timeshare, but flexible.

Also, look at areas near you for "minor" things you haven't seen. There can be a lot of fun in such obscure trips. I live 200 miles from the American Rose Societies' Nation Rose Garden, outside Shreveport, La. There are big brand suites nearby. Ever go fossil hunting? 150 miles west of where I live, is a big public fossil bed. Grab what you want. Ever been treasure hunting? There is a small section of Floridian Atlantic coast fro public treasure hunting. Sometimes people find coins there (from the early 1700's). Research for such places. There's a whole world of little things that don't show up on "big trip" radars. . .