If you work with a travel agent, you will be asked three main questions:
Where do you want to go?
How long do you want to stay?
What’s your budget?
There is a travel experience for almost every budget. Almost.
Some people spend years saving for a massive, blow-out travel adventure. They want the best of everything: first class airfare, luxury accommodation, Michelin-star-worthy dining, and private tours and experiences. You probably know these people.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the extreme budget travelers. These travelers get a kick out of being as cheap as possible. Sure, it allows them to perhaps travel a bit longer, but they also may miss out on valuable experiences due to their cheap-ness.
Does a bigger budget mean you can enjoy a bigger travel experience?
Well, that one is very easy to answer. No.
It comes down to this simple piece of advice: it’s not what you spend, it’s how you spend it.
Let me give you a bit of insight into my travel budget process. And, it comes down to one simple word: priorities.
My first and most important priority is simple: more travel. I want to experience more travel with more adventures and longer stays. With a limited overall annual travel budget, that means avoiding one big, annual blow-out trip, and opting instead for several trips to multiple destinations.
My second priority is also simple and specific: what are the most important things I want to experience for this trip. Let me give you an example. If I am in Rome, I don’t care where I stay. My accommodation is insignificant, because I know I will not be spending any time in my room, as Rome will be beckoning me to explore. Perhaps the most important memory-inducing experience in Rome will be food. Not fancy food. Not a hot dog from a street vendor. But real, honest, Italian-grandmother food. I would be hard-pressed to describe all of the accommodations I stayed in during my many visits to Italy, but I can recall in vivid details my most mind-blowing Italian meals.
Conversely, now consider a beach holiday in Fiji. This tends to be a relaxing, recharging holiday. I am not visiting Fiji for the cuisine (even though it can be exceptional). I am there to experience amazing nature, beautiful beaches, a fascinating culture, and amazingly-friendly people. And yes, I know that while relaxing, I will be spending more time in my bungalow on the beach, so why not make it a nice one.
In 2019, my wife and I experienced a lot of travel, for both work and pleasure. Instead of opting for one big blowout luxury holiday, we were able to massage our travel budget so we could visit a multitude of very diverse destinations, including New York City, Tucson (several visits to visit our son at University), Italy, Iceland, New Orleans, Samoa, Fiji, Washington DC, Boston, Minneapolis, Memphis, Little Rock, Las Vegas, San Miguel de Allende Mexico, and Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Sure, 2019 was a travel-rich year, and we were very fortunate to visit some amazing places. But we were only able to do this because we watched our budgets and prioritized what was important to us in each individual destination.
Each and every one of these destinations had different priorities for us. I could care less what kind of accommodation I stayed in New York and Washington DC, as I knew that I would be out exploring the city for 14-16 hours of the day. In Italy and New Orleans, its all about the food scene. In Memphis, it was a combination of local BBQ and awesome live music. In Rarotonga and Samoa, it's the beach.
I guess the easy answer is this: spend your money on what is most important to you.
We have friends who hate the experience of flying. Not sure if it is fear of flying, a hatred of being uncomfortable, or not wanting to sit next to anyone else. Whatever their reason, they have decided that if they want to travel by plane, they will only do so in business class or first class. Sure, it is incredibly expensive, and to most of us, is an extravagant expense. However, for them, it is extremely important. So, a big chunk of their travel budget goes towards their premium flights. And that’s OK. Because that is what's important to them.
Other friends of ours love luxury hotels. They want the best room, on the best floor, with the best view. And they are willing to pay for it. This is what brings them joy. Good for them.
I follow some bloggers that dine at the finest restaurants. They will stay in any hotel room. But they want to experience the most exclusive dining options available.
Before you answer the question, What’s your budget?, you need to prioritize what’s important to YOU. Ask five people what would be their priority for a visit to Paris, and you may get five very different answers. One may be determined to spend days exploring the Louvre. Another may want to eat their way through Michelin-star restaurants. One may want to sit at cafes, people watch, and take in the sights and sounds of a particular neighborhood. Another may be seeking a romantic getaway and stay in a luxurious penthouse suite and spend their afternoons shopping amongst Paris couture. As for me, there is nothing better than strolling through this most walkable city, with no itinerary, visiting as many neighborhoods and hidden gems as possible. Not one of these can be considered the ultimate itinerary. In fact, each of these itineraries are perfect in their own unique way, as they allow each individual traveler to do and experience what is most important to them.
So, before you plan your trips and set your budgets, ask what you see yourself doing. Determine what is most important to you, and focus your budget on these priorities.
It’s your trip.
Do what makes you happy!
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