So When Was Your Last Vacation?

Christmas to Southern California. I lucked out on the family location lottery since my parents and siblings all live in SoCal. We always have a free place to stay and free meals which leaves us with cash to do Disneyland or some other amusement. Yes, the economy makes it difficult and we are not doing any other trips this year except to see family. Nice for us that they live somewhere fun to visit.

Traveling has always been very regular for my family but unfortunately it has been about a year and a half! I started a new job eleven months ago and although I have vacation time and received a huge increase in pay, the time is much more limited now with my daughter in college and working. Living in Southern California though gives us the ability for great day or overnight trips. I have to plan something great for the summer!

We have never had a real vacation. We have been married for almost 11 years. Our honeymoon was only a few days at a bed and breakfast since we were poor and just recently graduated from college. Here we are 11 years and 3 kids later and still poor, but happy. We try every summer to visit my parents in Iowa (we live in Ohio). We have done the weekend away thing many times but thats about it. We are planning on going camping for the first time this summer.

I will have to say... when I was in college I went on a little road trip with some roommates to California just to hang out at the beach. That would be about 13 years ago.

I don't consider driving in the car for 7 hours to sleep at a family member's home for a weekend a vacation. Otherwise, we do that about 2-3 times a year. I would rather not do that for a year or two, save the gas money and go on a real vacation, but I don't think that will happen.

How can finances NOT stop you, unless you are going into debt to do it?

Our honeymoon.... years ago. (sigh)

We do trips w/his family all the time but no real vacations.
These are all camping trips.
One is a week-long.

But other than that, no time or money for additional trips.
Maybe one day.............one can only hope & dream. :)

We go somewhere for a week each summer with the kids, and then escape for a couple of weekends during the school year without the kids. We budget for trips ahead of time so that they are paid for before the trip. That way we can be completely relaxed on the trip without worrying about money.

Our last week-long trip was in August. Our next one is already booked for July. We're taking the kids to Colorado Springs. I'm so excited! It's nice to have something to look forward to. My husband and I are celebrating our 18th anniversary on Monday, and we're talking about maybe going somewhere next weekend just for a night or two. I would love to get away, even somewhere nearby.

We always do a big summer vacation and smaller trips throughout the year. We just went to Branson, MO for 3 days this month (part of Spring Break). Hubby and I are longing for a long weekend away together, though! We wanted to take a big trip for our 10th anniversary but he was deployed. This summer is our 11th, but our son is having open heart surgery, and we're moving next summer (2013). We'll get a 2nd honeymoon eventually...

most of the time we put the money aside but there have been times when we have just charged the cc and then paid it little by little. our last vacation was last september. i am already antsy for a break. we do a lot of beach where we live come summertime, but we also take the kids to disney once a year, and then an overseas trip.

I am not sure what you mean by not letting finances get in your way? Do you mean you charge it or something?

We are a cash household, save for mortgage, 1 car loan and a student loan. Otherwise, credit cards get paid every month, so if we don't' have the money, we don't do it or buy it.

In any case, we hadn't been away in 6 years, but this last year, we have finally started traveling again. My p's paid for a house for us at the shore, we had friends loan us a house for a long weekend away, and we had a last minute trip to Ireland to visit hubby's family.

This summer we are doing a week away at the beach. And hubby and I are suppose to go to California for a wedding.

LIke I said, though, hubby and I hadn't been away in a long time. In fact, prior to last year, we hadn't been on a real holiday (i'm excluding Ireland because that is visiting family) in 6 years. We also never had a honeymoon. So 1 trip in 11 years of marriage, prior to this past year.

Now I have it in me that we need to do at least 1 week away a year. Of course I am hoping to have another baby, so I am sure we will be back in our normal routine of not traveling again soon.

It depends. My family took an unexpected trip last summer to visit a college for my soon-to-graduate son. We didn't let finances get in the way. But, for the 3.5 years we were paying for said son's ski accident, we were lucky to go out to lunch and to a matinee movie. I'm not sure I'd go in to debt to go to Disneyland or spend a week on a cruise. But, if I had to travel for family purposes, I'd certainly make the most of it.

Case in point: I just booked my family's trip to take my eldest to college. By the time I paid for the air fare, the car rental and our first night's hotel stay, we were over budget for this trip. So, the grand idea of two separate hotel rooms (one for me and my husband and one for my two sons) went out the window. Instead, we got a two room suite in a three-star hotel because it was 2/5 the cost. And, we'll be fast food-ing it, rather than doing sit down meals. Not my first choice, but when the budget is maxed out, you economize.

The time will come when you'll be able to travel easier. We didn't start to really travel (outside of family) until my youngest was 10 years old. It was a long, dry spell--I love travelling--but money was tight and I wanted to make sure my kids were old enough to REALLY remember the trip. It's worked for us.

Good luck!

The last vacation I had was in December when I went up to WA to visit my best friend. BUT for spring break we are going to go to VA beach!! We are going to stay with my husbands uncle, but the last family vacation we have had where we don't visit family was right before my son was born. We went on a weekend trip to Palm Springs, CA (we lived only 2 hours away at the time), so it's been a while

I've been married 6 years. We went somewhere for a few days on our honeymoon. Yep, that's about it!! To be fair, we are NOT travel people. Our idea of vacation is going to a local hotel for a night or two and swimming with my son in the pool, or going camping. Both of which we plan on doing this year. I'm not sure many would consider that a vacation, but it is to me!

We haven't had a real vacation with our kids yet... we do go to my husbands family's cabin every summer though. We go at least a twice for a week each time, some years we make it 3 times.

THIS year though - we are road tripping to FL for a week of spring break on the beach.. or near the beach as it will be. We rented a VRBO house on Siesta Key.

Finances, moving homes, new babies, and things being slow at my husbands office have prevented much for vacationing in the last 7 years... but this year our stars have aligned and we are leaving on Wed. :)

Last vacation was a budget one in January staying with family. It was our first ever family vacation. I feel the same way about vacation talk to Disney etc. I work hard, but still can't stretch to it in this economy. We just have to be grateful for what we can manage.

We went for one night at a luxery resort 45 minutes from our house. It was midweek and it cost 250 dollars. Before that, we went to Atlantic City last June for 3 days. That cost about 350 dollars total. That is not including food though. We haven't done a "Real" vacation since 2006. Next year we hope to go to the Atlantis.

We normally do a beach week every summer.
My son is 9 and we've gone every year since he was born, and, actually, every year (at least) before he was born.
He budget funds for our vacation every year.....

Start a vacation fund for yourself and put *something* in it each month!

February 2003. It's been a while and nothing is going to change anytime soon.

A real vacation --- never and I'm 57.

This will be changing.