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My last trip to the Dominican Republic had a similar breakdown. Could easily see myself spending the same in Cuba.
And no, hotel is usually not my biggest expense when I travel - if it is I am in a boring place I would rather not be.
food, tours and taxi etc for $600 is a bit too much. I hardly spend that much in Paris or London, not to say Cuba.
$1200 on night life, well, that's your chosen lifestyle, but definitely not something most tourists would do. Personally I think it is waste of money drinking multiple $15 cocktails (real cost $1) every night in fancy night clubs.
Maybe you make a lot of money (200k+), then it makes perfect sense and you totally deserve it. Otherwise, you simply don't manage your finances well, and such financial planning largely limits the places you can see.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Who freaking stays in a hotel other than to crash late at night when traveling anyway? I have a damn bed at home if that is where I wanted to hang out.
You are wrong on the discounted price, Follow it through to the point of payment. Suddenly the price is much higher. Also the quality of hotels is disparate between the packages for US citizens and what they are offering. The hotels that US citizens will be placed in are some of the best in the country. The hotels used for those Canadian tour packages are seedy at best, dangerous at worst--per Trip Advisor reviews. You can choose to stay in them, but you can't try to use a cheap package that only provides airfare (no baggage allowance), transfer to and from hotel from airport, and sub-prime hotels as comparison to what is truly an all inclusive package save three or four meals.
fine, you have higher needs (hotel, luggage, meals etc), which is understandable. but a lot of people are fine with non-upscale hotels, regular local meals, and no checked-in luggage.
I would spend $3000 on a ten day trip in west Europe, or some exotic places such as Galapagos or east Africa safari, but not on Cuba. Simply not worth it if one is not a rich person.
Who freaking stays in a hotel other than to crash late at night when traveling anyway? I have a damn bed at home if that is where I wanted to hang out.
I want to get a good nights sleep, and it's not going to happen in a dumpy hotel with questionable safety (including fire safety), a lumpy bed, smelly pillow, dirty bedding, bugs, paper thin walls, etc. I'd much rather spend the extra cash for a better place. I don't usually stay in the best place (French Polynesia is an exception), but I'm not going to stay in some crash pad where I'll be exhausted in the morning.
fine, you have higher needs (hotel, luggage, meals etc), which is understandable. but a lot of people are fine with non-upscale hotels, regular local meals, and no checked-in luggage.
I would spend $3000 on a ten day trip in west Europe, or some exotic places such as Galapagos or east Africa safari, but not on Cuba. Simply not worth it if one is not a rich person.
Very few people can travel for a week on 10 pounds of luggage allowance only.
I want to get a good nights sleep, and it's not going to happen in a dumpy hotel with questionable safety (including fire safety), a lumpy bed, smelly pillow, dirty bedding, bugs, paper thin walls, etc. I'd much rather spend the extra cash for a better place. I don't usually stay in the best place (French Polynesia is an exception), but I'm not going to stay in some crash pad where I'll be exhausted in the morning.
making inexpensive hotels sound terrible won't help your argument. I mostly spend about $60 a night in European or Japanese cities (Paris/London excepted as it needs to reach $100) and never had trouble having a good night sleep. Never had smelly pillow or bedbugs. The noise sometimes is an issue but nothing a pair of earplugs can't help.
You are free to spend $250-300 a night in your Hilton or Ritz and admittedly it is nice to see all the beautiful deco and facilities, but for most people, it really has little to do with the quality and enjoyment of the entire trip.
most people on this forum are not that pretentious, fortunately, and are realistic about what their real needs are.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli
making inexpensive hotels sound terrible won't help your argument. I mostly spend about $60 a night in European or Japanese cities (Paris/London excepted as it needs to reach $100) and never had trouble having a good night sleep. Never had smelly pillow or bedbugs. The noise sometimes is an issue but nothing a pair of earplugs can't help.
You are free to spend $250-300 a night in your Hilton or Ritz and admittedly it is nice to see all the beautiful deco and facilities, but for most people, it really has little to do with the quality and enjoyment of the entire trip.
most people on this forum are not that pretentious, fortunately, and are realistic about what their real needs are.
Who freaking stays in a hotel other than to crash late at night when traveling anyway? I have a damn bed at home if that is where I wanted to hang out.
I don't have a home, I live in hotels. Only time I don't care about my accommodation is when I am working 16+ hour days and just need a place to crash. If I am on a vacation, I like staying in decent places.
food, tours and taxi etc for $600 is a bit too much. I hardly spend that much in Paris or London, not to say Cuba.
Not everyone is a cheap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli
Maybe you make a lot of money (200k+), then it makes perfect sense and you totally deserve it. Otherwise, you simply don't manage your finances well, and such financial planning largely limits the places you can see.
I am fairly good at managing my finances. Only make median income, and am able to spend roughly half my income on international travel ($20-30,000/year). Spending $3000 in a week isn't excessive by any means. What world are you living in?
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by foadi
Spending $3000 in a week isn't excessive by any means. What world are you living in?
I went to Malaysia (Borneo) and including everything, including tours (nearly every day), food, flights (9 total, 3 to Malaysia, 3 back, and 3 in country), etc from the USA spent less than that for over two weeks. I couldn't spend $3k in a week if I tried most places I've been to.
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