What are you doing with your vacation money?

Saving money no credit card debt paying student loans off buying a lake front property next year
I've got 50,000 miles I can use on a roundtrip to Europe once this thing is over;

I'm paying for dental work - each implant and crown is basically a complete vacation.

My travel money goes into a separate savings account and is accumulating for 2021, planning on Amalfi coast in June.

I guess I'm usually traveling during fire season. Being home this year, the combination of excessive heat plus smoke made being covid- locked inside of my 1950s home (no central heat or air) unbearable. I'm investing 2020 travel funds in some room air conditioners!

Avirosemail - that is not a fun vacation trade-in!

We've gone nearly debt-free while also investing in home improvement projects and allowing us to work on furnishing our historic house with quirky Internet finds. We've been fortunate with high-paying jobs and good health insurance. I've donated to several causes that I feel will most benefit at this difficult time. We get take-out from local restaurants that need the business.

The pandemic has served as a mirror of sorts on our life circumstances. Our problems are first-world problems at best. I have nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, worth trifling about right now.

I've enjoyed planning for a (hopeful) Sept. 2021 Italy trip, presuming it's safe and a proven vaccine is in place. Crossing my fingers that we can support the people of Italy next year.

I’m paying vet bills for my horse. He’s been sick with one issue after another since January, in addition to his ongoing medical conditions. I finally rode him today after a three week lay up—my sore back and his tummy ache.

Christmas present to ourselves will be new chairs in the family room or reupholster the old ones. Master bathroom redo has to wait until next year since we don’t want workmen in the house.

Since we’re retired, all money beyond daily living comes from savings so there is no separate vacation money. I’m still planning next fall’s trip to London, Paris, Loire Valley and Venice but I’m starting to accept the reality that Covid might push that into 2022.

Investing in property. Buying property to let and then provide our sons with a property to take over when they're older without the burden of trying to finance huge deposits.

'm paying for dental work - each implant and crown is basically a complete vacation.

Ouch... that is the classic "adding insult to injury" scenario

I guess it’s just as well we’ve not been able to take any vacations this year.

First we spent a not insignificant amount of money to go see my husband’s mother in Italy when we could finally get there after his father passed. Train tickets, rental car when there, then lots of meals out while there. Not a vacation, but most of the same expenditures (except lodging). I financed our three nights' “vacation” on Lago Maggiore (a two-hour drive from Turin) with some money from my U.S. account that my dad had given me. It bought me a little sanity to sit on our balcony and look at the lake, or to take one of the ferries on the lake.

Mainly we have been paying for two apartments this year: the mortgage on our Paris apartment, and since mid-January (with the exception of the two-month “hard” shutdown), month-to-month temporary rentals for an apartment for my husband in the town where he is working (Lille). Plus weekly train tickets for one of us back and forth each “weekend” to visit each other.

So we don’t have any “extra” this year. Every time I think I would like a long weekend or a week away, I remember that there’s no actual money for that.

Oh well. We are blessed to still both be working during this pandemic (and that the French government paid my husband’s salary even when he couldn’t work due to the shutdown), and we are not in the hole. Such is life.

Edit to add:

P.s. We also had the expense this year of the ravelement of our building — i guess it’s kind of the homeowner’s equivalent of replacing the roof. If you’ve ever been to Paris and seen the scaffolding up in front of a residential building, it usually means that the facade is being refinished - it’s done I don’t know every `10 to 15 to 20 years. This is our year. Luckily the French state has an interesting in ensuring that the housing stock remains in good condition, so they make companies provide almost no-refusal loans, so you can be sure to pay your part even if you don’t have your portion in cash. So we are now paying that as well.

I also have been making lots of little contributions here and there — a couple for political reasons, but mostly for a dog needing heart worm treatment, or a family raising funds to accompany their son for his cancer treatment, of the National Book Foundation because they can’t do their big fundraising gala this year. I think I need to put the brakes on those things for a while.
But I’m just thankful for something I didn’t do. For a couple of years now, there’s been a rental house in Scotland I’ve had my eye on — not too far from Pitlochy, so accessible enough from Edinburgh airport. A cosy set-up, a country location . . . My 50th birthday was in January, and since that’s not a nice time to gather, and May has lots of holidays, my idea had been to rent out the house for a May week and invite friends and family to come join us. Towards last Autumn it became clear that my husband’s job was not secure, so I thought I had better not take the plunge. Thank goodness I didn’t!!! With a house rented in Scotland in May that no one could come to!! Phew!!

Saving and saving more.

I moved earlier this year so anything extra went to things needed for the new house (a rug here, a new piece of furniture there,) and other house related projects. I really hadn’t planned on a big trip this year because of the anticipated moving expenses. Not taking even a little trip has made my travel budget for (hopefully) next year look better. It feels very weird to go a whole year without going anywhere.

I got myself some rings! When my grandmother died in 1976, my mom took Grandma's engagement ring and combined it with some stones from her own ring and made a new ring. Mom gave me her old setting with two little stones left in it. For our 40th wedding anniversary last month, I got new stones for the empty spots and also got a diamond band. I love it!

Saving for next year of course! I just moved our plans forward and now we will have more to spend, maybe we can eat out more, or save for another trip. I have two European itineraries planned. Once my travel money goes into the travel savings account, it doesn't get used for any other purpose. I'm not wealthy, so it takes some time for me to save for a trek. That means I must have serious financial discipline. Once in the Vacation fund, that money is already spent!

We had our house painted (exterior), and helped out a family member who was drowning in credit card debt.

We also have no dependents and no debt, so we are luckier than many.

My solo budget travel budget is small compared to many, but some was added to a windfall I received and paid down some of my mortgage. I also seem to have shopped a lot more online. Typically end of season sales. Justified to buy now rather than once retired in a year or so when budget is more fixed. 😉

As much a time as a money issue, but I'm finally getting around to building the house I've been meaning to build for the last 6 years but never got around to doing because I was traveling. Woo-hoo! Apartment living will end in the next year!

Setting it aside for when we can travel internationally. Until then, I’m trying to use my airline credit vouchers (for flights that didn’t qualify for a refund) for domestic travel. For the refunded flight, the money was credited to my CC and being used to pay the monthly CC bill. Was supposed to be in Siguenza, Spain today.

We’ve realized a bump in our savings over the past few months with no trips anywhere. We have had to do some serious soul searching though because our primary method of saving money on our 3-4 week long trips to Europe every year has been doing home exchanges where our lodging and car, for the bulk of our time in Europe, are free. Going forward there will not be as many opportunities to exchange as the pandemic and our contentious country have all but halted home exchanges internationally.

So our reimagining future trips to Europe will involve more money on our part which we can do with different types of lodging like Gites, Ferienwohnungs, cottages and apartment rentals.

I’m doing the same as usual, putting it in my special travel account each month. I may not be traveling now, but I will again someday. The budget discipline works well for me.

Luckily - no dental work (yet!)... First week of lock down both the 'fridge (compressor was still under warranty - but labor -not so much!) and washer died. 3 weeks later, the Air con. in our "family room". OH and we needed to replace our 1 TV. DH has also been very generous to our servers at our local/favorite restaurants who have been so hard hit. On the up side - no hurricanes here this year, credit card balances have never been lower and we did manage to travel to our family cabin in Maine - and splurged on lots of lobster.

Our WestJet money is still with WestJet. Our Rabbies tours money is still with Rabbies - the cards are paid in full monthly so I figure it's just better to let them hold it for when we can get to Scotland, so just keeping the credits.

We are still putting $ every month into our travel fund - maybe will spring for some nicer accoms or meals next year or whenever we get to go. Also - if things are improved next year, hoping we can do two trips - which is another reason for leaving our WestJet money with them - then we know one trip over is basically paid for (flights - which is the biggest single expense).

Otherwise - we got a new bed and mattress from Ikea for our guest room and our old computer was starting to kick the bucket so we got a new computer a few weeks ago. Not spending much other than that - I've been staying out of stores. (Just don't look at my amazon orders).

Like you doric8 we have also significantly increased our charitable contributions, especially to local food banks and meals on wheels.

That said, we REALLY miss Italy, so we have splurged on a couple (or few 😂😊) cases of Brunello and Barolo, as well as good tuscan olive oil. Although we can’t be there, the bruschetta with in season tomatoes and a glass of Brunello really can be transportive.

Yes, April, not fine Italian wine, but several in my circle have reported that grocery expenses have actually increased to account for alcohol and ice cream. (Pre pandemic I'd say I averaged at least two meals a week at work related functions, those have dried up and have perhaps been replaced with an ice cream sundae for supper)

Paying off debt (student loans and credit cards) and saving for a down payment on a house.

Our total family expenses are way down. So just working on getting everything in good order. We are cleaning up a large number of deferred loose ends mostly related to our estate. Just sold a building lot in the Ozarks that has been in the family for 55 years. No one is going to use it and it had little value. Now we have 12 cemetery lots scattered across the Midwest that we need to deal with sooner than later. Hard to give those away. And family photos going back over a hundred years that no one is sure of who is who. Trying to get all of that into some order so that our sons will not have to deal with it at a later date. Fortunately our retirement incomes continues to grow so we are in good shape, But it is beginning to get very boring.

We’re building a house on our property, to rent out. We got an adorable puppy which, along with everything you need, adds up. Dental work. No debt. Paid off our house 10 yrs ago which has been helpful, so that money goes into savings. We are going to Carmel, Ca, on Thursday for 4 days for my birthday. That will be my only trip this year... : )

We got a partial new fence put in in our garden, on one side of the property; then I spent a large amount on having a guy come and prune and remove overgrown bushes from our jungle-y front yard, which is all shrubs and trees, no grass.
We can see out of the LR window now!
Next week we are having our old small patio out back jack- hammered up, and a new bigger stamped concrete one installed.
Hope the rain holds off for that.
Like someone else said, amassing huge amounts of airline miles as not using cash, so next trip to Italy will be business class, I hope!

Saving for next year’s vacation (s), hoping to make up for lost travel.

Like most of the other posters, we're lucky to have steady income, ours from pensions, no dependents, and no debt. We're building up savings (some for future travel) plus contributing more than usual to charities and campaigns. I can relate to those whose alcohol and ice cream budgets have expanded. Fortunately my waistline hasn't followed suit, perhaps because fewer meals out = fewer calories in.

We've done a few in-state road trips but no major travel expected until next fall when I'll hopefully be on the 14-day RS Ireland tour. No cruises for the foreseeable future.

Earning interest.

We have always lived very simply and continue to do so. Our major financial outlays have been mainly travel. Since we are not traveling, the money not dedicated to our necessary living expenses has been accumulating in our money market account. I have a lot of trips planned if they ever let us out of here.

Except vouchers for Travel Guard insurance and for a domestic flight on Alaska Airlines, all my 2020 travel expenses were refunded to my CCs or bank account. So that's good to go for the next time I travel.

I cut back my IRA monthly distribution, so that's money not going into my checking account each month. When the market goes up, I'm glad it's growing. When it goes down, I wish I'd spent it! 😉

We've postponed some interior household services (bug spray, termite inspection, furnace/AC service) that I pay for monthly, quarterly or annually. I don't know how that's going to work out once we feel safe to have someone come inside to do them.

There are some exterior household and yard repairs and improvements that we could have done, but the weather here over the past several months has been brutally hot and dry. Too hot and dry for the kind of work we need done, and IMHO, for anyone to work when it's daylight.

My husband's cell phone and tablet were both ancient (8+ years) in electronic terms, so I recently got him a new one of each. The tablet was an iPad and the phone was a Moto X. Now he's a Samsung man and that's keeping him busy on the learning curve.

I've spent a bit more quality time with Amazon and Eddie Bauer online than I probably should have, but everything I've bought has been on deep discount. And I have a great justification.

In an attempt to avoid Type 2 Diabetes by lowering my A1C and glucose numbers, I lost about 30 pounds over the past year. It worked, but my clothes were 2 or more sizes too big, so I needed to replace almost everything. Shoppers at our closest Goodwill got access to some very nice clothes of all kinds.

Everything else has remained pretty much the same, except that I've been able to pay our quarterly estimated AZ income tax this year. That should be a big help come April, 2021.

I continue to hope that I'll be able to do the last RS Ireland tour in 2021, but as our Covid numbers as well as European ones soar, I won't be surprised if 2022 is a more realistic year. I'll been continuing to save until I can go, whenever that is.

Lo, Your weight loss is amazing! Could you please tell us your strategy? I would like to lose at least ten pounds. Thank you!

Certainly donated a bit more to various political candidates this election cycle than I'd planned to.

A series of hefty vet bills ate up a decent chunk ($10,000 or so). Oddly enough, I had a trip planned to London/Paris in late July that was canceled because of the pandemic. But it turns out we'd likely not have gone anyways, as our dog's medical emergency occurred just 2 days before what had been our scheduled departure day. There's no way I'd have gone on vacation given the condition the dog was in and the weeks of care he needed, so in a weird way the pandemic kind of bailed us out of it. Refunds and vouchers we got for things that had been booked would not have come along had we canceled because of a veterinary emergency (not trying to trivialize the pandemic or suggest it isn't such a bad thing. Just one odd circumstance in the midst of it).

Definitely using that credit card more instead of the debit card, for the points for future travel. With the vouchers from July's canceled trip, airfare is already covered for whenever we reschedule the trip. Additional points earned in the meantime will go towards additional hotel room nights (we'd originally booked half our nights for the London/Paris trip with points, half with cash; extra points earned could mean not having to pay cash for any nights!). Given all the extra points I'm earning, might even tack on a few additional days to the trip - I'll be rolling over a fair amount of vacation days from this year in to next.

Boosted my IRA contributions. Increased the amount of money going in to my savings and travel funds account. Relatives will get nicer gifts this year at XMas. Spending some additional money on little things at home that help pass the time and keep me entertained - additional streaming service subscriptions, magazine subscriptions. Extra charitable donations.

Even with the big grocery store trips and the excessive amounts of money I'm paying on DoorDash delivery fees, turns out this whole affair has been good for the wallet.

Marsh, it's pretty boring and way more trouble than most people would want to go through. I'm definitely not spending my vacation money on food.

I researched how many carbs and calories I should eat to g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y lose the weight and to keep the carbs reasonable for pre-diabetes. My magic numbers are 180 carb grams and 1500 calories.

Tracking what I eat is a royal PITA, but I figured it was either do that or face a life of finger sticks, glucose tracking, pills or insulin and food tracking. Any of that would be more difficult while traveling.

It took about 4 months to lose about 20 pounds and bring my A1C down from 6.5 to 5.7. That was in early December. I've lost another 10 pounds since then. I haven't had another A1C, but I suspect it's now normal, 5.6 or lower. A glucose test a few days ago was 101. 99 is normal. Seeing how keeping my weight down positively affects my numbers provides a very strong motivation to do it.

The nuts and bolts are a food diary and daily weighing. The former can be done anywhere, including while traveling. The latter, not so much. Somebody needs to invent a lightweight flat scale that could be rolled up and packed in a carry-on!

Using a Notes file on my tablet, I keep a simple alphabetical master list of what I eat, how much and what the calories and carbs are for that portion. The data comes from food labels and online nutrition searching. The list started small and has grown over the past year or so.

I've learned to "see" the portion sizes of some things without actually measuring them, but I still measure some things and occasionally check myself to make sure I'm not deluding myself.

I use a paper notebook to track what I eat every day. I separate things into "meals" and subtotal them. At the end of the day, I add up all the subtotals to get the totals for the day. This could be done on my tablet, but especially for traveling, I'm more likely to make a quick handwritten note.

I transfer the totals to a separate Notes file where I can easily see a daily list of weight, carbs and calories. If I go over my carb or calorie limit, I highlight the offending number in bolded red.

This is my new normal. One mega-bummer is that if I go over 180 carbs and 1500 calories, the scale usually shows it within a couple of days. I'm now maintaining and no longer losing weight at those carb and calorie limits. So, when I travel or eat out I really have to be careful.

My Fitness Pal is a helpful iPhone app to track your daily food intake and exercise. I had to recalculate some of the exercise calories to reflect what I do, ie stall cleaning instead of yard work.
I lost 20 lbs several years ago using the app. Since I gained 10 of those back, I should be using it again.

Still socking it away as we are rescheduling for next year (fingers crossed!), but also doing some home improvements.

We had a water leak that wasn't large enough to bother with a homeowners claim, but was enough to have taken a nice trip:( That and car repairs are hard pills to swallow.

We took one non-essential two night trip to a chateau near Yosemite. The Elderberry house if you're interested.

Spending lots of time and money at Costco buying French (and occasional California) wine. The European trip refunds allowed us to say goodbye (for a while) to Two Buck Chuck!

Rebuilt my deck to be bigger and better and reaffirmed that I hate building things and need to figure out other things I'll do in retirement. Other than that, I've been pouring all excess money into my retirement investments.

Lo, thank you so much for the detailed information about your weight loss! Having weight creep up seems to be another one of those as you get older things! I was thin until late middle age. Your results are truly inspiring! Best wishes to you!

As my husband sold his company several years ago (but, is still working) our financial situation is good (house paid off, no debt) and money for travel whenever and wherever, is there. We feel very fortunate and give generously. Thank you Dave Ramsey, my financial guru. I like Jim Cramer too!

I’ve done a home renovation on my entire upstairs. Next year I plan to repaint and change out my floors downstairs, a project of smaller scope. Upstairs I renovated my master suite, which involved gutting the bathroom and expansion of the master closet.

I do miss traveling but when I go on my next trip I will feel good that my house is in good order. The plus is I am enjoying my home while I travel dream! I’m pretty doubtful that my RS tour will actually run in 2021. I believe 2022 is more likely.

I am 55 and still working. My plan is to stop traveling when I retire, hence the plan to work until at least 70. (Health willing).
For the past 5 years, I have done one home improvement project and one trip each year.
Home projects have been: kitchen gutted and improved, new roof, replaced water system, new siding and windows, and deck.
I am not doing any projects for 2021, so more will go into the travel fund.

If possible, I will make up for missed trip in 2020 by doubling up some future year. I did make it to state park for 3 days this year.
We are also being more generous to local workers and businesses. I am grateful to be an essential worker and have kept my paycheck.

While I'm able to save quite a lot more--pretty much living off 1 of my 2 paychecks per month--I did splurge on new leather furniture; the couch represents Romania, the loveseat Budapest and the ottoman is London, the 3 places I would have visited this strange year. Made some other small home improvements, new Adirondack chairs for the yard, and this week my weight machine arrives--my gym re-opened but not in a way that is useful to me so I have taken matters into my own hands and will exercise at home from now on. I've got tons more time and enthusiasm for my creative hobbies and have put a good amount of money towards an ambitious primitive rug project that's 2' x 4' and features ravens, my favorite birds.

I got lucky with a family trip to Machu Picchu/Galapagos in January. Our month in Spain fell apart in February. The trip $ gave us a new roof and guest bathroom in April and May. We enjoyed 4 months at our cabin in the western NY. Back at home in Florida looking at possible travel next April. Still not willing to put $ down this early. We are well into our 70’s with future travel years closing in on us. I keep hoping travel paranoia stops. I don’t think a 100 percent guarantee of perfect travel will ever happen again in my life time. I am willing to take my chances as soon as the rules loosen. Heck, we gambled with health issues the last 10 years.

Christa, I would have assumed the couch was London, the loveseat Romania, and the ottoman Budapest.

I keep hoping travel paranoia stops.

Keep in mind that currently, the first thing stopping people traveling to Europe is not “travel paranoia” — it is measures that prohibit leisure travel by Americans to most European countries.

I stand corrected Kim. Paris is one of my favorite world cities. Wish I could spend some of our “saved” travel $ there.

Increased my 401(k) contributions to max out. Paid off some remaining debt. Boring.

Like several others, we have a separate vacation savings account ... it gets a donation every month, and the occasional $$$ from side gigs, work bonuses, cashback from credit cards, etc..., which is used whenever we go somewhere (local or international, short trip or long trip, etc...) and will be used when retirement comes calling in about 1 1/2 years (the good Lord willing) ... hasn't been tapped as much this year since the planned 2+ week trip to London/Netherlands/Belgium was postponed (maybe 2021?) and substituted with a 2 week trip to a bunch of National Parks (Zion, Bryce, Sequoia, Kings Canyon) and Lake Tahoe ... it also serves as our emergency fund ... but it hasn't been funded as much as it could have been since we know we have been very fortunate this year and have diverted some funds that would have normally gone into the account to several charitable organizations and to support our local small businesses ... I pray every day things get back to some form or normalcy over the next year, not only for those of us who can't wait to take that trip we planned on but, more importantly, for all those impacted by this awful virus.

Somehow a bunch of money that would have gone for travel got diverted to many small political contributions this year (my daily email count has expanded to >130 ... I got on a lot of lists!)
Will be paring that down for 2021, I hope. On the positive side, all the contributions were made with mileage-earning credit cards.

On the positive side, all the contributions were made with mileage-earning credit cards.

Ok I wish I’d thought of that.

What are you doing with your vacation money?

The plumber comes Thursday---- any more silly questions?

And to add to our list of household repairs.... A swarm of bees has taken up residence in our garage wall (concrete block). To add insult to injury - they aren't even honey bees.

Claudia - earning interest? I love the answer and I'd sure like to know where I too can earn interest!

New solar panels... We have the builders in at the moment work to replace our current ones. And according to them, they are run of their feet as most Swiss are doing the same with their holiday money.

Ours is doing double duty. In one sense it’s travel related. Since we can’t go to Europe and don’t want to fly we decided to update our 20 year old camping gear and outfit the small SUV to car camp across the US with solar panels and battery packs. The new rig and equipment can double as the escape pod for the next natural disaster.

My air conditioning system broke this spring and I needed a new hot water heater so I replaced both. Then two days ago, I had a huge leak underneath my sink and had to have the pipes replaced. I also had to have my filling replaced and my dentist ( whom I trust and does an excellent job) does not take my dental insurance, so I have to pay her for my dental cleanings and dental issues.

But hopefully by 2022 we can travel again and hopefully I will be able to go. Planning out some future trips of travel with and without RS tours!

We did some practical and some splurge fixes/additions to the house. But for the most part we are simply tucking it away, biding our time for the green light to get out and travel again. And boy are we going to travel.

I initially rescheduled our Europe trip from late May this year until late May 2021, but I've since pushed it back to July 2021 in order to help our odds. We'll be watching news on vaccine availability and travel restrictions very closely in the next few months. Fingers crossed.

Political and charitable contributions, and we are planning to redo our driveway and front yard. Also saving some with hopes for future travel.

Paying my rent, my health ins. phone bill, transport ticket, and buying food is how we are spending our vacation money as well as our retirement money. No tourists means no earnings. Trying to hold on until spring, when hopefully things will be better, but afraid we will need to close our business this winter.

Buying great wines. Not quite the same as sitting in Europe but take-out and nice wine works ok.

8 guys presently in our back yard pouring concrete for the new patio!
If we still can't go out of country next year, at least we will have something pretty to sit out on, in our own peaceful back yard.

Finally getting quartz countertops. The dreaded delay in materials means that we paid deposit in August and only now are we close to getting the product.

Got some new furniture.

Redoing our upstairs bathrooms (goodbye to the dreaded honey oak vanities!). Long overdue but all the money was going to trips.

All this of course costs way more than our trips, but at least there's extra money to help cover it. As I'm losing hope next year will be a go, I am trying to reframe this as an opportunity to get the house ready for retirement (5.5 to 9.5 years to go). If the house is somewhat updated, our retirement should allow travel close to prior amounts.

After the bathroom leak, we did have a large car repair bill, ugh! I should not have spoken about that;)

We are not doing anything major to the house, but we did redo all our doors. It is really nice having them updated and I love the new hardware! Ahhh, the little things that make us happy:) Now to just find a place to get rid of the "pimp my ride 90's gold" hardware as my husband calls it, haha.

We did the baseboards in that bathroom, and love the look so are redoing them throughout the house. An easy project, and not expensive.

When the bathroom was redone, we loved the tile so bought enough to do other bathrooms in the house as well. We have no idea how to do it ourselves, YET, but it was so expensive that we will learn. No rush, which is good.

Ms Jo, I am so sorry to hear that the lack of travel has hurt you so badly.

I just bought some garden things - planters, urn, etc. from a company called Campo di Fiori (inspired by the owner who grew up near the real one in Rome). Everything they have is very European feeling. I don't want to say overpriced since I think everything they have is worth it. But expensive enough that normally I wouldn't buy those things cause I'd be thinking about how much more time that money would buy me in Europe. But I rationalized that since I couldn't spend the money over there I could at least buy something that reminded me of what I was missing. And all small businesses are hurting so I was happy to pump at least a little bit into the economy.

I guess I am the only one saving my money for our travel. We are retired and live off SSA and retirement funds. My part time job goes directly to my travel fund. We only go once a year to Europe. Have plans for June 2021 but thinking it will not be a go. My December river cruise with work had been moved to December 2021 if that even goes. Not sure if 2022 will be successful. But anyway, when it is ok to go, I told hubs that we are taking three trips in one year,

@kim, I appreciate your speaking up about living off of SSA and using part-time work to put toward travel -- I've been holding off on commenting on this thread because it seems like a lot of us are in better shape wealth-wise than others of us. I have years to go before retirement, and so far only two of my tax years have had me on the right side of the median income distribution for the USA, and that was back before the great recession. Most of my working life has been here on the modest side of that curve, and my travel planning reflects it.

Avi, I feel exactly the same. I don't know what the US median income distribution is, but I'm certain I'm lower. I haven't had a raise that exceeds the cost of living since prior to 2008. Our travels make up a higher percentage of our budget than is wise. I think I have to work til age 60, but maybe can slip out at 58 (they'd let me go at 56, but I won't have enough $$). Certainly I'm at the lower end of the usual RS traveler.

I just hope my retirement comes, and I don't spend it reflecting on past travels, but enjoying new ones.

As we were supposed to go to Ireland last year but I had a problem with my health and we had postponed to this fall, I have all that money in the bank so the $15,000 will sit there until this covid crap is done. (hopefully get to go in fall 2021)

I have started saving for Italy in 2022, and I have $7000 already. Hopefully we can have that saved pretty quick as we are not spending much at the moment and won't be going to Florida for the winter this year and staying in Canada. Again, DARN COVID.

We then plan for saving for our Danube trip.... a mix of Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Romania and Poland trip for 2023.

I am just letting it build up...when all of this is over I'll be able to go just about anywhere I want!!