My husband and I have been planning a trip to the Marne battlefields--plan to go in September 09. We are set to mail the contract for the house we will rent, and got cold feet last night, due to the economy.
We both have good jobs and I save money every week for our annual trips. We never go into any debt when we go. But everything in the economy is so scary now, and we stopped short to think about it some before we commit.
Anyone else feeling this?
Not really. If collapse occurs and your $ is worthless at some point, it will buy you nothing. Spend while the buying is good. Cars, houses, and travel will probably never be much cheaper. And spending will drive the economy. Be patriotic and use an American flight carrier.
Actually, I'm itching to get over there again. The dollar has improved greatly against the euro and flights now cost about the same as they did in the mid 1990s.
There was a thread just a while ago where a poster had planned the trip of a life time and then lost her job. I am sure people are feeling a certain amount of stress about all kinds of discretionary spending.
If we all become too afraid, the economy will indeed collapse.
We have made trade-offs. We are traveling but have sold and not replaced our second car. We have savings beyond just short term needs. Still, I carefully go through various scenarios before I make any substantial purchases. These are thoughtful times.
Regards, Gary
Don't be afraid. GO! I'm going to France and Belgium in June, just like I've planned.
Sue, you are not in debt and you save money for trips, for goodness sake, take the trip. I would, and do.
You will die someday,, and trust me, you will NEVER say " I wished I had saved more money to leave to other people" but you may one day say" I wished we had taken that trip".
Actually, just the opposite. The BBC this morning was reporting on how the dollar was gaining strength versus both the pound and the Euro.
If you have the money, go. I wouldn't be surprised it travel gets even cheaper by Sept.
I wouldn't worry about it. I was in the same boat with my most recent trip in December. Perhaps if I hadn't already committed to it earlier in the year I might have decided not to go, and I would have missed some incredible experiences that I might not have another chance to have. Life is short, don't wait.
I'm another who lost a job just prior to leaving for Amsterdam & Paris some years ago. I had money put aside for the trip & decided to go for it. When I got back, I found another job within the same large company & life went on. Doesn't mean I wasn't worried at the time.
Everyone should have money put aside to pay bills for at least 6 months in case of job loss. With that, I'd feel free to take any trips I had planned & (most importantly) saved for. Hope you have a great trip.
Also, keep in mind that Europe is also facing a serious recession. As a result, many businesses are becoming more competitive in price as well as quality and customer service.
This is a good time to travel, as your cash will help improve the global economy, you'll see fewer crowds, because unlike yourself, some will be too scared.
You only get one life, and it sounds as if you have it fairly responsibly organized. Enjoy things!
I've been watching the economy, (who hasn't!)my wife is retired, I work seasonally as a tax preparer so we are pretty much on a fixed income. This past year we have saved like crazy and so have our trip expenses pretty much covered. I'm of the opinion that the time to go is when you're thinking about it. Who wants to have regrets later in life when you may not be physically able to go. May 10th -- I'm off!
I agree. If your job seems secure, or if you have money for a trip saved -- go for it! I am planning some sort of a European trip later this year also. It may be scaled down a bit from the fancier one I originally wanted to do, but will be fun neverthless.
We have to keep living and enjoying life as best we can. Those of us who love travel will find a way to continue.
Sue, I had planned to go last year and cancelled due to the low dollar value. Then I got laid off late last year, but I am going this year regardless. I'm sure I am older that you. I am now on unemployment and just filed my social security. Just go and don't even think of what might happen. Once you decide to go your excitement will far exceed any apprehension you have now. JUST GO and ENJOY.
Most Americans can afford to go on a vacation trip to Europe, if they can go during a month for which air line tickets are not high priced. Different people spend money for different things. I choose to spend money for trips to Europe. I did not buy an expensive Television set. I did not ever have cable Television or satelite Television. I never bought a new motor vehicle.
Ron brings up an excellent point...it all depends where your priorities lie. We can't have everything (except those wallowing in dough) so we make choices. If you choose to experience a new culture, then you have to weigh that against what you may have to give up, and see which is worth more to you. A new car is a new car....but a new cultural experience will always be with me.
Sue, our economy will recover faster than in European countries and the dollar will be OK. You need to go this year, if you can afford it. My wife and I are going ahead with our 24 day trip to Europe this April and May and it looks like we will be spending less that we did on our trips in 2007 and 2008. Dorsey
We just returned from our trip on New Year's Eve- a week and a half later my company announced lay-offs (and my seniority is loooooow.) My husband asked me, "Don't you feel kind-of bad that we spent all of that money when we could have it in savings right now?"
I told him No, I don't feel bad, because you never know what could happen, and we might never get the chance again. You can lose your job, your house, or your car, but you will never lose your memories (well, unless you get a form of dementia or something like that!)
Wow. We are a bunch of optimists, which is probably why we love to travel. I was curious about the feelings out there and stunned that you all are of like minds.
All I can say is WOW. And THANKS!
Sue, I love Victoria's response below and that has been my attitude. You don't want to regret not going. There will always be excuses and reasons why not to go. I could have saved the money on some previous European trips but I can look back and say with great pleasure that I got the opportunity to see Europe with my wife and daughter.
One other note- in March of 2008 I was in a hotel room in Florence watching a world CNN report. They were talking about the US economy heading hard into recession. What they were saying made perfect sense and I was wondering why the US news sources weren’t telling the same story. I immediately went downstairs to the hotel internet and moved most of my 401k and brokerage account to cash. Gee – I guess I need to travel more! France in 5 weeks, again!
Sue, I agree with everyone else and have recently been in the same situation. A friend and I had planned last Fall to go to Paris (my favorite city!) for 2 weeks this coming June. Then the economy tanked and we debated the decision. But our decision was - who knows what will happen in the future? We have the money saved now and may never have it again. So we're going (and you should too)! We've rented a small apartment near the Eiffel Tower thru VacationInParis and got a GREAT price on our airline tickets (thanks to Yapta.com which let me know when the price dropped to less than half the going Internet rate!). The apartment allows us to cook some meals and thus save some money. And many corner bistros have very affordable menus (9-15 euros for 2-3 courses). But I won't economize to the point where I don't enjoy myself - that's why I travel. Go, enjoy, bon chance!
I say go for it. If you decide not to go you may always regret it. Life is short and you never know when something can happen to your health that could prevent travel. My mother passed away at the age of 58 having never gone on the trip of her dreams, or anywhere else for that matter. Raising kids and work always got in the way. My 50-year-old sister has a back problem that makes travel (and everything else) very painful. She will never enjoy a pain-free trip again. As long as you can afford to travel and will still have a roof over your head and food to eat when you return you should just do it!
We will be arriving in Paris on Valentines Day, and we do not yet have restaurant reservations. We are staying in the Champ-Elysees/Marriott area. Does anyone have any suggestions for nice restaurant?
