How do people in their twenties afford to travel so much?

[SeductivePig]

Do they have rich parents, did they graduate college with no debt and amazing jobs, do they get free miles because of their consulting gigs, or what?

Every day on facebook I see people posting pics of travel to exotic destinations.. each ticket costs around $1k+, and with hotel/accomodations/food/entertainment they are easily spending $2k+ per trip. If not exotic destinations, I frequently see people traveling across the country to grab a beer with someone, as if it's pocket change to do that.

These people don't even have crazy jobs or anything, it's just typical entry level jobs but it just doesn't make sense.

Am I missing out on something? Do these people just get crazy deals on tickets? Do they charge all their expenses to credit cards?

Before you call me out, yes, I am jealous. I graduated with a ton of student loans + interest and haven't had the chance to travel anywhere despite a very good salary. Probably won't get to for another 2 years, at which point my debt will be as good as cleared.

It's raised the question to myself about whether I should just put all my travel on credit cards and enjoy it before I settle down

 

[master_shake_]

no kids no responsibilities oodles of disposable cash?

 

[purbeast0]

i didnt start traveling until i was 23, my only regret in life is that i waited so long.

i was making $48k out of college and the #1 thing i had on my list to do after i graduated and had a job was to see clear water white sand beaches for the first time in my life. i ended up going to aruba a month after natalie holloway was murdered over there.

and ever since that trip, i've been hooked. my wife and i make it a priority to travel now and we go on at least 3 vacations a year. i'm now nearly 12 years out of graduating college though.

we had a group of people we would travel with to multiple places as well and have had a blast. all of us are just into it. i also have friends who never traveled much at all but they were out at the bars/clubs every weekend wasting hundreds of dollars a week while my wife and i would take it easy so we could save to go on nice vacations. i'd much rather live frugally at home so i can splurge on an exotic vacation.

but you could be right - they could be packing up huge credit card debts. i never did that and never will. it's crazy how many people haev credit card debts though, like in the thousands, and don't think anything of it.

we just had our first kid last year so it's going to be tougher now, but we're going to still make it a priority. we went on one trip without him already and are going on one next week with him, and also took a vacation to outer banks with him last year. but thijs will be the first time taking him on a plane.

 

[dainthomas]

Second the no kids. They are money black holes.

You can travel almost anywhere for a couple grand if you economize. Doesn't take long to save that up without kids.

 

[dullard]

All of the above. Plus, you are overestimating the cost if you shop around. $300ish will get you a ticket to a resort town in Mexico. Stay in a cheap hotel, use the local bus, and eat cheaply and you can have a weekend in Mexico for $500 per person. Just avoid the all-inclusive thoughts and you'll find it is far cheaper than you think.

Yes, that is pricy, but not out of the range of reality for many people.

 

[MixMasterTang]

Some people make it a priority. Some people making upgrading their computer a priority or having a nice car. Some people also rack up their credit cards or other debt doing any of those things, so your guess is as good as mine

 

[Ns1]

living at home with parents

 

[StrangerGuy]

Let's just say I know some 20s guy who has a pedal bike that costs only like 4 times his take-home monthly salary. Some people are simply stupid with money.

 

[ponyo]

Some people make it a priority. Some people making upgrading their computer a priority or having a nice car. Some people also rack up their credit cards or other debt doing any of those things, so your guess is as good as mine

This. Also, some of my most memorable trips are the ones we pinched pennies. While it's nice to stay at Ritz or Four Seasons, sometimes it's more fun to stay at cheaper places and explore.

 

[purbeast0]

All of the above. Plus, you are overestimating the cost if you shop around. $300ish will get you a ticket to a resort town in Mexico. Stay in a cheap hotel, use the local bus, and eat cheaply and you can have a weekend in Mexico for $500 per person. Just avoid the all-inclusive thoughts and you'll find it is far cheaper than you think.

Yes, that is pricy, but not out of the range of reality for many people.

i've never been a fan of all inclusive. the last thing i want to do when i go to another country is sit in my resort the whole time.

 

[Beer4Me]

Most of our friends still live with their parents (though they claim to support them in some capacity), and as a result, they don't have a rent or mortgage. They also know how to find good deals, so they do travel a lot. It's all about priorities as others have mentioned, and my wife and I have different priorities than majority of our friends.

 

[tsupersonic]

credit cards

There is a science to maximizing credit card points/awards.

 

[dullard]

i've never been a fan of all inclusive. the last thing i want to do when i go to another country is sit in my resort the whole time.

I figure at least it gets people to travel. But they are paying far more to see 10x less.

I just checked. A flight from Chicago or NYC to Cancun is in mid March is about $330. Hotels.com is filled with hotels in the $20 to $30 per night range. As low as $11/night if you really wanted to stay in a hostel. Add in a generous $50/day for meals eating at tasty local restaurants. Total: $330 + $2*$30 + 3 * $50 = $540. Excursions cost the ~$2 for a bus fare.

The cheapest all inclusive that I could find in mid-March was $250/night. So, $330 + 2* $250 = $830. And you are stuck with their restaurant food whether you like it or not. Excursions are $100+ extra (not so all-inclusive after all).

 

[purbeast0]

credit cards

There is a science to maximizing credit card points/awards.

i'm in the middle of doing a southwest companion pass "credit card game" right now. i have about $2k left to spend and i'll have over 110k points for me and my wife will be able to fly for free with me until the end of 2017.

all with a cc balance of $0 of course!

 

[pete6032]

If I did not save for retirement it would be very easy to take a fancy trip each year.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Credit card debt which they'll carry for the rest of their lives. Live now, pay later.

 

[vi edit]

Second the no kids. They are money black holes.

You can travel almost anywhere for a couple grand if you economize. Doesn't take long to save that up without kids.

As someone that had almost $19,000 in daycare bills one year...yeah. Kids are expensive.

 

[Franz316]

I spent 3 months in South America last year for about 3 grand, that's nothing. I stay in hostels and know how to save money along the way. In my twenties I have taken about a dozen trips two months or longer. I do contract web development. I know how to maximize credit card rewards and have no credit card debt. No house, no kids. I have some student loans of course, but don't really care about paying them off faster.

If you structure your life around it, it's not too hard. I time my trips for when my apartment lease expires, put my stuff in storage, and go. It's not a lifestyle for everyone but I wouldn't have it any other way. I've seen and experienced so much which I consider priceless.

 

[Ns1]

I'll stay in NYC for about 5 days and blow 3 grand lol

 

[ponyo]

Nice thing is the dollar is strong and oil prices are low so it's great time to travel.

 

[RockinZ28]

My dad constantly pays for all kinds of trips for my sister and her fiance. Must be nice.

 

[cbrunny]

My wife and I graduated from Uni basically debt free. Through good fortune and hard work we both landed good jobs. We have a house and are now currently debt free (save mtg). I'm turning 30 this year. No kids.

I have been on three trips out of Can/USA. All three of these were with my current wife. Any travel inside North America have basically been camping trips (cheap!) and visiting family just across the border.

We do not consider ourselves to be "well travelled" - there are many places we'd like to go to.

Facebook is the devil. It is designed to make you envy your "friends" and their experiences. It's structured so you absorb all of their experiences at once, making you feel shitty about your own life. It's a well documented cause of depression and mental stress. It is the devil.

Many of those people who are on trips have craploads of debt. They'll drown when interest rates go up, if they're still above water by then. I'd rather travel later in life debt free than suffer in debt for some fun weeks in my 20s.

 

[purbeast0]

My wife and I graduated from Uni basically debt free. Through good fortune and hard work we both landed good jobs. We have a house and are now currently debt free (save mtg). I'm turning 30 this year. No kids.

I have been on three trips out of Can/USA. All three of these were with my current wife. Any travel inside North America have basically been camping trips (cheap!) and visiting family just across the border.

We do not consider ourselves to be "well travelled" - there are many places we'd like to go to.

Facebook is the devil. It is designed to make you envy your "friends" and their experiences. It's structured so you absorb all of their experiences at once, making you feel shitty about your own life. It's a well documented cause of depression and mental stress. It is the devil.

Many of those people who are on trips have craploads of debt. They'll drown when interest rates go up, if they're still above water by then. I'd rather travel later in life debt free than suffer in debt for some fun weeks in my 20s.

lol you say that now.

when is the last time you heard grandpa say "man im glad i never traveled when i was younger so i could travel now that i'm old and frail!".

i think people are WAY too worried about saving that they don't enjoy their money in their youth. i'm not saying go balls to the wall on blowing your money, i'm just saying it's okay to save a little and enjoy a little.

 

[96Firebird]

It really isn't that expensive to travel, especially if you know someone who lives in the area and can crash at their place (like the OP alluded to).

I've flown to Boston and stayed with friends, flown to Orlando and stayed with friends, drove to Pittsburgh and stayed with friends, etc... In your 20s, you are still in touch with those friends from high school/college that you will probably lose contact with when you each start having your own families.

Granted, my last trip was a cruise from Miami to Cozumel, so nothing too fancy or extravagant. Splitting the hotel/cruise with the ladyfriend I went with, I probably spent under $2k total, including airfare from Rochester to Miami and stayed in Miami one night.

 

[brianmanahan]

because people in their 20's usually don't care about saving money.

i love to travel but i do it on the cheap - no more than 2$k per year, 3$k at the tops. that still gets me a couple of week-long US vacations per year.

i might go to europe as a reward when i hit the million dollar mark