I keep surprising myself with what I say no to during this journey to early retirement. My friend and former colleague works at a company that offers discounted stays at a Four Seasons in Mexico. It looks beautiful (see above). Their rooms usually start at $400/night and we would get to stay for $75/night so $37.50/person/night. That’s a crazy discount. We would also receive half priced food and drinks…which would probably bring them to regular restaurant prices.As exciting as going to Mexico with my friends and getting these discounts sounded I found myself hesitating. And it wasn’t just that I’m out of PTO (and have planned all of it until 2020) though that was a slight factor. The bigger problem was the time frame. My friends wanted to go for a long weekend so Friday to Monday. Getting to this Mexican city is about a 6-10 hour flight depending on if it’s nonstop or has a stop. So basically I would be traveling Friday and Monday and only at the resort Saturday and Sunday. Another issue was tickets. Flights at minimum would be $500 and possibly closer to $700. That’s how much I paid to go to Singapore. This wasn’t seeming worth it.
Then I used my other criteria: Will I regret not going? Is this a once in a lifetime opportunity? My answers to both surprisingly were no. I don’t want to go on this rushed trip. I don’t even like or want to stay in resorts so despite the fact that the cost is finally were I could swallow it, it wouldn’t be my first choice. I prefer AirBnBs with kitchens that feel like a lived in space instead of a sterile resort hotel. And lastly, it’s not a once in a lifetime opportunity. Even if this friend moves to another job and doesn’t get this deal, this city was already on my list as somewhere I wanted to go in Mexico and staying at AirBnBs by the beach are cheaper than even this discount rate. In that scenario I would actually have time to stay and enjoy instead of feeling rushed and spending most of my time in transit.
This reaction helped me classify the kinds of vacations I have been accepting since solidifying my retirement goals. I only go on vacation plans that have a time limit. I went to Singapore with my friend because she’s planning to have kids soon. I wouldn’t be able to chill at her Mom’s apartment with her – I’d have to deal with screaming kids or they simply wouldn’t have room for me. I wouldn’t get to experience Singapore through her eyes. The rest of my trips have been with my Mom – she’s going regardless so if I can work it out so I go with her I don’t want to miss that. So that’s the latest. Until retirement I’m only going on vacations that have a time limit – and I’ve already planned them all out š .
Hey there…saw you on the forums.
Browsed through quite a few of your posts already. I like that they are quick reads and you aren’t trying to sell anything. Actually just what I needed tonight because i viewed another new (like me) blogger who is already making money on her blog and it makes me wonder if I should be doing that too…
Anyway, what I meant to say about this post is that that’s the best thing about being part of the FIRE community…somewhere along the lines you start defining objectives and goals for various aspects of your life..financial planning turns into life planning and being intentional in ways you may not have been before…at least for me. FIRE helps me organize your thoughts.
I’m also glad I found your blog because it’s another example of someone else (like me) using the blogosphere as a way to organize your thoughts and set goals that you can track and reference.
I’m still vacillating between doing what it takes to make my blog profitable or just keep it as my personal blog… so i’m glad to have found you doing more of the the latter…
Hi There! Happy to have connected with you. Haha you definitely figured me out – a quick writer that’s not trying to sell anything š . Most of my family are salespeople and I’m unintentionally getting as far from that life as I can…
Yeah – I’m just using this blog to catalogue my journey (mostly for myself, but if it helps others like I’ve been helped – awesome!) It does seem like a great way to be kept accountable too since I’m a huge possible ‘victim’ of one more year syndrome.
As you know, it’s totally up to you if you want to monetize your blog. My current plan for mine is to keep it ad and monetization free, but to each their own. Let me know what you decide! Excited to see your journey.
I always try to avoid “vacations” where “transit time” is greater than or equal to “relaxing time”.
One year I wanted to visit my brother and his family. They live in a sleepy little town about a day’s drive away from our bedroom community on the edge of a mega-metropolis. Since hubby is easily bored in their sleepy little town, he wanted to drive over on Friday, stay the weekend, and drive back home on Monday (a weekend stay was necessary because my brother worked week days). But I wanted to spend more than just a couple days visiting with my brother. After thinking it over for awhile, I decided I didn’t want to spend all that time in the car (not a very good return on my travel investment!). Eventually we decided I would just fly in for a three day visit while my brother was on some year end PTO, which made for a much more relaxing visit.
The next year, I planned a visit over a PTO Friday through a Government Monday Holiday, so I got to spend four full days visiting my brother and his family – during a warmer time of year.
Yep – we’re totally on the same page. I’m so glad y’all found a way to both see family and make it a good return on your travel investment. That’s really awesome and inspiring!