When CB and I booked our trip to Disney World, we put the entire amount on my credit card so I can get the points. Then CB transferred his portion of the travel costs to my checking account.
So a few days ago I paid my credit card bill (which was much higher than usual because of the ~$3,200 Disney-related costs), but it feels so good to get that out of the way and know that we’ll only have incidentals to worry about on our trip. This trip (around ~$1,500 for my portion) will the most expensive trip I’ve ever gone on by myself. It will also be the most expensive trip CB has ever gone on.
But this is why I think Disney was the right vacation spot for our first big trip together:
Last night, as we were driving on the freeway, CB had this HUGE smile and said, “I am so excited!” And without even skipping a beat, I told him, “I know what you’re excited about about!” Then we both just sort of blurted out, “Disney World!” (and in a Disney movie, this is when our car would suddenly transform into a magic carpet and we would glide off into the clouds, singing a rendition of A Whole New World).
And yes, that is how excited we are. And that’s what makes an expensive vacation worth the price.
What’s the most expensive vacation you’ve ever went on? Give me details! 
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Lloyd and I have been on two big vacays together – Vegas and North Carolina. We spent a week on the beach in NC and it was about $1,500 per person. Vegas was considerably cheaper at around $900 per person (but we were only there 4 days). I LOVE vacations that are just the two of you! This is the perfect age to go, too! Lloyd has a friend that works on the Chelsea Lately show in LA, so I think next summer that's where we will be headed! I hope you have a GREAT time!!
I haven't been on too many expensive vacations because I am Young, Broke and Fabulous. LOL. But if I had to count it, it would probably my vacation to Washington DC. In all we spent about $800 between the two of us (my BF and I). The biggest expense was our hotel which was in downtown DC and allowed us to walk everywhere.
Next year we are planning to go to Greece, so I'll be putting some serious pennies down for that.
Hi! Just became aware of you through single ma.
One of my most expensive vacations was a trip to Paris in 2003 with my mom. It was the last vacation she went on before her passing and the only time we ever traveled out of the country together. It cost about $2500 for the flight and hotels, not to mention the expensive boots I couldn't pass up once we got there. The memories were really wonderful and irreplaceable. (I still have the boots too!)
Probably the absolutely most expensive trip was to Hong Kong and what made that awesome is that my job paid for it! (what a way to travel)
Last, I've gone to Disney world twice with co-workers and once with my family. I'm proud to say that all three times, my flight and room have been paid by my company. Anytime you can make a vacation out of a work trip – I say do it. Its a great way to save money and have fun! When we went to Orlando, we added time before and after business to make it a vacation. On the days I had to work, they just played without me!
My honeymoon was by far the most expensive vacation I've ever taken ($5,000), but it was totally worth it. I wrote about the details in a post over at my blog.
Hi Well-heeled – I've been reading for a bit, but I think this is my first comment. Being about your age (24?) I know what you mean about first trip "by yourself" (aka footing the bill). The biggest I've actually paid my whole way on was 2 weeks in Ecuador in 2008 with a friend, where the budget came to about $2000 with airfare, hotels, food, and souvenirs. In 2009, I did a big family trip to Ireland where I kicked in about $3000, but that money came from a vacation fund I paid into in lieu of paying rent for a few months when I decided to move back home for a while. I've also paid for a trip to Hawaii with friends, where total costs were probably around $1200-1300 for a week. Fortunately, I get to travel internationally for work from time to time (4 times this year), so I just spend a few hundred each time to take a few days for myself to explore before/after the work componenst.
DisneyWorld was the most expensive vacation for us too. We also put Disney on my citicard, for the reward point.
We paid off our balance the very next month. We had money in our home improvement fund, but we decided to put the money in the "House of Mouse" instead.
Hope you enjoy the trip! We did.
Hollywood Studios rocks! At first I thought it sounded lame, but once I got in… it was great!
Don't miss the "Disney Fantasmic". I was told by multiple people that it's the best Disney show! The tricky part is it only plays on certain days (in the Hollywood Studio theme park…)
If you have any questions, shoot me an email!
Admissions to House of Mouse is expensive indeed!
I'm glad you had fun – I'm sure your children will remember their time at Disney World FOREVER.
My most expensive vacation was the first vacation I took with a good friend. We went on a 5 day cruise, and met up with a friend of a friend's who lived near the area.
We spent around $700 (after the exchange rate) each for the flight and the cruise. But, we also had the trip to the Mayan Ruins, the trip to the Butterfly Conservatory, tips, a gift for the person's family for taking us in for a weekend! Oh, and my passport, since I had never gone anywhere, plus luggage, a bathing suit, and other clothes … so I was closer to $1000 when everything was considered. Now I've been going to Cuba for vacation (around $500 for the trip, with taxes, plus $150-$200 for tips and purchases).
Also, I said I would let you know how the Shutterfly book turned out – it's great! The hard cover is nice, the colours are vibrant and if you do go that route, I'm sure you'll like the book. The shipping took longer than the estimated time, but it did have to get transferred to Canada Post from the USPS (it was three business days after the expected time).
I'm glad the Shutterfly book turned out well! I'll see what types of discounts the different companies offer after I get back, then make a decision.
Peru is definitely on my list of places to go.
All of my expensive trips abroad and within the US have been paid by my parents, job or grants I have won to do research in South and Central America. I love having other people pay for my travel.
I got trips to Germany, Eastern Europe, Japan, and Korea paid for through different organizations / fellowships. It is great to have someone else fund your travels.
My most expensive trip was a 10-day excursion in London, Scotland, and Wales. For 10 days, we really packed a TON of stuff in. The trip's total cost came to about $2300 per person (there were 2 of us), and that includes food, souvenirs, airfare, our hostel (we shared a room with 2 other travelers who were very quiet and well-behaved, lest you have fear of hostels!), a Stonehenge-Bath-Lacock castle tour, an Oxford-Stratford-upon-Avon-Warwick-Castle tour, a tour of and play at the Globe, the train to Scotland, the car rental to drive to Wales, and a couple museum/attraction fees. Also, we went in the summer of '08, when the dollar to pound rate was pretty much 1 pound = $2, so we spent what felt like a lot of money at the time! Looking back, I feel we were very money-minded since we spent ages stalking deals on the internet and using discount codes when possible. The trip was awesome (though a little hectic) and I won't soon forget it!
Ms. Wellheeled, I would love to know how you got your travels funded! Perhaps a future post?