Is it worth skimping on travel?

Posted on 7:50 PM by
My grandfather lived on the island of Kauai and growing up my family visited for two weeks every December. Every day, we swam in the ocean, wore shorts and flip-flops, and played under the sun until our skin turned dark brown. Christmas was always spent at Mahalapu Beach where we went snorkeling, combed the sand for cowrie shells, and barbecued teriyaki chicken that we folded with rings of pineapple pineapple into sweet Hawaiian rolls. We were warm and happy.

My husband and I have continued the tradition of spending a week or two in the tropics--by cobbling together some sort of package deal, or usurping some relatives' frequent-flier miles. (I'm rather crafty when it comes to putting together trips.) Last year, we were really adventurous and took our two kids to Bali. The year before, I came across an amazing Waikiki package deal. The year before, my brother was conveniently living in Vietnam, and we had enough frequent flier miles to get the entire family there.

Wedding in Mexico, college friend living in Hawaii, aunt residing in the the Caribbean--I always find a reason to visit a place where the palm trees sway and the average temperature is over 75 degrees.

But not this year.

This winter, we're skimping on travel. The Bali trip at the beginning of the year busted our budget, and then there was the 10-year anniversary trip to Barcelona in the summer. We're trying to save some money so we can take the entire family to Europe this summer, and so we decided to not hop on a plane this winter. Instead, we're making a few road-trips to the snow.

Already I'm regretting our decision. Already, I'm going crazy. Already, I'm dreaming of a place far, far away where the air is damp and warm and smells of flowers.

I have had a cold for the past two months. My doctor says it's allergies and I know that it would clear up in an instant on a beach in Kauai, or in Tahiti, the Philippines? I hear Goa is good...

I'm beginning to wonder, is it so wise to save for Europe? Couldn't we just break up those frequent-flier miles into two trips, say Mexico next month, and then we could just go to Maine in the summer.

Is it really worth skimping on travel, especially in the winter, when you live in a house where your thermostat reads 52-degrees in the morning? I'm cold, to my bones, and I could really use a beach break.

4 comments:

Sharlene said...

First of all- I wanna be wherever that picture was taken. Oh my gosh I am drooling. Second- I think if you have a travel bug like you and I do, sometimes it is better to take more cheaper trips than one expensive one. I couldn't bear to have one trip a year. I would go nuts.

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