How do you handle travel fare, etc. for holidays, and family events.

[akopac]

I’d like to know how folks are handling travel costs for holiday and special events back to their native countries. Credit card air miles, special programs, strategies? Last time we went cruising this was a big expense and broke our budget.

[skipmac]

We use a combination of all of the above but primarily keep costs down by shopping fares, booking as far in advance as possible and having flexible travel dates.

We use miles when we can't find a decent fare but the option that usually saves the most is fare shopping, especially when traveling around holidays.

Look at fares for a week or so around your preferred travel dates if possible. Also for us we look at the smaller local airport first but often find better deals (especially last minute) looking at larger airports nearby. We have three within a two hour drive around us. Have to factor in travel to the alternate airports but we usually find a reasonable one way car rental.

[akopac]

Best card for miles and interest/fees ;-)

[Kenomac]

We work at jobs to earn more money.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by akopac

Best card for miles and interest/fees ;-)

Good question. Let me know if you find the best answer.

Only suggestion I have, a friend that travels a lot likes the Citi Card for miles and travel benefits.

[akopac]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

We work at jobs to earn more money.

Yeah I work very hard and don’t believe in reinventing the wheel. If somebody has some wise solution other than not going home, or walking 1,000’s of miles to see friends and relatives. I am willing to always lend an ear

[Amihan59]

Originally Posted by akopac

Best card for miles and interest/fees ;-)

I am one of those who's accumulating points and award miles for travel, and for the last few years have benefited from free air tickets and hotel stays (including free companion fare for a portion of our trip and 2 free nights at the Hyatt Baha Mar prior to a boat delivery from Nassau to NYC recently). There are several sources on the web, and one of my go-to sites is this: https://thepointsguy.com/

He has a Facebook page where one get general information and tons of tips for beginners. Search Award Travel 101.

Check out also https://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/

The favorite cards are those from American Express, Chase and Capital One, where you get bonus points after a minimum spend within a set period of time. I have a combination of cards that give me airline points (ex Delta through Amex, United through Chase, American through City and Alaska through BoA), hotel points (Hilton and SPG via Amex, Hyatt via Chase, etc), and rewards via Chase and Amex.

Browsing through the above sites (and more that you will find) and studying the intricacies of applying and maintaining these cards takes a lot of time, but once you've decided your goals for upcoming travel, hopefully you'll be able to focus and direct your spending towards those goals. I maintain a spreadsheet of these cards (including those of my husband) to see where I am as far as keeping my credit score in check, and what card is potentially available based on my future travel, and minding the annual fees involved (and including that in my budget).

There are cards without annual fees. Cards must be paid off every month. You will find that some have $0 APR for a year.

Try not to be overwhelmed by the information you will find; some people are after airline and hotel status, but some of us are just happy to get free round trip tickets from point A to B, and not breaking the bank with hotel stays.

I hope this helps.

[buzzstar]

With few exceptions, if you head off in a boat you should realize that you cannot do it all, or perhaps even as much as you once did from a place close enough to your family to get there by easily and inexpensively. Something usually has to give, and it typically more relates to income than the location of the boat. Maybe if going home is so important, do not go cruising. It is all a choice -what to keep, and what to give up- at least if you are so fortunate to be able to even make a choice.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by akopac

Yeah I work very hard and don’t believe in reinventing the wheel. If somebody has some wise solution other than not going home, or walking 1,000’s of miles to see friends and relatives. I am willing to always lend an ear

I don't think Ken was being snarky in his response. Some of us here know "the regulars" and Ken (and his wife) have reported many times that they work hard for half the year and sail the other half, up to this season in the Med. They know flying and costs. I don't think he was being rude, he was just explaining how he does it in response to your original question of "I’d like to know how folks are handling travel costs..."


Part of the difficulty of answering your question(s) is the lack of specificity. If you're coastal cruising in the USA and your family is in the same country, the answers could well be drastically different than if you're in Madagascar and your family is in Newfoundland.


Credit card free miles is also a Catch 22. Back when I was working, I did a lot of traveling, and between the air miles and purchasing everything with our airline credit card we got a lot of literally free trips to Europe for vacation (from San Francisco). Now that we're retired, I travel by plane ZERO times a year and our expenses have been pared way down to meet reality. Therefore, little benefits ensue from that airline card, so we're glad we did our European vacations back when we could.


I'm also wondering "...how folks are handling travel costs..." would be any different than ANY other costs. You're asking how people handle income vs. expenses, regardless of what the outlay may be: travel, food, entertainment, boat parts...


The answer is to spend what you have. And this answer comes up every single time someone raises the dreaded "How much does it cost to cruise?" question.


I'm not sure there are any "tricks" to this. Either save up for it or don't go or have them come to you. If you choose to go, then shop carefully. Why is this any different than anything else in life related to money?


Good luck, hope you enjoy time with your family.

[dwedeking2]

http://matrix.itasoftware.com

I do a search on the above link for smaller airlines especially when looking to fly odd ball places. Last year a search on the big travel sites gave me $1500 fares to Suriname. Through the matrix i found Suriname Air for $500.

[Near2KR]

Originally Posted by dwedeking2

Matrix - ITA Software by Google

I do a search on the above link for smaller airlines especially when looking to fly odd ball places. Last year a search on the big travel sites gave me $1500 fares to Suriname. Through the matrix i found Suriname Air for $500.

Along this same line, I've used autoslash.com a number of times for car rentals and always found better deals than on my own. They have a service where you make your best reservation, send them the details and they email you if they find a better deal. I have no affiliation at all, just a happy customer.

They are US only as far as I know.

[Pelagic]

The cheapest solution is to invite family and friends to join you at a nice resort location near you, where they can plan their own holiday with the option to do some sailing.[emoji4]

I really hate flying so this works well for me personally and it offers an added vacation element to friends and family, who want to get away from the Canadian winter.

Because I rarely fly now, not much left in Air miles so I just research cheapest days and booking periods for each destination.

https://www.farecompare.com/travel-a...avel-insiders/

[akopac]

Some really good stuff here. Our last cruise was Central America. Trips home ate up the kitty in ~5 years. This time will be a slow circumnavigation starting in a couple years from california. I figured if I used the cards and paid them off doing a refit and during cruising I might be able to save up some air miles. Not sure though.

[zeehag]

i donot leave the area in which i keep my boat.
iff i celebrate a holiday itis with folks who are friends close enough to be family. in the port in which i am anchored or berthed.
something major needs occur before i leave my home unprotected and unmonitored.
need a cat sitter with suit of mail to protect skin from shredder claws as no bus takes bubba or chico in passenger section. as they are family, i stay with em. friends across town--take a taxi or a bus to their residence for the party, if i go.
while here in mazatlan i go to my friend sandy's place where we indulge in a multi cultural thanksgiving. the pumpkin turnovers are sublime and inimitable. delicious.
christmas is quiet and family only, so i stay on board. is my time.
i got out of the tradition of family gatherings for big holidays during my childraising years--i sent my son to momma and pulled double shifts for as long as i was able. i am a nontraditionalist, with my mommas blessing.
went to momma for dead brother, as she needed me so badly then. the next year dad died. couldnot go then. didnot need to go then. momma and i speak on fone often. i call her when there is a holiday, a birthday of donny or dad, and times i know she is feeling down a bit with memories.
most holidays are overrated commercialized events geared to the conscience and wallets of family raising parents to overspend and get dronk. i donot do that, so i refrain from it all. i am the one always got sick from too much ..too much noise, too much food, and well water downhill from septic system ..... and--what do you do when your partner in crime for each and every holiday is no more??? ye abstain. ye call momma and sibs to say hay. ye spend the time in memorium or find new traditions. as antitraditionalist i spend the time with my boat and bubba and closest friends.
new things to do and see and explore are always fun.