Vacations

[Boatswain2PA]

Despite all the doom and gloom here, PAs are still paid much more than the median national income of about $32k/year.

So where do you go to enjoy the fruits of your labor?  

We just got back from a cruise.  7 nights - New Orleans to Grand Cayman Island to Costa Maya to Cozumel and back.  Ate wayyyyyy too much, and I think Royal Caribbean is the way to go.

This summer planning to go to Alaska for a week to see an old friend and explore.  And starting to plan next winters vacation, probably going to rent a house on the beach on Roatan again, but after seeing Mahahuan MX this trip we might look around there.  Few more years and we hope to vacation 4 times a year instead of twice.

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by Boatswain2PA

[SedRate]

Thanks for sharing. Three or four long vacations a year sounds amazing.

We're in a bit of a transition period and trying to figure it out. My spouse is M-F and I am gone for 6-10 days at a time with variable time at home in between. That plus our aggressive FI goals has led us to short, local weekend trips.

Our last proper vacation was 1.5 years ago and we're in need of a longer break, so I'm currently planning a weeklong one. My go-to is somewhere with warm weather and a beach as my spouse loves water and I enjoy being a beach bum. We tend to stay in the US as we haven't seen much of it yet. Hoping to do more and see more as we become more seasoned travelers and figure out the balance. 

[Boatswain2PA]

We usually rent a house on/near the beach vice cruises and such, gives us much more time to explore and really get to know the areas and people better. 

Longer term goals are to go to Phillipines, but I think that would require 10-14 days to make it worthwhile due to travel times.  My understanding the diving there is amazing!

And Europe.  Haven't been there yet.

Anyone been to Australia?

[kettle]

I recently did my first "real" vacation, as my vacation time is typically in the fall running a combine. Went to the Gulf in Mexico. 7 days on a beach was different, read a lot. Honestly I think next year I'll just stay home and take the money I'd spend on vacation and donate it to non profits in my community. I think I'll keep my vacations to driving tractors

[Boatswain2PA]

48 minutes ago, kettle said:

I recently did my first "real" vacation, as my vacation time is typically in the fall running a combine. Went to the Gulf in Mexico. 7 days on a beach was different, read a lot. Honestly I think next year I'll just stay home and take the money I'd spend on vacation and donate it to non profits in my community. I think I'll keep my vacations to driving tractors

One could argue that vacationing, at least in some places, is spreading American wealth to much poorer countries.

You go back to hometown and practice where you farm?  Or do you take your vacation time to go home to help with family farm??

[ShakaHoo]

On my salary-

I support my wife (currently stay at home mom), 2 young children, and dog. 

After that - we have next to nothing left 

#PALife.

[Boatswain2PA]

1 hour ago, ShakaHoo said:

On my salary-

I support my wife (currently stay at home mom), 2 young children, and dog. 

After that - we have next to nothing left 

#PALife.

Supporting a family is the strongest work you can ever do!

[Reality Check 2]

I, too, support my family. Kids in college. Spouse will need to retire soon due to health issues.

The pressure is real. Vacations are not.

I treasure a day off with no one home and the peace to do nothing for a few hours.

Maybe a vacation someday. For now, count the blessings of having more than most and keep going.

[CAdamsPAC]

I recommend a personal safari in Tanzania. We took a 10-day long safari that included "glamping" on the Masai Maru, personal tour guide, hotels and flights in country. A secondary recommendation would be a trip to India.

[EMEDPA]

Going to New Orleans this year with my wife and a few other medical folks I work with for a week. We all rented a house together in the garden district.  Have done Mexico and Hawaii in the past. Long term, we are looking at Iceland and Denmark as the dream vacations. Have never done a cruise, either. Would like to do one at some point.

[ohiovolffemtp]

Right before COVID, my wife and I booked our dream Alaska cruise & land vacation.  Needless to say, it got cancelled.  We got our money back and over the next year I went to Lowes & Home Depot instead.  We now have a pretty much finished basement that's great for when the grandkids are here or we have large family gatherings.  (I strongly recommend putting insulation between the floor joists and a suspended ceiling with acoustic panels, especially if you have hardwood floors upstairs).

We'll see what the future holds in a few years when my wife retires and I cut back to full time.

[kettle]

17 hours ago, Boatswain2PA said:

One could argue that vacationing, at least in some places, is spreading American wealth to much poorer countries.

You go back to hometown and practice where you farm?  Or do you take your vacation time to go home to help with family farm??

I could see myself traveling somewhere to do a habit for humanity trip to help build houses or other community structures.

I practice around my home town, predominantly rural critical access hospitals. Farming in the fall, I hop the boarder and help my friends in Canada 

[sas5814]

On 1/15/2023 at 5:35 PM, Boatswain2PA said:

Despite all the doom and gloom here, PAs are still paid much more than the median national income of about $32k/year.

So where do you go to enjoy the fruits of your labor?  

We just got back from a cruise.  7 nights - New Orleans to Grand Cayman Island to Costa Maya to Cozumel and back.  Ate wayyyyyy too much, and I think Royal Caribbean is the way to go.

This summer planning to go to Alaska for a week to see an old friend and explore.  And starting to plan next winters vacation, probably going to rent a house on the beach on Roatan again, but after seeing Mahahuan MX this trip we might look around there.  Few more years and we hope to vacation 4 times a year instead of twice.

 

Just had a cruise too. Planning a week in NC to do some tourist stuff and have mini fam reunion next June. Going to Savannah GA for a long weekend next month. I have 2 of my oldest and dearest Army buds and our families travel together as often as time and health allow. You don't get too many 35+ year friendships. The need to be cultivated.

In the past we have been to Italy, the Bahamas, Mexico.

I add a vacation day or 2 to every federal holiday weekend and have 10 mini vacations a year along with 2 longer ones.

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by sas5814

[Boatswain2PA]

On 1/16/2023 at 11:40 AM, Reality Check 2 said:

I, too, support my family. Kids in college. Spouse will need to retire soon due to health issues.

The pressure is real. Vacations are not.

I treasure a day off with no one home and the peace to do nothing for a few hours.

Maybe a vacation someday. For now, count the blessings of having more than most and keep going.

 

On 1/16/2023 at 8:29 AM, ShakaHoo said:

n my salary-

I support my wife (currently stay at home mom), 2 young children, and dog. 

After that - we have next to nothing left 

I find this a little disturbing.  Without a trace of judgmentalism, I wonder why it is that with an average salary 3x the national average, there seems to be such a feeling of impoverishment in these two posts.  Maybe I'm wrong about that feeling, but it is what I read into them.

Assuming Shakahoo is at beginning of career and, and RC2 towards the end of career....it begs the question of what other PAs can do to perhaps avoid being in the situation where vacations are unaffordable.

 

 

On 1/16/2023 at 1:02 PM, CAdamsPAC said:

I recommend a personal safari in Tanzania. We took a 10-day long safari that included "glamping" on the Masai Maru, personal tour guide, hotels and flights in country. A secondary recommendation would be a trip to India.

Never felt the draw to go to Africa or India, other than perhaps Madagascar for diving.  I've heard India also has terrific diving, but very hard to get tourist visa's for.

 

On 1/16/2023 at 1:03 PM, EMEDPA said:

Long term, we are looking at Iceland and Denmark as the dream vacations. Have never done a cruise, either.

Scandanavia would be a great trip!

 

On 1/16/2023 at 1:32 PM, ohiovolffemtp said:

ight before COVID, my wife and I booked our dream Alaska cruise & land vacation.  Needless to say, it got cancelled.  We got our money back and over the next year I went to Lowes & Home Depot instead.  We now have a pretty much finished basement that's great for when the grandkids are here or we have large family gatherings.  (I strongly recommend putting insulation between the floor joists and a suspended ceiling with acoustic panels, especially if you have hardwood floors upstairs).

We just moved into our dream house....and the basement is stacked with drywall for me to finish!  Was looking at insulation a few weeks ago, but we have trusses instead of floor joists.  Still trying to figure out best sound insulation for that application.

[sas5814]

50 minutes ago, Boatswain2PA said:

I find this a little disturbing.  Without a trace of judgmentalism, I wonder why it is that with an average salary 3x the national average, there seems to be such a feeling of impoverishment in these two posts.  Maybe I'm wrong about that feeling, but it is what I read into them.

Its an interesting phenomena and I can only speak for myself. Like you I make no judgement regarding anyone else.

When I started getting hyper-focused on retirement, something that was barely a passing thought in my younger years, my thinking shifted to debt elimination and money accumulation. Not a bad thing in itself but I overshot and was SO focused on it we couldn't spend a dime I didn't fret it could have gone into a bill or the bank. We stopped doing simple things like an overnight out of town or a nice expensive dinner and something as expensive as a long vacation was unthinkable. We were getting where I wanted to go but nobody was enjoying the trip.

Then one of my oldest and dearest friends got cancer....then it came back...then it spread. His wife is a survivor of breast cancer and colon cancer. Her med case is a full milk carton. They are still alive and doing well but I examined their life. He and his wife both worked hard all their lives, they saved well and invested smart and have a huge beautiful house and 90k cars and trucks and anything else they want and they can't enjoy any of it because they have poor health. If I want to see them we have to go to them because they can't travel. It was jarring to examine.
 

I am still very focused on retirement and I wish I was this obsessed about debt when I was younger but.... I need to enjoy what I have. I have been married 20 years and still enjoy spending all my time with my wife. That is no small thing. For the most part I am healthy. We don't need anything we don't have and don't want too many things we don't have. We have great relationships with all our kids and grandkids. I need to focus on what I have and stop stop stop just always trying to get somewhere. I need to enjoy the ride because I don't know how long it will last.

So when I don't have as  much in savings as I want and I can't get that bill paid down as fast as I'd like....... I pump the brakes and re-focus. I am not a touchy-feely kinda guy...quite the opposite. So when my wife tell me this is called mindfulness..... I tell her to shut up.

 

[ohiovolffemtp]

3 hours ago, Boatswain2PA said:

We just moved into our dream house....and the basement is stacked with drywall for me to finish!  Was looking at insulation a few weeks ago, but we have trusses instead of floor joists.  Still trying to figure out best sound insulation for that application.

Some suggestions for the basement:

• even with trusses you can put insulation between them.  Per the contractor, it's what does 90% of the sound absorption.  Way more important than acoustic panels in the suspended ceiling.
• rather than putting flooring down, I did the epoxy pain with colored sprinkles then a clear coat.  You can get this professionally done for $4-5/square foot or you can do it yourself if the concrete is relatively smooth.  I used the Rustoleum kits, bought extra sprinkles, and did it for less than $500 for > 2,000 square foot.  This also eliminates the potential for damage in the case of water problems.
• I painted the concrete walls rather than drywalling them.  Where I had to drywall around the stairs, I put a 1x2 on its side on the floor & put the drywall on it.  Again, it saves drywall damage in case you have a pipe break or water backup.
• If you're going to do a suspended ceiling, there are dimmable LED light panels that are the same size as suspended ceiling panels.  They need an extra wire for the dimming, but not hard to do if you can do house wiring.

[SedRate]

11 hours ago, Boatswain2PA said:

I find this a little disturbing.  Without a trace of judgmentalism, I wonder why it is that with an average salary 3x the national average, there seems to be such a feeling of impoverishment in these two posts.  Maybe I'm wrong about that feeling, but it is what I read into them.

Assuming Shakahoo is at beginning of career and, and RC2 towards the end of career....it begs the question of what other PAs can do to perhaps avoid being in the situation where vacations are unaffordable.

I think examining expenses is important. After my spouse and I sat down and examined our finances four years ago, we found insidious things like discretionary spending and recurring costs: 2+ vehicles, insurance, going out/to go, gym memberships, and monthly recurring costs like pool maintenance, streaming/internet/phone services, etc. It all adds up. I think most of us justify these things as necessary, don't understand how to reduce some of these costs, want/think we deserve/earned nice/expensive things, and/or don't want to give up some level of convenience and comfort. For example, my spouse works remotely, sold their vehicle and invested that money. When most people find out that we have just one vehicle, we usually get some crazy looks. But for us, there's no need for two. Yes, it's more convenient to have two but that's twice the insurance, twice the wear-tear costs, etc. 

Paying for a child's college can cut a 3x national average salary to 2x. One could argue not paying for college, choosing community college, etc, but to each their own. And then add costs for child rearing and other discretionary spending... Animals are great (we love our fur children) but are also another expense... When you start examining all these things, the list goes on and on and the $$$ flies fast.

[Reality Check 2]

For some clarification - not everyone values or like vacations.

I suck at traveling. Kinda hate it actually.

I am a homebody. Did not go on vacations as a child - family lived nearby - long story - dysfunctional family as well.

Vacations don't mean too much to me. I don't like traveling anymore. Would rather staycation and be at home.

So, I don't think monitoring someone's "wealth" or financial status by their ability to vacation is valid.

I support my family. Lots going on. 

We live nicely but not extravagantly. I don't have nails and constant hair appts - no tanning booths, etc. Don't drink coffee - no Starbucks here. We don't belong to a country club. 

I drive a nice but not stupid car. We have a boat. We have fur children. Kids moved home in COVID and - well - still here. In school.

I do feel pressure as the main breadwinner and lots of stuff to stress about. 

We live comfortably but not extravagantly - not eating PB&J everyday but not eating out a lot either.

We have a financial planner and retirement - I will get a pension - a true unicorn these days.

So, maybe someday I will want to travel to places but it's really just not me.

I have a good life. As Sed said - need to really look at expenses and shave off the fluff - we all do. 

Hope everyone enjoys vacations if that is their thing. I like home.

[ohiovolffemtp]

10 hours ago, SedRate said:

monthly recurring costs like pool maintenance

I convinced my wife you can swim in a pond but you can't fish in a swimming pool.  

[sas5814]

4 hours ago, ohiovolffemtp said:

I convinced my wife you can swim in a pond but you can't fish in a swimming pool.  

I had neighbors that bought a house with a pool that was so jacked up it was too expensive to fix so they filled it with water and stocked it with catfish.

[Mayamom]

7 hours ago, Reality Check 2 said:

Don't drink coffee - no Starbucks here

You lost me at this point!! How is that possible! I like long weekends away.   Really don't like traveling by plane and all the hassle it entails.  Plus I don't like to leave my dogs.  

[SedRate]

14 hours ago, ohiovolffemtp said:

I convinced my wife you can swim in a pond but you can't fish in a swimming pool.  

Well done, sir.

We estimate our pool to cost about $250-300/mo and costs outweigh benefits, so we're removing it. ROI will be approximately 20 months. We'll have to find a local swimming hole to retreat to, instead. 

[rev ronin]

On 1/19/2023 at 11:51 PM, SedRate said:

We estimate our pool to cost about $250-300/mo and costs outweigh benefits, so we're removing it. ROI will be approximately 20 months. We'll have to find a local swimming hole to retreat to, instead. 

Did the same back-of-envelope calculation for a hot tub.  I take my wife to a hotel with an in-room jetted tub for 2 occasionally--MUCH cheaper overall, if less convenient.

[EMEDPA]

We had a nice hot tub when we bought our house. Came with the house. repairs got expensive. Replacement for a high end tub like that would have been > 5k. Got an inflatable one for 350 bucks and monthly cost for electricity is something like $3,  plus another buck maybe for chlorine, so happy with that choice. 

There are lots of little things that add up that we have cut out.

We cancelled our landline phone and now both use cell phones exclusively. We don't have an expensive cable and internet service, just pretty basic internet and a roku.

We both have newish cars(which is a big expense), but we tend to drive them for > 10 years before replacing them. I have been told after 8 years driving your old car with minimal repairs makes sense until it starts breaking down or requiring major upkeep(like a new tranny). I drove my 1998 honda civic until 2013.

I have a cell phone, but it is not the newest and fastest. Those cost $1200+. I have one that is 2 generations older than current and cvost me $250 brand new. will use it until it breaks, then buy another new , older generation phone. Ditto lap tops. I have one, but it cost less than $400 and it does everything I need it to do. I don't have an apple watch. 

I do a big shopping trip to costco every month. This saves huge $$ if you limit yourself to things you would buy anyway. 

I try to work out travel and vacations so that someone else pays for them when possible. For example I helped teach a global health intensive course last summer on the east coast for a week. I had to be there a certain date, but they didn't care when I went home, so I spent an extra week out there with my kid helping them pack up to come home from college, then my airfare home was free. 

We definitely eat out more than we should. I am willing to pay for that and things like concerts as they add significant quality to our lives. We don't own a sailboat. We don't own jet skis. I have a second property( a tiny condo) near one of my jobs(so it is a business write off). Like RealityCheck, I am also looking at a few pensions when I retire. I work more than I should, but am still working on decreasing that. Down from 260 hrs a month to 192 and now getting benefits for a half time position. We spoil our kid. We spoil our fur children and chickens. 

[SedRate]

11 hours ago, rev ronin said:

Did the same back-of-envelope calculation for a hot tub.  I take my wife to a hotel with an in-room jetted tub for 2 occasionally--MUCH cheaper overall, if less convenient.

That's a great idea.

We are worried that getting rid of the pool will decrease resell value of the house but we plan on making it into a rental so that won't be an issue right away. Plus, no pool will make it a more sensible rental property, especially since the pool and backyard require some work to make it renter-ready. So instead, we're getting rid of it and gaining more useable backyard space.

7 hours ago, EMEDPA said:

We 

had a nice hot tub when we bought our house. Came with the house. repairs got expensive. Replacement for a high end tub like that would have been > 5k. Got an inflatable one for 350 bucks and monthly cost for electricity is something like $3,  plus another buck maybe for chlorine, so happy with that choice. 

There are lots of little things that add up that we have cut out.

We cancelled our landline phone and now both use cell phones exclusively. We don't have an expensive cable and internet service, just pretty basic internet and a roku.

We both have newish cars(which is a big expense), but we tend to drive them for > 10 years before replacing them. I have been told after 8 years driving your old car with minimal repairs makes sense until it starts breaking down or requiring major upkeep(like a new tranny). I drove my 1998 honda civic until 2013.

I have a cell phone, but it is not the newest and fastest. Those cost $1200+. I have one that is 2 generations older than current and cvost me $250 brand new. will use it until it breaks, then buy another new , older generation phone. Ditto lap tops. I have one, but it cost less than $400 and it does everything I need it to do. I don't have an apple watch. 

I do a big shopping trip to costco every month. This saves huge $$ if you limit yourself to things you would buy anyway. 

I try to work out travel and vacations so that someone else pays for them when possible. For example I helped teach a global health intensive course last summer on the east coast for a week. I had to be there a certain date, but they didn't care when I went home, so I spent an extra week out there with my kid helping them pack up to come home from college, then my airfare home was free. 

We definitely eat out more than we should. I am willing to pay for that and things like concerts as they add significant quality to our lives. We don't own a sailboat. We don't own jet skis. I have a second property( a tiny condo) near one of my jobs(so it is a business write off). Like RealityCheck, I am also looking at a few pensions when I retire. I work more than I should, but am still working on decreasing that. Down from 260 hrs a month to 192 and now getting benefits for a half time position. We spoil our kid. We spoil our fur children and chickens

Freaking Costco, man... Lol. I'm good at sticking to our monthly list but it'll get me if I'm not careful! 

Glad to hear you're cutting back on your hours. And nice job on all your other reductions. We also splurge on certain things that we've decided are important to us, similar to you guys.

Most of our friends, however, like shiny new things so their discretionary spending is off the charts. And then they wonder why they still carry student loan, credit card, and car debt; only have a modest retirement savings; etc. But of course they don't ever ask what we do because we clearly don't live an enjoyable, fancy life and must be barely scraping by with all our old, beat-up and/or used things