Of course, I might be cutting back from two trips a year to one, depending on several factors. Sure, the economy sucks here right now, but it's still a good value vacation in MX, if you can get there anywhere near reasonably. And there are occasional deals to be found, especially if you can wait until a week or two before you want to leave to buy your plane tickets.

So I guess that answers your question! Not sure if my vote counts though as I'm Canadian and our economy is doing just fine here!...knock on wood!
Flights were certainly more expensive than we've paid in the past though...luckily we had airmiles for part of it. The cost of fuel certainly makes you think twice about driving or flying somewhere right now. Glad I have a Honda Fit that gets 45mpg! Our gas went up yesterday thanks to a new 'carbon tax'...$1.429 per litre...ouch!

Doris....7 more weeks

i had no idea they got such Great mileage!! sure am glad you have a trip to look forward to! plane fare here is close to doubling from last year. tim

I think your question depends on a lot of circumstances.

Gas – I drive about 4000 miles a year in a truck that gets about 16 MPG. Joni drives about 17,000 miles a year in a van that gets an average of about 18 MPG. Together that means that we burn about 250 gallons of gas in my truck, and about 950 gallons of gas in Joni’s truck. That means we burn about 1200 gallons of gas per year. At $4.00 that means we spend about $4800 on gas per year. A year ago we were spending about $2400 on gas per year.

I would say our electric bill has gone up by about $800/year, and our monthly expenses have gone up about $1800 per year because the price of gas has caused everything to go up in price. Add it all together and we spend about $5000 more than we did last year on the same type of things that we bought last year.

Assuming that you have the same position this year that you had last year, it takes $5000 to $7000 more this year than last year to meet the same expenses. In my case, I make more than that amount this year than I did last year because I was given a significant promotion in my job. In other people’s cases they may work for a company that was not able to give cost of living raises to their employees, or even worse, some people had cutbacks or even layoffs.

You can say that I might be trying to rationalize my decision to not cut back on my travel, but life is short. There is too much USA, and too much Earth, to see and not enough years in our lives. I consider travel and vacations to be a crucial element to keeping a person’s life style. I personally would put off buying a new car for a couple of years before I would cancel my normal vacation plans.

My father was a wise man. When we were children he told me that he could not give me a million dollars, but he could try to give me the world. When dad passed away I had seen 48-states and been to 7 foreign countries. Heather is now 13-years-old and she has been to 26 states, and 3 foreign countries. I’m not keeping pace with what my father gave me, but I’m close. Travel is important, and in my house it is not considered a luxury, it is considered part of the human experience.

I might have to find other places to cut back, but travel and education are two places where I refuse to cut.

We're still thinking about a September trip. But, we've got a place to stay. The cash outlay is for flights, rental cars and meals.

I like what bandman said - travel is a necessity for growth.

Dave

1.429 per litre???

I've never been a great math student, but I figure that out to be almost $5.50US per gallon. Is that right?

Went into town after work and it was up to $1.459/litre. So now it's over $5.50usd/gallon. What are you paying?

Doris

This was just in our newspaper today ...

Alaska has the highest gas prices in the nation.
Drivers in the state pay an average of $4.689 a gallon for regular gas.
California and Hawaii have the second and third-highest average gas prices,
at $4.574 and $4.441, respectively.

The state with the lowest gas prices is Oklahoma,
where a gallon of gas averages $3.885.

it went down for a little while last week. now it is at a new high. guess i just have to use the Vibe more and the Cougar less. POUT!! i just don't like using the Vibe on the Interstate though. just not enuff power. but looks like i have to keep using the Interstate because 4 roads/bridges in my home county are still needing repair after the flood. tim

i still want to visit my famiy's roots! tim

a place to stay Indeed! just needs occasional maintenance. a lady Craig and i know has a place in the new slums by Akumal and was wondering about insurance. i said she should Definately get it!! because of your experiences. tim

: Went into town after work and it was up to $1.459/litre. So now
: it's over $5.50usd/gallon. What are you paying?

: Doris

That's the cheapest in town, and that's what I'm paying!I'm trying to figure out just how long I wait before I buy a car that gets 45MPG. I'd rather give the money to a car company that is trying to make a more efficient car than to the gas companies that are taking advantage of a bad situation. On the other hand, I love my old truck!

Nothing could stop my vacations each year!!!

I filled up for $3.70/gallon yesterday. The listed price was $3.90 but I got an extra 20 cents/gallon discount at the Kroger (grocery chain) gas station from buying my groceries there. Kind of a game...they get you with grocery prices (yikes!!!) but you feel better when you gas up for cheaper.

We're traveling this year to PDC in August, only go about once every 4 years to MX, but with other trips in the states each year. We got a good deal for the Grand Sunset Princess and decided to go for it. Mixed reviews but I'm hopeful that our money won't be wasted. Just give me a pool float, a beach, mucho frozen drinks and some paperbacks and I'm good.

that's a timeshare place and they will want you to buy into it. in case you did not know. tim

I know of quite a few stores who do this, but what's strange is if they can do it at a lower price, why can't everyone else!

I almost booked the Grand Sunset myself, but also read the mixed reviews so went with Barcelo Tropical. Right after I booked one of my son's friends and his family told us they're going to Grand Sunset the week we'll be there. I'm sure we would have a good time no matter what. Just enjoy yourself being away and you'll be just finE!

: a lady Craig and i know has a place in the new slums by Akumal and
: was wondering about insurance. i said she should Definately get
: it!! because of your experiences.

IF she can get it - yes, she should. Companies are getting very restrictive about writing policies in the hurricane zones. I've heard they will summarily reject a property with a palapa roof now.

Even WITH insurance, one must tuck away funds to make repairs in advance of the claim being settled. Not like it is in the U.S.. In Mexico, it's pay first, argue about reimbursement later .

Dave

: We're traveling this year to PDC in August, only go about once
: every 4 years to MX, but with other trips in the states each
: year. We got a good deal for the Grand Sunset Princess and
: decided to go for it.

I'm willing to bet that there may have been some fine print about the 90-minute presentation if you got a "hard to believe price". SOme of the resorts in Mexico are very hard sell resorts. If you have to go into a sales presentation, try to book it for the last day of your trip. That way when (if) you turn them down they only have one day to bug you about it.

If you have never been through a timeshare sales promotion be learn as much about it as you can before you go. I love timeshare and we have been owners since 1984. We currently own two weeks and our trip to Mexico in a few weeks will be a timeshare trade week to the GR Solaris. In my many years of playing the timeshare game I have talked many people into joining me in the wonderful world of timeshare. I have also coem up with the following list that I'll post now as your first timeshare lesson!

The 8 nevers of buying a timeshare...

1. Never buy timeshare on-site (Always buy resale.)
2. Never buy timeshare outside of the USA.
3. Never buy timeshare without consulting an attorney.
4. Never buy timeshare without consulting a timeshare owners organization.
5. Never buy timeshare for more than 33% of the original asking price.
6. Never buy timeshare without finding out the financial status of the ownership company.
7. Never buy timeshare before you review the laws of the state in which you are buying. The laws in your state make no difference -- it is the laws in the state where the timeshare is located that matters.
8. Never buy timeshare unless you can pay CASH. Timeshare is an ultimate luxury, and ultimate luxuries are those things you can afford to pay cash for, and paying cash will not adversely affect your current or future financial situation.

: Even WITH insurance, one must tuck away funds to make repairs in
: advance of the claim being settled. Not like it is in the U.S..
: In Mexico, it's pay first, argue about reimbursement later .

: Dave

Hey Dave, I bet there are a lot of people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas that would tell you that "it's pay first, argue about reimbursement later" goes for the United States as well. It has been two year and 10 months since Katrina and more people than the American public will ever know about are still waiting for insurance companies to finish with their claims.

Airport!! tim

When we bought our first timeshare we did some pretty serious research. My mother and stepfather owned a timeshare and I was not impressed with the company they owned with, but I was impressed with the fact that in the VERY long run I could see saving some money, and I would always be allowed to go to a decent resort. We actually drove to Panama City after deciding what resort we wanted to own in, and they told us we were too young to go through the tour. I changed there mind when I pulled out a check book and told them what I was willing to pay CASH IN-FULL without going though the tour!

Since then we have bought and sold, and currently have two timeshares, our original in Panama City Beach, Florida, and my Ebay steal at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine. If the Grand Villas in St. Augustine went broke tomorrow I would have gotten far more than my original $1200 investment. That resort is a trading gold mine - how about 2-bedrooms in Hawaii for a 1-bedroom in St. Augustine!!! This year the GR Solaris in Cancun in trade for that same resort, and we have been there 3-times and we love the resort for the years we don't trade.

The same company manages both of my resorts. They both have great hurricane plans. They both trade well. They both have holding companies that look at long-term maintenance. Both were bought for a price that if they were to go broke I would not have lost a significant investment. Both are protected by Florida timeshare laws, which are among the strictest in the nation.

On the negative, there has been one case where we wanted to trade into an area and could never get it. We have also never been able to trade into New York City even though we never put in an official request for the Manhattan Club. We did have to pay extra one year when hurricane Opel took a slice out of our Panama City Timeshare, but the amount was divided up among all the owners so we really did not get hit hard.

I love timeshare. I hate the fact that there are several companies out there that are out to make a quick buck and cheat people. There are many more good companies than bad. Just do your homework and you will be okay – just like booking a hotel, but in this case you own a tiny piece of the hotel!

i'll point people to these messages next time the matter comes up. maybe they will become as popular on the net as your sun block post. tim