Do people prioritize vacations over financial obligations like credit card payments?
“Some people do prioritize vacations over financial obligations like credit card payments, and that group actually seems to be growing. A new WalletHub survey found that 41% more people would skip a credit card payment instead of a vacation this year compared to last year,” said Delaney Simchuk, WalletHub analyst. “After two-plus years of pandemic living, many Americans are clinging to the idea of making up for lost time, and if some interest charges and possibly a late fee are part of the price of making a long-awaited getaway happen, so be it. At least that’s where consumer sentiment seems to be right now.”
Should people consider traveling if it will get them into debt?
“You should really rethink your travel plans if they won’t be affordable without borrowing, since travel is a luxury and there are lots of inexpensive options and alternatives, like a staycation or a road trip somewhere close to home. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees. Thirty-two percent of people say travel usually gets them into debt, according to a new WalletHub survey,” said Delaney Simchuk, WalletHub analyst. “Having debt looming over your head while you’re trying to relax is no fun, so it’s best to save in advance.”
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
I never missed paying a credit card bill in FULL since I got my first card soon after graduation from college in 1987. Agree, many people today have a sense of entitlement and “deserve” a vacation. I took my kids camping when they were younger to avoid vacations I could not afford when I was not earning as much and was trying to save for a home purchase. I fear younger generations are OK living in debt, and at the same time expect others (government) to bail them out.
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I’m Retired (61) and financially secure, but this article reminded me of a young woman I once knew. She couldn’t pass up an airline special of $500 roundtrip to Paris. But she paid for it with a CC she carried a balance on! Plus as soon as she landed in Paris her wallet was stolen in the airport! She’s probably still trying to pay off that deal that was too good to pass up.
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I was never a saver until my income increased when I started SS Benefits at age 62. I now have $10,000 in I-bonds and an emergency fund. I use zero interest credit cards to take my vacations. Use the Banksters money and pay it off before interest kicks in. I do driving vacations most of the time to control cost.
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I’ve known people over the years that forever carried debt and never worried about it and I’ve known others who would make a nickel squeal. I haven’t kept up to see how they are in their seventies as to how things worked out, whether one wished he had spent some more on experiences or whether the other is still in debt up to his eyeballs. I always avoided debt but I wish I had splurged some more before getting the aches and pains of age.
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For health reasons you do need time off.
There is going into debt and then going into debt. A once in a lifetime trip to Dinsey World while the kids are still young is one thing because that is time critical. They won’t be young forever. But going every year to Disney World, flying to the islands and Europe on your credit card and then complaining about how student loans are preventing you from saving for retirement or buying a house is another.
The first few years out high school were camping vacations or a day at the beach for me. State Parks are nice places and relatively cheap. In retirement, we visit as many national parks as we can, although they do not all cost the same. It is a big expense to get from NJ to Yellowstone and you want to spend as much time as you can there. That should be a must do on everyone’s bucket list. But you can go to Gettysburg, camp or find a hotel in your price range and spend a few days in the area. Harper’s Ferry in only a few hours away with several other National Park owned Civil War battlefields in between.
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As much as I believe in avoiding debt personally (I have had a positive net worth since the 1970’s), I resist telling anyone that they should forego vacations and other time off.
My father skimped and put off lots of stuff while he and my mom raised five children. Unfortunately, he died at age 53. Mom continued, only to suffer a debilitating medical condition at age 64.
Going into debt to take a vacation was never right for me, but, I won’t criticize others who do so because, as Seals and Crofts sang long ago, “We may never pass this way again”.
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Seems like you could save first for a vacation instead of spending it and paying off the debt. I know of a couple who are two thousand dollars in arrears for child care bills, but took the family of four to DisneyWorld on spring break. I wonder if they charged it?
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