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If you cruise/travel A WHOLE LOT, why?


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4 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Depends on your perspective (and history) I suppose. The 4 years I spent in upper Westchester County were the coldest ones of my life. We moved there in the fall of 1995, just in time for the snowiest winter season on record in NY (1995-96), by the way. I think I wore multiple pairs of tights/socks/thermal underwear from late October through mid-April....

 

 

4 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Depends on your perspective (and history) I suppose. The 4 years I spent in upper Westchester County were the coldest ones of my life. We moved there in the fall of 1995, just in time for the snowiest winter season on record in NY (1995-96), by the way. I think I wore multiple pairs of tights/socks/thermal underwear from late October through mid-April....

 

I had four winters at college in upstate New York  - always saw first snow fall by Columbus Day, and the last drifts lingered until early May — makes Connecticut (near Long Island Sound) a piece of cake - except for a few bad snaps,. Because Spring doesn’t come quickly enough, we go down to Gulf Coast in mid March for a few weeks (with room for children/grands) to drag it back north.

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7 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

I had four winters at college in upstate New York  - always saw first snow fall by Columbus Day, and the last drifts lingered until early May — makes Connecticut (near Long Island Sound) a piece of cake - except for a few bad snaps,. Because Spring doesn’t come quickly enough, we go down to Gulf Coast in mid March for a few weeks (with room for children/grands) to drag it back north.

 

We were actually right across the border from CT; not far from Ridgefield. 

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DH and I have always traveled as much as our vacation time has allowed us.  When we were first married it was 1 7-10 day vacation a year with as many long weekends as we could get.  As we earned more vacation time and had kids it became 1 - 7-10 day vacation with the kids and 1 4-7 day trip with just the 2 of us and as many long weekend trips as we could get both as a family and as a couple.  We started cruising when the kids were 4 and 7.  That quickly became our favorite type of family vacation.  I always tried to mix in some land vacation pre/post cruise and we still took the occasional land vacation with them.  When the kids got to high school and college we started cruising more without them.  DD is in her 5th and final year of college and DS moved 16 hours away 3 years ago to pursue his career.  DD's plan is to move out after she graduates next year and move where ever she lands a job.  It has become difficult to schedule family vacations together but we have still managed to get a week long trip in with them the last few years.  Sometimes a cruise.  Sometimes on land. 

 

Our cruises have picked up to the point that we are doing at least 2 a year now plus some land vacations.  It has become easier for us to do this since DH retired last year.  DH and I are 53.  I will be retiring in a year and a half.  Young I know to retire but we have lived well below our means our whole marriage in order to put our kids through college and save for our retirement.  Our only splurges were on travel and the kids sports including DD's competition dance.  Keeping up with Joneses was never our style.  Our hope is to sell our home, down size and travel even more for longer periods of time...including visits to the kids where ever they may land.  Where we will down size to and where and how often we will travel and even how we will travel is up in the air right now.  Our original plans are on hold since my DM had a major stroke last November and is struggling to recover.  She is the only thing that will be holding us to this area, where we have lived our entire lives, after DD graduates and moves on.  While we still plan on doing a lot of travel, how much and where is a big question mark for us depending on how she is doing and how much she is dependent on us.  I have had a lot of close family members die way to young.  Including my DB at 39 and a close cousin/college room mate/Maid of Honor/BFF at 47.  I have had 2 near death experiences myself.  A Peri-partum Cardiomyopathy at 30 (my DB died from a cardiomyopathy as well as my DF at 59) and a Dissected Carotid that caused 3 mini-strokes 3 years ago.  Life is short and we love to travel....as a couple and as a family.  My hope is to continue to do so as long and as often as the dear Lord allows us to do it.

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4 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

My late father needed assited living the last years of his life and the total cost was around $1000/months with all meals. The pension he had was enough to cover it so no extra saving was needed.

 

All the tax we pay also give us things when we need them!

My DM is currently in assisted living needing maximum support and all meals for $4100/month.  Her SS and Pension cover less than half.

Edited by Warm Breezes
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30 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

the last drifts lingered until early May

The last three 'summers' IIRC at least one ski resort was open through the 4th.

 

17 minutes ago, Warm Breezes said:

Young I know to retire but we have lived well below our means our whole marriage in order to put our kids through college and save for our retirement. 

Which was a very good thing when Bob got laid off and offered early retirement when he was 53 (we'd planned on 55).  We were debt free.

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4 hours ago, iancal said:

This past winter we spent a week on the beach in Koh Lanta, Thailand.   It felt like we were in a mini Sweden.   Just about every person we spoke to was from Sweeden, or Scandanavia.  Lots of little blonde children running about.   The people we spoke to flew over on a non stop to either Krabi or Phuket.    Many of them, like us were repeat visitors year after year.

Thailand is the new Canary Islands for Swedes.

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5 minutes ago, Extra Kim said:

Thailand is the new Canary Islands for Swedes.

We have friends who used to live there and are now petsitting. About 100F and 95% humidity.  Ugh.

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We have horrible weather. Up to 100° with 10% humidity in summer / down to 50° in dead of winter but we did get snow 2× on the mountain.  I even had to buy a coat last winter. Florida is lucky

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45 minutes ago, Warm Breezes said:

My DM is currently in assisted living needing maximum support and all meals for $4100/month.  Her SS and Pension cover less than half.

My DM pays about the same without assisted living and maximum support in Denver area. 

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21 minutes ago, George C said:

without assisted living and maximum support

I'm not sure what that means.

 

Luckily my MIL had the money to pay it.  And had she lived to the point where she needed help with bathing, dressing, meds (all add-ons) she'd have had it.

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1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

Then you probably recall: as soon as you are north of the Merritt Parkway (CT 15) you are in a whole different climate zone.

 

Indeed. I also learned why folks enjoy a winter Caribbean cruise so much.

 

Ironically I was born in Ithaca NY, but apparently didn't live there long enough to develop any sort of cold tolerance.

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She gets all her meals , housekeeping etc, they do have assisted living for a couple of thousand more a month, luckily she is in good shape for 93 and doesn’t need help dressing etc, sister and nieces and nephews live real close.

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24 minutes ago, George C said:

She gets all her meals , housekeeping etc, they do have assisted living for a couple of thousand more a month, luckily she is in good shape for 93 and doesn’t need help dressing etc, sister and nieces and nephews live real close.

So she's still able to live at home?  That's great.  MIL had a minor stroke and was making decisions that were putting her at risk.  

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1 hour ago, George C said:

She gets all her meals , housekeeping etc, they do have assisted living for a couple of thousand more a month, luckily she is in good shape for 93 and doesn’t need help dressing etc, sister and nieces and nephews live real close.

Sounds like community based Aging-in-Place has become more common here as we increase our volunteer base. No fees

 

But I digress

Edited by Ombud
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4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Indeed. I also learned why folks enjoy a winter Caribbean cruise so much.

 

Ironically I was born in Ithaca NY, but apparently didn't live there long enough to develop any sort of cold tolerance.

Aah, yes - the eastern end of the snow belt.  Four years there was not enough for me to develop any cold tolerance (if such a thing exists) — rather, I came away with a profound antipathy.  And only several seasons of specialized cruising in the Caribbean and Mediterranean finally drove the chill from my bones.

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6 hours ago, Warm Breezes said:

My DM is currently in assisted living needing maximum support and all meals for $4100/month.  Her SS and Pension cover less than half.

Assisted living - with maximum support, for $4100/month???  

 

That’s perhaps half of what many places here run.

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2 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Assisted living - with maximum support, for $4100/month???  

 

That’s perhaps half of what many places here run.

Yep, we're planning for $100k/yr.  At least.

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2 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Basic around here is about $4,500 to $5,000 - and “maximum support” (I’d guess what is called “memory care”) is involved, it would be in the $8,000 - $9,000 range.

Yep, and that's now.  LOL.  We've done so much planning that we'll probably die together in a plane crash.  Not a ship sinking!

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1 minute ago, clo said:

Yep, and that's now.  LOL.  We've done so much planning that we'll probably die together in a plane crash.  Not a ship sinking!

That’s what I’m sort of hoping for.  Worst case: my nearby son and daughter have powers of attorney (and, I hope, sufficient smarts,  good memories, support of their siblings, and character to pick a reasonable and affordable option).

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I am 72, my dh is 87, we made our first cruise together (he had cruised before with someone else) in l982, 7 day RCCL, Song of America; the following year we made a trip to Paris and Israel, we went for 5 weeks (I had never been away for that length of time, did not even know to pack for it).   The experience of being off work for one month was amazing, I decided then,  that this is the way to go... I was able to totally let go of any and all home/work stresses.   From that point on we generally traveled for 5 weeks a year, some times cruising and some time doing land travel over seas.   If we had unlimited $ resources we would go more... love being at sea on a cruise.  Very peaceful.   We have traveled to see new places, family and just for a change of pace and place.    Still going 2 times a year, I am still working part time...  spare change helps finance our travel addiction.  It has been fun, no regrets, don't own a home/rent... did not want to put $ into property... love our home but just not tied down to it. 

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