How do people my age afford to go to Disney so much?!

[LAS2AMS]

You're actually showing your ignorance on how wealthy people act. It's not like on TV, where people sit around and crab about firing the maid and having to attend another charity event. Most people who are wealthy earned it themselves, by being frugal, and DO spend a lot of time considering if purchases, large and small, add enough value to their lives to be worthwhile. Also, most of them don't stick out in a crowd--they shop at Walmart, drive unremarkable vehicles, use coupons at the grocery store. I'm not surprised at all that millionaires who post on the DIS, post on the Budget Board. Money is a fun game to them, and they're winning.

You obviously didn't read the string of postings I made; it's somewhat obvious you saw a couple sentences and decided to assertively throw in your two cents.

First off, we were discussing young people/families. Only on a Disney forum could somebody suggest that a young person "easily" become a millionaire by being frugal and making investments to their retirement plan. While the lion's share of millionaire Boomers earned their wealth this way, it took an average of nearly 30 years. Millennials will never repeat this feat -- they're paying way more of their income toward rent / mortgage payments and student loan debt, ultimately resulting in a lower 401K participating rate with significantly smaller average contributions. Older Millenials, those in their 30s, were hit hardest by the Great Recession and projections have long maintained that the age group will have the least amount of wealth. (Real estate also factored heavily into Boomers' wealth, and its unlikely that homes will continue to appreciate at the same levels of the past 30 years.) Note that becoming a millionaire through this method requires the "powers of multiplication," and annual, expensive trips to WDW will greatly diminish your prospects.

Secondly, if you want to be a self-made millionaire while you're young, in addition to hard work, it takes a combination of the right idea/right investment, timing and knowing the right people. Note the latter statement is broad; for example, having an idea for an innovative restaurant concept generally isn't enough - you need either the right investors, making the right moves (e.g. marketing, promotion, etc.) ... or Kim Kardashian or Oprah unexpectedly stopping by.

Thirdly, I've been arguing that most young people overindulge with lavish, annual trips to WDW, effectively sacrificing the future of themselves and their family. But again, you saw a couple words of what I wrote and choose to assertively toss your two cents at me. Next time, read my string of entire postings.

 

[crisi]

I stuck to generalizations but you're making this personal (a tactic people generally retort to when they know their argument has been defeated). That's now two threads in which you cherry picked a single statement that was made, ignoring the totality of the argument, so you could provide your two cents. My postings were suggesting that rather than following the Jones, people should consider investing in themselves; forums like this one are part of the problem because people with poor money management skills seek help budgeting, and receive responses from people that are mostly (not not necessarily limited to) equally as poor in money management that create a faux idea of normality. I pointed out that the number one trait financially successful people have is frugality; they know that money creates more money, so they try to minimize their spending and stretch their dollars.

Another poster refuted my posting, saying he was one of those financially successful people, and instead of watching his millions grow, he spend hundreds of dollars on a bottle of wine on a whim, and most people on here paid for their vacation from a savings account. I perceived this person to be a troll, given this is the budget board and we're in a topic discussing how regular young people afford to go to WDW so frequently, hence my response (everybody on here is aware that some people are just wealthy, but that's not what this topic is about). Of course, without reading the totality of that or my previous postings, you came out insulting me with a response that largely reiterated many of the same ideas I was trying to push.

In the future, I suggest that before you respond to others, you take the time to read what's actually being written, that way maybe you'll be able to contribute something thoughtful and meaningful to these forums. If you have anything further to contribute to this thread, including anything to dispute my or anyone else's assertions, then please share. Otherwise, don't bother to continue to troll me. (I have nothing to prove to you -- I know what my firm charges for my time and my clients love me.)

I'm a she, and I have twenty years of posting, a long history of my finances on the budget board. If I'm trolling, its a LONG game. More likely than trolling the budget board for twenty years, I'm telling the truth (with some details glossed over or changed for anonymity). And I never said MOST people paid for their vacations out of a savings account. I said that many people paid for their vacations out of a savings account. I suggest you take time to read what has actually been said and don't accuse other posters of lying.

 

[Meglen]

How did this simple question about how folks pay for trips turn into a vortex of hate and pointing fingers. ?

people are different some save some don't. Some are financially responsible some are not. Does not matter if your rich or poor everyone is able to make a choice and go on a vacation. I'm not here to Judge anyone. I do like the info on how others save and budget for trips. Not everyone lives the same lives, with the same opportunities.

 

[dfchelbay]

I am in my mid 20s. College graduate, professional job, but still low on the totem pole. I follow a lot of people on Instagram who go to Disney like 5 times a year. And I get it if you live close and can drive, which I used to, so I went more frequently. Now I have to fly. A particular person I follow has to fly. And she goes multiple times a year! And I don't get how!

Let me say that I'm not hating on these people in any way, I ask this question because I WISH I could do that! Like how do you get that much time off? How do you afford that many flights? They go on weekends, which isn't always the cheapest time to fly. Obviously they have annual passes, which I plan on getting, but it's still mind boggling!

I totally get how people who are older afford it, as they probably make a lot more money than me, have more time off accrued, etc.

I'm guessing maybe credit cards? Man, I wish I knew how to go that much because I would!

Maybe those people are not paying the bills you have to pay. Maybe their parents pay their phone bill, their car insurance, their rent, their health insurance, etc. Or perhaps, like you said, they put in a credit card.

 

[jbehr12]

I am in my mid 20s. College graduate, professional job, but still low on the totem pole. I follow a lot of people on Instagram who go to Disney like 5 times a year. And I get it if you live close and can drive, which I used to, so I went more frequently. Now I have to fly. A particular person I follow has to fly. And she goes multiple times a year! And I don't get how!

Let me say that I'm not hating on these people in any way, I ask this question because I WISH I could do that! Like how do you get that much time off? How do you afford that many flights? They go on weekends, which isn't always the cheapest time to fly. Obviously they have annual passes, which I plan on getting, but it's still mind boggling!

I totally get how people who are older afford it, as they probably make a lot more money than me, have more time off accrued, etc.

I'm guessing maybe credit cards? Man, I wish I knew how to go that much because I would!

1. Stay at an all star resort
2. Make your reservation early and make payments. The people that go 5 times a year in their early twenties are either really lucky or from very well off backgrounds. Don’t expect to go that often until your at least half way up the totem pole lol.
3. Fly spirit or frontier, not super comfy but great value for people on a budget
4. If you manage your finances well enough to go twice in a year, consider upgrading to an AP and you can probably squeak in a third trip.

Let me know if you need more budgetary ideas, I’ve got a million, but this is a good way to start.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I'm 32 we go about 4/5 times a year.

I work extremly hard and save alot of money - also I don't stay on Disney property, and I don't waste my money on things so I can afford more trips.

 

[PrincessNelly]

Just turned 29 in WDW to weeks ago actually! We generally go to WDW every 5-9 months for 9-13 days at a time. Plus we travel to other places in between. We could actually go more often if we wanted but we like to mix it up.

We aren't wealthy but we prioritize travel. We set aside about $150-$300 per person a month for travel. Never credit cards. I drive a 15 year old car. I coupon hard when it comes to grocery shopping. We only by clothes on clearance ($2-$5 shirts from Old navy).
We try to be flexible with our travel. We fly budget airlines like Frontier for $15-$30 one way.
Rent last minute DVC points, book Disney resorts through Priceline express deals, and buy discounted gift cards for 8-10% off when possible.
I used to do Swagbucks but no longer have the time.

People often remark that we must have money to travel the way we do but honestly, I just won't go unless I can get an amazing deal.

We took a 13 day trip split stayed in a one bedroom at Beach club & garden view room at POFQ, w/ theme park, water park, & MVMCP tickets and ate at mostly signature restaurants for $600 in 2018 thanks to swagbucks.

In 2019, we stayed 13 days split between Coronado Springs, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and All star movies for $1,400 total. I was really proud of this deal!

We never settle for a deal. I continue to search for a deal up until the last minute, even cancelling & rebooking 2-3 days before we arrive.

We will be buying into DVC next month via resale which should allow us to travel even more. We plan to hopefully visit Aulani later this year with out membership so we just need to cover flights.

 

[LAS2AMS]

For all the drama and ridicule I got for my thoughts in this thread... the lion's share of people have been out of work for only two to three weeks, and American Express, Capital One, etc. are reporting receiving a record number of calls from people who won't be able to make their next credit card payment. Now, I realize we could be headed toward an economic collapse, but the number of people who have absolutely no savings to weather an emergency is disturbing. I have never, nor would I ever target a specific person, but I wrote as a generalization that if you had no emergency savings, you should think twice before spending $5,000 on a trip to Disney, because it's a luxury over and done with in a week. Most of the responses were 'life is meant to be lived' ... and they received tons of likes.

There are plenty of people with no emergency savings, who've spent their incomes in recent years on luxuries whether it's high-end vacations, high-end designer clothing, fancy televisions, expensive meals out, etc. And now they are or will be sitting at home, staying up all night worrying about how they're going to meet their rent and pay for food and other essentials. And I'm praying for each and every one of them, absolutely nobody should be in that position. If you are... just hang in there, we will get through this!!! But when we do, please take better care of yourself financially in the future.

 

[My Grandpa]

Consider traveling with a Disney-Loving friend. Whoa ... you just knocked 50% off your Disney Resort. Or, consider staying off-site (I know, I know not as much fun as staying at a Disney Resort, but ... --$). Demographically you're probably not a member of Costco. I did a 3 night solo trip at a hotel just a short walk too Disney Springs and booked thru Costco for a great deal. DW and I did 4 nights last year at Swan/Dolphin (which we've ALWAYS wanted to stay at), again thru Costco and a great deal. On both of those Costco trips, we could not make reservations or Fast Passes until 30 days out. But it was all good. And don't forget to go in the so-called "slow seasons" for reduced resort prices. If you are a dedicated money manager ... get a credit card (Disney Chase/VISA), use it a lot for daily expenses and pay it off in full ~ you rack-up Disney dollars and get other Disney bennies. Have Fun ... this is a great time in your life to make the magic happen.

 

[jf256]

I thought swan and dolphin was 60 days?

 

[SteveH]

I thought swan and dolphin was 60 days?

It is. Still listed on their website, and we used it for our 2018 trip, no issues.

 

[sheilafri]

I’m with you. DH and I are relatively well-off but we spend a lot of time at the parks wondering how so many people can afford it. We stay off-property, winter, mid-week to keep lodging cost low and have FL APs. I figure it still costs us $100 a day per person. But, hey, I remember flying round trip to London for $350.

 

[JenBush]

I think a lot of people already said this, but social media can be deceiving. People who I know who travel often(more than a few trips a year) either are well off or just work hard and save everywhere they can. Take advantage of credit card points, don’t go out to eat or out to the movies(neither of which is an issue currently with corona), shop sales, etc.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I think it just all depends on personal circumstances and priorities. I'm also in my mid-20s. My husband works and I am just finishing up grad school. I use points to travel and buy discounted gift cards to knock down costs.

We have no children (which really helps) and prioritize travel. Neither of us has the fanciest car, and that is okay. It is a choice that helps us travel. Once I start my new job in the fall I anticipate multiple short-ish trips each year like we did before I went back to school. We are fortunate to have jobs that allow us to spend money on leisure. If we made different choices in jobs, living expenses, or vehicles, we couldn't travel as much.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Social media can also be deceiving when people post old pictures portraying like they’re on a new vacation. Or posting pictures as if they’re still on vacation when they’ve been home for 3 days. Making it look like their 3 day trip was actually 7 days.

 

[jf256]

My question is how to have so much leave! Unless they are travel bloggers full time.

I am from the UK and we have quite generous annual leave - i get 24 days + 8 bank holidays... usually have to take 5 of them over xmas. So its a either a week and a fortnight or 3 weeks.

UK requirement is 20 i think. Others in Europe get more. But in the USA do you get annual leave generally or is it unpaid?

Generally interested whether you do not get any.. or if it is another thing people over in Europe like to play up?

 

[siren0119]

My question is how to have so much leave! Unless they are travel bloggers full time.

I am from the UK and we have quite generous annual leave - i get 24 days + 8 bank holidays... usually have to take 5 of them over xmas. So its a either a week and a fortnight or 3 weeks.

UK requirement is 20 i think. Others in Europe get more. But in the USA do you get annual leave generally or is it unpaid?

Generally interested whether you do not get any.. or if it is another thing people over in Europe like to play up?

it really depends on the company you work for, how long you've been with them, what your work agreement is, whether you work full or part time, or if you're even in a position that offers any paid time off (lots of service industry positions have no paid time). When I first started working full time, I got a week paid vacation plus a week of sick time and the federal holidays off. So really only a week of actual vacation time. I've changed jobs a few times, and with my current company I have 4 weeks paid vacation time that I can use in full weeks or single days, plus really generous sick time (we basically never have to use personal/vacation time to cover sick days off) and federal holidays. But it's really variable and there is no minimum requirement for vacation time here.

 

[fancyfox823]

When we go in a large group (my husband's family) it's usually paid for by the grandparents. I still do whatever I can to try to keep the costs down, but sometimes they want us to all stay together where they want us to stay no matter what. This next trip is just the four of us, and I'll be renting DVC points, taking advantage of cheap airfare, and I'll definitely be joining the credit card points boards to see how I can maximize all that! My husband has a Citi card that has some sort of benefit, and of course we have the Disney Visa. But I spend a lot of time researching deals and finding ways to save money so we can do more cool things when we're there.

 

[Etonduf]

My question is how to have so much leave! Unless they are travel bloggers full time.

I am from the UK and we have quite generous annual leave - i get 24 days + 8 bank holidays... usually have to take 5 of them over xmas. So its a either a week and a fortnight or 3 weeks.

UK requirement is 20 i think. Others in Europe get more. But in the USA do you get annual leave generally or is it unpaid?

Generally interested whether you do not get any.. or if it is another thing people over in Europe like to play up?

As another poster said, it depends very much on your employer, but the "generic" salaried job includes 2 weeks of paid leave, and often that is gradually increased as a longevity reward for keeping the job over time. Typically, they also offer additional "sick" days.

Many (most?) jobs that pay by the hour (retail works, food service industry, etc.) do not include any paid leave.

 

[crisi]

My question is how to have so much leave! Unless they are travel bloggers full time.

I am from the UK and we have quite generous annual leave - i get 24 days + 8 bank holidays... usually have to take 5 of them over xmas. So its a either a week and a fortnight or 3 weeks.

UK requirement is 20 i think. Others in Europe get more. But in the USA do you get annual leave generally or is it unpaid?

Generally interested whether you do not get any.. or if it is another thing people over in Europe like to play up?

My husband started his last job with five weeks of paid time off, plus unlimited sick leave. That isn't common, but it also isn't unheard of for high level professional jobs.

The U.S. is a country of haves and have nots. The have nots do not have money, but they also don't get vacation time (or much vacation time). At a certain level, you have more vacation time than you can reasonably take and meet expectations (my husband does not TAKE five weeks of vacation). I can work from anywhere so accompany him on business trips - for the cost of airfare I travel the world without actually taking time off.

There are also people like teachers - who "get" "Summers off" - they have enough days off that if they don't teach Summer school and travel during every break they can travel extensively. We don't pay them well, so its often done on a shoestring, but if you live close enough to drive to Disney and have an AP, it doesn't have to be an expensive trip once the AP is bought - lots of cheap hotels in the Disney area.

And there are odd professions. My brother in law had a job that was two weeks on, two weeks off. They did a lot of travel before they had school age kids with a two week on two week off schedule. My sister was also able to work her schedule to get big blocks of time off (80 hours a week over two weeks is considered full time, but if you put all that into 6-8 ten to twelve hour shifts and cluster them, you get a schedule that lets you take a week off every month. )

And I know a lot of young people who live at home - most of their living expenses are covered by their parents - food and rent. I know them because they are me and my friend's kids. They might pay for their car and car insurance and cell phone, but after that, their income is pretty disposable. Some of them switch jobs fairly often - with few financial obligations they can quit a job they don't love or isn't part of their imagined career trajectory - and between jobs they often use the money they've made to travel. Back when the economy was hot, it was easy enough to fall into a new job when you wanted one - not the jobs they wanted to make a career in, but one that would let you pay the car insurance, cell phone bill, plus your travel and entertainment.

And travel is strange - someone with access to flight benefits through an airline, with a flexible work schedule, and a willingness to stay at a cheap hotel or couch surf can see the world for almost nothing. I have an aunt who works for Delta, they are always getting on and off flights and seeing the world because the flights are free - and she's able to schedule her shifts in that "it looks like I have lots of vacation days, but really, I just cluster shifts" fashion. My husband had a job where he was flying overseas all the time....we've flown my kids' college friends for free off "excess" frequent flyer miles and have sent my mother in law to visit her sister a few times a year - travel she couldn't possibly afford without a free flight and a place to stay once she arrived. No one should assume a 22 year old kid hopping on and off planes is going into debt, they could be using their parents' ample frequent flyer miles because Mom or Dad is a status flyer with frequent trips to Asia from the U.S. (That racks up miles fast, especially if Mom or Dad's company is flying them in a Delta One suite so they can hit the ground running upon arrival - and not surprisingly, if you spend two weeks away from home every month when you do take time off, sometimes you don't want to travel, leaving all those frequent flyer miles for your kids). And recent college grads seem to be experts at couch surfing - "A friend of a friend is loaning me their couch - they took a job in L.A., so I'm heading out to L.A. because there is a couch there" does not seem to be an uncommon thing for my kids or my friends kids to say.