It may be prudent (and commendable!) to check for the best deals on hotels, flights and entertainment when planning a vacation, but there are some things you should not feel guilty about splurging on when traveling. The following splurge-worthy purchases can make your next vacation more comfortable, more meaningful, or even simply more fun.
1. Time is Money
Sure, my first instinct on travel sites is to book the cheapest flight possible, but there is another number just as important as the price when looking at flight options: the duration. While searching for flights from San Francisco to Bangkok, for example, it might only cost $100 extra to have a four-hour layover in Taiwan, as opposed to a much longer layover or even—in some cases—two connections.
If paying a marginal amount more means you get to spend a few extra hours in your destination of choice, sipping a martini poolside (as opposed to sitting against the wall at a crowded airport gate, hoping passersby do not kick your coffee over), the more expensive flight might be worth it. This theory also applies when avoiding connections in airports with notoriously bad flight statistics or airports where you have had a bad experience (or two).
In Dubrovnik, we paid around $8 USD each for beers (I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, but it was relative to the region!) at the popular Buža Bar located outside the Old City Walls.
2. Paying for the Experience
One of my earliest international travel memories is sitting in Paris, incredulously watching my mom order an €8 Coca Cola. She noticed my surprise and taught me a very valuable lesson: “I am not paying eight euro for this soda,” she told me. “I am paying eight euro for the opportunity to drink this soda in the sunshine with a lovely view of the Louvre. I am paying for the experience.”
So spring for that pitcher of sangria at the Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville, Spain! You might not be able to afford a room, but why not enjoy a refreshing drink with impeccable service? Spend $12 on that hot dog at a soccer match that would only cost $3 outside the stadium. Fork over a few extra bucks per plate to dine at an establishment with an ocean view. Like many splurges, paying for the experience is healthy in moderation.
3. The Value of Education
Sometimes, splurging for a guided tour can help you save time and get more out of your experience, often with the added bonus of a local’s perspective on places and events in the destination’s history. I am a huge advocate of the free walking tours offered in many major cities (especially throughout Europe). These free tours are a great opportunity to see the city and decide what you want to see more of later and what you would be OK skipping. (Just be sure to tip your guide!)
However, we are happy to pay for a guided tour when we think the value is there. I am a bit of a history junkie, and I tend to get caught up in museums because I feel I have to read every plaque and appreciate each item in the collection. Paying for a tour in Vatican City, for example, meant not only did we get to skip the huge line outside the museum doors, but also the guide directed my attention to the most notable objects and kept me moving at a reasonable pace (to Jonathan’s immense gratitude).
4. The Window of Opportunity is Closing
These splurges are also known as “once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.” Maybe the splurge is worth it because you do not anticipate ever returning to that city or country again and you want to make the most of it. Maybe there is actually an expiration date on the museum exhibit or the attraction is closing at the end of the year. Maybe the region is experiencing environmental issues that suggest tourists will not be able to enjoy its offerings by the end of your lifetime.
Take advantage now! You are already in Madrid—shell out the 40 euro for a flamenco show at a bar with overpriced dinner entrees. Book that flight to the Maldives before the coastlines disappear. Climb Mount Kilimanjaro before the glaciers melt (and/or before your knees can’t take the descent anymore). Bottom line: Do not let exciting or unique travel opportunities pass you by.
5. Supporting Ethical Tourism
We all have different comfort levels when it comes to ethical tourism, and these examples are meant to be illustrative, not judgmental. Maybe you are visiting a genocide widows’ group outside Kigali, Rwanda, and they are selling their canvas artwork for three times the price you saw in the market, but you want to support their community. Splurge! Or, maybe you are jazzed to spend time with elephants while exploring Southeast Asia, but the idea of riding an elephant makes you uncomfortable. In that case, you might prefer to spend a decent chunk of money for the opportunity to spend time with elephants at an “ethical elephant experience” rather than spend a fraction of that for a ride through an old temple. Splurge! Know your comfort levels and respect them. A lighter wallet is worth a lighter heart at the end of the trip.
For example, the biggest premium we’ve paid for ethical tourism reasons was likely for our Kilimanjaro trek last year. We could have chosen a cheaper tour company, but it was important to us to patronize a Tanzanian-owned business that was also approved by the national porters’ association, so we were happy to spend more for better labor conditions and to keep the money within the country. You might have different priorities and will allocate your travel splurges accordingly.
We’re also aware that what we consider “ethical” can (and most likely will!) change over time. On our first trip to Southeast Asia a decade ago, we visited an “ethical elephant park” where we rode the elephants bareback because we thought that was the ethical alternative to cart rides. After learning more about elephant tourism, we decided to skip the riding altogether on our next trip to Southeast Asia, but we did feed and bathe elephants. After more learning, we’ll likely avoid any elephant experience that involves touching the animals in the future. We try to do the best we can with the information we have at the time. And when we know better, we do better!
6. Safety First
Finally, don’t ignore the value of your own safety. Maybe you found a great deal on a room for the night, but now that you’ve arrived, you feel uncomfortable. Leave. Jeopardizing your safety is not worth saving a few bucks on a room! Safety is also an important factor to balance against price when choosing transportation options. One time Jonathan had to convince me not to book an international bus even though multiple reviews stated passengers had been taken to an isolated parking lot and blackmailed for hundreds of dollars before being taken to the border as promised. I mean—the bus was only $6! But plane tickets were only $70, and it sounds like we might have gotten taken for a lot more than the extra $128. Plus, that just doesn’t sound like a safe situation. Book the plane tickets, in that case.
Tell us, what is one travel experience or purchase you splurged on recently? Why was this important to you?
A version of this post was originally published on The Everygirl in 2016. That post is no longer available.
Featured image: Megan at the Rudas Bath in Budapest (July 2019). Funny enough considering the theme of this post, this was the cheapest bath we visited in Budapest AND our favorite!
I 100% agrée! And, it’s fairly easy to scrimp on one category to splurge on another. Eight euros for a soda to sit outside at a Parisian cafe with a gorgeous view? I’d do that!
True! For example, we’re not likely to splurge on accommodations for most trips because we’d rather spend that money on food. And even though it would be way cheaper to buy groceries than eat out 3x a day, buy fancy coffee and drink alcohol, we are happy to spend more on the latter because enjoying the local food & drink is one of our favorite parts of traveling to a new place.