to ask wwyd? Go on trip?

[Changingagain20394]

I'm currently doing a distance learning masters. There's an opportunity to visit and attend lectures at the UN Headquarters and Capitol Hill in April. I'm absolutely torn about whether to go, but if I'm going I need to decide by Friday.

It's a great opportunity, or at least has the potential to be. However, it's £2000, which includes the hotel and most evening meals, but not flights and obviously spending money. I have about £2500 in my savings so I could pay for it, but I had vaguely intended to save that towards a house deposit (currently rent privately). If I lived frugally for a few months I could replace the £2000 in about four months, but if I don't go on the trip I could continue to live with more luxuries and have more in my savings.

I'm single and don't have any children so there would be no adverse affect upon anyone else either way.

WWYD?

Going against the grain here, but I wouldn't go. It's a very high proportion of your savings to spend on a short trip. OK, it might have its benefits but it doesn't sound like its essential to your course.
I love travel and am lucky enough to have done quite a bit but in your situation (which is similar to my current one so I may be projecting) I'd rather concentrate on increasing my savings, instead of replacing what I'd spent, and have a nicer day to day lifestyle and focus on the house deposit.

It’s better to regret something you did than something you didn’t do.
Definitely go.

I'm all for grabbing exciting opportunities when they arise, and travel and experience is fab., etc., but why is it costing so much ? £2k for accommodation + food sounds a lot to me (so you'd have to find a lot more to add in flights, transfers etc.). Could there be an option to go, take advantage of the lectures and experience, but stay somewhere a lot cheaper ?

It depends. Is it actually a great opportunity? Will there be opportunity to network or is it just some lectures and that's it?

If it is not going to help your career, I think I may think twice. Are you likely to get anything out of just going to lectures? You will presumably meet other students but is that going to help your career? I would coldly look at whether this is value for money. Washington is a great city though and the museums are stunning.

If you were not wanting a house, I would have a different perspective.

Is there anything about this that you can recreate for much less money? Because that's a lot for just going to the US for a short time.

I'm not saying don't go - I think it sounds fab, and I did part of this on a holiday a long time ago. It was brilliant.

I would make two lists: one for what you'll get on the actual trip, and one for what you could recreate for yourself. Roughly cost out the second one.

Then you have three questions: Is the difference worth the extra money? And would you actually go on the trip if you had to organise it yourself? Will the experience give you an edge when it comes to getting a better job that will help you save faster?

That might give you your answer.

(I'd probably go, tbh, but I'm a bit of a spendthrift.)

The networking opportunities alone will be invaluable, you should def go

So you'll be on a trip to both NYC and Washington, DC? You can usually get return flights for around £500 and it's a fab time of year weather-wise, so great for a bit of sight seeing. Eating out is cheap here so don't worry about that too much. I suppose I'd be wanting some very very good leads regarding future employment if I were spending that much. What exactly does two grand buy you that you can't find online or get via alternative methods of networking? Realistically, everyone who attends will not get a job at the UN and just visiting Capitol Hill won't guarantee an internship or a job, particularly where visas and so on are needed. I'd be wary until I knew rather more detail.

100% go, money can be replaced, but you won't get many chances like this again

I’m going to DM you

An MA in Global Diplomacy and you're dithering about whether to go to the UN and DC with a whole load of other people also interested? Are you sure you really care about international relations? Heck, I'd go and I've got 3kids and am not doing the degree.

Actually, that was both a bit harsh and way too gung-ho. However, it's true that this sounds like both a fab opportunity to see how things work and an amazing chance to meet an international group of enthusiastic, ambitious students of your subject.
I've done those kind of trips and they've been amazing, both professionally and personally.

Go to Geneva. Take a tour of the UN there. If you're interested in NGO lobbying etc, contact relevant orgs and ask if you can meet them. People are quite happy to tell you about their work. Much cheaper and you can tailor it to your own interests.

I do think if you can replace savings easily and have no other ties, opportunities are there to be grabbed.

But £2,000 EXCLUDING travel sounds steep- how long is the trip for, and what are you paying for exactly? An around-the-world plane fare is not far off that...

However- if you’re doing a masters in Global Diplomacy, can you afford to miss it?

Go, meet people from your course, do a lot of networking, it is a fantastic opportunity.
How long is the trip? If you need to pay for flights anyway, could you stay a little longer and travel round a bit?
Does your university have a travel fund or bursaries for this kind of thing? Ask for contributions to the trip for Christmas?

Thanks for the responses. To answer some questions, I have no idea how it can cost so much. It's for 5 days and I'm tied into the accommodation the university has selected.

I don't actually know how good the networking opportunities will be, as in I don't know if it'll just be socialising with my fellow students or with people who can better my job prospects. I've been to New York a couple of times so it'd be a case of visiting for the UN experience rather than to see the city for the first time, though I've never been to Washington.

Allfed I'm definitely dithering about wiping out my savings for what could prove to be just a very expensive 5 day city break.

biblio funnily enough the course offers the chance to go to a Geneva on a similar trip for a similar price but I'm not considering that one. It seems stupid money to visit Geneva. I think you're right that I could create networking opportunities for myself.

Gin I was going to stay longer to visit family in Canada but the trip is at the end of April and I have to be at a work event at the beginning of May unfortunately.

Wow. I thought the £2k was expensive but assumed you were going for a fortnight. What you are actually saying is they are insisting you pay £400 per day for accommodation - and your travel there and back is on top of that ?
This would put me right off. But then, I don't like being ripped off.

Sounds to me like someone’s making a helluva profit. No way does £2k remotely fit 5 days’ accom + dinner. Even if they were throwing in a US equivalent of Heston Blumenthal each evening, the sensible thing would be to let people make their own arrangements according to personal budget. Even if it includes some lectures, those must be incredibly expensive even by Ivy League standards.