2023 is hopefully going to be a great travel year for us, finally. 2 adults, 2 teens and this is the year where neither of them is doing GCSE or A Level, woo hoo!
We will go to Australia for 3 weeks at Easter with a stop over in Singapore on the way, to see DHs family and stay with them. Prob 8k spend tops (flights were 5k alone - this trip was initially booked in 2020 but was obvs cancelled and I am using up those funds here).
In summer we are going on a mini break to France for friend's birthday at the end of July (4 nights, 2K tops).
In August we are going to the Arctic Circle on a once in a life time expedition for 16 days. Beside ourselves with excitement. This will be a 20K holiday, the most we have ever spent.
Then at Christmas we will be going to Germany for xmas and skiing. 10k.
Total is 40k, but since we are speaking actual amounts, we put away 1.5k a month into holiday saving.
This used to be our mortgage, but has been paid off so I just transfer the same into holiday account now. We kept doing this all through Covid, when it felt like we would never travel again. Plus the Aus money was already there from that cancelled 2020 trip. Next year won't be anywhere near as exciting with A Levels on the go - perhaps just a final hurrah in summer with DS before he hopefully goes off to uni!
I think it is interesting to have discussions about money and spending, I do often wonder how we sit in the spending arena. My DH is a MD at a bank, so he earns a lot of money in a stressful job and likes to have hols to look forward to so he knows what break is coming up next. We save a relatively small proportion of our income into the travel account I think, compared to people we know from when we were expats. My job, also stressful but much less lucrative, will be the only household income when DH retires in 3 years, so these big holiday years with the kids are numbered so we are making the most while we can.