Spend Where It Matters
Ditch the dirt-cheap mindset and optimize for maximum joy per dollar by splurging on what your group loves and using free novelty for the rest.
Cheap and valuable are NOT the same thing.
I’m not particularly interested in spending the least amount of money possible simply for the sake of saying we spent less, but I am VERY interested in deriving as much value as possible from the money we do spend. (And yes, I want to spend as little money as possible so I can travel more.)
Sometimes maximizing value means using points, driving instead of flying, staying with family, exchanging homes, choosing free activities, and doing all the things that scream “budget travel.” But sometimes it means spending $1,800 on a yoga retreat because that is exactly the experience I need. Sometimes it means saving hundreds on lodging so my husband can dramatically increase his whiskey budget on the Bourbon Trail. 😝
Priorities. #sorrynotsorry
A cheap experience nobody enjoys is wasted money. A slightly more expensive experience that delivers exactly what you needed can be a freaking fantastic value! That’s the distinction behind my satisfaction-budget approach.
Free Authentic Fun Is EVERYWHERE
You do not have to pay admission every time you want to be entertained!
Some of our favorite ways to experience a place cost little or nothing: walking through colorful neighborhoods, browsing bookstores, visiting libraries, hanging around public squares and photographing murals, exploring parks and beaches, checking out historic architecture, perusing farmers markets, going to free concerts and local festivals... the list is endless!
In Playa del Carmen, some of our favorite family experiences were pool time, walking Avenida Quinta, people watching in the public square, gorging ourselves on inexpensive tacos, beaches, parks, playgrounds, and getting a peek into ordinary local life. None of it involved buying tickets ahead of time.
Money Isn't the Only Thing You're Spending
This one became MUCH more obvious after traveling with a kid. Every activity costs some combination of money, time, energy, attention, physical effort, patience, decision-making, recovery.
I have started evaluating activities according to something I call Required Parental Effort (RPE) 😅
A "free" beach day involving twelve bags, dragging a reluctant child through oppressive heat, managing sand inside every known crevice, spending three hours making sure nobody drowns might technically cost $0. But is it still a "low-cost" activity when you add up all of the RPE?
Sometimes I will happily PAY MONEY to make something easier. Remember: there is value in peace of mind and ease of activity.
So next time you're planning an adventure of any kind, don't start with, "How can we make everything cheaper?". Isntead ask: Where will spending more make this experience significantly better, where does spending make almost no difference, where will free or inexpensive options work beautifully?
Think about transportation, accommodations, food, attractions, comfort, convenience, privacy, space, shopping. Spend where YOUR joy lives and save where it doesn't.
See It In Action
The No Place Like Anywhere planning system isn't just theory, it’s quite literally how we plan every single trip, staycation, and family getaway without losing our minds. See how Step Six works in the real world below.
My husband values food and beverage enormously when we travel. He wants to eat well without sitting at dinner calculating whether the appetizer has compromised our retirement fund.
I don’t need nearly as much money to get what I need out of an experience, which usually comes down to movement and novelty, two things I can usually achieve for freeeee.
Give me public squares, neighborhoods, interesting architecture, historical markers, libraries, local events, parks, bookstores, walking paths, somebody’s bizarre front-yard sculpture that sends me down a 20-minute Google rabbit hole.
So why would we split the travel budget evenly among categories that we don’t value equally?
We can spend more on food because that’s where spending creates satisfaction for him, spend less on many of my preferred activities because free exploration creates enough satisfaction for me.
Spend deliberately, not evenly, to find your shared level of satisfaction.
The No Place Like Anywhere Planning System
I don't want to help you plan a so-called perfect trip. That sounds stressful as hell, tbh. I do want to help you create a travel experience worth the time, money, and energy you put into it!
While I often write about traveling as a family, the same approach works if you’re traveling solo, with a partner, with friends, with your parents, or with twelve people who all have different opinions about breakfast.
Let’s figure out what you actually want from this experience. Then we can build around that.