We asked our staff, “What items or experiences do you splurge on when you travel?” Find out what travel items are worth blowing the budget over with their responses.
“In our most recent travels, our family has been splurging on nicer rooms at better hotels. Since we have young kids, we like getting a suite that allows us to put them in to sleep in a separate room. And we love a hot, made-to-order breakfast, so we’ve been skipping forgettable continental spreads at midlevel hotels and paying more for full breakfast at nicer places.”
— Brian Jewell, Executive Editor
“l always have to get a latte everywhere we go. We do like to splurge on a night or two at historic or boutique hotels and make up for it by camping during the rest of the trip.”
— Donia Simmons, Creative Director
“Christmas ornaments. Yes, I’m a 100-year-old touristy tourist that likes to get a nice overpriced Christmas ornament that reminds me of the places my family has visited.”
— Stacey Bowman, Director, Advertising Sales
“Sometimes it’s getting some new camera gear to capture a moment from our trip or buying a magnet from an attraction or destination we loved; our big splurge is always on making and bringing home our travel memories.”
— Ashley Ricks, Marketing and Circulation Manager
“I usually keep a tight budget on food and lodging when I travel so I can conserve my funds for unique experiences like snorkeling in the Florida Keys or taking a boat tour of the Everglades.”
— Savannah Osbourn, Staff Writer
“Food: local dishes, local beers. But also, connectivity. Traveling for me now includes investing in the luxury of social media. I purchase a cellular data package that allows me to post on Twitter and use texts and email as I go. Kim posts more to friends on Facebook, and she, too, purchases international data to do that. Neither of us has the patience to seek out and wait for Wi-Fi hot spots along the way.”
— Mac Lacy, Publisher
