thoughts on this idea....

[LMD84]

hi guys,

well i'm thinking of booking a surprise holiday to florida for my hubby. now i took us gto florida last year for our wedding aniversary because thats where we went on our honeymoon and he freaking loved it.

now the reason why i am questioning it is because obviously the exchange rate is not as good now. i'm thinking of booking for may 2010 (not too hot and gives me time to save) now he'll either love that i'll book this holiday for him or he'll think i'm silly because it's not such a good value anymore... surely the exchange rate will get better again? or will it get even worse?? i'm not good with all this 'economey troubles' and stuff and it confuses me.

on our honeymoon we stayed in a villa which was lovely but it was outside orlando so we had to travel alot to get to theme parks/shops. last year we stayed in a hotel on international drive - wyndham resort - which was amazing because it didnt feel like a hotel. we still had a separate living room and then bedroom - however we love having our own little kitchen and cooking appliances so we can cook what and when we want.

this time i'm thinking of renting a holiday condo which is on international drive - we like having lots of room which is why we love villas!!

so please let me know what you think about the exchange rate and just if you think it's a good idea or not... there is not particular occasion for this. i'd just like to treat him (and me!) to a holiday!! we work really hard so it's something to look forward to..

 

[kaliraksha]

I'm kind of in your shoes with deciding to go to Cozumel this May as a surprise gift trip to my boyfriend and well a bit for me too, of course.

Of course, it's not going to be as great of a value with the exchange rate but the real deal is if you can afford it then I wouldn't worry about it. There is a chance that the exchange rate may never go back to what it was, it may become less favorable. Also, if you feel like both your jobs are secure and even more so if you plan to save and pay it outright.

If you are worried about your hubby approving, I would just takes cues from his words and actions. Is he at all concerned with your financial situation? What does he say or how is he spending money? These above are just things I am personally looking at in my situation.

If you can foresee no negative side effects (financial, regret, debt,etc) in the future by taking this trip you're probably good to go. I say if all of this is a go, then just go for it... even if he is upset about it- no one is ever upset for long over such a nice gift and the chance to vacation!

Or if you want input from the only person who can probably honestly give it you about your situation then maybe turn this trip into an upcoming birthday or anniversary trip and vow not to spend money on that/those occasions and instead on the trip.

 

[LMD84]

well this is why i wanted to book something now, because i am a store manager and get paid on what the shop sells as well as what i sell myself i been getting insane pay checks recently because the shop has been extremely busy (weird i know but i'm not complaining!) because we don't own cars, already have all the furniture we'll ever need i have just put all the extra money in my savings account so it's just sitting there.

and even if the shop gets quieter (which it always does in march/april time) my commission is always a bonus - i can survive and live off my basic wage.

last night i was looking at our florida/bahamas pictures and was telling him how amazing it would be to go back again. he agreed and said that we wouldn't be able to this year (we're going to paris) but he was keen to go again in the future.

so i think i'm going to go ahead and book the condo and pay for that as his b day gift and then we can sort flights nearer the time.

 

[NatalieMT]

I go to Orlando an awful lot, infact far too much! But I've actually put off going this Summer until next January due to the exchange rate. Right now I just don't feel I'm getting as good a deal as past years and I'd rather wait it out a little and see how things go, before I have anything booked and set in stone so to speak. The exchange rate could go either way though, so I guess I'm taking a small risk. But I only work part time, as I also study so in that sense I'm tighter over my big spends.

I think the concept of your surprise trip is lovely though - if my partner did that for me I'd be in awe of them. I agree with Kaliraksha when she says if you can afford it why not. If you feel financially able to splash out on a holiday and you say in the past your husband has loved going to Orlando then I don't see any reason not to book now. Plus 2010 does give you time to save a little again too. I don't think he'd think it were silly, I think every couple deserves special time away together regardless of having an occasion. I think every couple owes that time to their relationship and should make the effort to do nice things together once in a while.

 

[LMD84]

yeah see because we both work full time we only ever get sundays to spend together. and half the time we're so tired from our busy and hectic weeks we're too tired to do anything exciting!!

plus i thought that if the exchange rate didn't get any better then i'll have over a year to save up for spending money (and he'll be contributing towards that!!) because i already have flight and condo money in my savings account.

i can understand why you go to florida so much! it's so nice, people are friendly and i love all the discount outlets! CCO anyone?! and me hubby are big kids and love the theme parks!!