Two winters ago, we vacationed at a hot-spot resort in the Caribbean with our family. Around the perimeter of the casino hall, a variety of attractions hum for our consumption.
We found an art installation to climb on, fake flower arches to stand around and giant dessert-filled milkshakes in sugar glasses to drink – well, not before the photos.
The photos came first.
To be honest, it felt less like a vacation and more like visiting one of those immersive exhibits where everything is a photo shoot and everyone you know has taken the exact same photos there. This is because they I have took the exact same photos there, and no doubt geotagged their location.
Social media has transformed the reason we take vacation photos. According to research conducted by Forbes Consultant, 82% of Gen Zers and 57% of millennials visit certain destinations because they saw them on social media. Many people post their journeys in real time, engaging in a constant game of capturing and sharing. According to the same survey, 74% of respondents feel some sort of pressure to emulate the travel content they consume online.
Without a doubt, we fell into that camp on our vacation. It was performative, exhausting and above all, absurdly expensive.
Don’t get us wrong — we love social media to connect with friends, get inspiration from others, and yes, even drool over a few beautiful destinations. But the danger is that it clouds your better judgment when making financial decisions that may not be worth it in real life.
This summer, just over half of Americans plan to take a vacation, according to a Bankrate survey. Of those travelers, 36% are prepared to take on debt to pay for it. Costs continue to rise across the board for flights, accommodations, and even food, and consumer purchases are keeping pace. In the process, many travelers lose sight of their long-term goals of capturing something that feels important in a moment but isn’t at all.
“Photos or it didn’t happen” has a cost
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You lose the plot – and your money – when what’s supposed to be about you becomes showing off to everyone else. It’s a classic case of ‘photos or nothing’. You may end up spending more time focusing on the wrong elements of your vacation, such as positioning yourself for the perfect sunset photo, but then not watching the real sunsetor filming half a concert with the camera turned on you.
We’ve all done this. nobody’s fault. But are those photos worth the inflated prices? Going into credit card debt? Stretching your annual vacation budget to cover The resort everyone claims to love so much?
Without key memories attached to these photos, they are not as valuable. The casino resort was packed, the restaurants priced like Las Vegas, the long waits for just about anything. We had a great time together as a family, but almost nothing we took a picture of added to that moment.
Find out about the holiday details that are important to you
When trying to budget and plan your summer vacation, set a cost ceiling first. See how much your proposed travel and accommodation costs are included. If they are almost at your limit, this version of the trip may be too expensive. You want to leave room to experience the holidays, and those experiences will come at a cost.
In terms of what you choose to do, put yourself at the center of those decisions. What will make you go home from your vacation saying: that felt really good?
Type the things that are important to you and your family — not what’s floating around on the internet. If you like food, focus on food. If you’re into adventure, invest in this. When you set your itinerary with intention, you gain the perspective you need to cut back on the unnecessary things that cause you to overspend.
Finally, try putting your phone away or leaving it in the room, just for a little while. Tap into all five senses instead of diverting to some of the usual coping mechanisms. Nothing will be more memorable than trying, tasting or seeing something new that you don’t have in your usual course of life.
Take it from us. We went the same weekend the following year to a beautiful, much more relaxed beach resort. While there, we read entire books. Our phones lived in our bags. Our feet lived in the sand. Sure, we took pictures, but we got more out of our time together than any photo-op would ever capture.
— By Heather and Douglas Boneparth of The joint account, a money newsletter for couples. Douglas is a certified financial planner and president of Bone Fide Wealth in New York. Heather, an attorney, is the company’s director of business and legal affairs. Douglas is also a member of CNBC’s Financial Advisor.
