Paris, Au Revoir
A few months ago, my coworker was talking about going to Paris, saying I should join her. We’d sit at cafes and spend nights by the Eiffel Tower, practicing our bit of French and enjoying an escape. It was this fantastic, really fun, big-dream kind of conversation.
So just for fun, we looked at plane tickets, and they were pricey: around $1K usually, per person round-trip. That was way too much.
I knew I couldn’t afford a trip like that, at least not right now and with the goals I’ve set. So I told her, “Maybe if we could get tickets for $500,” half-serious. “Then it’d be a sign.”
About a month or so later, we found just that: round-trip tickets from Chicago to Paris, for about $500 each (plus tax). It was a good deal, all things considered, and I told her I’d think about it.
That’s when I realized it wasn’t the $500 difference that was stopping me, giving me hesitations. It was all the other things: spending a big chunk of my vacation time, using a big chunk of my savings, knowing I’d be doing all that for a few days in Paris, a city I like but wouldn’t say I love.
So I said no, and so did she. And come this fall, we’ll both be staying in Chicago. Paris, and Italy and Greece and Prague and all the other great places, will still be there later.
Filed under budgeting, travel |
3 Responses to “Paris, Au Revoir”
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Go in February– it’s less expensive, more crowded, and a whole quarter-year further away!
er, *less* crowded.
Great post on getting letting yourself go a little bit, even when you have committed to various savings goals.
I stumbled.
Lisa