When did your kids start buying their own tickets?

[eeyoreandtink]

I cannot imagine asking my 13 year old to pay for her ticket. Where would she get that kind of money, except from me in some shape or form? She is a two sport athlete, good student, and and does pretty much anything I ask her to around the house. I will pay for her on family trips until she is an adult. She is however taking her own birthday/ Christmas money as spending money for the trip she is taking with her school.

 

[Dashzap]

If I invite someone along on my trip, I pay. If we plan a trip together --as a mutual idea-- we each chip in. I'll pay for my kids for as long as I am able.

They are plenty financially responsible already.

 

[quandrea]

Our kids are both in post secondary school, our last trip, my son worked full time and he wanted a friend to come and them to have their own room so he paid his own way.

Next trip is to celebrate our anniversary and they both asked if they could come for part. We are paying for their accommodations, most meals and airfare. They have paid for their passes. They both work pt during school, ft in the summer.

A nice compromise given their ages.

DisneyRegulars, I was just thinking that my sister used to pay her own airfare for trips--at 7!

 

[quandrea]

I cannot imagine asking my 13 year old to pay for her ticket. Where would she get that kind of money, except from me in some shape or form? She is a two sport athlete, good student, and and does pretty much anything I ask her to around the house. I will pay for her on family trips until she is an adult. She is however taking her own birthday/ Christmas money as spending money for the trip she is taking with her school.

Sounds exactly like my girl. She is so wonderful and such an enormous asset to our family.

 

[wellesleyprincess]

I'd pay for these trips at thirteen with summer job money, babysitting money, birthday money...

Are you in the US? Because here a 13 year old wouldn't be allowed to work regularly. Even with occasional tutoring jobs, babysitting, lemonade stands, etc. it would basically be all a child earned in a year at that age to cover a pass or a plane ticket. I don't have children yet but I can't imagine asking a child to sacrifice that much for a family vacation. A special treat like a tour or a meal they wanted to do that others didn't would be one thing but the trip itself. And if asking them to contribute that much, the only other fair side of the coin would be to let them say no to going. Would the parents be prepared for that?

 

[thepicklebee]

My parents would never have expected me to pay for a ticket or hotel or meal while on our family vacation until I was out of school and working full time.
I would have saved my allowance/ paychecks to have for my own spending money for extras.

I feel the same about my daughter now.

Even as an adult, my mom still doesn't like me to pay for things. I bought lunch for her and my sisters when we were all together a few weeks ago and she fussed at me for it.

 

[quandrea]

Are you in the US? Because here a 13 year old wouldn't be allowed to work regularly. Even with occasional tutoring jobs, babysitting, lemonade stands, etc. it would basically be all a child earned in a year at that age to cover a pass or a plane ticket. I don't have children yet but I can't imagine asking a child to sacrifice that much for a family vacation. A special treat like a tour or a meal they wanted to do that others didn't would be one thing but the trip itself. And if asking them to contribute that much, the only other fair side of the coin would be to let them say no to going. Would the parents be prepared for that?

No. in Canada. We can work as young as twelve.

 

[wellesleyprincess]

No. in Canada. We can work as young as twelve.

That may explain some of the differences in responses. In the United States, the earliest you can have a part-time job is typically 15 (some exceptions for family businesses, farms, etc.). So anyone younger than that wouldn't be able to earn money other than chores and odd-job type stuff (newspaper route, lawn mowing, babysitting). I knew few folks that had any kind of consistent work before they could drive (16 here) and even then a lot places would cap a student at a few nights a week. (So I'd say it'd be rare for even the hardest working 16 year old to earn more than say $150-$200 a week. Most high schoolers I know with jobs probably earn about half of that during the school year and that or a little more during the summer)

 

[dreiwhit]

My kids aren't grown yet, but I would say after the have a job and a career (whether or not they go to college.)

 

[wilkeliza]

I think it depends on each family. My fiance's family still pays for big trips but sometimes we have to oay for flights or extras and sometimes we don't. It just depends on the vacation budget.

My family on the other hand we are very big on sayijg hey we are doing X and this is the cost per a person let me know by this date if you want to come along. That is unless it is camping. When we go camping my grandparents pay for about 5 sites next to each other and says these are the dates let me know if you are coming and are you doing a tent or camper. Getting there is on you as well.

 

[Dentam]

My parents still don't like for me to pay for all of my share when we go on trips. We don't go often, but we are leaving for WDW in a little over a week. I paid for my airfare, park tickets, and I did all of the trip organizing (adr's, fp's, hotel reservations, DVC rental reservation, planning spreadsheet, etc) with their input on what they wanted to do and where they wanted to stay. They are paying for our hotels and most meals. If I try to buy a nice, table service meal for all of us, I will get fussed at by my mom quite a bit. They have almost $500 in Disney Visa rewards that they'll be putting toward meals.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Granted, our kids are 12, 10 and 2, but they are only responsible for their souvenir money. I can imagine we will pay for them to go up through college. Once they have their own jobs, they can pay!

 

[quandrea]

I'm realising just how bizarre my upbringing was.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

We haven't made our son pay yet, and he is 21. But he is a full time student and any money he has, he uses for school.

I know I didn't have to pay for anything until I was well past being married. I definitely didn't pay for anything when I was as young as 13. Until I was driving, my money was my own. Once I started driving, I had to pay for gas and insurance.

 

[margot31]

I was 18 was the last time my parents paid for me....When we went a few years ago as a big family I had to pay my own way within what the family was doing. So we got a 2 bedroom at wilderness, I had to pay my portion of the room,ticket. We had free dinning. My dad may have covered drinks at meals but other than that the trip was on me.

 

[Disneywishes2018]

I have 3 kids (9, 6, 1 1/2). I can't imagine them being teens or even now, and telling them we are going on vacation, oh, but you have to pay your way. How ridiculous. Earn spending money from chores ect.? Sure. I plan on having the oldest 2 do stuff around the house to earn spending money beyond what we might get them, But expecting them to help pay or fully pay for their admission or hotel stay or whatever is a bit much to me.
As an adult I wouldn't expect someone to pay my way though. If my mom asked me to go on vacation with her, I would assume I was responsible for everything for myself unless told otherwise. She does pay for dinners out, but I always come prepared to pay. She even bought me airline gift cards for my rundisney event this september. Totally unexpected. When my children are adults, married with their own children, I will definitely help where I can, but I'm not paying for everything unless I am financially able to gift them something like that. They will know up front "hey, we're planning a trip to xyz, this is the cost, this is what I can help with. Do you want to go?" OR let's plan a vacation everyone can afford. It's just bizarre to be a grown adult and expect a free vacation.

 

[a742246]

All our "kids" and are in their 30's, we are DVC owners, we pay for their flights and rooms, they pay for their own tickets. Once we retire, we will pay for the rooms and maybe the GK flights, they will pay for their flights and tickets. I would love to pay for everything but things are expensive.
We are hoping to make WDW a family tradition!

 

[halfpintpeggy]

I'm realising just how bizarre my upbringing was.

Although unconventional, not unheard of! My cousins grew up in a family of 5 kids & once they hit their 13th birthday they were responsible to pay for everything for themselves, not only on vacations, but just daily life. Everything! (except the mortgage, utilities, & the cost of their parents vehicles)

 

[westie55]

I am 34. My parents paid for me to go on family vacations until I was married. Now, even if they suggest we travel together it is assumed that my family (me, DH, DS) will pay our own way. I'm sure they would pay all the expenses if they had the expendable income, but I know they don't and I wouldn't expect them to. I think once a child is grown and employed, he/she can definitely be expected to pay his own way. Students and children with limited income are another story, but Disney is expensive! Some families may have no choice but to have teens chip in because otherwise travel wouldn't be an option.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I am 34. My parents paid for me to go on family vacations until I was married. Now, even if they suggest we travel together it is assumed that my family (me, DH, DS) will pay our own way. I'm sure they would pay all the expenses if they had the expendable income, but I know they don't and I wouldn't expect them to. I think once a child is grown and employed, he/she can definitely be expected to pay his own way. Students and children with limited income are another story, but Disney is expensive! Some families may have no choice but to have teens chip in because otherwise travel wouldn't be an option.

If that is truly the case, the parents also need to make arrangements so the teen also has the option of not going. It is absolutely unfair to force a minor to pay for part of a family vacation and not give them any other choice.

Honestly, if I couldn't afford to go on vacation without making my minor child chip in, I just wouldn't go.

I'm 34 as well. My family is traveling together for the first time (since my siblings and I have become adults) this summer (not to Disney). The trip was my parents' idea. They're paying for accommodations and, I assume, any family dinners. We are paying for our own gas and, I assume, any meals we do separately from the rest of the group.