Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - What Are “Vacations” Really Costing You?

Episode Date: June 14, 2024

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!   Ever feel like “going on vacation” is more work than rest? From booking flights to wrangling kids to drowning in laundry when you get home—it feels like the pre-trip to-do list never ends! So today, George and Rachel are digging into the true cost of rest when it comes to your time, relationships and most importantly, your money.   Next Steps 🖥️ Sign up for FPU to start making progress with your money goals. 💸 Get your sinking fund questions answered with this step-by-step article. 🏖️ Get the scoop on the rise and fall of short-term vacation rentals. 📱Submit a Guilty as Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it.  Offers From Today's Sponsors  This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe. 🔒 Remove your personal information from the web and get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/smartmoney.     Today’s Happy Hour Special: Orange Creamsicle Cocktail Recipe: StyledByDaisies.com   Ingredients:  ·     2 ounces whipped vodka ·     1 ounce Cointreau ·     2 ounces orange juice ·     1.5 ounces heavy cream ·     1 orange slice Instructions:  Add vodka, orange liqueur, orange juice, heavy cream and ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake for 15-30 seconds. Pour all contents into a cocktail glass, add more ice if needed, garnish with a fresh orange slice and enjoy! Listen to More From Ramsey Network  🎙️ The Ramsey Show   🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show  💡 The Rachel Cruze Show  💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights  💰 George Kamel  💼 The Ken Coleman Show  📈 EntreLeadership    Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz. I'm George Camel. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Cheers, George. Cheers to vacation. I feel like I'm on the beach. Already? Maybe so.

That was easy. All it took with an orange slice. Yeah. All right. Well, this is the show where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. So everything from pop culture, current events, and money. And today we are shedding our golfizers and our target sandals. And we are diving into the deep end of the hotel pool to chat about the true cost of vacations.

Yes, because I don't know about you, but the last couple times I've been oh, oh, oh. That stands for out of office. Out of office. You're not hip with it. Sometimes you just come back more exhausted, which is so unfortunate, but it happens. And travel costs are up a whopping 3% since 2023. But is a getaway really worth all the money, the energy, the time? And if not, what's the alternative?

That's right. What do we do? So we're going to chat about all of that. And George, what are we sipping on? We are sipping on an orange creamsicle cocktail. Yeah. I feel it. but it feels like candy a little bit, which is dangerous.

Very sweet. So stick around until the end. We're going to give you the rating, reveal the cost per glass, and of course the recipe is in the show notes. Cheers. So one of our co-workers recently went to the beach with his family. When he returned and everybody asked, hey, how was your vacation?

He was quick to correct us by saying, it was not a vacation, it was a trip. Yes. Good distinction. Big distinction. I learned this early on. Yes, a vacation and a trip is very different. Yeah, like if there's kids under 10 present or your mother-in-law is there, was it really a vacation?

Yeah, what's really happening? Love you, Jane. I'm excited for every trip 4th of July. It's excited to be there. I know. And you know what makes it a trip for me? I'm going to be honest. Not just the kids, but the cooking. If I'm still making three meals a day, there is a part, which again, money saver, right? It's a great tip to save some money, right? I mean, sometimes it's the reality, but man, tired of those turkey and cheese mustard sandwiches after a while, George. That's a real talk. One of the best parts of it. vacation is not having to think about food and you just eat out and get takeout? All day. It's wonderful. So we're being a little dramatic here, but travel, it requires work before, during, and after, both financial and otherwise. Yeah, that's right. And I mean, the truth is,

too, you can relax at the destination, but then you get home, George, you got laundry. Unpacking. Yep. And financially, even if you paid for the trip and cash, there's still a chance that the unexpected pops up. You got to pay for the $11 smart water at the airport. A bike rental hiccup could pop up, who knows. Yeah, and again, unless you own a beach home, right, you're going to be paying for a bunch of stuff. And again, you want to splurge on maybe the fancy meals out without a second thoughts. You know, I mean, this is all real, right?

And our wallets, our bank accounts, they feel the old vacation, if you know what I mean. The stats do not lie. So here's some vacation stats. This is according to pecoso.com, not to be confused with Picasso. Not Picasso, who died like last year. The artist who very recently passed away. rest in peace According to Picasso.com,

the average vacation for one person in the United States cost about two grand a week and a vacation for two typically costs around four grand a week. Yeah, and compared to 2023, the average vacation expenses are up 3% according to budget your trip.com. That doesn't feel like a ton, if I'm going to be honest. So if it was 100, now it's 103.

Yeah, that's right. What a perspective. See, he's a numbers guy. I'm just saying. It feels low. I feel like it's actually more than that. You look at the average cost of food per person a day is $58. And for a week away, that's a minimum of $400.

You have to factor in. Okay, and if you choose vacations like skiing, pricey, pricey. That's expensive. Yeah, you're ranging, you know, 100 to 300 per person. And it doesn't even include the rental gear, you know, the ski equipment that you have to have or buy. You know, all the shin splints that come with it. Are you a skier? Yep.

I do enjoy skiing. You know, we went a lot as a family, like starting, like, in middle school. And your parents, Dave and Sharon, they still ski, right? So we skied, yeah. And then once we also are having kids, they moved, like, our family trip to the beach because with, like, little kids and babies in the mountains. And there's not as fun.

Well, you're just kind of stuck in the house because it's winter when you go. So you can't, like, go drive around because you're, like, on a mountain. You know what I mean? Do you do, like, the double black diamond and all that? I'm not double black. I'm not moguls, but, yeah, I'll go black. If it's a, yeah, black and blues. That is risky.

It's fun. What are you? You skier? I was a snowboarder growing, because I came from skateboarding. So we kind of looked at the skiers, like they were a little pretentious and hoity-to-to-dy. The snowboarders were the true athletes. Okay, Johnny Tsunami. Yeah, 100%.

Did you have a crush on Johnny Tsunami? What was that? No, I just remembered the flashback because they were like, oh, that was the- It was like snowboarder hair. Yeah, that was like the typical, which is so stereotypical and not true. Skiers are very nice people. Oh, sure. Not as cool as snowboarders, but they're nice people.

Snowboarders run right in front of you. And you're like, I'm sorry. You're in our way. What, no, I have a straight shot. Might do a little ass every now. You guys have all this gear. There's poles, stretching. You got two things, plank sticking out.

Well, at least I'm not just like... You know what we're doing. You go and you spray snow up and you're just like, okay, cool. We get it. We get it. You're real cool. Just be a kind person like a skier. Skipping from the snow to the beach, according to TripAdvisor,

average cost of a beach chair rental falls around 30 bucks a person per day. So that could total more than $200 when all said and done, just to avoid sitting. in the sand. And I've been that guy, or I'm like, I'll lug the chair because I refuse to pay that guy. I know. 30 bucks a day to drag a chair 10 feet. Yeah, I hear it. And I get it. It feels like a scam. Yeah, but then is it after a bit? It's worth it if someone else is paying. That's all. Okay. It's not coming out of your, out of your pocket. Yeah. Okay, so George, what's your travel personality? Are you like an itinerary guy? Are you, uh, you have to be moving on time?

Are you like a... You know me. Super chill, go with the flow. Just kidding. So relaxed. I am the most uptight, high-strung person to go on a trip with, but the best, because I have the itinerary. I've done the research. I know the Yelp review of the restaurant we're going to. I already know what I'm going to order. So I am that guy. How about you? Are you on the opposite side?

No, I love a good itinerary. I'm a great planner. I'm a good travel agent. They call me Travel Ager Rachel. Literally no one has ever called you that. All my friends do. All of your friends. Who don't watch the show.

So I have no one to vouch for me. But I will send this to my friends and they can comment and be like, it is true. No, I really, I'm a great travel agent. I get crap done. Wow. I get crap done, George. So I, I'm good. I'm really good at traveling.

So if you need something change, if you need a reservation to the restaurant, I mean, all of it. I book all of that stuff. Do you ever call and you're like, hello, I am assistant to Ms. Rachel Cruz? I would like to book. And they're like, oh, wow, she has an assistant.

Let's make sure she gets the reservation. That's a smart idea, though. Think about it. That's a smart idea. No, I, but I'm good. Yeah, if I were not doing this job, the two gifts that I have in life, I really believe is sleep training babies and traveling.

Wow. Here's the thing I have trust issues with other people planning because I know they're going to overpay and then they're all going to Venmo me at a higher rate because of their lack of research. Oh, wow. Yeah. Like they'll just willy-nilly book things without asking.

So I have trust issues about that. I'm sorry. I appreciate it. Good for you. Yeah. Yeah. But I am a more relaxeder on vacation than like a mover though. Oh, yes.

I don't like to have a like, we have to be here by 8 a.m. I like to still keep flexibility. Yeah, George, we may be more similar than what you think. I think it's time for that couple's trip. Winston and I have been talking about. We were thinking overwater bungalows, maybe Fiji, Bora Bora. Only time we'll tell. Who knows?

We could plan it, though. I feel good about that, for sure. So when you are planning travel, there's obviously some well-known travel expenses that you all have to pay for, right? We know these things. Housing, whether you're doing an Airbnb, a hotel, a V-R-B-O. You mean a verbo? No.

I'm still saying the letters because I refuse to believe that still from the other episode. I love that you're just like defying the law of gravity and going like, nope. Not on my watch. Yeah, so whatever you're doing, you know, you are going to pay for housing

and where you're going to stay. That's probably the biggest cost, I would say, outside of flights. Yeah, transportation, right? That's the next one. Yeah. Flights, rental cars, the Uber's, the lifts, the bike rentals,

There's a lot. The gas for the minivan, if you're driving to the beach. That's big. With the kids. Yeah. Food. So you're thinking about your meals. But then, you know, if you are traveling like in an airport, those sneaky, you know.

$17. Airport meals. $11 bottle water, you know, that kind of stuff. Those expenses will sneak in every on that. I bring my own snack pack and I'll bring the empty water bottle. I will be that. You will. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And you fill up there. Yeah. So yeah, breakfast, lunch and dinner out. Food for a kitchen. If you're renting a house, you go, you know, you go just ham. grocery shopping. Yes. Even if you're,

just because you don't know. And you feel a little bit more excited on vacation when you grocery shop. Yeah, it's fun. You're not as like stick to the list. Yeah, the public's in Florida is way more exciting in the public's here. That's a whole vibe.

You get a pub sub on the beach, your life changes. So, great. So, so good. And then, of course, activities. So if you're going to do local tours,

museums, shows, swimming with the dolphins? Entertainment. You ever do one of those? We did do one of those once. Yes. That was fun.

It is magical. It really was. I had a bad attitude about it. And then I did it. And I was like, these are the most magical creatures. Did you ever think, though, at some point, like, they could, like, just kill me? 100%. Okay.

Yeah, yeah. I made sure I was on their good side. Don't we all, George. Don't we all. Shows and entertainment. That's a big one, too. Yeah, for sure. Okay.

And now there's the expenses that really slip through the cracks, George. Parking. Do you know if you're flying out, you've got to park. And if you drive and you're parking or the rental car and you're parking at a hotel, some of these fees are insane. Yes. I always try to do self-park. I can to save a book.

Snacks and drinks, again, whether you're just like walking around the city, whatever you want to do. And I think this is the one out of all these categories that I want to be able to say yes to. I went to Disney with a friend, Christy Wright, back in January. And she was like the yes friend, which if you know, Christy, this is true. But like the kids were like, we want the frozen lemonade. And she was like, sure. And it's like $14. She's like, I mean, she's just, and I'm like, let me write this out of my notes that happened.

and still I got to calculate and see how much we're spending. And I was like, but I'm a fun person. Like compared to her, I was not fun. How do you pay for that with a bracelet or something? Yeah, just scan that bracelet. Sneaky. I know. Effortless.

I'm like, there's a part, if you're going to make the effort, don't like, budget an extra 200 bucks to like have the fun. Have the $14. I like that. I like that's eliminated Epcot. Do you know what I mean? Like, because I can, I can nickel and dime. I can start to.

I go big on some things. And then other things I just. That makes me feel better because I thought you would be the fun friend who would be like, just do it. I thought I would. would be too and there I was. Type it in my dang notes. Because I know how much of a scam it is.

You know what I mean? I just don't like the principle of getting screwed over. Maybe I'm just talking on with you too long. What an honor. Thank you. I brought off on me, George. Oh, Grinch. Lastly, clothes and supplies.

So the new swimsuter cover up. Every time we go on a vacation, my wife is like, I got to get four new swimsuits. I know. Because the old ones for some reason don't work anymore. I don't know. I don't know. Sunscreen, the bug spray, the passport renewal.

Here's the other thing. Can we talk about sunscreen for a second? and all this health stuff that apparently everybody else on the internet knows about me. Is sunscreen bad for you now? There is certain, yes. You guys are exhausting.

People are very strict, including my mother. My mother sends me an email every summer. I've had the top sunscreens to get that don't have whatever, whatever, whatever, and do have whatever, whatever, whatever. But you go to these nice brands, Blue Lizard.

Super expensive. I mean, yeah, you're 30 bucks a bottle versus banana boats like seven. So, like, you pay for it. I think of the one I get, like there's one that's on sale at the wholesale clubs, like in Nutraina and the yellow can beach defense or something. Is that a bad one? Yeah, they would definitely say bad to Nutrigena.

Yeah, that's a bad one. It's a skincare brand. No. They did me dirty. No, but no, no, neutrugina is like apparently like, point, like it's not a good brand. It's just like, they're going to sue us, aren't they? So the sun is poison, the sunscreen is poison. Just let me live or die.

I don't care anymore. I know. Just leave me alone. But it gets pricey, George. It gets pricey. So George, I talk about money tendencies in my book. Know yourself, know your money. Kind of like are you a, you know, your tendencies, right?

It's not right or wrong. It's just kind of like, where do you lean? So let's do some travel tendencies, if you will, okay? Ready for this? If you go to a big city, do you dish out the big bucks for the tourism, like the walking tours, popular restaurants, souvenirs, or do you like the low-key local things and soak up the surroundings more casually?

Oh, I'm 80% low-key local, and I'm 20% budgeting for. some of the touristy stuff. Yes. But even then, like we went to Boston, there was a great free walking tour, and you just tip. Yeah.

So like you do, you know, 20 bucks each at the end, and it was a wonderful tour. And so instead of paying 100 to 150 bucks for some of the more touristy things, the duck tours and all of that, which are great once in a while,

but for the most part, I like to see the city on my own. Yep. Yeah, I would go, like, if there was a non-cheasy tourism route, that's what I would take. But I'm not like the kind that's like, oh, my gosh, I have to do everything local.

because if you go to a city, especially one that you're not familiar with, there is a part that you're like, there's so much history here. Sometimes you've got to pay. To see the Biltmore Mansion or what's that island in San Francisco, the creepy prison island? Alcatraz.

That one was amazing. I've never done that. It was incredible. And they have an awesome audio tour. You listen along and follow. Yeah. So stuff like that's worth it. Today, George, as we're recording this,

I was on a field trip, a third grade field trip. I was a chaperone at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wow. I've never been. And it's great. I need to be a tourist in my own city. Because there are tourists everywhere.

And these poor tourists, I thought you came with our school. I'm so sorry. The kids were great, actually. But they all walked around with these like headphones. Like, you know, and it's more older. I'd say an older crowd showed up to the country music hall of fame, which is fine and great. But I thought, good for you. You're like taking the time to soak in like all the details.

Like if you're there, enjoy it. Yeah. So now like in New York that I've seen everything, then I'll go local. Then that's where I'm like, oh, I don't need all the big stuff. Like I know the things I like to do there and all of that. So if it's a first time, stop. New York, it has very expensive tourist attractions. So, like, I didn't do the 9-11 museum, Rachel.

You told me to. Oh, I should have done it like eight times. I didn't have time. It's so good, George. It is so good. But don't do the tour there. You can just walk it. Museum, not the tour.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just walk the museum. It's amazing, though. It's amazing. Okay, so here's another one, George. Would you wait until you can afford luxury experiences to travel? wait to travel. No, I would say we always do the vacation that's in the budget,

and the ones that are more luxury, like a great trip to Europe, where I know it's going to be like, to do it right. It's going to be thousands and thousands of dollars. That one's going to get pushed further along a few years from now. I'm with you, but find a thing, right? Find a thing. Yeah, we're going to Minneapolis the summer. Some of our best friends live there. And you buy tickets,

you stay with your friends, and you just get out of your routine, right? Find some ways to do some cheap things. You can still travel on a budget. You can do it for a thousand bucks if that's what you have. You can do it for $5,000 if that's what you have. Right. Has there ever been somewhere that you've traveled that wasn't worth the money that you spent to get there? Ooh. That's a good question.

Are you going to sneeze? Oh, no, I'm just thinking. Oh, you're looking off in the distance. That was my thinking face. Look at the video. It looked like she was like... That was my thinking face. I just love to travel.

So I was like, oh, this is a good one. I wouldn't blame the money for any bad trips I've had. Like, I was like, this wasn't worth the money. Yeah. I think it was on me for... It was weather. It was the people I was with. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Did a trip to Europe in college. Technically a mission trip. I can't. I can't. And, yeah, I want to experience Europe again with my wife. Let me just put it that way. Yeah, yeah. I don't know.

I'm trying to think, not one that comes to my mind. Like a terrible, terrible. I'm sure there has been. I feel like travel is always worth it. Even if it's a struggle and there's a crazy story, it's like, now you did it for the story. You've got a great story to tell. For sure.

All right, George, is it ever okay to travel while in debt? Is this a trick question? Is this entrapment? I have my answer. I would say unless it's a family emergency, a health crisis, there was a funeral, you know, very, very close family members getting married. Those are probably the only caveats. Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to say too. Yep.

If there's like a big thing happening. But a vacation, no. That's urgent, yeah. A trip, maybe. That would be a trip, yes. Trip, possibly. That's a hard one for people. Vacation, no.

I know. I know it is. So here's some takeaways when it comes to vacation, George. I think using sinking funds is a great way to prepare for it. And this is where you save a little bit of money every single month. So you know, okay, our trip, you know, maybe you start a year before or two years before when you're thinking about Europe, whatever it is. But you save a little bit every month.

That way when the trip is here, it's great. Now, some of that will be spent throughout the month while you're booking like a hotel or booking flights. We'll be spending some of that money. But you just know at the end of it, yeah, we've saved for it. We know we have the money. and you do it in cash. So for example, in our every dollar budget,

I've got vacation sinking fund. We put 500 bucks a month. So at the end of the year, for 12 months, we'd have six grand. And if we can budget and get underneath that, well, we just save some money for next year's travel. And if we use it, we do it with joy because it's kind of permission to spend

because we worked hard to save for that trip. We want to use it all. Yeah, that's so great. And for those of you that feel like, oh my gosh, we don't have a ton of margin right now. We don't have a lot to put towards a sinking fund for vacation. There's some really budget-friendly vacation ideas that are out there. Yeah, so tour your own city, just like I was today.

Went to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and it was great, right? But, like, honestly, look at surrounding cities that you're by and go and be a tourist there. That's a good one. Also, go camping. That's a bad one, but, yeah, for a lot of people, that's a great one. A lot of people. Then there, have done that? Yeah.

Have you? Yeah. I've camped a few times with the boys. Yeah. Just not your fave. I'm exhausted after. I just want a shower and a real meal and I'm like, great, I lived like my ancestors.

We've evolved. Like there's no need. To sleep outside anymore. Yes. Be done with it. But yeah, the idea of being outside with the bros enjoying nature, I can get behind that.

Yeah, I get that, totally. I'd also say plan a trip to a less popular beach. So one of the beaches that's really popular that we know of is 30A. So you go to like Rosemary or seaside and it's very expensive. Crazy expensive. Yeah, it's gotten really, really pricey to get a house.

or a condo. You can find some deals. But everything's going to be... Yeah, but it is going to be, you know, it's going to be more expensive. So find the beaches that are less popular because you're going to find better deals for there. And then trips with friends

can be more affordable because you're splitting all of the costs. Yes, I love that. The Heatherlies, Lindsay and her husband, Jordan, and some other friends, we did a really fun trip to Arizona. We like Grand Canyon, Sedona. Sedona.

Flagstaff. I'm so fun, y'all. And it was great. And it didn't feel like we spent a ton of money. It was flights. We all split the Airbnb's. We cooked some meals at home. We ate some out. It's the way to do it. You know, exploring nature isn't that expensive. Yeah, it's awesome. Good, a few tours.

Just see a couple of things. See, there you go. Great trip. Also, you know, bed and breakfasts. Those are great. You can get a deal. So, yeah, you can get a great deal. All right, we talked about trips versus vacations, George, where vacations you actually can relax. Trips, well. Oh, boy. What's in the fishbowl. So let's go through a couple and just see what you have to say about these.

now and we have to decide trip or vacation? And this is rapid fire, so toss it back and do the next one. Okay, quick. Go. Okay. Family reunion in Charlotte, North Carolina, sharing a cabin with your siblings. Trip. Trip.

Trip. Go. Oh, next one. Chaperoning an eighth grade class trip to Washington, D.C. Trip. It has the word trip in it. Coachella with your college friends, vacay. That's vacay.

That's fun. Solo trip to 30A in a friend's beachfront condo. Yes. Vacation. Solo trip? Vacay. Wow. If you're by yourself, it is a vacation.

Vacation, yes. We can skiing and veil with your spouse and another couple vacation. That's cute. I'm putting that in vacation. Like weekend with friends and all the kids. That could go both ways. I'm a leaning trip.

That's a trip. That's a trip. Long weekend and Hilton Head with your spouse. I would hope a vacation. Yeah, vacation. Unless you don't like hanging out with your spouse. Wow, ready for this. 10 days stay in Italy,

traveling to four cities and taking a bus tour through Tuscany. Okay. vacation. Vacation, 100%. Disney weekend with the in-laws. This is a trick. Should I fall for it? What do you think?

Wait, what is it? Say it again. Disney weekend with the in-laws. Well, I'm assuming my kids are with me. I don't think I would just go with my in-laws to Disney. Who knows? I'm going to assume my kids. Oh, shoot.

You don't think Mr. Cruz would enjoy a Disney weekend with you and Winston? Would Buddy go without the kids? Buddy Cruz? Okay, I'm going to say my last Disney trip, though. That's what I was trying to think with the kids. I would say that was a vacation. You love Disney. I know.

I know. I'm going to say vacation, even with the kids at Disney. It's the one place. You love it more than they do, admit it. Traveling to Dallas with your team for a conference, and you get your own room at the Hilton. Still a trip. That's a trip.

It's still work. Love your work, people. Caribbean crews with your immediate family. That's spicy. Oh, man. Love you. I'm going to say if it's the Ramsey Cruise, I'm going to file it under vacation. Join us, 2025.

You all suck up. Don't miss the boat. Ramseycruise.com. Unbelievable. Bachelorette weekend and Myrtle Beach. That feels like a trip. Those girls are drama. You know it.

That feels like a vacation. I would say vacation. Have you ever been on a bachelorette trip that didn't include drama that was like, you're like leave and you're like, oh my gosh. Winston, I'm so grateful. Well, not Bachelorette specifically. My friends, we didn't really do big trips for Bachelorette parties. Okay.

But like... Even bachelor parties, I feel like can be dramatic. Yeah, but just like a girl's friend trip is fantastic. Okay. You got to have healthy, great friends. We actually... I mean, I don't want to brag about my friendships. We have great conversation.

It's fun. It's great. I don't know. Last girl trip I did was fantastic. You know who you are, even though those friends... They're not watching the show. Real friends don't watch shares at your party. That's the truth. It's great, though.

No worries. I love it. Oh, so fun. Okay, well, we love vacations. We love trips. Traveling is fun. Budget forum. Do your sinking fund.

Never put it on a credit card. Never. No. And have $200. So when that frozen lemonade gets brought up, you can just say yes and enjoy and not like. And not, like, don't nickel and dime. Yes. Budget extra.

So that when you go under, you feel like, wow, we really want. We just killed it. We just killed it. Do your research. Don't just spend impulsively. Do the research. Try to get a good. deal, but also splurge.

It's a vacation. All right. It's almost to the end of the episode, and we close out every episode with Guilty as charged. And this is where our producer, Lindsay, gives us a new guilty-charged question every week. And if we are guilty, we have to take a sip. So, Lynn, hit us. Okay. Have you ever taken something more than toiletries at a hotel or resort?

Whoa. This is actually entrapment. that you're trying to get us to admit to a crime. Are we talking like a hairdry? Robes. I've taken, I have taken, not washcloths, not towels, but that medium-sized, you know? Hand-towel.

A hand towel. Because, like, if I have, like, makeup that, like, I've lost a lid or something and I've got to wrap it up and make sure that it's, like, good and wrapped, I will. I'm so sorry. It hasn't happened a lot, but I have. I have. I have.

I have. Guilty. I always take. The laundry bag. That's my favorite thing to take and put my laundry in it. Who doesn't do that? The second weirdest thing is... Wait, wait, what do you do with the laundry bag when you get home? I dump out the laundry and I throw the bag away.

Oh my gosh, you put your dirty clothes in an own separate bank. You're one of... You should bring a trash bag. Where do you put your dirty clothes? And the other side of the suitcase. At the end of the thing when you open your suitcase and you have that... You use the plastic bag that is provided. Like an adult.

Oh, yours is like a plastic bag. I was thinking like a cloth laundry bag. No, I don't stay at the ritz, Rachel. I want you to know that. You know, talking three stars, maybe four for really splurgeon. Yeah, I don't want to steal like a night. Now, some of them are, they're usually meant to take the laundry bags. Okay.

Yeah, I don't do that. I put it in the other side of my suitcase. If it's nice enough that they have little like slippers, I will take the slippers. Yeah, those are free. And they always have to be wrapped. They're always, if they're not wrapped with like a label, I don't. I'm like, ugh. I don't wear robes if that's another.

thing. Oh, that's a great question. Do you trust hotel roads? I know. You know what? I used to a lot more. And you know, I will. I will. Yes. You think they're actually washing the robe every time. I know. I know. Stop. I know. Here's the deal. You don't know. Here's part of vacation Rachel, if you want to know. You don't know that Gary didn't just throw on that robe 12 hours ago. Listen, listen, I love, when I get ready in a hotel, I will sit on the the hotel sink, do my makeup. You sit on the sink? I do, actually, yes.

Put my feet in the sink. I sit there and I do my makeup and having a robe and a towel on my head, all of it. It's just like, I just feel at home. I just like it. I like that. So you're sitting on the countertop with your feet in the sink. I do, yeah. That is disgusting.

And I do my makeup on the sink. Or I sit on the floor if there's a full-length mirror and I have that towel that I usually take there and I dump all my makeup on the towel. And I put my makeup on sitting down on the ground. And I don't want to sit down on the, like having the robe to sit down on. It's great. Wow. I'm learning so much.

Do you also use the little coffee machine? No, we've talked about that, George. I'm not that crazy. Oh, I do take, I will take some tea bags. If there's a nice tea bag that comes with the coffee machine, I'll take just the tea bags for later. Because I can use my own water that I trust at home. Because I'm excited to try the teas. I just, I'm not excited about using their machine.

Are they normally fun teas? Because I feel like they'd be like, a Lipton or a... No, I feel it has to be nice. Or a twining or twining. No, no, I don't mess with that. I don't mess with Lipton. It's got to be like a mango green tea or something.

We're talking Harney and Suns. Yeah. Are there are teas at hotels? I think there's like Lipton. Along with the little curing coffee pods, they always have teas. Okay. And you take those.

And I take the teas. I take my slippers. I take the laundry bag. I take the toiletries and I get out of here. Here's the thing. You, everyone's paying for us. Everyone's paying for all of those, included in your hotel price, is the cost for the hotel to provide those.

So therefore, you're losing out by not taking those. That is true. And then I leave them for guests at home. So like slippers from my guests, when my family comes to stay, the toiletries, they have a wide selection. Okay. Okay, here's my thing. You trust sleeping in sheets.

You don't trust bathrooms. I wouldn't say I trust it. Okay. But I don't have an option. I don't have to get in the bathroom. have to get in the bed. Okay, fine, whatever. Do you bring your own sheets and then throw them away after? That actually might be a life hack. We get some cheap ones. Oh my gosh. No, then you're making up your bed and that turns into a trip and not a vacation. Fair. Wow. Well, sometimes you just have to

believe, you just have to stay in your head. Like, I don't want to know who slept here last night. I just don't, I don't care. I don't want to know. I don't want to know. It's still warm from Gary from 12 hours ago. Gross. George. He just checked out. All right. Who finished her drink first. You're a lot closer. Yeah, you don't like it. It was fine. What do we rate it?

I wasn't in the mood to drink milk at this hour. I'm going to be honest. I wasn't in the mood for an orange milkshake at this, at dinner time. But I would say it's a good drink. It's a very fun, refreshing. It's a little too, like, thick. It's viscous. Yeah, yeah.

I agree. It's not my favorite. All right. I'm going to give this drink five out of ten. I will say resident bartender Michael Reddy. came in before, and before this recording, it took us a while to do it. We had Mike's missing.

We had a talent missing. Like, it took some time to, like, get everyone. Thank you for calling me talent. To get everybody on board. And Michael said, when he left, he said, give this drink a point higher than you normally would because it's been sitting out for a while. Which is worrisome when you're talking about a drink with a lot of dairy.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I would have gone. I would have gone four out of ten, honestly. I was being generous with my five. But I truly think, Some people would give this a 10 out of 10. I'll be generous and say, I'm going to say six out of ten. That's very generous.

It's, uh, yeah. All right. It's like a milkshake kind of. But if you like creams, you will love this. It's an orange creamcicle cocktail. It's got whipped vodka, quantro, which is a triple sec, orange juice, heavy cream, and a beautiful orange slice to garnish. Comes out to $3.52 per glass.

So not a cheap drink. No, a little expensive. But you know what I'm realizing as I get older, I don't like cocktails with a lot of dairy in them. Yeah. The only one I will say caveat is a good espresso martini. Yes. I will concede.

I'm going to concur. It just becomes a little bit congealed. Give me just some gin and... That's it. A lemon twist. You like simplicity. That's what I want. Yes, yes.

Yeah. That's beautiful. Give me less sugar. This was sweet too. Yeah, it was a little sweet. With the orange juice. That was good. All right.

Well, hey, if you want to give it a go, recipe is in the show notes. Give it a try this weekend. Let us know what you think. Well, thank you guys so much for watching. and listening. Make sure to leave a review. Share the show with your friends and your family. Get the word out. Make sure to check out our episode that we talked about Airbnb. It was a good one. So make sure to check that out. We'll put a link in the description for that. And we'll see you guys

next Thursday on an all new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.