I don’t budget my trips with a trip fund, but I have a somewhat consistent number of them each year, so in a way that’s how I budget. Each year I have 5 weekend trips with motorcycling groups spaced through the year. (I’m the planner for most of those trips and we generally stay at smalltown places that are $35-$60 a night shared by two people.) I take other weekend trips, but those I usually stay with my friends or my mother so there is little cost except dining out.

On occasion I’ll take a two-day trip on my own, and to keep this on-topic, some of those have been personal financial retreats. Thankfully it’s been a few years since I’ve had to do one of these. In the past when there have been times that debts have seemed overwhelming or my budget wasn’t working out, I’ve piled a box or two of mail and papers onto my motorcycle and hit the road for a day. I’d find an economical motel someplace, check in, and spread all that stuff out on the bed. A notepad of paper and a lot of quiet time were the main tools I used to make my plans.

I know it doesn’t sound like as much fun as you probably had in Asheville, but I think it’s worked for me.