Megan fondly recalls a romantic whirlwind trip abroad in 2006 with her then-boyfriend. The pair started their journey in London, then worked their way across Europe, making pit stops at each country’s famed fashion houses — Chanel in France; Prada, Etro and Gucci in Italy — picking up fashionable pieces along the way.
The best part? Her boyfriend picked up the whole tab.
“I was straight out of school, and he did make significantly more money than me,” notes Megan, an East Village resident who asked to not use her last name (for fear of intimidating future boyfriends). “But I was happy to contribute and pick up whatever I could.”
After enduring the past winter, everyone in New York needs a vacation — but that balmy trip to St. Barts won’t come cheap. A new study by the airline trade association Airlines for America shows costs for spring vacations are the highest they’ve been in six years.
Which brings up the difficult question — when you and your sweetie sneak away, who is expected to pay for those romantic rendezvous?
“While I don’t mind assuming responsibility for my own costs, I certainly find [the gentleman paying] to be sweeter and more romantic,” adds Megan, a 30-year-old account executive. “Trips are the product of time, thought and financial consideration wrapped up in one fun, sweeping gesture. They’re a fantastic gift!”
Others, though, are more hesitant. “For most meals and travel expenses, I prefer to go 50-50,” says Samantha Escobar, a 25-year-old writer from the Lower East Side. “Myself and the people I have dated typically have around the same amount of disposable income, so it seems logical to be paying approximately the same amount for shared experiences.”
Many guys agree. Brendan Sullivan, a producer, suggests an even more precise approach to going Dutch. “It’s really easy to forget who paid for what on vacation, and that breeds resentment,” says Sullivan, 31. “So you start a fund. Each partner puts in $100 before you leave for the airport, and then all shared expenses — taxi, hotel, meals out — come out of the fund. Money never changes hands, no one has to be repaid and everything automatically gets split 50-50.”
His approach still allows for gifts: “If one person wants to treat the other to a zipline tour or dinner with a private chef, they can do so as a romantic gesture with their own money,” adds the Fort Greene resident. “Not a loan.”
Regardless of your feelings, it’s best to figure out before you take off whether your vacation is a treat or a mutual investment.
“If you’re newly dating and traveling, you should communicate your budgetary restrictions and your interests, so you’re both on the same page,” says relationship expert and author of “Cheat on Your Husband (With Your Husband),” Andrea Syrtash. “If your significant other throws out an idea that’s outside of your budget, that’s a good opportunity to say, ‘Sounds great, but I can’t afford that.’ He or she may say, ‘I’ll cover it.’ That way, if one of you wants to splurge on something out of the other person’s price range, the expectation’s been set that you can’t go Dutch.”
Still, if that’s the case, it’s nice to chip in when you can, says Syrtash: “That way, you’re contributing to the trip in your own way.”