I've spent a fortune on getaways over the years and always figured it some of the best values of my life.  I can't put a dollar sign on peace of mind and stress relief.  I look at the Dentist idiot spending $54k to shoot a pet lion and shake my head.  He could have a a plot of land and hunted a lifetime.  

How you offset the cost has numerous options from buying base good investment, it will go up in time, to figuring out how to write off the interest on taxes, 2nd Home, which the IRS requirement is pretty basic, head, kitchen, own address, and 14 nights a year.  

Here's how I've looked at it, while my peers have spent X amount of dollars annually to do some vacation every year to go somewhere, I put that same money in a boat, land, etc.  I put my first camper on rural land in 1983 and not only spent 3 out of 4 weekends and at least a week every year but used at a headquarters to develop the land economically as my family could afford it.  

My family just sold the land this year.  My old camper, still going, is now a home for a single working man in a different location.  All those years of enjoyment and then sold it for enough money that my mother paid cash for a house, nice house, close by and my brothers heirs a nest egg for their children to go to college one day.  Do that with your annual cruise ship or hotel fee?  

It is like cars.  You can trade in your one car every time or you can keep them when they are paid for and still buy a new one.  After you get enough cars, you don't put as many miles on each one so don't have to buy a new one as often.  The budget is the same except instead of nothing to show for it, you have something to show for it.  

Tj