True cost of the visit home

[ScottinCrimea]

I have heard many here debate the best price for a plane ticket for their wife to go back to visit the FSU, but I learned a couple of months ago that the real cost of the visit is the new luggage, the new wardrobe, and the requisite gifts for any possible acquaintance they might run into in their visit.  My wife is on her second visit to Ukraine, so the luggage has been bought, but the wardrobe still required an update and the gifts remained mandatory.

I'm curious to hear the experiences of those who have sent their wife for a visit and what additional expenses they have encountered.  It might be a nice eye opener for the newly married.

[Kuna]

Scott,

I hear ya brother!   

Additional expenses???

How about taking my mother on our trip in May - and now my nephew as well.  My nephew is paying his own way but I just settled up for the airfares and the total cost was around $8,600.  Don't get me wrong... I'm going to love having my mother with us but it was my wife who was adamant we should take her with us.

So... aging mother flying 20+ hours...  That means a 3 day stopover each way - and wife and mother got together to decide the stopover location should be someone exciting for shopping.  Hmmmm....  I'm feeling nervous!

There are many dangers in this trip but none that were covered int eh "Is Ukraine safe?" thread.  I'm much more worried about blowing the budget!   

[Misha]

I have heard many here debate the best price for a plane ticket for their wife to go back to visit the FSU, but I learned a couple of months ago that the real cost of the visit is the new luggage, the new wardrobe, and the requisite gifts for any possible acquaintance they might run into in their visit. 

My wife is going home for the first time in 2+ years. We bought the tickets.

New luggage? No, she will be using the luggage we already have.
New wardrobe? Yes, my wife bought two new ensembles. One for $130, one for $100. At most, she may have spent $400 for all the clothing she bought in preparation for her trip to Russia, but this is clothing she is wearing for going out in the meantime here in Canada.
Gifts? For her mother, she bought a few things for the kitchen ($20-$30). For acquaintances, she will likely get some Canadian candy or cookies or small souvenirs. She will be spending some money, but hardly a large amount.

[ScottinCrimea]

Misha, I have to drag my wife kicking and screaming to get her to spend anything on herself, so maybe the trip was some kind of justification in her mind to do just that.  I was actually quite delighted that she did so.

[Fashionista]

I hear this all the time from women coming from different countries - not only Russian and other FSU, but also my friends from Northern Africa, Eastern Europe and South America -  that it is absolutely required to bring gifts to everyone when they are going to visit their relatives at home countries. I don't know why that, probably some kind of women thing that I miss in my genes - I usually bring gifts for children and that's all.