• After years of budget flights with bare-bones amenities, I'm increasingly springing for upgrades
• I often take my tween with me — but when we travel he now expects lounge access and premium seats.
• As a parent, I'm trying hard to keep him grounded with transparency about prices and gratitude.

After boarding a plane on a recent trip, the flight attendant greeted us over the intercom with some humorous words: "Welcome aboard Spirit Airlines. And to those of you who swore you'd never fly us again, welcome back!"

I laughed. My tween son, however, groaned. He'd been disappointed ever since I told him we'd be flying with the budget airline.

And I get it — the flight attendant's statement was an accurate assessment of my feelings about Spirit, which I've sworn off numerous times only to be lured back by attractive pricing and convenient schedule options.

But, like my son, I would much rather be in seats with ample legroom and in-flight amenities.

After decades of scrimping on the journey and instead splurging on the destination, I've found myself upgrading my travel experience and prioritizing comfort more than ever.

These days, I'll pay for lounge access at the airport and invest in premium seating — and, as my frequent travel companion, my 11-year-old is reaping the benefits as well.

But I'm noticing my tween protesting and moaning on the occasions when I choose not to spend extra for these luxuries.

Sometimes I worry that I'm spoiling him too much by exposing him to fancy upsells at such a young age, but I'm also working hard to keep him grounded.

I'm teaching him what upgrades cost and how to balance upscale and affordable experiences

The first time I took my son into an airport lounge, he was hooked.

Chugging down mocktails and loading his pockets with gummy bears, he declared that he never wanted to be stuck sitting on a stiff bench in the dusty terminal ever again. And who could blame him?

Soon, I found myself shopping for credit cards with pricey annual fees that included lounge access, but I stopped short of signing up for any.

Instead, I sat my son down and showed him the costs associated with the lounge lifestyle. Seeing how this figure impacted our overall vacation budget really helped put things in perspective for both of us.

Now when we splurge on lounge visits, we offset the added vacation cost by doing less expensive activities, like hiking, at our destination. Or we save this experience for trips with especially long layovers.

Handling upgrades this way shows my tween that indulging can be great, as long it's done in moderation.

Exploring the world is important to me, but I want my son to understand his privilege

This year, my family took our longest flight yet from Florida to Japan.

Craving comfort for this journey, I splurged for United Premium Plus, which offers recliner-style chairs, bedding from Saks Fifth Avenue, and premium dining options.

It was well worth the $300 per person I paid for the upgrade, and it made a noticeable difference in our enjoyment during travel.

After this upgraded experience, it's no surprise that my son is having a hard time going back to flights on budget airlines.

But having the ability to travel at all is a privilege, and I've worked hard to make sure that my son understands that our lifestyle, even when flying economy, is a luxury.

Traveling is important to me, and by exploring the world, my tween is exposed to a wide variety of cultures and sees firsthand a vast disparity of living conditions. This provides additional opportunities for us to discuss — and for him to reflect on — his fortunate circumstances.

I want our family vacations to be relaxing and fun for everyone, including my tween

Hearing my son request lounge access or premium seats feels entitled, but I do think everyone's preferences should be taken into consideration when planning a family vacation.

For me, choosing to pay more for flight upgrades my tween will enjoy is no different from when I splurged on pricey trips to Disney parks when he was little. And because these upsells benefit me, too, I'm even more inclined to agree to them.

I think it's only natural that as my son grows up, his travel wants and needs will continue to evolve. The bigger he gets — and the smaller airline seats become — it makes sense that physical comfort is something that's top of mind for him.

Ultimately, as a parent, I want vacations to feel relaxing.

If travel upgrades leave my family feeling well-rested and ready for adventure when we land, then investing in them is just as valuable as the excursions we book at our destination.

So, even if traveling in style is spoiling my tween, I'll continue to upgrade us whenever it's within our budget.

• I recently traveled to three American towns that seem to mimic the alpine style of Bavaria.
• Frankenmuth, Michigan, and Helen, Georgia, had some beautiful architecture and views.
• Having visited Germany several times, only Leavenworth, Washington, felt like the real deal to me.

In the past year, I spent time in three of America's most popular Bavarian-inspired towns: Frankenmuth, Michigan; Helen, Georgia; and Leavenworth, Washington.

Each offered me a fun chance to stroll an alpine village in the US without needing a passport.

I loved exploring these European-style towns, but as someone who's visited Germany several times, only one made me truly feel like I was back at Oktoberfest.

Frankenmuth, Michigan, offered wintery vibes but lacked an alpine landscape.

I grew up in Michigan and visited the delightful German-inspired town of Frankenmuth several times in my youth.

After not visiting in years, I went back last December and found that the city is still very darling with Bavarian-style architecture and a glockenspiel that signals the time regularly.

It snowed during my visit, and the light dusting of white atop seasonal holiday décor greatly enhanced my feelings of being in Europe.

Unfortunately, the area doesn't have mountains, which made it feel a bit less immersive.

The town is home to the "World's Largest Christmas Store," which is worth a visit any time of year.

Christmas ornaments may have originated in Germany, but Frankenmuth has a lot to offer for those looking to deck their halls this holiday season.

The town's Bronner's Christmas Wonderland is more than 7 acres and calls itself the "World's Largest Christmas Store." It has thousands of items for sale in its endless rows of ornaments and décor.

Helen, Georgia, has a backdrop of rolling hills and pleasant year-round climate.

Northern Georgia is home to the alpine town Helen.

Here, I found a hillier landscape that better evoked feelings of Bavaria. The town's cobblestone streets and beer halls made this an enchanting getaway spot.

Helen's relatively warm year-round weather drew me there in early spring. I enjoyed beautiful, sunny weather that was more appealing than what's found in more northern towns like Frankenmuth at that time.

With daytime highs topping 70 degrees Fahrenheit during my stay, Helen is also much warmer than Munich in April.

It's close to wineries and outdoor adventures, which enhanced my stay.

Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, Helen offers a variety of outdoor adventures ranging from waterfall hikes to tubing.

The area is also home to many wineries, which made it a great option for my annual girls' trip.

Leavenworth, Washington, felt bigger than I expected, and its theming was on point.

Breathtaking mountain scenery — check.

Charming Bavarian-inspired buildings — check.

German eateries slinging up hefty liters of beers — check.

When it comes to enjoying authentic year-round Oktoberfest vibes in the US, there's nowhere that beats the charm and European-style beauty of Leavenworth.

Set in the Cascade Mountains, the town offers a rugged landscape just begging to be explored.

I visited in summer, when hiking and careening along the town's alpine coaster was on the agenda — but the region also offers great skiing in the winter.

Even though Leavenworth is technically smaller than Helen and Frankenmuth by square miles, it felt the largest to me because of its many offerings.

Plus, the heart of the downtown area is free from vehicle traffic, making it very walkable.

Of the villages I visited, Leavenworth is the only one that made me feel like I was in Europe.

I fell in love with this adorable town as I walked its pedestrian-friendly streets, passing a statue of a lederhosen-clad bear and restaurants filled with cheerful accordion music.

I really feel like Leavenworth transported me back to my past visits to Bavaria.

My husband and I enjoyed skipping between beer gardens and munching on giant pretzels — just like we did on our honeymoon in Munich.