Overseas travel with a mate

[raised by monkeys]

Looking for any suggestions on where to go. Not fussy really.

We're both (a young) 32 and have commitments to females.
I have about 3k to spend on travel arrangements (he'll have more ha).
Looking at going Dec - Feb for a week or 2.
Have another mate who works at a travel co. who will look into packages for us.

I don't want to do just the touristy thing, like a bit of culture and food. Both don't mind a little bit of physical stuff. Beach, city or in land doesn't really matter.
My thinking is something cultural then finish in a resort; or thinking Paris and then London. I've been to England but with family but really want to go to Paris for the Louvre and what not; but I have family in England, and everything is just a train ride. In saying that, something I haven't done is great too.

Any positive experiences or ideas?

[Ross 1]

New Zealand south island. Queenstown for adventure type sports and food, Sounds for fishing, kayaking etc Nelson for food. Everywhere for scenery and culture. Exchange rate is pretty good at the moment, weather in Dec-Feb is good and if you take your time looking you can get good cheap accommodation if you don't mind clean and basic motels.

If you are going to Europe, Spain and Portugal to start and slowly train it up to Paris, train to London. Stay outside of London, as you say everything is a train away or tube.

Brother in law, just had an absolute ball in Cuba before all the restrictions end. Says it was great and so cheap but stay in a proper resort.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by raised by monkeys

Looking for any suggestions on where to go. Not fussy really.

We're both (a young) 32 and have commitments to females.
I have about 3k to spend on travel arrangements (he'll have more ha).
Looking at going Dec - Feb for a week or 2.
Have another mate who works at a travel co. who will look into packages for us.

I don't want to do just the touristy thing, like a bit of culture and food. Both don't mind a little bit of physical stuff. Beach, city or in land doesn't really matter.
My thinking is something cultural then finish in a resort; or thinking Paris and then London. I've been to England but with family but really want to go to Paris for the Louvre and what not; but I have family in England, and everything is just a train ride. In saying that, something I haven't done is great too.

Any positive experiences or ideas?

Is that 3k just for flights only Shaun or for your entire budget? If a Euro trip is what you guys are after, you will be hard pressed to make that last. It's possible to do a Contiki setup.

Best person to ask would be Yellow Festiva. He is the travel man, and has been overseas a number of times for different trips.

[raised by monkeys]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Is that 3k just for flights only Shaun or for your entire budget? If a Euro trip is what you guys are after, you will be hard pressed to make that last. It's possible to do a Contiki setup.

Best person to ask would be Yellow Festiva. He is the travel man, and has been overseas a number of times for different trips.

3 - 3.5k for flights/accommodation and then save extra spending cash. There's plenty of packages around the 2 - 2.5k mark to and return, but only for 4 days.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by raised by monkeys

3 - 3.5k for flights/accommodation and then save extra spending cash. There's plenty of packages around the 2 - 2.5k mark to and return, but only for 4 days.

That's interesting. Im planning a trip with the mrs to the UK and France xmas next year for 2-3 weeks and we are saving 20k and staying with family as much as possible.

If you can get away with 3k there for a week you are doing better than me.

You could do an Airbnb thing maybe? https://www.airbnb.com.au

[raised by monkeys]

Im just going by this, and given these are 3 star hotels.
Europe is what id like to do but if its too much stretch of the budget, happy to look else where for sure.

http://www.flightcentre.com.au/holidays/london

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by raised by monkeys

Im just going by this, and given these are 3 star hotels.
Europe is what id like to do but if its too much stretch of the budget, happy to look else where for sure.

http://www.flightcentre.com.au/holidays/london

Europe is the way to go for sure. Those packages are pretty good if you are the type of person who would be happy with 3 star accom. I know my mrs would view anything less than 5 star as 'roughing' it. LOL hence my budget. haha

Spain, Croatia, Portugal are also great places to check out from what I hear too. Germany is high on my list of places to visit.

Flights from England to France are dirt cheap from what I have read. My guess is when u get to the UK, book your paris flights there.

[nuthin' fancy]

How about South Africa? Shark diving, safari, Victoria Falls, great driving (I'll be there for a fortnight in late January) it is cheap on the ground, they drive on the correct side of the road, you could come back with an XY Fairmont GT!

[Jastel]

Be prepared to freeze in Europe at those times...and for delays and closures due to weather and snow etc.
If you do get some nice sunny (but still cold) days on the plus side the queues are shorter than they are now in summer...but don't expect to see pretty gardens and flowers like in tourist guidebooks, you will see sticks...or snow. In bad weather at least there are plenty of museums over there. In winter many of the tours and museums close or at least cut back their times.

Xmas/New Year in the snow is nice, but snow cant be guaranteed. London does a great NYE fireworks on the ferris wheel, get a boat trip with food and beer for best views.
or
Travel after the Xmas New Year rush to save some money. Xmas and NYE travel sucks from a crowd and a price point.

It is a long flight over there and you need to stay as long as you can to get the best value from the flight. Two weeks would be minimum, a month would be better...but reality (finances, work, women) get in the way.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Will chime in when I get home ;-)

[Yellow_Festiva]

I'm a South Korea fanboy - been 7 times now, in fact I'm taking the Mrs and our 6 month old there in 6 weeks, taking a group of my high school kids there next year during the same September holidays... Got some interesting stares on Saturday when we were doing bubs passport piccy:



My budget for the school trip is around $2500 for 2 weeks, that is twin share and has also got a 15% buffer included for price increases and flight cost fluctuations.

$3k will buy you 2 weeks there no worries.

* $1200 for the flight (but I have seen them as low as $800 in off peak times)
* $70 a night for basic accommodation but you can get clean, well located places for as low as $45 or 50 a night.
* LOTS of stuff to do! (1 month isn't enough!)
* Hiking / mountain trekking is VERY popular (be prepared to be overtaken by 60+ year olds fully kitted out)
* Variety of food
* The best public transport in the world
* No scams / traps - far safer than OZ.
* You can have a very relaxed holiday, ie buy main flights and fill in the rest upon arrival.
* You could even fit in a side trip to a different city or Jeju island (their Tasmania)
* A whole bunch of awesome theme parks.
* Bullet train
* Cheap beer
* Great shopping
* Great night life
* Friendly, welcoming people
* Almost every pub sells KFC style fried chicken!!

win Win WIN!

Ok, you may also consider Vietnam but that will be a little harder to get around on your own.

Perhaps a combo of Singapore + Malaysia or Hong Kong + Taiwan?

If you want to go away for 2+ weeks and not blow your budget Asia is the place to be IMO

Hit up Tripadvisor and do a whole heap of research - you have the time. You can plan yourself a great trip

If you want to know more about Korea let me know ;)

[raised by monkeys]

Thanks, much appreciated. Sitting down with my mate sat night to see what his thoughts are. I have been to Hong Kong in a 2 day stop over to England but was keen to do more there.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Jastel

It is a long flight over there and you need to stay as long as you can to get the best value from the flight. Two weeks would be minimum, a month would be better...but reality (finances, work, women) get in the way.

One trick I do with flights is extend the stop overs. A good agent will work it out at no extra cost to you.

Been to Dubai and Singapore twice, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Switzerland all for 'free' due to the way the flight was structured ie 'extended stopovers'.

Also, be as flexible with your flights as you can be. When I went to Africa I had these 2 options presented to me:

Syd-Joburg then return Nairobi-Syd $2700 (or something similar).

Or

Syd-Joburg then return Nairobi - Switzerland - Hong Kong - Syd ($2300 ish) We could have also swapped Switzerland for Spain to the return trip.

We stayed in each return stop over for 3 nights

[Ross 1]

Hong Kong is a great spot and from there its a short train ride to the mainland. Real eye opener to see some of the smaller cities, cheap accommodation in western owned hotels and if want a translator to guide you around or even take you shopping their daily rates are really affordable. I went to Guangzhou and would like to go again and a little further as well. You will need a visa from the Chinese embassy though, easy to get.

[blueoval]

Singapore is a place I want to explore. Thinking of doing that as part of a stop over to the UK

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Ross 1

Hong Kong is a great spot and from there its a short train ride to the mainland. Real eye opener to see some of the smaller cities, cheap accommodation in western owned hotels and if want a translator to guide you around or even take you shopping their daily rates are really affordable. I went to Guangzhou and would like to go again and a little further as well. You will need a visa from the Chinese embassy though, easy to get.

I think you can do one of the Chinese cities (Shenzhen / Guangzhou???) from Hong Kong for a few days without any visa if memory serves???

Yes, China is an eye-opener. Did it 10 years ago $3.50 a night hostels and cheap street food!

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by raised by monkeys

Thanks, much appreciated. Sitting down with my mate sat night to see what his thoughts are. I have been to Hong Kong in a 2 day stop over to England but was keen to do more there.

Mongolia???

Spent 3 weeks there and it was bloody amazing. The best (only??) hostel in town was $5 a night (perhaps 7 or 8 now lol) with brekky and they arranged overland safaris through the Gobi to places you would only ever see on National Geographic.

Dead set stunning scenery... one of those places not many people go to.

[Ross 1]

New York on a deliberately low budget is fun, stay down near China town. Cheap food, local bars, real New Yorkers are nothing like their stereotype of being rude. Nearly everyone was friendly and helpful, at no point did I feel unsafe at night, for the first few days I was walking around at 3am with jet lag. Cheap to get around on the subway and lots of free sites to visit.

[raised by monkeys]

Got this in an email today. I think America would be a bit ****y, im kind of into culture and foods etc. But seems like a good deal.

http://exclusives.webjet.com.au/deal...kipmobile=true

[Yellow_Festiva]

Not a bad deal, going from quad to twin or even single share will jack up the price somewhat.

[raised by monkeys]

Yeah, twin share is fine. Package was $3400 twin share. Depends on my mate really, cause im not overly fussy, but I do want to buy food from a shack on the side of the road from someone who doesn't speak English ha

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by raised by monkeys

Yeah, twin share is fine. Package was $3400 twin share. Depends on my mate really, cause im not overly fussy, but I do want to buy food from a shack on the side of the road from someone who doesn't speak English ha

Owch, that's a fair hike on the accommodation!

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=s...IVxeWmCh1ytQ4S

[Ross 1]

If the US is of interest give flight center a call, at the moment they are matching the prices at the Travel Expo that is touring OZ promoting the USA holiday packages. Just booked 7 days in Vegas for a really good price, options to upgrade accommodation etc. Ends this weekend.
With street food in any country watch the locals, I hang back have a smoke and a coffee for a while and see who gets the most business. Not foolproof but a pretty good indicator of quality.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Ross 1

If the US is of interest give flight center a call, at the moment they are matching the prices at the Travel Expo that is touring OZ promoting the USA holiday packages. Just booked 7 days in Vegas for a really good price, options to upgrade accommodation etc. Ends this weekend.
With street food in any country watch the locals, I hang back have a smoke and a coffee for a while and see who gets the most business. Not foolproof but a pretty good indicator of quality.

I tend to join the longest line... I figure if it's worth waiting for it must be good

[Big_Daz]

I did a Month in Europe November/December 2013 which consisted of a 21 Day Contiki Tour, 5 days in London and 4 days staying with friends in Wales.

I only did Contiki because I wanted a "Taste Test" of Europe to see what area's id like to go back to. It actually was a bloody good tour (thought that is dependant on the tour manager and tour group, I just think I lucked out) I saw a hell of a lot of Europe and met people who I still keep in contact with/see when we arrange catch up trips...

Biggest regret was not spending more time in London but when I go back (this time with my wife) we will spend more time their and will go back to those places I loved on the Contiki for more time to explore (Barcelona, Prague, Lucerne, Geneva, Rome and Venice to name a few) and see a lot more of Germany..

My whole trip including return flights Brisbane to London on emirates, the tour, Accommodation and spending money was probably close to $10k and I didn't hold back on spending.. Keep in mind though that on a Contiki tour you stay in 3/4 star places.. Don't go expecting 5 star luxury with one but they where all perfectly fine and all had wifi/decent food

[Mr Brooksy]

May I suggest Fly into Hong Kong, then a Ferry to Macau (Macau is great if you avoid the Casinos and gambling or you'll have no cash far too quickly). Both places have lots to see and do.

Then head into China (if you do then let me know I can meet up for lunch as I am in ZhongShan). Spend a week maybe in China (fast trains to most nice places in the south) then go to Thailand, my advice is Changmai, beats Bangkok every day of the week.

That's if you are the adventurous type.

If you want to do it with only English, ignore Southern China, and maybe even Thailand and go to Korea and Japan.

And if you really want the cheapest accommodation options, get AirBNB on your phones! Especially in places like Hong Kong etc.

[raised by monkeys]

I love Asian culture, dishes and history. Id love to return to China and so keen to check out Japan. I studied Uhechi Ryu for 11 years and really wanted to check out Okinawa, but as mentioned above, just depends on my mates thoughts.

Would love to catch up for a Neo F6 chinese meet ha

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Mr Brooksy

May I suggest Fly into Hong Kong, then a Ferry to Macau (Macau is great if you avoid the Casinos and gambling or you'll have no cash far too quickly). Both places have lots to see and do.

Then head into China (if you do then let me know I can meet up for lunch as I am in ZhongShan). Spend a week maybe in China (fast trains to most nice places in the south) then go to Thailand, my advice is Changmai, beats Bangkok every day of the week.

That's if you are the adventurous type.

If you want to do it with only English, ignore Southern China, and maybe even Thailand and go to Korea and Japan.

And if you really want the cheapest accommodation options, get AirBNB on your phones! Especially in places like Hong Kong etc.

Being Thai born myself, I have always wanted to go to Chiang Mai as my friends have told me so much about it. I will be venturing there on the next trip I organize to Thailand.

That said, Bangkok has some great places for shopping if thats what you like too.

[raised by monkeys]

I have mate who lives in Thailand. Hes a muay thai fighter. Recently just started his own business because fighting for rent money takes a toll on your body ha.

Aussie Boys FB page

[Jastel]

If you like Japan try Niseko or somewhere for snowskiing in Jan/Feb for a week.
Then 2nd week can check out Tokyo, Hiroshima and other places by bullet train on a Japan Rail pass.