Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget

Tahiti - photo credit

Champagne travellers appreciate life-changing travel which enables them to experience different cultures with touches of style and luxury. As opposed to generic package tours and dime-a-dozen itineraries, savvy travellers are searching for sensory stimulation that doesn’t insult their intelligence.

What is this new travel philosophy? Intelligent travel.

The National Geographic ‘Intelligent Travel’ blog defines it as such:

‘Intelligent Travel is about exploring the intersection of authentic and sustainable travel. We want to showcase the essence of place, what’s unique and original, what locals cherish most about where they live’.

For this champagne traveler, ‘Intelligent Luxury’ is all about bypassing travel that includes generic experiences focused on making sure that you are constantly surrounded with the familiar, such as chain resorts that look and feel exactly the same in every country they are located.

To travel and immerse yourself (or at least dip your feet) in another culture is a luxury in itself (when you consider that the majority of the world’s population will never see the inside of an airplane). To be able to do so with touches of style & luxury whilst still allowing for an authentic experience of the local culture is true intelligent luxury.

So, don’t turn your brain off when you plan your next adventure, travel with style but be open to the unique adventures and experiences of the location you are journeying to, as that is what makes travel the life-changing experience that it is.

Glamour + Camping = GLAMPING

This upscale, stylish take on what is traditionally a very budget-conscious way to holiday is becoming increasingly popular as modern travellers focus more on unique experiences with luxurious touches than just your run-of-the-mill hotel or resort experience.

Glamping has all the hallmarks of traditional camping - the wilderness, isolation and sleeping under the stars, minus uncomfortable camping mattresses, eating beans from a can and a lack of showers.

Basically, glamping is camping for the jet set and if you’re keen to see it at its best you need to get yourself to one of the following hot glamping destinations:

Longitude 131, Northern Territory, Australia.

Longitude 131 accommodates its guests in elevated luxury tents which boast features such as air-conditioning, mini bars and BOSE sound systems.

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, British Columbia, Canada.

Offers remote-controlled propane wood- stoves, antique dressers and tea tables, heirloom china and silver accessories and wireless internet access in their ‘tents’.

Paperbark Camp, New South Wales, Australia.

Glamps it up with candle-lit dinners and ‘in-tent’ massages.

But if you’re truly a budget traveller in every sense of the word and these glamping options exceed your budget, it doesn’t mean you can’t add some style to your next camping adventure. For some DIY glamping, don’t forget to pack a few little luxuries along with your tent and fold-out chair.

My picks for the little extras that can turn your camping into glamping would include:

Champagne (no surprises there) - adds a bit of glamour to any situation.

Sun lounges - not your usual camping gear but for something that doesn’t take up much more room in the car than a fold-out chair they add a resort-like feel to your modest camping trip.

Gourmet camping recipes - camp fire cooking can extend far beyond baked beans without a great deal more effort. Try camp recipes for meals such as Mostaccioli with Prosciutto and Pine Nuts.

What are your thoughts and ideas on adding glamour to your camping experience?

With such an abundance of travel blogs and websites out there, excuses are few to not be inspired and resourced to travel in style.

But if you don’t have the time or inclination to search these sites, you’re in luck. Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget does the searching for you and presents the finds in our monthly ‘Link Love’ post. Let the link love begin…

My latest travel blog crush would have to be The Jet Set Life. Check it out and see why.

New website Backpackability is home to a handy list of Budget Travel & Backpacking Resources.

Via Gridskipper, check out the article on the Best New Residence Hotels. I mean really, can you get more champagne travel than setting up digs at a glam hotel? I think not…

I think you are either a quote person or you’re not and I definitely fall into the camp of people who love a good quote. If you’re like me, you’ll love Brave New Traveler’s compilation of The (Next) 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes Of All Time.

If you’ve found any other great resources online, feel free to share them in the comments.

Photo credit

Have you ever day dreamed about escaping to your own private island for an indulgent holiday with friends? (if your answer is no.. c’mon, really, what are you daydreaming about?).

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a week or two and so I have been researching the options. And of course, as my beer budget doesn’t quite stretch to accommodate all my champagne travel tastes, I’ve been looking to take this rock star holiday, without the rock star price tag.

And I think I have found my answer. Found through Private Islands Online, here are a couple of fabulous islands that are yours to rent for less than the cost of a good night out.

1) Pandan Island, Phillipines

from US $84 /wk

2) Leleuvia Island, Fiji

from US $113/wk

3) Ploccia Island, Croatia

from US $159/wk

If you know of other great champagne accommodation options that suit beer budgets, please leave your pearls of wisdom in the comments.

For those looking to enjoy some long-term champagne travel, Josh Lew from Brave New Traveller shares about secrets to looking for work abroad while BNT also caught my eye with the what a solo woman traveller needs to know.

Concierge gives the low-down on booking the right cruise for you with Cruise 101

and lastly, for some serious travel eye-candy, check out The Cool Hunter’s guide to luxe and funky hotels

Champgane travel yes, but beer budget? Ok, not so much, but why not indulge your eyes at least or why not make it happen by considering one of my favourite routines: a week in ‘average’ digs followed by a couple of nights at an uber-chic resort… Just don’t try this trick the other way around, it is always best to finish on a high note!

Gridskipper finds gourmet restaurant delights at bistro prices in Paris Bistronomy

Budget Globetrotting explains how to Stay at Convents for Cheap Accommodations in Italy

Concierge provides the low-down on How to avoid currency conversion fees

Like to stay at this gorgeous pad in the South of France for next to nothing?

Dreaming of a villa in Tuscany? A chic apartment in Manhattan?

Or a house by the sea in Sydney?

Budget travel doesn’t have to mean share bathrooms and bed-bug friendly hostels. Networks such as Couch Surfing can set you up with a place to stay and instant local friends in almost any location in the world, in exchange for you offering a bed at your place for a friendly traveller too.

Or, if you want to make like Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz in ‘The Holiday’ and enjoy a longer vacation in a house you would normally pay big bucks for, check out Home Exchange

Home exchange does have a subscription fee, but networks such as Couch Surfing are completely FREE.