Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget

I have been having such a great time of late reading lots of travel books & blogs, networking with other travel bloggers, planning future trips and organising  exciting new things for Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget that I forgot one tiny little detail… posting articles!  To make it up to you I can promise lots of new content coming in and will leave you with my online travel finds of the week.

If you don’t want to miss out on the latest tips and ideas for enjoying champagne travel on a beer budget, make sure you subscribe.

It is Friday afternoon here in Australia and I am looking forward to a relaxing champers in the sun this afternoon on the second last day of Summer.

What are your plans this weekend? Apart from satisfying your wanderlust by checking out the following links…

In honor of Friday afternoon drinks, here are some great resources for finding funky places to enjoy a beverage or two whilst travelling:

World’s Best Bars is a great place to start when researching a town you’re travelling to. It features mainly the more well-known bars but helps you get your bearing of what’s hip.

When it comes to going out for drinks in Australia, my opinion is that Melbourne is where its at. Don’t believe me? Check out Travel Muse’s post on Melbourne’s Coolest Bars.

Concierge reports on the world’s biggest party… Carnival!

I look forward to enjoying un verre de vin rouge here in the not too distant future!

And in non-alcohol related travel news…

Lara at Cool Travel Guide has written a great series on Travel by Twitter. If you tweet, say hello here.

For those of us that are regular users of airfare search & comparison site Kayak, you might be interested to know that Kayak are now including hotel rates. Great for booking quick trips.

Happy travels…

A quick heads up for all you Aussies, or travellers visiting the land Down Under, Jetstar is having a sale on domestic fares. You can score yourself a bargain with flights as cheap as $39 one way (Melbourne to Adelaide).The good thing is that many of the flights are available to use during December & January (when often sale fares can only be used in off-peak times). Maybe it is time to plan a little Summer getaway? 

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?

If you’re a US resident or have plans to be travelling there in the near future, it is well worth checking out Things You Should Do

This site has tonnes of suggestions for fun things to do in different cities across America and beyond, in fact yours truly has recently done a guest post on free & cheap things to see & do when travelling in Melbourne, Australia.

This post was one of the original ones posted on Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget, and has by far been one of the most popular.

If you are new to the site, other popular past posts that you may want to check out are:

Indulge in a luxury spa experience without the luxury price tag

Having the time of your life travelling solo

How to make flying economy feel like first class

The Ultimate Guide to Getting an Upgrade when you Fly - Pt 1 (I promise Pt 2 is coming soon!)

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Pour yourself a glass of bubbly and settle back for a little bit of online travel browsing:

Travel podcasts

If you’re like me and couldn’t imagine travelling without your ipod, you can now justify your dependence as being a clever strategy to lighten your load. Vagabondish provides a great guide to all the fantastic travel podcasts available here.

Why not lighten the weight of your backpack or suitcase by exchanging a few of those travel and guide books with some of these travelcasts?

Do you have a favourite travel podcast? Please share it in the comments.

The World’s Best Beaches

I love a beach holiday - there’s no need to pack a great deal, you’re guaranteed to leave relaxed and there’s nothing better to daydream about in the weeks leading up to the holiday than laying on a sandy beach, cocktail in hand.

My favourite beach holidays to date have been spent at Haad Tien Beach, Ko Phan Ngan, Thailand & Paradise Beach, Mykonos, Greece.

But as it is currently winter in my homeland of Australia and I don’t have any beach holidays in my plans at the moment, Concierge is providing me with my fix through the 2008 Guide to the World’s Sexiest Beaches.

Read, dream and then start planning your next beach holiday!

Wedding bells…

When checking out the different search engine terms that bring people to Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget, I have noticed a few people searching for budget honeymoons. If that is what brings you here, you may appreciate another great blog along the champagne life on a beer budget philosophy - Champagne Wedding on a Beer Budget.

Our blogs crossed paths due to the similar names and I’m glad to recommend it, especially if you’re in the process of planning a wedding that has plenty of style without costing you plenty of cash!

Perhaps a future post on honeymoons is in order? My honeymoon was an absolute blast and was spent in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo & Byron Bay, Australia. If you have any tips or hints for anyone planning a honeymoon, please send them in!

Have you ever arrived at your destination only to discover you’ve forgotten to pack a few essentials?

Do you struggle to know where to start when packing for your travels?

An online resource that may come to your rescue is Packing List Online

This site allows you to enter information including destination, weather forecast, mode of transport, purpose of trip & even how much luggage you want to take. After answering these questions you will be given the template for a packing list that you can add to or remove items from.

I particularly like the list of things to remember to do before leaving home.

I made a sample list for myself for a possible upcoming Melbourne holiday - check out my sample packing list here

The list provided by Packing List Online is by no means all-inclusive and I must say it includes a few items I wouldn’t worry about, but it is a great start and something I think I’ll use when planning my next trip.

However, I must warn, spelling mistakes abound at Packing List Online which might make it somewhat uncomfortable for the more anal champagne travellers

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Have you indulged in one too many reality TV shows or trashy magazines and feel like its time to balance out your culture karma?

Melbourne is a city with culture opportunities aplenty… and the best part? A full day of culture-immersion won’t set you back much more than the change in your pocket.  

So, if you want to experience Melbourne’s high brow offerings, here are my suggestions:

1. Jump aboard the Melbourne Tourist Shuttle. It will take you right around the CBD and outskirts, with plenty of opportunities to jump-on/jump-off at most of the attractions listed below. It will also help you to gather your bearings and learn about the history of the city. Cost: free 

2. Get along to Federation Square. Apart from being quite an ogle-worthy piece of architecture and one of the newest feathers in Melbourne’s hat, the tourist office is right next door. This has to be one of the best and most informative tourist offices I’ve seen. It is here that you will grab the brochures and information books you’ll need for your day of culture. Cost: free

3. Take in an exhibition or two. Currently, The State Library of Victory has multiple traditional exhibitions and new media displays within its galleries, while Federation Square is showing the David Caird Photographic Exhibition. Entry is also free to the National Gallery & other galleries around town. A full listing of current exhibitions can be found at the tourist information office. Cost: free

4. Browse through a selection of original art works, craft and gourmet foods. Every Sunday, The Arts Centre hosts the Sunday Market. Browse the works of some of the cities finest, albeit currently undiscovered, artists. Cost: free

5. Now it is time for lunch and a show. A fabulous Melbourne institution is the Lunchtime Theatre. Show, soup & bread will set you back a measly $5. Find out more about it here. Cost: $5

6. Tour the laneways. As with many cities, it is along the hidden lane ways and alleys where you will find quirky little shops, live music and other unforgettable memories that you won’t get to see from the window of a tour bus. Why not download this great podcast and let it guide you through the hidden gems of Melbourne that many people miss.

7. End the day with a culinary feast. You don’t want to leave Melbourne without indulging in some Italian cuisine from one of the many restaurants in Lygon Street, Carlton. And although you could probably afford to splurge a little on dinner after barely spending a cent all day, you can enjoy world class fare very affordably in this foodie-heaven street. Cost: specials spotted recently in Lygon St include soup, garlic bread, pasta & a glass of wine for $17 and a generous slice of cake & a coffee for $5.

Leave a comment if you have some Melbourne culture tips you’d love to pass along…