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?

It is the substance of travel legend. To have a few of these notched up is to have obtained savvy traveller status, to be spoken of in revered tones by green-eyed fellow travellers forever more.

What am I talking about? Getting an upgrade.

Is it purely urban myth or does it really happen to stylish but not-quite-cashed-up-yet individuals like you and me?

And most importantly, how can we make sure that this Holy Grail of Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget happens to you next time you travel?

The turbulence, the seatbelts, the emergency landing routine - surely all of this will be such a lighter burden from the front end of the plane?

In a two-part series, Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget presents the ULTIMATE guide to getting an upgrade when you fly.

To whet your appetite, Part 1 will provide the low-down on all that first-class has to offer across the different airline carriers. Part 2 will deliver the information you need from the people in the know to ensure that you’ll be turning left, not right, next time you board a plane.

So what is so fabulous about first class anyway?

Here is the best of the best:

Cuisine

Qantas has partnered with award-winning chef Neil Perry (of Sydney’s Rockpool restaurant) to present a first-class menu that includes caviar and an 8-course tasting menu. Freshly made coffee from an onboard espresso machine is one aspect that would bring a smile to this traveller’s face.

Entertainment

Mr Branson definitley takes the cake when it come to in-flight entertainment. Not only are there on-board beauty treatment available on Virgin Atlantic flights,

but you can even lean over to your neighbour and ask if they’d like to join you for a drink at the bar.

That’s right, Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Upper Class’ suite comes with its own bar and bartender. It could get interesting trying to look stylish sipping that martini whilst trying to maintain your balance during turbulence though.

Comfort

Singapore Airlines sees exclusivity as the key, offering only 8 seats in first class. Keeping the front of the plane exclusive isn’t the only reason for so few seats with Singapore Airlines boasting the biggest seats, beds and entertainment screens available. If size matters for you, Singapore is your airline.

Convenience

Apart from the obvious conveniences of quicker check-in lines and being first to board and depart the plane that most airlines offer their big-spending passengers, British Airwaysgoes one step further. To help you kill some waiting time at the airport and allow you to make the most of sleeping time on the plane, BA offer you your meal in their FIRST lounge at the airort prior to flying as part of their dine before you fly concept.

These snippets are only the tip of the iceberg. For a full explanation of everything you can expect frm international first class air travel, as well as a detailed comparison of what the different airlines offer, check out The Seat Guru’s first class comparison guide.

Ok.. tempted yet? Well, if you’re worth your weight in bubbly as a champagne traveller on a beer budget, then you’ll be as keen as mustard to know how you can experience some of the luxury described for the same price as a seat down the back of the plane.
Stay tuned for Part 2 in this series which will be jam packed with advice from those in the know on how to turn your upgrade dreams into reality.

Want to make sure you don’t miss Part 2? Why not subscribe via RSS or e-mail (see the icon at the top right hand corner of the blog).

Main image photo source

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!

 Want to relax? Detox? Feel rejuvenated? Look amazing? 

If so, make sure your next travel experience involves some time at a luxury spa…

Steam rooms, spas and communal baths have been all the rage in countries such as Turkey and Korea for centuries, but day spas and spa resorts are a phenomena that has increased exponentially over the past decade.

And if you have been to one, then you know why. Nothing beats the feeling of walking out of a spa in a blissful state. Refreshed & calm while radiating that glow that is only acheived by being massaged to within an inch if your life.

Most luxury hotels from Sydney to Singapore, Chennai to Costa Rica have their own spa (with some resorts even being solely dedicated to the spa experience), meaning you can work a bit of spa action into the itinerary of nearly any trip you are planning.

But if you are reading Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget, chances are that you want the luxury experience without the luxury price tag. Am I right? Never fear, here are some ideas for a champagne spa experience on a beer budget:

1. Book into a luxury spa, but stay at cheaper accommodation nearby

Just because you are not staying at a hotel or resort, doesn’t mean you can’t book into their spa facilities. So, to cut down the cost of your spa experience, book into the spa at a ritzy resort but book your accommodation close by in a cost-friendly hotel.

Using Thailand as an example, here are three tried and tested spa resorts (from budget to decadent) that have very affordable accommodation options nearby:

The Sanctuary - Ko Phan Ngan

Spa Resort - Ko Samui

Chiva-Som - Hua Hin

Whether you book in for a quick beauty treatment or a week long fasting program, most spas will allow you to use their facilities (either complimentary or for a small fee) - pools, spas, saunas, fresh juice. Which leads to my next point…..

2. Pace your spa experience

Think that a whole day at a spa is too expensive? Then pace out your spa experience. Only booking in for a massage & a blow-dry? Space your treatments out and make a day of it. Get there early and relax in the sauna and spa. Have one treatment and then laze by the pool reading a book and sampling some spa cuisine before you have another. Spending a day at the spa is a very glam and decadent experience and you’ll walk out feeling like a new person.

3. Find a hidden gem

Every travel destination has its own well-known spa, you know the one, you’ve seen it in the magazines, heard it whispered about with almost reverential tones. But usually not too far away is another spa that is maybe not as well known, far less pricey, but still a haven of relaxation equipped with therapists that really know what they’re doing. Ask the locals where they go, check out the back streets and don’t be put off by spas that look like they’re in need of a fresh coat of paint (as opposed to things you should be put off by - like promises of ’sensual’ massage). Some of these spas without all the hype are the tried and true black book secret of many a local.

One that springs to mind straight away is The Ginseng Bathhouse. Located in Sydney, Australia’s Kings Cross, this spa (also known as the Korean Baths) has been relaxing and rejuvenating locals for years for less than half the cost of spas only blocks away. It may be a no-frills establishment, but these women take the spa experience seriously and ensure that you won’t regret your visit.