Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget

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I read an interview recently with the Nobel prize-winning author Toni Morrison in which she described her writing habits in the early days of her writing career (when she had small children). She explained that she had to get up well before dawn to write as she didn’t have a chance to write once her children were awake.

It led me to consider that when we are passionate about something, be it writing, learning a language, travel etc., we will do whatever it takes to make ‘it’ happen. Just as Toni Morrison could have thought that she simply couldn’t be a writer at that time in her life as she didn’t have the time, so we can often dismiss our dreams for similar reasons.

If it is travel that you desire, what is stopping you? Or perhaps a better questions is, how can you make it happen?

Stick some pictures on your wall of your dream journey or destination, do some research and discover just how much your trip would cost, read blogs that give you tips and tricks for travelling well regardless of budget and then go about figuring out how to make it happen! How could you spend less? Earn more? Give yourself a deadline and work to it.

And if you’re in the mood for sharing, where will your next journey take you?

Happy travels!

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If you are looking for another excuse to purchase an iPhone or want to justify your acquisition of one of these slimline  parcels of technological goodness, let me tell you that an iPhone is a fabulous travel accessory. No more lugging around guidebooks, translation dictionaries and piles of documents, there are iPhone applications to meet almost all your travel needs.

And to save you trawling through the hundreds of iPhone application related to travel, Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget has compiled a list of the creme de la creme of travel applications for your iPhone. Best of all my champagne travellers, they’re free!

The best FREE travel applications for your iPhone

Travelocity

Allows you to make travel bookings, view your itinerary plus obtain flight and airport information including gate details, arrival and departure times and baggage collection updates.

Truphone

Thought you could only use Skype from your computer? Think again. Truphone allows you to harness the money-saving wonder of Skype and use it on your iPhone. You can save yourself some serious money with this application.

MOMPF Currency Converter

We have all been there. You’re walking about in a foreign city and you stumble upon a handbag/pastry/cocktail that you just can’t live without, and then to your joyous surprise you realize that the object of your desire is a total bargain. You hand over piles of currency and it is only later that you realize you miscalculated the exchange rate and actually paid a small fortune. Moral of the story? Download a universal currency converter such as this one to your iPhone and know exactly how much you’re paying, wherever you are in the world.

ReDo Lite

Save yourself time and hassle by setting up a couple of standard checklists that you can re-use each time you travel. You can organise your lists (pre-flight, onboard luggage, business trip, island vacation etc) and hopefully you’ll never have to endure that stomach-churning worry of whether or not you packed your passport. The application allows you to check items off the list, making it simple to see what else you need to pack/do.

TripIt

If you love the feeling of organisation when you travel or have other people that need to be informed of your travel plans, TripIt is for you. Simply join TripIt, e-mail them your itinerary and they do the rest. All your trip information (including maps and more) will be available for you to view from your iPhone, as well as being able to send it simply to others.

Travel Diary

We all have fabulous intentions of penning our travel memories daily but who hasn’t returned from a trip with a hazy memory and an empty journal? This application allows you to record photos, notes and maps on the go, so you can re-live your trip for years to come.

SitOrSquat

The last time I was travelling in Thailand I was pregnant and constantly in search of the ladies room. SitOrSquat would have changed my life. I don’t think I need to say anything else.

TripWolf

No travel must-haves list would be complete without a travel guide. Travel Wolf is my travel guide of choice when it comes to comprehensive but free applications for your iPhone. Find out where to eat, sleep, dance, drink and more in your city of choice. The free version of the Trip Wolf application allows you to download three different city guides.

Air Sharing

Allows you to view all sorts of documents on your iPhone which is helpful for everything from having a scanned copy of your passport, to articles you want to read in transit.

Wi-Fi finder

If you don’t have an application on your iPhone to show you where you can find free or cheap Wi-Fi wherever you are in the world, how else can you get online to get your regular fix of Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget?

Stylish Girl

This would have to be my latest iPhone application crush. It is basically your wardrobe in your iPhone. Photograph the items in your wardrobe, categorize them and then compile outfits and packing lists. Not only does it make packing quick and easy, but you can look at your wardrobe in a glance when clothes shopping to make sure what you’re buying goes well with your current wardrobe.

itranslate

When travelling in Cambodia I was lucky enough to be a dinner guest at the home of a wonderful local family. The mother cooked a superb fish dish and asked me at the end of the meal what I thought of it. Referring to my hurriedly scribbled-down Khmer phrases in my notebook I proceeded to attempt to tell her that the fish was delicious. Only later was I told that I actually said ‘the fish was really boney’. Not a very gracious comment from a guest. Don’t let this happen to you, download iTranslate and be the charming traveler that I know you are.

World Nomads

When you are looking for more than just a word-for-word language translation, download the World Nomads guide for your language of choice. This application allows you to search for basic phrases to say to the locals which we all know can make the world of difference when you are travelling. It beats being that tourist yelling ‘Do you speak English?’ to anyone they come across.

Happy downloading!

Gorgeous luggage is not only an essential element to traveling with style, but having loved, timeless pieces at your side adds to the pleasure of travel (and isn’t that what it is all about?)

If your budget allows, a designer investment piece of luggage will last you many passport stamps to come. But even if your  funds are lacking, stylish luggage can still be found. Why not search Ebay for vintage hat boxes and vanity cases, browse your local flea market for pre-loved suitcases whose used status just lend you travel-cred, or trawl for handmade beauties on Etsy.com (I fell in love with this one, and this one, oh, and this one too).

Still not convinced? Be inspired by the lavish luggage below.

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When it comes to Thailand, there are several destinations that seem to get all the press; Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Ko Samui. The last is one of the better known of the southern islands and has long been the starting point for island-hoppers and destination of choice for honeymooners and the Euro Jet Set. Ko Samui has a lot going for it, but if you think of it as the classic It Girl of the Thailand islands, then Ko Pha Ngan is the very cool, slightly rebellious younger sister.

Just 45 minutes by ferry from Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan is best known for its monthly infamous party celebrating the full moon. Urban mythology insists that this party institution began as a secret gathering of backpackers-in-the-know. Pioneers of island-hopping the untouched beaches of Thailand’s south, these travelers would gather under the full moon on secret beaches to do… well, let the tales of primal debauchery speak for themselves. But as a character in Alex Garland’s best selling book The Beach laments, “There is no way you can keep it out of Lonely Planet, and once that happens it’s countdown to doomsday”. And so was the case for the original Full Moon Party, once word got out, along came the commercialization of the party, as did every gap-yearer. And come they did, in hordes. These days, islands in Thailand’s south host parties to celebrate the full moon, half moon or any slither of a moon. But Ko Phga Ngan remains the official owner of the modern day incarnation of the Full Moon Party.

For a few days each month before the full moon, the ferries groan under the weight of extra passengers, the hotels raise their prices and every where you look, holiday makers are clutching their ‘buckets’. Plastic containers filled with juice, soft drink, multiple straws and of course, your alcoholic spirits of choice. The excitement increases until the night itself and the party is no short affair, with after parties for the after parties. This night can be the memory of a lifetime, or end incredibly messy (Full Moon-induced psychosis has temporarily claimed the sanity of more than just a  few party-goers). As one Aussie ex-pat living on the island explained to me ‘This island is a place of peace and calm most of the time, and the party can be a great. But some months, we witness things that truly are Sodom & Gomorrah’.

But chances are, you have heard the stories of the Full Moon Party, you’ve seen the photos, heck you may even have the t-shirt, but what of Ko Pha Ngan aside from this monthly ritual? (more…)

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…

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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!

One of my favourite weekly (if not daily!) reads is Icing by Gala Darling. She writes beautifully and has a unique voice that entices me back to her site again and again.

This week, Gala has put together a wonderfully comprehensive post on ‘How to Have the Best Holiday Ever’

It is a fabulous read for all champagne travellers and there are lots of points I couldn’t agree with more, such as:

• Allow yourself to be swept away
• Learn some local phrases

I would also add:

• Decide to have the time of your life.

This would tie in with the idea of allowing yourself to be swept away.

So many unexpected things can happen when you’re travelling but how we respond to these situations has little to do with the circumstances themselves and more to do with our perspective towards them.

Bus broken down on the way to your next destination? Stuck on the side of the road for 6 hours with a bunch of strangers? This could be a fantastic opportunity to make some amazing friends, hear tales from around the world and have a hilarious story to tell everyone back home. This same situation could also have you complaining and grumbling for the next 6 hours on how this would never happen where you come from or something as equally painful for everyone around you.

And the wonderful thing about perspective? We are each completely in control of it and we have the daily choice of what our perspective will be. Some of the most interesting and inspiring people that I have met whilst travelling (and in life in general) are people that have an amazingly positive perspective. They are a dream to travel & ‘do life’ with.

Decide in advance to have a fabulous holiday and chances are you will!

What tips would you add? Would love to hear from you in the comments…

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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