you seen how much accommodation in Canberra is??.
I think it is the most overpriced of all.
go figure.
OK - perhaps I should be multi-quoting but I couldn't be bothered
here at work our accommodation allowance for Sydney is lower than Brisbane and Canberra
Ms Shuttergirl - I used to think about Uluru like you - I always thought there would be nothing there - hot dusty nothing to do. I was really really surprised at how much I enjoyed it! Lots of great wildlife, plants, indigenous culture, rock stories, Kata Juta is right there and the walks through there are fantastic. The Voyager accommodation area is really great. be prepared to give it a 2nd chance
so holidays - ummmm - I suppose I'm one of those who go every year. So I have no kids. I have a good job. I haven't planned on going but every year the discount has gotten better than the previous year! I admit - rather than saving the savings I just upgrade the trip! e.g. This coming trip started with the cheap Dallas fare - instead of sitting in economy I upgraded to PE.
I admit that I am not doing somethings that perhaps are financially more sensible to do - like preparing for my retirement! I am going to have to stop at some point - although I am planning a big trip for 2014 and trying to get all my Zonta friends to go
I have started my 2014 planning already: http://mrsbanksgoestoconvention.blogspot.com/
It was more a "general" question and conversation.
Although, we could point fingers at Shushh and PIO.
They are my travellingheroes.
OMG! Singled out!
And I think we've had this conversation before....
My travelling has been done over a 25 year period, which is why I've finally had to step up to celebrating the 30th birthday (anniversary) at the last birthday. Couldn't keep saying I was celebrating my 21st birthday (anniversary) any more...
The last 10 years, I've been really lucky. DH's job is based in Silicon Valley but we choose to live here.
He travels at least twice to four times a year and DS and I have been making the most of the opportunity. Plus until the last 18 months, the company policy was to travel Qantas. So, the Frequent Flyer points piled up and after about 4 or 5 trips, there was enough points for a free tix.
We've always tried to combine a bit of business with pleasure; but not too often because we don't want to abuse the work tolerance, for DH. We've added on 3 or 4 weeks to his work trips twice or three times in the last 10 years and used San Francisco as a launching pad for seeing another quadrant of the US. It's worked pretty well for us.
Othertimes, DH has gone for work; and DS and I have just gone to San Francisco to just hang out there, which is why I know the city and the Silicon Valley area pretty well. Afterall, when you don't have accommodation and car hire to worry about, one ticket paid for work, another by FF and only one ticket to spring for, it is a completely different equation. Wouldn't you capitalise on the situation too?
The last 12 months was an anomaly where we planned a family vacay at the World in May 2010. We didn't even have a work trip to plan around....
And then we came back and found out that DH had to go to Coronado Springs Resort for a 3 day conference, plus 2 days at SF. I couldn't work out babysitting for DS fast enough for that Oct 2010 trip!
And DH had to go back to San Francisco for work in Jan 2011. It was school holidays and I needed to take the time off to look after DS anyway. We just decided to add 5 days to the start of the work trip and ended up with 10 days in California.
I'd go back to Europe in a heartbeat...but when the US opportunities come our way, we never say no....unless finances are such that we decide not to.
Yes, I'm lucky...but I'm also a good saver. We're a pretty boring family in real life and stay home a lot. We don't have many other vices; other than travelling (except I seem to have picked up photography last year)...and we also like cheap eats.
I also change money into US$ every 2 or 3 months depending on the exchange rate because we know that DH could use it on a trip sometime. Invariable I end up with spending money already saved up that we don't need to find at the last minute, which helps with the decision making question of to go or not to go.
. I don't remember the previous conversation but apologise again she says as she scurries away with her tail between her legs
You have a steel trap for a memory
)
Have I discussed this before?!?!? I must have. Surely...
you will know that I still look for and thrive on finding discounts and bargains! You will probably also notice that we tend to plan our holidays quite far away. DH needs the time to give notice that he will be away, re-shuffle on-calls etc By the time, we get to our holiday, we have usually paid most of it off. This helps when planning the next one!
I've started a small photography business but I'm not taking many clients. It's enough though for our spending money and dh has had a fairly good year with his plumbing business. We will be able to save up enough for the trip, but not much more so the visa card won't go down much. It would be sooooo nice to have an empty visa and be able to buy the kids cotton candy and churro's whenever they like. We're trying to skimp a little now so we can enjoy it then.
. That really resonates with me., hence me wanting to fit in as many trips as possible .
For us, this will be the culmination of 18months of planning and saving.
Wouldnt it be boring to have all the money in the world and just decide "we want to go to WDW" head down to flight centre (or the like) and next month youre off!
I think you would miss so much not researching and planning, and meeting lovely peeps on the net.
Our planning started after spending last easter at the Gold Coast, our kids were 12 & 14 and we had such a great time and we thought they were the perfect age. Unfortunately when it takes two years to plan and save for the trip the kids are two years older and I have been worried that they may be too old for Disney. We did discuss it and they assure me they are just as excited to go as I am.
I have a detailed spreadsheet of what we are spending, I have included our ETSA fee, travel insurance, tickets for Cirque Du Soleil, Kennedy ,and Universal, hire car and taxi fare estimates, just about everything I can think of, and I am up to $22k -I dont think that is too bad to take a family of 5 (adults)to WDW, 8nights, a Carribean cruise 7nights (2 balcony cabins), NYC 4nights, and Hard Rock Hotel 4nights -We have free dining and food is included in our cruise, so I dont expect we will need too much spending money. (shopping at the malls is a different budget)
I never dared dream we would be taking such a trip, I really thought it was out of our budget, I thought just a trip to DL would cost $30k. I have to say the exchange rate has helped, we wouldnt be going if it were costing twice as much.
As much as I would have loved to take the children when they were younger I am sort of looking forward to when we can travel without them. (or when they pay for themselves
Then I think we will go every year!
I'd be happy to have that kind of boring in my life
This will be our 4th trip in 4 years and to be honest, we can't afford it
Our first trip in 2008, my mum looked after the two babies for 10 days and we took our two big boys, we had frequent flyer points so only paid $400 for each flight. We stayed at the fairfield inn.(I think)
The next year we couldn't resist the amazing airfares and on the last day of the sale, after ummming and ahring, we bought tickets for the six of us. Adults were about $600 each and the kids were about $500. A week later we mentioned it to my mum and she bought a ticket for $800 to join us. (we stayed at hojo's with the annual passport discount)
The next year, we were totally addicted and my dh was about to turn 40. We'd been together for 20 years and it was our 15 year wedding anniversary. Mum offered to babysit the kids and we went to Disneyland alone. Dh surprised me with a stay at the grand Californian. We had an awesome time.
This year though, the guilt and addiction has gotten to us, we feel bad for not bringing the kids last year and we really really want to go again. We can't afford it, but we're going. We have a nearly full Visa card but we're ignoring that and figure we'll pay for that next year
I really don't plan another trip until my 40th, which will be in 2014. I'm hoping the bug won't hit us again and that we'll have a chance to pay the visa card off. I really want to splurge in 2014. It will be our first trip to Disney World and we are going to get a camper and drive across the country and see the grand canyon and jellystone national park as well as a few day at disneyland.
Sorry for the long post, and if there is any spelling errors it's because I've had 2 glasses of wine due to a rough afternoon with the kidlings.
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