Travel Dreams and Travel Reality
It's tough out there. Difficult to make a living and pay for basic expenses let alone even think of spending money on travel. Travel has always been one of my "basic necessities" and the current climate means I have to dig even deeper and cut more corners to afford this important part of my life.
While trying to find creative ways to economize, brochures keep arriving in the mail with offers that, I believe, are not only way beyond the realms of normality or what people can afford and make me wonder:
- How the heck did my name ever get on these lists? and
- What are these operators thinking? Perhaps they should ease up on heavy tranquilizers and take the needles out of their arms...
Here are a few of their ideas of what "normal" people can afford let alone in a tough economic environment...
- Abercrombie & Kent has Norway sledding with dogs and reindeer. This 8 day trip runs from $15,205 per person or take the Trail of the Polar Bear, another 8 nights from $14,420 per person. (notice the ...from...);
- Book a room at either Le Taha'a Resort, Polynesia or Sandy Lane, Barbados - both approximately $1,000 plus a night (breakfast only included). How about a villa at the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort for only, $6,924 per villa per night. Another idea, a four-night Amazon River Explorer Cruise $2,800 per person based on double occupancy (remember, that's for four nights);
- Rent a private jet to Aspen for $22,770 round trip; and the ultimate two...
- Would have to be a toss-up between the Virgin Galactic spaceship and Christina O. Book your 2010 Virgin suborbital flight and just sell your house, car and belongings (move into a cardboard box) to afford the $200,000 per person price tag on this literally "out of the world" experience. The other one is...charter the "Christina O" (remember Aristotle Onassis' super yacht?) and take 36 of your nearest and dearest friends at the rock-bottom price of $56,826 PER DAY!
If you know anyone who can actually afford these trips, lucky you. Perhaps they will invite you along as a guest and take me with! (I would be a very good guest and not cause any problems.) Otherwise consider a few of my budget picks other than an all-inclusive with two great operators, G.A.P Adventures and Adventure Center. Between these two, there are thousands of inexpensive picks covering the globe and if you can't find something to interest you and within your budget, well...I give up. Do the math and even paying the sometimes expensive air fare (consider using your air miles for free travel), an exotic locale vacation can cost less.
G.A.P Adventures...
- 14 days "Roam Bangkok to Singapore" including Bangkok, Southern Thailand beaches, Penang, Cameron Highlands, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Singapore, $900 U.S./person...
- 8 days "Northern Hilltribes and Villages" in Thailand from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on sale for $422 U.S./person leaving in February...
- 8 days "Costa Rica on a Shoestring" including San José, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Cahuita, Tortuguero National Park...
Adventure Center (surf more than 2,000 trips located on the side bar) -
- 12 days "Conquistadores & Old Castile" from $1,310 U.S./person visiting Madrid, Segovia, Avila, Salamanca...
- 15 days "Deserts and Kasbahs" $1,300 U.S./per person visiting Casablanca, Fes, the Sahara and Marrakech. By the way, ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I are planning to take this trip Fall, 2009...
- 16 days "Turkey Explored" from $1,130 U.S./per person exploring Istanbul, Gallipoli, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Cappadocia and the Lycian coast.
Don't all these tours sound exciting? Keep your eyes peeled for last minute availability when tour operators cut prices even further to fill up a departure. Thrifty Sheila says you do not have to spend a fortune to travel...and if you can hack backpacking and/or staying in hostels, it's possible to slash the above costs in half. Happy travels!
