If you followed me
over from travel mi amor then you know travel is a passion of mine. Some months
I would link up with some lovely ladies from overseas where we would all post
on the designated topic for the month. This month is Travel Contrasts and I
will be talking about Luxury vs. Budget travel. We have done both - and we love
both!
Budget Travel
Budget travel is a
no brainier for obvious reasons, it doesn’t cost much. But most people think
that budget travel means visiting a beach or lake 3 hours from their house or
even doing a stay-cation. READ MY TEXT - You can travel to nice places on a
budget, it just takes planning. Here comes my soapbox talk on rewards points.
Our last vacation to Hawaii was almost 100% booked with rewards points. The
only things we paid for was our rental cars, inter-island flights (which could
be booked with points) and our AirBnB rental. Our flights to and from the main
land were booked with rewards points and so was our hotel stay on one island.
What is the main
reason to go to Hawaii? The beaches; and guess what - they are all FREE! All
beaches in Hawaii are public beaches. There is also plenty of hiking you can do
for free on all of the islands! Hawaii is actually really budget friendly if
you plan it right.
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| {the beautiful garden at our AirBnB house, our 'welcome' treats} |
Luxury Travel
Our trip to Europe
in 2014 was pretty luxurious one might think. We flew business class there and
back (but with rewards points so that was free), we took a coach tour of Europe
via Trafalgar, and we stayed one extra night in Paris in a hotel room with a
view of the Eiffel Tower. It's probably safe to say that that hotel room was
the most we have ever paid for a room. But it was worth every penny and for
just one night! We were upgraded to the Executive Suite where we had an
inviting jetted tub, comfy bed and a two story terrace with views of the Eiffel
Tower and Sacré-Cœur in the distance. Once we were checked into our room in the
late afternoon we only left to grab a few bottles of wine for the night. Who
would want to leave that view?!
If you want to join
the link up head on over to Around the World in 80 Pairs of Shoes and post your
link on her blog :)
We are on the same wavelength - use the points that business travel means you collect and enjoy the finer things! That leaves more budget for a few special treats! But even budget can be nice - it just takes as you say, more planning to find the right place
ReplyDeleteThat view would definitely be impossible to leave...!
ReplyDeleteSo right there with you on rewards points. I used to work with some folks who were mighty envious of our vacations and liked to be snide about our vacations. I ended up writing a whole post about how to see more places that way. It's actually the most popular post on my blog now!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check that out! After discovering how to use points I don't think we'll ever pay for another vacation again!
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