Holiday hacks

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thrifty++
Posts: 1171
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 3:46 pm

Holiday hacks

Post by thrifty++ »

Im very much feeling I need to take a holiday during winter somewhere warm. In August. Its been 4 almost years since I had a proper holiday. Nowhere in NZ is warm enough in winter for that so it means I would need to leave the country. I need somewhere with sun and at least 21 degrees celsius. What are some hacks and strategies and ideas to get the costs low on this? I am thinking probably a holiday of a duration of from 1 to 2 weeks.

distracted_at_work
Posts: 202
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 11:51 am

Re: Holiday hacks

Post by distracted_at_work »

I'd read https://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/ - Will has some great destination ideas, cheap travel tips and entertaining stories, if nothing else.

What I do.... look into credit card offers available. Travel in the shoulder season. Fly on a Tuesday/Wednesday both ways. I imagine NZ is similar to Canada, i.e. most expensive flights in the world, so getting this done cheap will be important. Be flexible in where you travel to. Don't get hammered every day (that may be advice specific for myself). Negotiate hard for nearly everything. Start at a hub and listen to where other travelers had the best luck/most fun. Book nothing except flights and your first night's stay in advance (only do-able in shoulder season), figure everything else out on the fly. Try to learn some local language. Sure, you can sound stupid but I've found you get respect for trying which leads to not getting ripped off.

For example, I wanted to go to Nicaragua. There are cheap direct flights from Calgary to Liberia, Costa Rica on Westjet in April (shoulder season). This was $600 cheaper than flying into Nicaragua in exchange for a border crossing and bus ride. I found the Westjet Mastercard and was approved for a free $150 off (after paying the cc fee, oops).

For NZ my gut tells me you'd need to find the cheapest flight to an Asian hub and take Air Asia flights from there.

ducknalddon
Posts: 249
Joined: Fri May 20, 2016 5:55 am

Re: Holiday hacks

Post by ducknalddon »

We keep our holidays cheap by not travelling too far, travelling out of season, choosing self catering accommodation, shopping around and keeping to free activities like walking.

saving-10-years
Posts: 554
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:37 am
Location: Warwickshire, UK

Re: Holiday hacks

Post by saving-10-years »

Recommend finding somewhere to stay where some level of self-catering is possible. Staying in a hotel room with kitchenette or an airbnb type stay with access to or its own kitchen will really reduce your costs. Done this in Japan, US and around UK and Europe (UK-based). Initially we required self-catering as DS had multiple food allergies when younger and most restaurants were unable to cater for this. It may just be a strange trait of mine but I now enjoy shopping in local stores and markets for local food when away from home. There are subtle but significant differences and its part of learning about the local culture for me.

BRUTE
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Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2015 5:20 pm

Re: Holiday hacks

Post by BRUTE »

thailand

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Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: Holiday hacks

Post by Ego »

Jetstar to Bali.

Riggerjack
Posts: 3182
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 3:09 am

Re: Holiday hacks

Post by Riggerjack »

Life is short. Why live where the weather in not to your liking? If NZ doesn't get warm enough, how about northern Australia/southern Asia? Are your skills not transferable? For that matter, California seems popular with warm weather types. And you would have the advantage of having a cool accent...

thrifty++
Posts: 1171
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 3:46 pm

Re: Holiday hacks

Post by thrifty++ »

Ego wrote:Jetstar to Bali.
I am actually thinking of Bali as one option. Despite being frugal though I will never again go on Shitstar. It will reduce my quality of life too much. I see that as cheap rather than a hack lol.
Riggerjack wrote:Life is short. Why live where the weather in not to your liking? If NZ doesn't get warm enough, how about northern Australia/southern Asia? Are your skills not transferable? For that matter, California seems popular with warm weather types. And you would have the advantage of having a cool accent...
On an annual basis weather is actually fantastic. "Winter" as such doesnt really happen. Generally its between 10 degrees and 16 degrees celsius for most of the from June to August. However I still feel like I will need a mid winter sun snap. I just generally dislike cold weather or very hot weather for lengthy periods. I would never live in Northern Australia or southern Asia. That intense tropical heat and humidity is awful for long periods of time. Only short holidays. Southern California definitely appeals though. Thats a place which I think would have better weather. But would rather be near family and friends. Am happy here but I think every now and again I need to have a mid winter exit.

distracted_at_work
Posts: 202
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 11:51 am

Re: Holiday hacks

Post by distracted_at_work »

If you end up planning Bali and want some specific advice, send me a pm. I was there two years ago and loved it! Highly recommend.

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