Is Cheap Travel Possible?

Hi Friends,

Majority of us love travel to as many countries as possible, but is often limited by funds. Is cheap travel possible?

Yes, I definitely think so. Cheap travel is very possible if:-

1) You travel by budget airlines

2) You stay in 3 star budget hotel accommodations

3) You eat out at local cafe or the street stalls

4) Your home currency is stronger than the currency of the country you are visiting.

But…if you really love travel, do you always want to find the cheapest travel?

I think the beauty of travel is to enjoy the local lifestyle there, to relax, to reflect one’s life journey, to learn about new culture, to talk to the local people, to experience the local attractions and to reward one’s good work for the year.

By only able to travel cheap, are we missing out any part of tourist attractions?

Please do not misunderstand that I dislike cheap travel.

I do take budget flights to Hong Kong; I do take 3 star hotel accommodation in Bangkok.

But… after rounds of traveling, I know good travel means spending travel budget in the areas that mean the most to you.

For example, I will rather take budget flights and allocate more travel funds to better hotels. Yes, I know most travelers feel that hotel accommodation is just for spending a night in overseas.

For me, knowing that I can return to a clean and comfortable hotel room for rest after a long day of walking makes me feel happy.

When I am traveling, I love to eat the local food. Local food is usually the best and cheaper in foreign country. So, you will find me hitting the local Hong Kong cafe instead of finding me at a Japanese restaurant.

However, that does not mean I won’t eat at restaurant. I will still cater some travel budget to dine in the recommended restaurants to taste the local cuisine.

As for shopping, I used to buy things when they are cheap. I stopped doing this for the past years because I usually end up concluding that the cheap clothing, cheap footwear, cheap bags do not really last or fit me.

Now, I search for value buys. For example, if a Japanese tourists come to Singapore, they must buy Louis Vuitton bags because this brand is cheaper in Singapore.

In Hong Kong, I saw many mainland China Chinese queuing up outside Louis Vuitton boutique. When I check with your local, I realised that the mainland China Chinese are not sure if the Louis Vuitton they can buy back in China is real or not. Thus, many of the richer China Chinese are flocking to Hong Kong to purchase these branded goods.

If you are traveling to Hong Kong, hit the shopping at Citigate Shopping Mall. There, you can find many branded goods. I got my coach bags there. Local clothes brands that are value for money in Hong Kong include Giordano, Bossini, Wanko, Veeko and Espirit. I love shopping in Hong Kong!

So.. when you next want to find cheap travel, think again? Why not ask yourself how can you allocate your travel budget to the areas that mean most to you!

Happy traveling!

Cheers,

Karen