Search Results for: itinerary

Australia, You’re a Beauty

December 2, 2015

Before this trip to Australia, New Zealand and Bali, I thought for sure New Zealand would be our favorite spot of the trip. Australia, for me, was a nice couple of stops on the itinerary but I wasn’t super excited about it. I don’t know exactly why, but Australia was never very high towards the top of my travel list. But often as it goes, those are the places that blow you away and that become your favorite, such was the case with Australia. We visited both Sydney and Melbourne on this trip, as well as a long day drive along the Great Ocean Road about 2-3 hours from Melbourne. Each place had its own unique feel, but the whole way, everything screamed “You’re in Australia!”

More than a few times, Nick and I looked at each other and said, “I love Australia!” It’s a country that at first feels like a healthy mix of Europe and the US, with an accent you can’t help but love. But as you dig further, you’ll find that the locals are genuinely welcoming, gracious and lovely, like the lady that helped us at the Information Desk in Lorne on the Great Ocean Road and when she heard we were looking for Koalas in the wild, got super excited and pointed it out on the map telling us there would be “loads of them” there. And the landscape, that’s where I feel like Australia blew everything out of the water! From the ferry ride from Sydney to Manly beach, where you take in all sorts of coastlines: beaches, cliffs, forests, to the drive along the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne. Perhaps our favorite of the trip, the Great Ocean Road was one of those places where we just kept saying, “wow we’re in Australia.” It was exactly what we wanted Australia to feel and look like: jungles, sweeping coastlines, rolling farmland, forests, red clay dirt; the landscape was so diverse and yet so unique to the country we were in.

I think perhaps that I wasn’t looking so forward to Australia because I thought I knew what to expect. And in a way, I think that’s why I loved it so much. It was exactly what I wanted and needed on this trip. It was everything my expectations were and much much more!

Australia, you’re a beauty and I know we’ll be back. And in the coming weeks, I can’t wait to share all about our time there!

How Much Money Do You Really Need to Travel to Europe?

October 13, 2015

When it comes to travel, it still does take money to be able to do it. No matter how many flights or hotels you get on points or miles, at the end of the day you still need money when you get to your destination or to the pay the taxes and fees on those points-booked-trips. But how much money do you really need to travel? How much do things really cost? This totally depends on where you go and how you travel, but for today, let’s talk about traveling to Europe from the US. I’m particularly looking at heading to Europe from the West Coast of the US as that’s what I do most often, so from other areas of the US it might be a bit different but generally not that much. So let’s talk about budgets and how much money do you really need to travel to Europe.

(PS, of course I’m being totally transparent here and this is from my own travels and experiences, so it will always be different than everyone in different circumstances. While we definitely save money in certain areas of travel, we also might spend more than others in other areas. So take this and adjust according to your own budgets and travel accordingly.)

FLIGHTS

Ok, starting with your transportation to get to Europe. We generally fly direct to Europe (usually to London Heathrow, Paris CDG, or Amsterdam Schipol) from either LAX or Sea-Tac airports as those are the main hubs we prefer on the West Coast. Seattle is easier for us, but it doesn’t have as many options as LAX, so we find what works best with connections and such and usually go through one or the other based on circumstances. But if we’re paying out right for flights (not using points which we’re doing more and more) we plan on around $1,000 per ticket in economy in shoulder and high season and a bit less (around $800-$900) for off season fares. Now with that said, you can find amazing deals and we do often for way less than that. With airlines like Norwegian and Iceland Air offering incredible fares from the West Coast, we use those as well to save money. (Norwegian often offers fares like $300 one way from LAX to Europe and Iceland Air flies out of Seattle and Portland for us and usually offers fares like $400-$500 one way to Europe through Iceland).

If you’re looking at Premium Economy to upgrade a bit, plan on around $1,600-$1,800 per ticket.

Another tip to save money, to get to those major hub airports like Sea-Tac or LAX (or wherever you fly out of) if you don’t live there, use miles on your loyalty airline to book your tickets there and home. We fly Alaska domestically, so we always use points for those flights to and from, that way you’re just paying the base fare from the hub airport to Europe and nothing for the connections from your home city.

HOTELS

Hotels are tricky because they are so different in cost wherever you go. But let’s stick with the main hub cities like Amsterdam, Paris and London. In big tourist cities like that you’re going to pay more. For us, we really like a good hotel so we budget more. If you don’t really care where you stay or want to opt for AirBnB or other accommodation options you can get a lot cheaper. But for us, we like to budget a little more for our experience. We budget between $150-$300 per night for hotels, based on location and our overall trip itinerary. Sometimes we’ll opt for a cheaper place in one city so we can splurge on a better hotel in another. But I try to not go much higher than $300 a night for hotel because there are so many great options out there for under that amount.

MONEY WHILE ON THE GROUND

We like to use cash when we travel, so I take out cash before we leave at my bank in the local currency. That way you aren’t charged fees from local ATM’s or currency exchanges at your destination. For the amount of money you need while on the ground in your destination, we generally budget about $1000 for a week to 10 days of travel in Europe. That will cover everything day to day: activities, tickets, food, tips, etc. Once on the ground we use only our “trip money” which we save all year in a separate savings account for trips, and that way when we get home we have nothing to pay off on our credit cards.

This also really depends on where you go, for example when in larger cities like Paris or London, we usually use all of that cash. On our recent trip through Spain and Portugal though, we came home with extra since everything was cheaper. So it totally depends on where you go.

A final tip on this, try to use up all your coins while on your trip before coming home. Often times most currency exchanges in the US and banks won’t buy back foreign coins and sometimes a handful of Euro or pound coins can add up to quite a bit considering they can be $1 or $2 per coin. So if you end up at the end with a bunch of foreign coins, use them before getting on the plane!

TOTAL EXPENSES

Ok so looking at this as if you were to pay for everything on your trip (which we hardly ever do anymore, when you factor in points and such), for a 10 day trip to Europe with airfare, hotels, activities, food, etc., we budget spending between $4,000 and $6,000 depending on time of year, length of the trip and where we’re headed.

CONSIDERATIONS / HOW TO SAVE

Now as I mentioned, we never spend that on a trip. That’s why it’s so important, if you want to travel often, to understand how to use points, loyalty programs, blogging perks and whatever else is at your disposal to cut that cost. Sometimes we walk away from a trip paying out of pocket barely anything, other times it’s a real mix of paying versus using points/rewards. I’m a big believer in using your points and miles to the most advantage and learning how to do that takes time and research. So if you want to travel but can’t afford that price tag above, don’t worry! There are lots of ways to cut that cost in half or even less and still have an incredible trip staying in nice hotels and flying good airlines. That’s what Land of Marvels is all about, helping everyone be able to travel and do it economically.

I have lots of posts about how to save throughout my archives, but if you’re curious about anything in particular, leave a question in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer it in a future post!

Travel Tips : How to Maximize Your Time Traveling

September 29, 2015

I hear a lot, “how can you guys see so much in such a short amount of time when you travel?” It’s true, Nick and I don’t do long term travel. Even our 2 long trips each year (usually in the Spring and Fall) are usually no longer than 10 days. In those trips we’re able to usually see at least 3-4 cities and multiple countries, depending on our itinerary. In our shorter trips, often we do long weekends and still see quite a bit. Even then we try to see as much as we can. There are lots of ways to really maximize your time traveling so that you see all that you want to, even if you’re not in a place for weeks at a time and here’s how!

Do your research and plan out an itinerary.

I’m a big believer in having a plan. Before we head somewhere I do all the relevant research needed and make a day by day itinerary. While we may alter our plans while traveling, having an itinerary with well researched items really helps us to see as much as we can. I organize days be neighborhoods near each other or what makes the most sense time-wise, that way we’re not wasting a ton of time in transit or getting from place to place. Try to have as much detail as possible so that when you get there, you don’t waste time thinking about what you’re going to do today. Also be detailed about how long it takes to get from place A to place B, so you can figure out how much time it’s going to take and be aware of how much of your trip that will take up. (I shared a little more about my itineraries here.)

Don’t worry about seeing it all.

One thing Nick and I do a little differently than a lot of other people we know that travel, we don’t worry about seeing everything, even some of the big tourist attractions in places. For us, travel isn’t always about seeing everything that the guidebook says to, it’s about doing your research and narrowing it down to the places that are of interest to you or that will mean the most to you. It’s ok to not see everything and in the meantime, you’ll see what you want or need to and be able to maximize your time better.

Know that you can always go back.

The mindset that you have to see everything and squeeze everything in while traveling because you’ll never be there again doesn’t appeal to me. I like to really feel a place, understand it’s vibe, and get to know it instead of running around crazy squeezing everything in and rather, I subscribe to the thought that I can always go back. Travel shouldn’t be about a once time experience, but rather about knowing that if you find a place you like, that you want to see again, that opportunity is open to you.

The Nine Streets in Amsterdam

September 15, 2015

The majority of our short trip to Amsterdam was spent just wandering. Before we left, Nick and I specifically knew we didn’t want to have any plans, just to wander the canals and walk hand in hand without any itinerary. And that’s exactly what we did. Any tourist coming to Amsterdam is coming to see the beautiful canal lined streets, the gorgeous brick row houses and the bridges upon bridges upon bridges. We were no different. Even though we’ve been to Amsterdam previously, Amsterdam’s Nine Streets are perhaps some of the most scenic spots of a city I’ve seen in my travels. From the leaning row houses to the bridges that light up at night, Amsterdam’s Nine Streets are not to be missed on your itinerary for the Netherlands.

This area in the famous canal belt of the city is lined with trees and bicycles and home to many people in the city. It’s the perfect place to just wander and take it all in. Also amazing here, are the tiny little alleyways you’ll find nestled in off the canals, totally empty but remarkable all the same. So if you find yourself in Amsterdam, don’t miss a wander through the Nine Streets area of the city!

Traveling to The Netherlands?

See all of my posts on the country!

Travel Tips : How to Do a Long Weekend in Europe

September 8, 2015

Having just returned from a long weekend in Europe, it dawned on me that I think this is the first time we’ve done that in a true 3-day weekend and not taking an extra day or two on the end of it. Over Labor Day this weekend though we squeezed in a trip to Amsterdam leaving Friday night and arriving home Monday which was a true long weekend in Europe without taking any vacation days. A lot of people might be wondering how to do a long weekend in Europe and I’m here to share my tips.

We booked this trip super last minute as a celebration of some big professional milestones this Summer and for Nick and I to just really spend time together someplace unique with no emails, no work calls, just enjoying each other’s company. Though as we wandered the canals of Amsterdam this weekend I got to thinking what makes a long weekend in Europe successful and how to do it to your best advantage. So here’s how to do a long weekend in Europe and make it work!

1. Book direct flights.

To make the most of your time wherever you’re headed, for a quick weekend, booking direct flights makes all the difference. We flew Seattle to Amsterdam on the way (opting for better flight times out of Seattle) and direct Amsterdam to Portland on the way home, which made all the difference. It cut out all that extra time that you’d spend transferring through multiple airports and it’s one of the reasons we chose Amsterdam for this quick weekend. Book direct flights to wherever you’re headed.

2. Stick to one destination.

For a quick long weekend getaway in Europe, stick with one destination. Don’t try to fit in visits to a whole bunch of different places (even though it’s tempting). Pick 1 city or 1 destination and stay there.

3. Pick a destination that you’ve visited before.

To really make the most of your time, it helps to pick a place you’ve visited before, even if for just a short time. We were in Amsterdam last October for a couple days, so we knew the layout of the city and had a good idea of what our time there would be like. It’s harder to do a quick long weekend escape to someplace you’ve never been since you’ll spend so much more time trying to get your bearings.

4. Just wander.

Usually when we travel we have an itinerary for each day which gives us an idea of what we’re doing or where we’re heading. For a long weekend getaway, just wander. Throw the itinerary out the window and just take it all in around you. To make the most of your short time in a destination, just wander.

5. Stay close to the city center.

Picking a place to stay for a quick long weekend getaway to Europe is really important. The location where you base yourself in a destination will allow you to see the most you can, so base yourself in the city center, close to where you’ll be exploring so that you don’t waste time in transit.

Australia, You’re a Beauty