Backpacking Europe, Japan and more

Tiger Airways : 2 Flights for the Price of 1 Promotion

2012-08-14T03:05:00.002-07:00

Tiger Airways : 2 Flights for the Price of 1 Promotion

Booking period : 14 - 16 Aug 2912
Travelling period : 27 Aug - 8 Nov 2012

2 Flights for the price of 1*

Travel from singapore to: Bangkok, Taipei, Perth, Hong Kong, Phnom Penh and many more!

Travel to Singapore from: India, Jakarta, Thailand, China, Vietnam and many more!

* Free airfare for every 2nd passenger excludes airport tax. Terms & conditions apply.

Hurry, for 3 days only! Don't miss out on this great deal!

via Tiger Airways

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AirAsia Best ASEAN Connection Promotion! All-In-Fare from USD10

2012-08-06T18:40:00.003-07:00

AirAsia Best ASEAN Connection Promotion

Booking period : 6 - 12 Aug 2012
Travelling period : 1 Nov 2012 - 31 Jan 2013

Best ASEAN Connection! All-In-Fare from USD10
Fly from Kuala Lumpur to Bali, Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, Jakarta, Medan, Clark, Langkawi, Siem Reap and more!

Hurry, for a limited time only! Don't miss out on this great deal!

Do you like this promotion?

AirAsia Year-End Holiday Sale

2012-07-29T21:38:00.001-07:00

Booking period : 30 Jul - 5 Aug 2012
Travelling period : 1 Nov 2012 - 31 Jan 2013

AirAsia Year-End Holiday Sale from USD10 (all-in fare)

Fly from Kuala Lumpur

Bali
Bangkok
Dad Nang
Hat Yai
Phnom Penh
Penang
Shenzhen
Singapore
Vientiane
Yogyakarta

Hurry, for a limited time only! Don't miss out on this great deal!

Do you like AirAsia 2012 Year-End Holiday Sale promotion?

AirAsiaGo.com Big Hotel Sale: FLIGHT + 3N Stay + All Taxes from AU$369

2012-07-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

Booking period : 16 - 22 July 2012
Travelling / Staying period : 4 Jan - 22 May 2013

AirAsiaGo.com Big Hotel Sale: FLIGHT + 3N Stay + All Taxes from AU$369

Save 15% when key in promo code " BHS1607"

Hurry, for a limited time only! Don't miss out on this great deal!

Click to view promotion page

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Tune Hotel: Get a Value Getaway from USD6!

2012-07-15T20:13:00.002-07:00

Booking period : 16 - 20 July 2012
Staying period : 1 Jan - 31 May 2013

Get a Value Getaway in hotels from USD6!
Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, United Kingdom

Hurry, for a limited time only! Don't miss out on this great deal!

Visit Tune Hotel.com

Find out also AirAsia World's Best Ever Sale from 16 - 22 July 2012!

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AirAsia World's Best Ever Sale from USD8!

2012-07-14T21:07:00.001-07:00

Booking period : Starts 00:00hrs (GMT+8) 16 July - 22 July 2012
Travelling period : 4 January 2013 – 22 May 2013

For BIG Card VISA prepaid card members, AirAsia is giving you Priority Booking on 15 July 2012, 12:00 hours (GMT+8) at www.airasia.com!

AirAsia wants to thank everyone for making them your choice as Skytrax World's Best Low-Cost Airline for the 4th year running + Aviation Week's 'Top-Performing Airline 2012'!

Fly to Alor Setar, Sibu, Medan, Jakarta, Clark, Puerto Princesa, Krabi, Surat Thani, Macau from as low as USD8 (all-in-fare)!

For more information, visit AirAsia.com !

Do you like AirAsia Promotion?

AirAsiaGo.com : Ultimate Holiday Deals - Hotel Rooms from USD10

2012-07-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Booking period : Now - 15 July 2012
Travelling period : 15 July - 31 Oct 2012

AirAsiaGo.com : Ultimate Holiday Deals - Hotel Rooms from USD10

Hotels in Malaysia
Hotels in Indonesia
Hotels in Thailand
Hotels in Singapore
Hotels in Philippines
Hotels in Hong Kong

Check out the deals at AirAsiaGo.com

FlyScoot Promo Fares (11 - 13 July 2012)

2012-07-11T00:10:00.000-07:00

Booking period:
11 July (0900hrs GMT +8) - 13 July (2359hrs GMT +8) 2012

Bangkok to:
~ Singapore from THB 1,950

Gold Coast to:
~ Singapore from AUD 99

Singapore to:
~ Bangkok from SGD 49
~ Gold Coast from SGD 99
~ Sydney from SGD 99
~ Taipei from SGD 99
~ Tianjin from SGD 99

Sydney to:
~ Singapore from AUD 99

Taipei to:
~ Singapore from TWD 2,499

Click to view promotion details

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Malaysia Airlines MHmobile Best Mobile-Exclusive Fares

2012-07-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

Transacting on MHmobile is made easier now with just two taps via MHmobile new PayPal payment option.

There is no better time than now as MHmobile is offering the best mobile-exclusive fares to selected domestic & ASEAN destinations during this period.

PENINSULAR MALAYSIA from USD49 RETURN (economy)
EAST MALAYSIA from USD 95 RETURN (economy)
ASEAN from USD 109 RETURN (economy)

To check out these best fares, click Deals & Offers on MHmobile.

New to MHmobile? Go to flymas.mobi on your phone's browser, or download the app for Apple iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Read More

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Emirates Promotion: Melbourne, Malaysia, Dubai, Europe and More!

2012-07-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

Booking period : Now till 23 July 2012
Travelling / Staying period : 14 Sept - 27 Dec 2012

Great Emirates Fares Available Now from USD 699

Kuala Lumpur (KL)-Melbourne from USD 699* Return
Kuala Lumpur (KL)-Dubai from USD 999* Return
Kuala Lumpur (KL)-Europe from USD 1,039* Return

Hurry, for a limited time only! Don't miss out on this great deal! Visit Emirates website via the link below.

Find out more about Emirates destinations on offer

Do you like Emirates: So Much to See from USD 699 Promotion?

Jetstar Friday Fare Frenzy USD $1 Sale

2012-07-06T00:49:00.002-07:00

Friday Fare Frenzy USD $1 Sale
(eg. Melbourne to Sydney)

Booking period: 6 July 2012 (Friday) 4pm - 8pm (AEST), unless sold out prior.

Sale fares have limited availability and selected travel periods. Sale ends 8pm (AEST) today,unless sold out prior.

Jump on board and grab a bargain! Visit: Jetstar website

Do you like Jetstar Friday Fare Frenzy for only USD $1?

Malaysia Airlines Super Sales: Kuala Lumpur-Phuket from USD9, Kuala Lumpur-Paris from USD500 and more!

2012-07-06T00:17:00.001-07:00

Malaysia Airlines Super Sales

Booking period : 5 - 8 July 2012
Travelling period : 7 July - 31 Oct 2012

Kuala Lumpur <=> Phuket from USD9,
Kuala Lumpur <=> Bangkok from USD83,
Kuala Lumpur <=> Jakarta from USD36,
Kuala Lumpur <=> Hong Kong from USD123,
Kuala Lumpur <=> Paris from USD503!

Above fares excludes taxes, fuel surcharges and service fees. Please book online for fares inclusive of taxes and to view fare restrictions and conditions.

Visit www.holidaytours.com.my for online booking or call (+6)03-62866218

Do you like Malaysia Airlines Super Sales Promotion?

AirAsia Fly-Thru Connect Conveniently

2012-07-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

Booking period : Now till 8 July 2012
Travelling / Staying period : 18 Sept - 30 Nov 2012

Fly to Kuala Lumpur and onwards to Osaka / Perth / Seoul / Hangzhou

Hurry, for a limited time only! Don't miss out on this great deal!

Do you like AirAsia Fly-Thru Connect Conveniently Promotion?

Paris Visite Pass (by Rail Europe)

2011-06-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

The Paris Visite from Rail Europe lets you get around Paris (unlimited number of travel) on the Metro, bus, or RER. It’s even valid for the Charles de Gaulle train shuttle to the airport, travel to Versailles and beyond.

WHAT YOU GET WITH PARIS VISITE PASS:

Unlimited travel using the Metro and bus system anywhere in Paris (Zones 1-6).
Unlimited travel on the RER and SNCF lines in the greater Paris region.
Choice of 1, 2, 3 or 5-consecutive day cards available.
Additional discounts at various museums, art shows and locations around Paris.
Groups of 10 or more get a 5% discount on Paris Visite.

PRICE

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Paris Visite is non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
Each travel day on the pass is valid until midnight.

For latest information, please visit Rail Europe - Paris Visite Pass official site.

Paris Museum Pass

2011-06-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

Paris Museum Pass lets you gain free entry (without queuing and as many times as you wish) to over 60 museums and monuments in and around Paris.

Highlights:

PRICE

2 days : 35€
4 days : 50€
6 days : 65€

MUSEUM & MONUMENTS

In Paris

Aquarium Tropical de la Porte Dorée
Arc de Triomphe
Musée de l’Armée - Tombeau de Napoléon 1er
Centre Pompidou - Musée national d’art moderne
Musée national des Arts asiatiques - Guimet
Musée des Arts décoratifs
Espaces Mode et Textile
Espaces Publicité
Musée Nissim de Camondo
Musée des Arts et Métiers
Musée de l’Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
Musée du quai Branly
Chapelle expiatoire
La Cinémathèque française - Musée du Cinéma
Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie - La Villette
Conciergerie
Musée national Eugène Delacroix
Musée des Égouts de Paris
Musée d’Ennery*
Musée Hébert*
Musée de l’Institut du Monde arabe
Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme
Musée du Louvre
Musée national de la Marine
Musée de la Monnaie*
Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine - Musée des Monuments français
Musée Gustave Moreau
Musée Cluny - Musée national du Moyen Âge
Cité de la Musique - Musée de la Musique
Crypte archéologique du Parvis Notre-Dame
Tours de Notre-Dame
Musée national de l’Orangerie
Musée de l’Ordre de la Libération
Musée d’Orsay
Panthéon
Musée national Picasso*
Musée des Plans-reliefs
L'Adresse Musée de la Poste
Musée Rodin
Sainte-Chapelle

Paris Region

Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace
Musée d’Archéologie nationale de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Sèvres, Cité de la céramique - Musée national de la céramique
Abbaye royale de Chaalis
Château de Champs-sur-Marne*
Musées et domaine nationaux du Palais impérial de Compiègne
Musée Condé - Château de Chantilly
Musée national de la Coopération franco-américaine - Château de Blérancourt*
Musée Maurice Denis
Château de Fontainebleau
Château de Maisons-Laffitte
Musée national des Châteaux de Malmaison et Bois-Préau
Château de Pierrefonds
Musée national de Port-Royal des Champs
Château de Rambouillet, Laiterie de la Reine et Chaumière aux Coquillages
Musée national de la Renaissance - Château d’Ecouen
Maison d’Auguste Rodin à Meudon
Basilique cathédrale de Saint-Denis
Villa Savoye
Musée national des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon
Château de Vincennes

For latest information, visit Paris Museum Pass official website.

Japan Earthquake & Tsunami 2011

2011-03-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

It's sad to hear what's happening to Japan. With over 6,000 dead and many more missing, this disaster had changed the fate of many people. First, with the earthquake. Next with the tsunami. And now, the nuclear plant disaster.

Hope readers out there can donate to help these unfortunate Japanese. You can do so through Japanese Red Cross Society or American Red Cross.

Europe Trip 39-days Itinerary

2011-03-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

My Europe trip 39-day itinerary:

Paris, France (30 Apr - 4 May)
Brussels, Belgium (4 May)
Ghent & Bruges, Belgium (5 May)
Amsterdam, Netherland (6 - 8 May)
Berlin, Germany (9 - 10 May)
Prague, Czech Republic (10 - 13 May)
Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic (13 - 15 May)
Bratislava, Slovakia (15 May)
Vienna, Austria (16 - 17 May)
Budapest, Hungary (17 - 19 May)
Florence, Italy (20 - 21 May)
Rome, Italy (side trip to Napoli and Pompeii) and Vatican (22 - 26 May)
Venice, Italy (27 - 28 May)
Nice, France (28 - 29 May)
Monaco and Marseille, France (30 May)
Barcelona, Spain (31 May - 2 Jun)
London (side trip to Stonehenge), England (4 - 6 Jun)
Paris, France (7 - 8 Jun)

Review: The Eurolines Pass

2011-03-11T07:02:00.000-08:00

Eurolines is not a company. The brand name "Eurolines" groups 32 independent coach companies operating together Europe's largest regular coach network.

With a Eurolines Pass, you can see Europe at your own pace. The pass allows you to travel around 43 cities, from western Europe to eastern Europe. All their coaches are modern and comfortable, with reclining seats and toilets. There's also regular refreshment breaks.

One thing to note about using the pass: you can only travel from one country to another. That means, you are not allowed to travel among the cities within the country using the pass. In short, this pass is very good for those who wants to visits as many capitals and major cities as possible.

There are 2 type of passes : 15 consecutive day or 30 consecutive day pass. The pass is also charged differently for 3 different seasons:

low (5 January to 28 March, or 30 October to 10 December),
mid (29 March to 26 June, or 7 September to29 October)
high season (27 June to 6 September, or 11 December to 4 January)

And of course, for traveler under 26 years old, they can opt for a cheaper price under "Youth" category. On the right is the pass prices table.

I had bought the 30-day pass. I find it saves me a lot of money but not my time. Why not saving my time? I can only book my ticket over the counter, and not at the website. This is a nuisance.

Although the pass allows you to travel across 43 cities (this number is growing as I writes), you need to be extra careful on the routes and date of travel. Not every city lets you depart to another city you wish. And in some cities, there are no everyday bus that departs to the destination you wanted. So, studying the route is sometimes a headache, but for a person like me who have more time versus money, I don't have that problem :)

Do take note that once you bought the pass, make sure to photocopy a copy of it, as you need to present the pass whenever you want to make a booking. Losing the pass (which is a piece of printed A4 paper) means you lose your expensive ticket: they won't print you another copy!

At some of the cities, you need to pay a booking fee of €3 to €5.

So, in summary, Eurolines pass is suitable for you if:

Most of your cities list are within the Eurolines routes
You don't plan to spend too much time within a country or travelling within a country
You don't mind sitting on the bus (in some journeys a few hours, and in some journeys you overnight in the bus)
You are on a tight budget
Your trip is around 15 days or 30 days across Europe

Across Europe - Budget flight, train, or bus?

2011-02-25T01:32:00.000-08:00

Since this trip seems like once in a blue moon trip for me (as I don't think I can take another long holiday in my next job), I decided to go as many countries as possible. While this is the case, I decided to go with my heart - if I like the place, I will stay longer. Else, I will move to the next destination.

To travel around Europe, there are mainly 3 options - by flight, train or bus. Since this is a budget trip, I had checked both ryanair.com and easyjet.com. Too bad, there's no cheap flight in my travelling period.

Next, the EURail train pass for 1 month. At €841 (RM3600), it seems quite pricey (though it is very convenient).

I checked for Eurolines, the Europe bus network, and was joy to find the 1 month pass at €330 (RM1400, since it was mid season for my May-June trip). After checking the route available with Eurolines, I decided to take the bus as my official transportation across Europe :)

How to Travel Around the World for $418

2011-02-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

I happened to come across this guy - Steve Kamb - who decided he wanted to travel the world for as little money as possible. He downloaded an e-book, read it, and comes up with a travel plan: 35,000 miles, visiting four continents, nine countries and 15 cities for just USD$418.

His rough itinnery:

The Rock Boat – Jan 6 – 10
Los Angeles—Jan 14 – Feb 13
Sydney, Australia – Feb 15-20
Auckland, New Zealand – Feb 20 – Mar 20
Brisbane, Australia – Mar 20 – Apr 9
Alice Springs, Australia – Apr 9 – 12
Perth, Australia – Apr 12 – 14
Singapore, Malaysia – Apr 14 – 16
Bangkok, Thailand – Apr 16 – May 9
Hong Kong – May 9 – 12
Shanghai, China—May 12 – 22
Tokyo, Japan – May 22 – May 27
San Francisco – May 26 – Jun 3
Portland – Jun 3 – 7 (World Domination Summit!)
Boston/Atlanta – Jun 8 – Jul 30
Chicago – Jul 30 – Aug 4
Dublin, Ireland—Aug 5 – Sep 2
Madrid, Spain – Sep 2 – Oct 10
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Oct 15 – Nov 30

How did he do it? It's travel hacking. Read more over here.

Tips on booking hostel

2011-02-22T01:28:00.000-08:00

I had book most of my hostel stay through Hostelbookers.com and Hostelworld.com, and I highly recommend booking through them.

Hostelbookers had been my 1st choice because:

They don't charge booking fee or service charge.
If you manage to find the same hostel with cheaper price, Hostelbookers will refund double the difference (they still do at the time this post was written). This statement assures that you are getting the cheapest deal!

A good hostel will make your stay enjoyable, fun and a good night rest. As you are sharing the rooms with others, hostel with good ratings will normally have good hostelmates.

My rule of thumb when booking a hostel:

Good rating. Any hostel with 80% and above rating (with at least 50 reviews) will be good. And of course, the cheaper, the better :)
Read the reviews. It tells a lot about what you want to know.
Internet is available and it's free. You won't want to pay for expensive hourly WIFI charges. If they have public PC free for surfing, it will be a plus for those without laptop or WIFI enabled phone.
Lockers in dorm.
24-hour reception is a plus, because sometimes you might arrive late or early in the morning.
Location is strategically near most of the attractions that I want to visit. I would explain more in the post to come about using Google Map.
If you are going during the hot season, you would want your room to have air-cond.
If you are going during the cold season, you would want hot showers.
Linen included. I don't want to pay extra for linen, and the hostel will charge you rental fee for linen if it is not included (I had not met anyone who brings their own linen in their backpack)

Accomodation - Hostel

2011-02-21T05:50:00.000-08:00

Information around the Internet suggest that one of the cheapest way to sleep overnight is by booking a bed at hostel dormitory. This means that you are occupying a bed in a room (probably 4 to 14 beds in a big room).

Most hostel have both dorm room accommodation as well as private rooms. There are kitchen with cooking and eating utensils, common areas and shared washroom/bathroom.

The thought of sleeping cheaply does sounds a little worry in me. How does the room look like? Is the bed crappy? Will I be safe? Is the hostel located far from the attraction places?

Thanks to Hostelbookers.com and Hostelworld.com, they do answered most of my questions. I book my stay easily through them, and before booking, I was able to:

Get some rough ideas about the hostel that I am interested, reception working hours and check-in/check-out time.
Know what type of facilities offered: hot showers, lockers, Internet, breakfast, linen, safe deposit box, air-cond, washing machine etc.
Pictures of the hostel and room that I am interested
Maps and direction to the hostel
Reviews of the hostel by people who had stayed there, with ratings on atmosphere, location, facilities, cleanliness, safety etc

It is important to choose a good hostel. I would like a good night rest after touring around the city whole day.

I consider hostel over hotel for my stay because:

I want to stay cheaply, especially for a single traveler
I am an easy sleeper - I don't mind sharing room with other people
I can save more money by cooking my own meal using the shared kitchen
I can easily make fast friends with other travelers and exchange information about the journey ahead.

If you mind sharing rooms with others, or you are traveling with your boyfriend/girlfriend, you can always book the private rooms, sometimes with bathroom attached, with price still cheaper than hotel rate.

In the next post, I will explain more about how to choose your hostel wisely.

Flight Tickets - A major cost of any travel budget

2011-02-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

I was having a nice chat and drink with a close friend last night. He was here for a brief trip, and I was glad that he did spare his precious time to catch up with me. We did talk about my Europe trip and his first question was: How much did you spend for your entire Europe trip?

My answer: RM12,000 (€2,800) inclusive of everything: flight tickets, transportation, accomodation and foods.

He gasped! RM12,000 across 12 countries was a damn bargain, he exclaimed. And I reminded that he heard it right.

How did you do it, he asked.

Well, I told him that the first thing I did right was getting a bargain deal for my flight ticket. Airline ticket is a major cost of any travel budget; it can be around 20% to 40% of your total travel budget depending on the length of your trip. And it gets even more expensive when you book it nearer to your travelling date.

If you are travelling from Malaysia or Southeast Asia to Europe, you can get a very good low price if you travel by AirAsia X, Malaysia low-cost airlines. And if you book the tickets earliest when they make an offer through their website, you might grab a return ticket to London at below RM2000 (€470)!

And, if you are like me who booked my flight just 72 hours prior to flying, you should choose Qatar Airways! Their normal fare is really a good deal; imagine I got it at RM3257 (€760) for a return flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris, when other major airlines was offering at more than RM5000 (€1165). Not to mention, it is a 5-star airlines too! And if your trip is less than 30 days, they sometimes offer a special 30-day return ticket at below RM2000 (€470).

So, if you are from Malaysia or South East Asia countries, try to get your tickets from AirAsia or Qatar Airways.

If you are not, you should still try Qatar Airways or search around the Internet by typing keywords such as "cheap flight", "budget flight" or "cheap air ticket".

2010 - A very fruitful travel year!

2011-02-16T19:22:00.000-08:00

2010 have been the best year for me. I quited my 8-year job and went for 2 big trip on backpacking/flashpacking - Europe (39 days, across 12 countries visiting Paris, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Berlin, Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Vienna, Budapest, Florence, Rome, Vatican, Pompeii, Venice, Nice, Monaco, Barcelona and London) and Japan (23 days, visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Fukuoka, Takayama and Matshushima)! It had been a dream to go on trip like these, but I finally make it come true! hehehe...

Life is short, don't always postpone your dream. Once in a while, you should reward yourself.

Most of the time, when I am back from my trip, people will envy me going to so many places. They will assume that either I am very rich to be able to go to these beautiful countries, or I am willing to spend a lot on travelling. How I wish to tell them they were wrong!

I am a calculative person, and I always had a tight budget on everything, including traveling. I will always find ways to reduce my spending, and at the same time get twice or more for what I spent! How do I do it?

This is the main reason I created this blog: to share with anyone who is interested on getting a wonderful trip at a budget price. Let me tell you more in the posts to come...