this week’s USAToday.com/TripAdvisor.com travel survey asks:
What travel category is most worth splurging for?
- First or business class flights
- An upscale hotel room or room upgrade
- Excellent restaurants
- Luxury shopping
- A premium rental car
i’m definitely not a picky traveler (see my Budget entry for details) and frankly, i would rather save my money than splurge on one of the above, either using it to stay longer (i.e., more hotel nights/activities), or put it towards my next trip.
if i had to choose, it’s more by a process of elimination:
- upgraded flights? hm. i’ve only ever flown in first class domestically, and i’m sure first/business internationally is fantabulous, but i’ve made it to 34 countries flying in coach and i’m just fine, thankyouverymuch.
- upgraded accomodations? i’ve stayed in five star hotels and in a hostel next to a loudly-snoring russian and as long as i have a clean bed and bathroom, i’m good.
- luxury shopping? then you have to splurge to get an extra bag to bring your purchases home. that’s too much splurging for me, thankyouverymuch!
- fancy car? take your fast car and keep on driving — i’ll stick to a smaller car that’s easier to park and has better fuel economy.
which leaves food. i’m always down to nom! like how they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, one of the best ways to local culture is through its food. if you’ve gotten your fill of street food, might as well work your way up to the local fancy delicacies!
I usually save for shopping and travel economy. However some flights outrageously cheap, like Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur at $99 from Air Asia ($500 from Jetstar, $700 from QANTAS, $1100 from Singapore Air) it’s worth upgrading to First/Business. It’s usually four times more, so $400. Still cheaper than the rest.
Next is accommodation. Usually some cheap crap but I try to get into hotels with loyalty programs like Marriott etc. I stayed in the $30/night place in Orlando, FL, owned by my step-uncle’s friend, and it had two beds, a bathroom/shower, a small TV, and that’s it. I read on Google Reviews that a couple were living there for five years! WTF!
On my recent trip to USA though, I’m happy that more money was saved. I brought home tons of clothes that would’ve cost a lot more. And I still had the lightest bag! Although I thought I had gone over, I saw 34 [kg] on the reading, I’m like shocked, the guy says, “Oh it’s in pounds” -.-