2International Living Postcards–your daily escape
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Sail, dive, fish, surf, or just laze on the beach; you and yourguests the only people on this Indian Ocean island.
Dear Reader,
Think a first-class trip is only for those who pay first-class fare? That a romantic adventure for two is beyond a modest budget…or that your dream vacation will only ever remain a dream?
Think again.
If you have less than $1,000 to spend, you can:
* Rent a tropical island. Round-up your family and friends and have an entire island to yourselves–sail, dive, fish, surf, or just laze on the beach. All you have to so is choose your favorite ocean:
– Chapwani Island, Zanzibar, Indian Ocean; $700 per person per week (for 20 guests).
– Forsyth Island, New Zealand, Pacific Ocean; $500 per person per week (for eight guests).
– Caribe Cay, Bahamas, Caribbean Sea; $835 per person per weekend (for six guests).
* Fly to the cities you’ve always said you’d visit one day. The Internet is perhaps the best thing to happen to independent travelers in the last 20 years. Airlines’ fares and charges are instantly transparent and comparable, and deals are easy to find if you know where to look. You probably can’t travel all the way around the world for under $1,000 but you can certainly get more than half-way. I just spent five minutes at http://www.travelocity.com and was quoted airfare from New York to London to Moscow to Hong Kong and back again–all round trips–for $988. Lee Harrison, our resident cheap airfares expert, is preparing a special report on how to find the lowest airfares for the June print edition of International Living.
* Enjoy the romance and adventure of India. Spend 12 nights in India touring the Golden Triangle: Jaipur, Agra, and Delhi, visiting sanctuaries and wildlife parks, touring palaces and temples, and shopping in bazaars and local markets. Jasbhag Tours & Travels offer this "Call of the Wilds" package for $866 per couple. See http://www.jasbhagtoursindia.com/ for more details.
* Keep in touch no matter where you are. When you use a "follow-me" service, you get an 800 number set up for you in the States. It costs $1 per month to maintain the number, plus the cost of the calls, charged to your credit card. You designate which phone number you want calls forwarded to and you can change the number at anytime on the Internet (handy if you’re on the road going from hotel to hotel or in an area where your cell phone doesn’t work). If anyone from home wants to reach you, they simply pick up the phone and dial the 800 number; the call is automatically forwarded to whichever number you’ve provided. Toll-free base numbers are available in several countries, including the United States and Britain. John Forde, writing from Paris, recommends http://www.aitelephone.com/followme.html. You can read more "call home" tips from John here: The Four Best Ways to Call Home.
* Travel like a VIP. Long layovers, longer delays, missed connections, cancelled flights… If you spend as much time in airports as I do, you know what a pain-in-the-neck experience it can be. The whole thing can be more palatable if you’re able to spend your airport hours in an airport VIP lounge…working, resting, reading, having a glass of wine. I’ve been a member of the Priority Pass program since last year, which gives free access to over 450 VIP lounges in airports in over 80 countries. It doesn’t matter what airline you’re flying, what airline lounge programs you belong to, or where your seat is on the plane. You can relax in big comfortable chairs, enjoy complimentary food and drink, access the Internet, and more. Membership costs $399, but you can get a 20% discount with this link..
Happy trails,
Kathleen Peddicord
Publisher, International Living
P.S. Subscribers to the print edition of International Living can now access Steenie Harvey’s complete Thailand Journal online, a brilliant overview of Thailand for the vacationer, investor or potential resident. She’s sorted out the property market, the laws governing property ownership, residence and business operations. Access it here.
