Approaching our platform
Just one part of the platform.
Guided snorkel trip
A creature I saw swimming by
Where are we?
Visiting the Great Barrier Reef
I went on a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef. This is definitely something that was on my bucket list as I wanted to scuba dive. We took a boat trip out and ended up at this platform. I went scuba diving, then out for a ride in a glass bottom boat as well as did a bit of snorkeling. It was a tiring day!
Sailing in the Whitsundays
Another thing that I did was going sailing in the Whitsunday islands. We stopped and did some snorkeling and spent an evening on one of the many islands. It was great, I got seabands so I didn't get sick, and got a lot of colour.
Not a great picture of our boat but all I have.
One of the goofy guides.
Our bunks. Definitely not the most luxurious place to sleep but it did the job. Boys and girls shared the sleeping quarters.
One of several beaches. The sand squeaked under your feet.
Camping in the Outback
For some reason, I decided that going camping while in Australia was a good idea.
We definitely rough'ed it, at least, to me. We slept on the ground and supper was cooked over the fire. This is our guide cooking our supper.
One thing we did was shoot guns. I didn't do very good. Shot a few leaves off a tree (was told I hit a koala :( ) and I hit the ground. That was enough for me!
Back to the Ranch, much more to my liking! I didn't ride on the bull, I didn't need to make any more of a fool of myself than I had already.
We definitely rough'ed it, at least, to me. We slept on the ground and supper was cooked over the fire. This is our guide cooking our supper.
One thing we did was shoot guns. I didn't do very good. Shot a few leaves off a tree (was told I hit a koala :( ) and I hit the ground. That was enough for me!
Back to the Ranch, much more to my liking! I didn't ride on the bull, I didn't need to make any more of a fool of myself than I had already.
Fraser Island, Australia
Warning, This post is going to be Picture Heavy!
One of the excursions I did in Australia was to visit Fraser Island. There is limited access to this island so it is easiest to go with a tour. We spent 3 days and 2 nights on the island.
One of the first glimpses of the island.
Near our accommodations.
This lake/stream comes and goes based on a variety of factors.
An old ship that people were exploring. This was close enough for me.
Many layered rocks. They just called them "coloured rocks"
You could land a plane on the beach. I wonder how well that actually worked!
The view from one of the spots we visited on the island.
Sunset at the beach by our accommodations.
We visited this lake within the island. I didn't go swim but several did.
This is what we had to hike across to get to and from the lake. It is tough walking!
One of the many creatures we saw in our journeys.
Slight breakdown as we were heading back to the ferry to leave.
Starting a Trip Budget
I will admit, I am not good at following a budget. But I like to track my numbers to get an idea of what I am spending. But when it comes to a trip, I like to have the cash to pay for it before I leave. I don’t like the idea of coming home to a mountain of debt from a trip.
As I am in the very beginning stages of my next big trip, I have started a budget to give me an idea of the funds I need. I know approximately when I am planning to go (based on the best time to be a tourist not based on when I would prefer to go) and I know approximately where I want to go.
Last night, I did a bit more research. I travelled with Intrepid in 2011 so I started with their website. I plan to do a tour so I started looking for the tours that go where I want. Their website allows you to search by country, month of travel, how long you want your trip to be and how much you want to spend. I left the spending area empty as that varies depending on trip length and other factors.
When the details pulled up, I went through then and clicked on the ones that looked interesting and then discarded the ones that did not go where I want. There was one or two that were discarded due to the price (They were over $7,000 for 22 days or so. Definitely not in my budget)
From there, I looked at the flight website (I am flying on points) to see where I could fly to and if I could do an open jaw flight (fly in to one place and fly out of another) to save myself some funds. Unfortunately, the tour that is high on my list does not fly out of the ending location of my tour so I would have to add in a flight back to my start location for a flight home.
All this goes into the spreadsheet.
I also went through the tour itinerary to look at what types of excursions are included and which are optional to know what ones I would need to budget for. Many are 50 dollars or less but there are some big ones that cost more. For instance, helicopter rides are more expensive and activities like scuba diving cost more. While the cost can seem extreme, some of these are once in a lifetime opportunities which makes it easier to justify.
So far my budget is around 6,500 for the trip. This includes:
While I could switch to a different tour and save over $1,000 due to the trip and flight being cheaper and less excursions I want to do, chances are I will never get back to this area. Therefore, why not do the things that I really want to do and are on my bucket list?
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| budget (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013) |
As I am in the very beginning stages of my next big trip, I have started a budget to give me an idea of the funds I need. I know approximately when I am planning to go (based on the best time to be a tourist not based on when I would prefer to go) and I know approximately where I want to go.
Last night, I did a bit more research. I travelled with Intrepid in 2011 so I started with their website. I plan to do a tour so I started looking for the tours that go where I want. Their website allows you to search by country, month of travel, how long you want your trip to be and how much you want to spend. I left the spending area empty as that varies depending on trip length and other factors.
When the details pulled up, I went through then and clicked on the ones that looked interesting and then discarded the ones that did not go where I want. There was one or two that were discarded due to the price (They were over $7,000 for 22 days or so. Definitely not in my budget)
From there, I looked at the flight website (I am flying on points) to see where I could fly to and if I could do an open jaw flight (fly in to one place and fly out of another) to save myself some funds. Unfortunately, the tour that is high on my list does not fly out of the ending location of my tour so I would have to add in a flight back to my start location for a flight home.
All this goes into the spreadsheet.
I also went through the tour itinerary to look at what types of excursions are included and which are optional to know what ones I would need to budget for. Many are 50 dollars or less but there are some big ones that cost more. For instance, helicopter rides are more expensive and activities like scuba diving cost more. While the cost can seem extreme, some of these are once in a lifetime opportunities which makes it easier to justify.
So far my budget is around 6,500 for the trip. This includes:
- Flights and fees
- Tour for 24 days
- Flight from end point back to start point
- Suggested cost of meals not included in tour
- Excursions I want to do
- Money for shopping, excursions not included, extra hotel nights
While I could switch to a different tour and save over $1,000 due to the trip and flight being cheaper and less excursions I want to do, chances are I will never get back to this area. Therefore, why not do the things that I really want to do and are on my bucket list?
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