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.

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?

Using Your Smartphone when Travelling

It seems these days everyone has a smartphone and they are taking it with them everywhere they go, including on holidays.  There is nothing wrong with this, but it’s important that you make sure to check with your provider about any extra fees that you may incur.  If you are not sure, or don’t have time to check, it’s a good idea to flip your phone to Wi-Fi only when out of town/country.

iPhone 2g, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (Photo credit: reticulating)

That said, if you have your phone with you, there are a variety of things that you can use it for.

Directions

One of the best things about a smartphone is the ability to use it for directions.  That said, it’s hard to say how current the information you find is.  You can probably find a compass application as well if you are not sure what direction North is.

Language

In a country that speaks a different language than your home language?  There are all sorts of apps that will help you with the language from how to spell a word to the proper pronunciation.  If nothing else, you can show your phone to someone to get your point across.

Websites

Of course, you can easily use your phone to check the city/area/country’s website for any information you require.  Want to know the address of city hall?  No problem.  Looking for a hotel?  Chances are that information is on a website somewhere.  Looking for a certain type of restaurant?  Put the type and the city you are in, and you’ll find it.

A quick search for “travel” in the application store finds a lot of apps for hotels and trip review sites.   I’m sure with a bit more searching and different search terms; you can find a lot of handy items.

Apps that sound promising:

SeatGuru - Tells you what seats are the best on the plane with a colour guide

GateGuru - Maps of airports, security wait times, and updates for gate changes.

TripIt - Free and Paid, keeps track of itineraries for you.

Xe Currency - Determine what an items costs in your home currency.

WeHostels - Helps to find hostels and you can even message people staying there.

Forvo - Helps with language and pronunciation.  Paid app.

Trail Wallet - Track expenses and categorize them.

Do you have a favorite travel app that you think others should know about?

Blue Mountains

I took a day trip to the Blue Mountains.

The Three Sisters

Nighttime Harbour Cruise

Nighttime Harbour Cruise

A relaxing cruise around the Sydney Harbour at nighttime.

 

Around Sydney

I spent a week in the Sydney area.  I tried to get out and see a lot of things but you just cannot see everything you want to in that time.  I attended a concert at night when I first arrived, went to the Aquarium, took in a concert at the Opera House and took a day trip to the Blue Mountains (post coming up with these).

Water taxi.  Popular method to get around

The Opera House

Inside at a Concert

Hyde Park in Sydney.  I love the rainbow from the water

Part of the Sydney Skyline

Another water taxi.  This is also where many ferry's are caught to get you around Sydney.  From here, I caught a ferry to Manly beach and took a night cruise (next post).

Double rainbow

Koala Pictures

I saw Koala's at several different places through my journey in Australia.  They are creatures that sleep a lot and eat eucalyptus when they are awake.  Rumor says they actually get stoned off the plant, but the various guides assured us this was not the case.

If you look closely, you can see the baby in her pouch.  The guides told us this was not common to see and to be able to see so easily with the Koala hanging out on the railing.  She was actually roped off so that people could not touch her and disturb her slumber.