MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!..........

Hello! Just thought I'd do a check in! Hope everyone has a good festive and holiday season. I reckon it sucks to work too much at this time of year but some of us have to haha!

Now, I've been thinking about holidays and travel quite a bit of late. Infact I think about it lots but unfortunately don't action it quite so much.

I am really excited to be going to Adelaide early March next year for 4 days, - I look really forward to it! I've never been and it will be great to catch up with Kristy and hopefully Magda.

As we have 5 days off in a row at Easter this year, (usually it's 4) I'm thinking of taking a road trip. Am thinking of heading off to Kalgoorlie on Good Friday after getting up early. Will stay there a night or two. Then head down to Esperance for a night or two. Then Albany for a night and back to Perth. I've been to Albany briefly once but not Esperance or Kalgoorlie. Will camp or stay in cheap accommodation. Hopefully BF can come too.

As for overseas travel to new destinations its just so hard to decide.......and I always feel limited on funds and time. I'd love to explore Europe. The other places I'm really keen on at the moment are Hawaii, America, Canada. Other places that interest me are Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam for cycling and kayaking and believe it or not but Alaska! Ideally I'd love to do a mixed cycling/hiking holiday with some canoeing or kayaking thrown in. I also really want to go on a cruise for part of it. Also I'd like to cover lots of area.

Best value for money for what you can see appears to be Contiki. However I don't know if hanging out with the majority of the group in it's early 20's, late nights, hungover days and coach touring is totally my ideal way to spend a holiday in a new destination.

It's all so costly............but new and exciting.

I did develop an idea for July 2012 where I flew to Gold Coast, did the half marathon, went to Airlie beach to see cousins there, down to Sydney to catch up with a cousin for a night, then off to America for 2.5 weeks, Hawaii for 1.5 weeks, NZ on the way back to see family, then Perth but it appears far too undoable when researching it further. Then I decided to try and cull either Hawaii or America and both are too hard and it STILL appears costly after my research. Then I looked at the idea of leaving that holiday plan till 2015 or so and instead looked at flights and trips around Europe mid 2012 culling NZ and the Gold Coast half. I'd really struggle to make a 4-5 week trip to my style under $10-$11000.

To save that type of money I have to be very choosy about proceedings and continue to save $100 a week consistently.

I just had a look on line and pretended I was going to do the Gold Coast half marathon next year. Flights are cheap at the moment for early July next year. I found that I could fly from Perth to Brisbane, stay there or Gold Coast 4 nights while doing Gold Coast half marathon, then head up to Airlie Beach for 2-3 nights to see my relatives, then head off to Sydney for a night or two to see my cousin, then back to Perth all for about $600 at the moment which is rather good. I can even add a flight to Christchurch from Sydney return on appropriate dates for just over $300. In Airlie Beach I'd like to do a full day kayak trip and found one. Maybe on another day do a full day sailing trip or cruise. If I added NZ in this way I get it all.........racing, ocean, kayaking, sailing/cruising/good weather/snow/skiing if I hit NZ and catching up with family all in one trip for maybe $2000. Or could cull the NZ idea and just make a holiday of skiing in 2012 which would cheapen next year further. From another point of view it's harder to justify spending $10000 a pop but then it's always exciting exploring new destinations!

Will let ya all know the outcome soon..............and put up my planned events for 2011 soon!

Pip :-)