A non-mustachian pre-retirement gift to me

[Cap_Scarlet]

We are currently planning a six week pre-retirement vacation "once-in-a-lifetime" trip to Australia and New Zealand.  Beginning with 10 days in Australia, followed by 30 days in NZ and a final couple of days in Australia.

Cost so far is as follows for two people (I have it all spreadsheeted - travelling from Europe)!

Flights - $4,300
Accomodation - $8,500
Paid activities - $4,500
Car Hire - $2,500
Spending money (lunches and dinners) - $4,200

Total - $24,000

Which is about a years living expenses :-o

Of course I could have done it cheaper (by booking cheaper accomodation and not doing any paid activities) but we are no longer of backpacking age.  Also the estimate for eating may be a bit on the heavy side.

I have planned and booked everything myself - now when I priced the same holiday with a tour company is was at least one-third more expensive and less extensive. 

Still - it seems like a lot of money - thoughts?

[Beric01]

We are currently planning a six week pre-retirement vacation "once-in-a-lifetime" trip to Australia and New Zealand.  Beginning with 10 days in Australia, followed by 30 days in NZ and a final couple of days in Australia.

Cost so far is as follows for two people (I have it all spreadsheeted - travelling from Europe)!

Flights - $4,300
Accomodation - $8,500
Paid activities - $4,500
Car Hire - $2,500
Spending money (lunches and dinners) - $4,200

Total - $24,000

Which is about a years living expenses :-o

Of course I could have done it cheaper (by booking cheaper accomodation and not doing any paid activities) but we are no longer of backpacking age.  Also the estimate for eating may be a bit on the heavy side.

I have planned and booked everything myself - now when I priced the same holiday with a tour company is was at least one-third more expensive and less extensive. 

Still - it seems like a lot of money - thoughts?

First of all, congrats on your trip! I wish I could join!

• Flights - that's actually a pretty good price. Not much comment here.
• $8500 for accommodation? Where are you staying - luxury hotels? 6 weeks = 42 days - $8500/42 ~ $200 a night. Crazy. I stayed in Tokyo and Kyoto for under $100/night in some pretty nice hotels - you can do it in Australia and New Zealand. Hotels are a huge portion of your expenses - do some more research and you can find some affordable hotels that are comfortable.
• Paid activities - are you sure you're getting value out of these? Personally, I like doing my own research and going out on my own - if you like something you can stay longer, and if you don't like it you can stay shorter. But to each his own.
• Car Hire - do you need to rent a car the whole trip? I guess it really depends where you're going in New Zealand, but do try to avoid renting cars whenever possible - they eat up your cash.
• Spending money - that's $100 a day on food. Eat the local food - you don't need to eat in Michelin star restaurants, do you?

Travel is great. But you don't need to spend like royalty to enjoy it.

[Less]

Hey. Kiwi here. Look at bookabatch.co.nz for good places to stay where you can cater for yourself.  This could cut big chunks out of that budget while still letting you live it up in some beautiful places. 

[Astatine]

I find wotif.com to be good for finding accommodation, sometimes with decent discounts.

Not sure when you're travelling. If you have a choice, avoid January. It's a bit like August in Europe.

[Retired To Win]

Have fun on your trip, Cap_Scarlet!

BUT only if the funds for the trip are coming out of discretionary surplus and you ARE NOT borrowing the money to take the trip by planning to let your credit card charges ride.

[pom]

Definitely will be once in a lifetime, at that price you will never want to go back.

Hotels: I have a max at 100€ (130$) and a rule that the hotel needs to be central and the room has to have a shower and toilet. I think only once or twice I had to go above 100€.  You would save 3 000 right there, almost enough for a flight back.

Paid activities and spending money: 200 a day seems high but you can adjust that one once you are there. I suspect that you can lower this by 3 000 or 4 000 just by not being an idiot tourist.

[plainjane]

In NZ, take advantage of the great cafe culture.  You can eat pretty well fairly inexpensively if you go a bit off the beaten path.   As per usual, high cost restaurants often have a lunch menu that is substantially less pricey than the dinner menu for much the same items.  If you drink, NZ has a lot of places that offer a BYO option. 

The other thing to remember in NZ is that you aren't expected to tip, and iirc the tax is also included in the menu price.  So it's wysiwyg, not list+30%=cost.

For the paid activities, think about whether you're trying to do so much in your "once in a lifetime" that you aren't able to take a deep breath and enjoy just being there.  I'd say to choose a couple of splurges, and offset with some lower key days.  For NZ, I don't regret paying for the extra tour we did through the Waitomo caves (the secondary caves are better than the main one imo), or the cost of the ferries to Rangitoto and Tiritiri from Auckland.  I also loved canoeing on the Whanganui.

[theadvicist]

I stayed in Tokyo and Kyoto for under $100/night in some pretty nice hotels - you can do it in Australia and New Zealand.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I would love some accommodation recommendations for Kyoto and Tokyo for an upcoming trip.

OP, your trip sounds amazing! Not sure where in Europe you're travelling from, but as a Brit, I found Sydney this February really expensive. Much more so than even three years ago (ten years ago was the golden age as a tourist spending £s). Food, taxis, transport, the lot. So whilst people have some good ideas for saving money, I think your food budget is not ridiculous.

[RetiredAt63]

We went to NZ and Australia in winter of 2002 (we were in Australia for the winter Olympics).  Right after 9/11, no American tourists but lots of Europeans, and Asians, especially Japanese.  Things will be different now.

But what really made our trip were two books: Let's Go:New Zealand and Let's Go:Australia.  They are basically student/budget traveler oriented, and we found lots of good advice and ideas in those books.  We drove all over New Zealand and the East coast of Australia (Port Douglas in the North to Sydney).  We were lucky in that the Canadian dollar was strong versus the Australian and NZ currencies, but the prices we paid would have been reasonable in Canadian dollars too.   Plus we found all sorts of places to visit that were low cost or free.  We had a marvelous time, we did not feel deprived because we did not follow all the standard touristy things.  Some touristy things we did do, including fishing on Lake Taupo, but that was semi-mustachian because I caught our lunch.  With a rental car we had total control of our time - heavy rain on the Queensland coast and flooded roads?  Great - another day diving on the Great Barrier reef before we head South, we had our own snorkeling gear with us so no issues).

We were 2+ weeks in NZ and 3+ in Australia, and could have easily done twice that.  I feel our time in Australia was like the Aussies and Kiwis we met who said they had been to Canada - and never got east of the Rockies. We never got 100 k into the interior.   Australia was like being home in terms of the driving, 500K in a day was not unusual.  People would warn us about the long drives,and we would say, it's just like home, Montreal to Toronto is longer - and they would say we would be fine, just watch out for kangaroos on the road.  Lovely places, very welcoming to visitors, and lots of congratulations on our two hockey gold medals.  They were very good about foreign accents, could tell the Canadians from the Americans.

They are great places to visit, you should have a wonderful time.

[ems2014]

If you are at all into backpacking, I would highly recommend hiking the Milford Track. It is out of the way, but well worth the effort. One of the most beautiful hikes I'll ever do in my life. Kayaking in the Abel Tasman national park was also amazing.

[Cap_Scarlet]

Many thanks for all your responses - some very useful thinking.

A little more on the itinerary.

Our first port of call is West Coast Australia, namely Perth and a tour around the south coast.  We previously lived in Sydney for a year so we have already seen a lot of the south east as well as Queensland, Noosa, Brisbane etc but West Coast is pretty much unknown territory for us.  We did consider going north (to Monkey Mia etc.) but we decided it was too much in the time we had available.

The New Zealnd itinerary is basically as follows:

North Island 12 days
Auckland
Bay of Islands
Coromandel
Whitianga
Rotorua
Taupo
Tongariro
South Island 18 days
Dunedin
Te Anau
Queenstown
Wanaka
Franz Josef
Punakaiki
Kaiteriteri
Blenheim
Kaikoura
Christchurch

We plan to spend 2-3 days in some places so hopefully it will be quite relaxed.  Overall for NZ we have about 3,000 km of driving planned.  We are also planning to take a plane from Auckland to Dunedin to miss out a big chunk of driving.

I suspect rhose who commented on the entertainment and eating costs that I am being VERY generous in my assessment and I want to try and replace a lot of those with more cost efficient options with the occasional splurge (although I suspect we will take a glacier flight in Franz Josef).

On the hotels, we have generally booked high end B&B's and boutique hotels rather than anonymous motels.  This is a really important part of the experience to us so I don't mind paying over the odds.  Besides which when all those stays include breakfast it means our food budget will likley be reduced.

and one final comment - the cost of the trip is coming out of cash!

[GizmoTX]

You are going to love NZ! We had an amazing 2 weeks there in June 2012, primarily the areas around Queenstown, Rotorua, & a day in Auckland.

One horrible surprise, not limited to NZ, was that our credit cards started charging overseas fees & were refused in some places because they didn't have chip & pin technology. We travel regularly but this one snuck up on us. CCs are useful for big bills like hotels, rental cars, etc. (We pay in full every month.) Allow enough time to get at least 2 CCs, one Visa, the other MasterCard. Refuse any merchant offer to charge you in dollars rather than the local money -- this generates additional fees.

Most overseas purchases are easiest done in the local currency, best obtained by debit card. Here too most banks charge onerous foreign transaction fees. Schwab Bank is one that refunds ALL ATM fees everywhere in the world.

[arebelspy]

On the hotels, we have generally booked high end B&B's and boutique hotels rather than anonymous motels.  This is a really important part of the experience to us so I don't mind paying over the odds.

Okay, I'll bite...  why?

Getting back to the overall budget, it seems like a lot.  The wife and I backpacked around Europe for two months for under 5,000 total for both (and that includes all new gear - backpacks, camping equipment, clothes, etc.).  Of course we roughed it quite a bit, which you wouldn't do, but still.  24k in 6 weeks, or $4000/week?  That's about 8x what we spent.

Just think about which parts of the trip are going to be the most memorable and enjoyable.  And cut your budget on the rest.  Keep in mind you can take more kickass trips if you don't do overly lavish stuff on this one (two 12k, 6-week trips, for example, seems much more reasonable).

[RunHappy]

We are currently planning a six week pre-retirement vacation "once-in-a-lifetime" trip to Australia and New Zealand.  Beginning with 10 days in Australia, followed by 30 days in NZ and a final couple of days in Australia.

Cost so far is as follows for two people (I have it all spreadsheeted - travelling from Europe)!

Flights - $4,300
Accomodation - $8,500
Paid activities - $4,500
Car Hire - $2,500
Spending money (lunches and dinners) - $4,200

Total - $24,000

Which is about a years living expenses :-o

Of course I could have done it cheaper (by booking cheaper accomodation and not doing any paid activities) but we are no longer of backpacking age.  Also the estimate for eating may be a bit on the heavy side.

I have planned and booked everything myself - now when I priced the same holiday with a tour company is was at least one-third more expensive and less extensive. 

Still - it seems like a lot of money - thoughts?

Your trip sounds AMAZING!

After looking at your itemized list you could save a little more on hotel and absolutely food. When I travel (which is often) I typically stock my hotel room with fruits for breakfast then get something light for lunch and maybe a heavier dinner.

You also say that you are too old for backpacking to which I say "PFFFFFTTT".  If you are going to NZ then it is a backpackers dream.  I hope you get a chance to spend some time sleeping under the NZ sky, if only for a night or two.

I also really hope you have a  FANTASTIC trip and report back after on how you budget estimates were.

Edit:  One of my favorite travel bloggers is http://youngadventuress.com/  She is a 20-something (American) professional, travel blogger living in New Zealand.  She has some awesome tips and guides (and pictures) for NZ.

[Cap_Scarlet]

We are currently planning a six week pre-retirement vacation "once-in-a-lifetime" trip to Australia and New Zealand.  Beginning with 10 days in Australia, followed by 30 days in NZ and a final couple of days in Australia.

Cost so far is as follows for two people (I have it all spreadsheeted - travelling from Europe)!

Flights - $4,300
Accomodation - $8,500
Paid activities - $4,500
Car Hire - $2,500
Spending money (lunches and dinners) - $4,200

Total - $24,000

Which is about a years living expenses :-o

Of course I could have done it cheaper (by booking cheaper accomodation and not doing any paid activities) but we are no longer of backpacking age.  Also the estimate for eating may be a bit on the heavy side.

I have planned and booked everything myself - now when I priced the same holiday with a tour company is was at least one-third more expensive and less extensive. 

Still - it seems like a lot of money - thoughts?

Your trip sounds AMAZING!

After looking at your itemized list you could save a little more on hotel and absolutely food. When I travel (which is often) I typically stock my hotel room with fruits for breakfast then get something light for lunch and maybe a heavier dinner.

You also say that you are too old for backpacking to which I say "PFFFFFTTT".  If you are going to NZ then it is a backpackers dream.  I hope you get a chance to spend some time sleeping under the NZ sky, if only for a night or two.

I also really hope you have a  FANTASTIC trip and report back after on how you budget estimates were.

Edit:  One of my favorite travel bloggers is http://youngadventuress.com/  She is a 20-something (American) professional, travel blogger living in New Zealand.  She has some awesome tips and guides (and pictures) for NZ.

Thank you - i am currently setting up my own blog for the trip and will post it here.

[Cap_Scarlet]

On the hotels, we have generally booked high end B&B's and boutique hotels rather than anonymous motels.  This is a really important part of the experience to us so I don't mind paying over the odds.

Of course we roughed it quite a bit, which you wouldn't do

No we wouldn't.

I'm not saying this is a cheap holiday (and its not intended to be) but compared to organized tours its about half the cost.

But at the end of the day I expect its where you set the bar.

I will tell you if we hate it ;-)

[partgypsy]

Ah it is your trip you should stay where you want to. In my 20's I did traveling in the US, sleeping in sleeping bags or in a van, and in Europe sleeping in family hotels or house boats or renting part of someone's home (our limit we did not spend more than $25 a night, this was in '88). Now that I am getting in my later 40's while I am still fine with family hotels (similar to private hostel rooms) and renting private accomodations (sometimes the only option in some places we stayed), I would not want to be staying in hostels or sleeping bags, 'cause it's my vacation and I want to sleep well! I bet that you will end up spending less on food than you think, and probably planned activities, but it is better to budget more and be pleasantly surprised. The last 2 big trips we took, where the parents in law paid for hotel but we paid for food and incidentals, we ended up spending less than budgeted on food and souveniers/incidentals, even though we were not depriving ourselves at all.

 

[Cap_Scarlet]

On the hotels, we have generally booked high end B&B's and boutique hotels rather than anonymous motels.  This is a really important part of the experience to us so I don't mind paying over the odds.

Why not private hostel rooms? Same idea, but significantly cheaper. I always choose them when I travel and you should be able to get them at about $50 a night in NZ. Certainly more of the "experience" than boutique hotel.

Your airfare could likely be trimmed a good thousand using a flight from Europe to Bangkok and using Air Asia or Jetstar.

Car is nice, I understand if you wouldn't want to budge on this, but bus fare's can be found for $1 if planned ahead.

Paid activities is probably a generous estimate. Two years ago I did the glacier hike, flight to Milford, skydiving, two wine tours and a couple of other things and it came in around $1,000 usd.

Honestly, I tend to travel as a flash packer and often go on "trips of a lifetime" and I don't see why can't get this down to around $15,000 for the two of you without compromising any of the experience.

That in itself still is high, but I understand budget travel can take a bit of work to get in the mindset.

Thank Penny.

On the hotels v hostels thing - I actually went back and had a look around some of the places and I think in general you are right but $50 is really the bottom end of the market!  I am seeing hostels at around $75-80 being in the 'decent' range.  However, I am going to side with partygypsy here - this is one of the most important parts of the trip for us.  We've done a huge amount of research (through trip advisor mainly) and we are staying mainly in B&B's that are in the top two or three rated.  It is however I will agree very much a personal preference.  Just to give you an idea here is one of the places we are staying at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g488338-d754287-Reviews-Aiyana_Retreat-Denmark_Western_Australia.html

Could I really ask my wife to stay in a hostel after showing here that ;-)

On the flights - I am not so sure - I think we could have saved some money by taking a more circuitous route but because we are not flying in and out of the same airports it becomes more expensive (our route is Frankfurt-Perth....Perth-Auckland.....Christchurch-Melbourne....Melbourne-Frankfurt) e.g. we have one of the few direct flights from Perth to auckland and only have one stopover on the long flights.  I just checked and the ticket price is €3,270 which converts to around $4,250.  However, I'm willing to be proved wrong.

As with other comments we will definitely be looking for VFM when it comes to other activities and food!!

[arebelspy]

Just to give you an idea here is one of the places we are staying at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g488338-d754287-Reviews-Aiyana_Retreat-Denmark_Western_Australia.html

Could I really ask my wife to stay in a hostel after showing here that ;-)

Yes.  Yes you could.

How does something like that add to the enjoyment of the country you're going to see?  You could get pampered at home if that's your thing.

[Cap_Scarlet]

Just to give you an idea here is one of the places we are staying at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g488338-d754287-Reviews-Aiyana_Retreat-Denmark_Western_Australia.html

Could I really ask my wife to stay in a hostel after showing here that ;-)

Yes.  Yes you could.

How does something like that add to the enjoyment of the country you're going to see?  You could get pampered at home if that's your thing.

Then your wife is different to mine :-)

Whether it adds to enjoyment or not is a bit like horses for courses.  For us, being pampered definitely does add to the experience, for others (including yourself clearly) it doesn't.  We've chosen accomodation which is largely intimate (2-3 rooms generally) so that we get to meet / socialise with the owners and enjoy a home from home feel.

[arebelspy]

Just to give you an idea here is one of the places we are staying at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g488338-d754287-Reviews-Aiyana_Retreat-Denmark_Western_Australia.html

Could I really ask my wife to stay in a hostel after showing here that ;-)

Just to give you an idea of the type of rental car you could get..



Could you really ask your wife to ride in a regular car after showing her that?!

[Cap_Scarlet]

Just to give you an idea here is one of the places we are staying at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g488338-d754287-Reviews-Aiyana_Retreat-Denmark_Western_Australia.html

Could I really ask my wife to stay in a hostel after showing here that ;-)

Just to give you an idea of the type of rental car you could get..



Could you really ask your wife to ride in a regular car after showing her that?!

I remember test driving that cars little brother - the Audi R8.  I decided not to buy one but bought a Porsche 911 instead.

The wife was very disappointed ;-)

[Mod Edit: Quote tags.]

[Spartana]

Cap Scarlet - If you are fairly close to early retirement could you postpone this trip until then? If so then you could maximize the cost of the very expensive airfare and do a much longer trip and spend more time (leisurely at your own pace) seeing as much as you want, and staying in one place as long as you want. You could also then mix up your transportation and lodging options - partial rental car, partial public transit, partial bike riding, partial dingo or  kangaroo riding :-)!, posh luxury digs, B & B's, vacation homes, modest hotels/pensions, hostels, camping, etc... You may end up spending the same amount as you would anyways, but you'll have a much longer, more relaxed pace, in depth "trip of a lifetime" to a spectacular place (and can even visit surrounding areas and other places (Tahiti!!Bora Bora!!) enroute and out.

[larmando]

I stayed in Tokyo and Kyoto for under $100/night in some pretty nice hotels - you can do it in Australia and New Zealand.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I would love some accommodation recommendations for Kyoto and Tokyo for an upcoming trip.

OP, your trip sounds amazing! Not sure where in Europe you're travelling from, but as a Brit, I found Sydney this February really expensive. Much more so than even three years ago (ten years ago was the golden age as a tourist spending £s). Food, taxis, transport, the lot. So whilst people have some good ideas for saving money, I think your food budget is not ridiculous.

In Japan as a group of 5 we found pretty good deals on airbnb (tokyo, 2 bedrooms in someone's very nice and neat house, not in the centre, but with metro access and an option to see more of "normal" local life: 102 eur per night and it accomodated all 5 of us: of course if you're fewer look for something different. In Kyoto we booked on booking, and we eneded up with two mini-apartment in a short/medium stay residence, also quite affordable (about 65 eur per room of 2 ppl per night). :)

To the original poster: have a look at airbnb in NZ/AU too, you may find good deals, especially for places where you stay a bit longer, and get to know some locals that give you tips and insights. You don't have to do it "all one way": mix and match: get nice boutique hotels for some nights, and cheaper places for other times, to have a higher range of experiences!

[lauraah]

Whether it adds to enjoyment or not is a bit like horses for courses.  For us, being pampered definitely does add to the experience, for others (including yourself clearly) it doesn't.  We've chosen accomodation which is largely intimate (2-3 rooms generally) so that we get to meet / socialise with the owners and enjoy a home from home feel.

It sounds like you have the money to spend and want to spend it, in which case- enjoy!  If you do want to spend less though, you could mix up the fancy b&bs with hostels.  If you spent 1/4 to 1/3 of the time in hostels, the savings would be large and most of your time would still be in the fancy spots.

[Beric01]

I stayed in Tokyo and Kyoto for under $100/night in some pretty nice hotels - you can do it in Australia and New Zealand.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I would love some accommodation recommendations for Kyoto and Tokyo for an upcoming trip.

OP, your trip sounds amazing! Not sure where in Europe you're travelling from, but as a Brit, I found Sydney this February really expensive. Much more so than even three years ago (ten years ago was the golden age as a tourist spending £s). Food, taxis, transport, the lot. So whilst people have some good ideas for saving money, I think your food budget is not ridiculous.

In Japan as a group of 5 we found pretty good deals on airbnb (tokyo, 2 bedrooms in someone's very nice and neat house, not in the centre, but with metro access and an option to see more of "normal" local life: 102 eur per night and it accomodated all 5 of us: of course if you're fewer look for something different. In Kyoto we booked on booking, and we eneded up with two mini-apartment in a short/medium stay residence, also quite affordable (about 65 eur per room of 2 ppl per night). :)

To the original poster: have a look at airbnb in NZ/AU too, you may find good deals, especially for places where you stay a bit longer, and get to know some locals that give you tips and insights. You don't have to do it "all one way": mix and match: get nice boutique hotels for some nights, and cheaper places for other times, to have a higher range of experiences!

I just used Tripadvisor. Tokyo 2 minutes walking from the Yamamote line for under $100 US. Kyoto, I can't recommend Ohanabo enough as a traditional Japanese-style inn (or "ryokan" - the only way to experience Kyoto as a city of history). Delicious breakfast every morning, an English-speaking owner that recommended me the best local restaurants and was amazingly nice, nice bath, etc. all for around $100/night, and very close to Kyoto Station.

Back to the OP: it seems you are determined to spend as you are planning - not sure why you posted this thread? Please enjoy your trip!

[arebelspy]

Just to give you an idea here is one of the places we are staying at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g488338-d754287-Reviews-Aiyana_Retreat-Denmark_Western_Australia.html

Could I really ask my wife to stay in a hostel after showing here that ;-)

Just to give you an idea of the type of rental car you could get..

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/131030144809-lamborghini-gallardo-620xa.jpg

Could you really ask your wife to ride in a regular car after showing her that?!

I remember test driving that cars little brother - the Audi R8.  I decided not to buy one but bought a Porsche 911 instead.

The wife was very disappointed ;-)

Are you sure you're on the right site?

Back to the OP: it seems you are determined to spend as you are planning - not sure why you posted this thread? Please enjoy your trip!

+1.  Just bragging I guess?

[The Hamster]

Cap-Scarlett I don't think $24,000 for 2 people through Aust and NZ is expensive at all.  I did 2 weeks NZ South Island Feb 13 and spent $10,000 just for myself, not even staying in super posh places or going many paid activities.

A few tips that may help you in the Perth South West WA area - if you can, rent a car from Bayswater Car Rental instead of  the big chains as their accident insurance excess reduction is way way lower and the price for rental is a bit cheaper as well.  I don't think they have a stand at the airport, but there is an office in Bayswater which is a very short taxi ride away.  Daily insurance excess reduction is normally around $30 to $40 per day for Avis/Hertz and the rest but only about $15 per day for Bayswater.  This extra payment is highly recommended but not mandatory - basically reduces your excess to a couple $100 from $3000ish if you have an accident.  And they have all the late model cars not rent-a-dents. 

Also if you are staying in a Perth city hotel don't bother renting a car until you leave.  You will not be able to park it anywhere in the city for less than $40 - $50 per night.  This is not usually included in hotel room charges.  Some B&B's may offer free or cheap parking but I would check first.  The public transport around Perth city is free and cheap and you won't need a car until you head out.

If you have any other questions about Perth and the South West or areas up to Lancelin please feel free to PM me. 

As for the rest of it, I wouldn't even waste a moment's thought on the cost of the "trip of a lifetime"  if you can pay cash and it is not going to adversely affect your retirement plans/stache.  Sure you could do it much cheaper but I agree that when you get to a certain age or income level you don't want to be staying in manky backpackers with drunk bogans and have to que to use the communal kitchen (or bathrooms) all the time.  Blech!  Instead of hostels, just look at AirBnB for some great and cheaper places to stay. 

[DecD]

Maybe this is obvious but I've happened to notice three posts from you:

1.  Should you fudge the rules about unemployment to milk some extra from the government when you retire
2.  You're not sure you get the whole concept of this blog/forum and maybe it's really kind of silly
3.  You're spending a year's budget on a vacation

It could be that you're missing the point of the blog (and thus the forum) - hard work, simple living, small footprint, wanting less, needing less, muscle over motor, roughing it to increase your strength and achieve your freedom.   This isn't really a blog/forum about getting lots of money in sneaky ways, or having lots of money and spending it in fancy ways, or enjoying your Porsche during retirement.  Just sayin.

I mean, enjoy your vacation and all, but why are you letting us know? 

(he's a troll, maybe?  Have I just fed a troll?)

[Primm]

If you have, I'm about to as well.

From a purely practical standpoint, Australia has just (1 August) switched to PIN only for credit card transactions. Some smaller transactions it's just swipe and go, but you are no longer allowed to sign for a CC payment. PIN only.

Make sure you have that set up before you head over. I know you lot can be a bit ... backwards when it comes to electronic banking. ;)

[Cap_Scarlet]

Cap-Scarlett I don't think $24,000 for 2 people through Aust and NZ is expensive at all.  I did 2 weeks NZ South Island Feb 13 and spent $10,000 just for myself, not even staying in super posh places or going many paid activities.

A few tips that may help you in the Perth South West WA area - if you can, rent a car from Bayswater Car Rental instead of  the big chains as their accident insurance excess reduction is way way lower and the price for rental is a bit cheaper as well.  I don't think they have a stand at the airport, but there is an office in Bayswater which is a very short taxi ride away.  Daily insurance excess reduction is normally around $30 to $40 per day for Avis/Hertz and the rest but only about $15 per day for Bayswater.  This extra payment is highly recommended but not mandatory - basically reduces your excess to a couple $100 from $3000ish if you have an accident.  And they have all the late model cars not rent-a-dents. 

Also if you are staying in a Perth city hotel don't bother renting a car until you leave.  You will not be able to park it anywhere in the city for less than $40 - $50 per night.  This is not usually included in hotel room charges.  Some B&B's may offer free or cheap parking but I would check first.  The public transport around Perth city is free and cheap and you won't need a car until you head out.

If you have any other questions about Perth and the South West or areas up to Lancelin please feel free to PM me. 

As for the rest of it, I wouldn't even waste a moment's thought on the cost of the "trip of a lifetime"  if you can pay cash and it is not going to adversely affect your retirement plans/stache.  Sure you could do it much cheaper but I agree that when you get to a certain age or income level you don't want to be staying in manky backpackers with drunk bogans and have to que to use the communal kitchen (or bathrooms) all the time.  Blech!  Instead of hostels, just look at AirBnB for some great and cheaper places to stay.

Many thanks for the tips.

I have purchased a global excess insurance from icharhireinsurance.com who offer worldwide excess insurance coverage polices.  I tend to rent cars three or four times a year and have had a policy with them for a number of years now.

We are not staying in the centre of Perth but rather on the upper North Shore.  We have around three days planned in the centre of Perth and plan to head over to Rottnest island for a day we are then heading down to the South coast (Denmark) with a leisurely drive back through Bunbury, Busselton etc.  So any tips on things we "must" see or do would be much appreciated.

[Cap_Scarlet]

Maybe this is obvious but I've happened to notice three posts from you:

1.  Should you fudge the rules about unemployment to milk some extra from the government when you retire
2.  You're not sure you get the whole concept of this blog/forum and maybe it's really kind of silly
3.  You're spending a year's budget on a vacation

It could be that you're missing the point of the blog (and thus the forum) - hard work, simple living, small footprint, wanting less, needing less, muscle over motor, roughing it to increase your strength and achieve your freedom.   This isn't really a blog/forum about getting lots of money in sneaky ways, or having lots of money and spending it in fancy ways, or enjoying your Porsche during retirement.  Just sayin.

I mean, enjoy your vacation and all, but why are you letting us know? 

(he's a troll, maybe?  Have I just fed a troll?)

Are you stalking me? ;-)  Seriously I'm glad you took the time to do some research on me and applied (you're own) interpretation and judgement.

I actually interpret things slightly differently.  I want to retire early on my own terms which means enjoying lots of things but not getting ripped off and making sensible choices about money. FWIW your interpretation is a little too Amish to me.  Also, I may have once owned a Porsche but I don't anymore as within my terms of reference it was a waste of money - that doesn't mean I went from owning a Porsche to riding a bike (actually I do occasionally ride a bike) but within my terms of reference I have cut back.

Oh and if being a troll means having some views and opinion that might differ from the masses ("burn him, burn him, he's a witch") then I am a troll. 

[Cap_Scarlet]

Are you sure you're on the right site?

Are you sure you're not jumping to conclusions?

[Cap_Scarlet]

If you have, I'm about to as well.

From a purely practical standpoint, Australia has just (1 August) switched to PIN only for credit card transactions. Some smaller transactions it's just swipe and go, but you are no longer allowed to sign for a CC payment. PIN only.

Make sure you have that set up before you head over. I know you lot can be a bit ... backwards when it comes to electronic banking. ;)

Thank you, we have an Austrlian bank account from the days when we lived there and are in the process of making sure we have a PIN.

[DecD]

Maybe this is obvious but I've happened to notice three posts from you:

1.  Should you fudge the rules about unemployment to milk some extra from the government when you retire
2.  You're not sure you get the whole concept of this blog/forum and maybe it's really kind of silly
3.  You're spending a year's budget on a vacation

It could be that you're missing the point of the blog (and thus the forum) - hard work, simple living, small footprint, wanting less, needing less, muscle over motor, roughing it to increase your strength and achieve your freedom.   This isn't really a blog/forum about getting lots of money in sneaky ways, or having lots of money and spending it in fancy ways, or enjoying your Porsche during retirement.  Just sayin.

I mean, enjoy your vacation and all, but why are you letting us know? 

(he's a troll, maybe?  Have I just fed a troll?)

Are you stalking me? ;-)  Seriously I'm glad you took the time to do some research on me and applied (you're own) interpretation and judgement.

I actually interpret things slightly differently.  I want to retire early on my own terms which means enjoying lots of things but not getting ripped off and making sensible choices about money. FWIW your interpretation is a little too Amish to me.  Also, I may have once owned a Porsche but I don't anymore as within my terms of reference it was a waste of money - that doesn't mean I went from owning a Porsche to riding a bike (actually I do occasionally ride a bike) but within my terms of reference I have cut back.

Oh and if being a troll means having some views and opinion that might differ from the masses ("burn him, burn him, he's a witch") then I am a troll.

Oh don't fret.  Your username there to the left says you've made 70 posts, and I've noticed three of them, I don't think that qualifies as stalking.  I don't have that kind of time anyway.

No, being a troll isn't about expressing different opinions, it's about making insincere posts designed solely to get a rise out of the crowd.  You never want to feed a troll- it only encourages them. 

My interpretation is 'Amish'?  My interpretation of what?  Of Early Retirement?  Maybe so, but my point is that's the theme of the Mr. Money Mustache site.  He's not writing a site about storing up a bunch of money so we can all retire in leisure and luxury.  It's the opposite- I really don't think I'm doing any interpreting here- I'm not talking about grand goals of Early Retirement, just simply stating the theme of the blog this forum is attached to.  It's not "Early Retirement Through Sneaky Means and Then Spending It All In An Orgy Of Luxury!"  it's "Early Retirement Through Baddassity".  And Stoicism.  :)

Seriously, it's not me saying this.  It's the blog's author. You don't even have to read the articles to see what I mean.  It's there in the titles (but these articles happen to be pretty good and worth a read):

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/08/29/luxury-is-just-another-weakness/
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/02/27/get-rich-with-good-old-fashioned-hard-work/
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/22/what-is-hedonic-adaptation-and-how-can-it-turn-you-into-a-sukka/
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/12/05/muscle-over-motor/
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/02/what-is-stoicism-and-how-can-it-turn-your-life-to-solid-gold/
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/04/11/get-rich-with-good-old-fashioned-honesty/

In other words, I think what arebelspy was saying by "are you sure you're on the right site" is that this Early Retirement site is truly about cutting back- NOT TO SAVE MONEY- but to live a richer life and to destroy the environment less.  And yes, you save money as a side effect. There are probably plenty of other sites out there about more typical retirement plans that might be more populated with non-mustachian pre-retirement gift posts.

[Cap_Scarlet]

It's not "Early Retirement Through Sneaky Means and Then Spending It All In An Orgy Of Luxury! it's "Early Retirement Through Baddassity".  And Stoicism.  :)
"

That made me laugh - clearly I need to get more stoicism in my life.

But I won't Troll you - I'll make it easy.  If you don't like my threads and / or posts - don't read or respond to them. Job done.

[arebelspy]

this Early Retirement site is truly about cutting back- NOT TO SAVE MONEY- but to live a richer life and to destroy the environment less.  And yes, you save money as a side effect. There are probably plenty of other sites out there about more typical retirement plans that might be more populated with non-mustachian pre-retirement gift posts.

Well said, DecD.

[farmstache]

But I won't Troll you - I'll make it easy.  If you don't like my threads and / or posts - don't read or respond to them. Job done.

Just to make it clear: while you're not mustachian (as explained above), I don't think you are a troll either. I don't really get the goal of this post (a bit of bragging, a bit of wanting to seek travel tips about aussieland and kiwiland?), but it didn't sound like you were just looking to rile people up.

You're pretty welcome to post, and I admire your patience and not reacting really offended to what people have said at your unmustachian choices. Just know most people here aren't really in the same mindset as you, and maybe you'll feel more comfortable somewhere else (but you might also miss on learning to be more badass if you just go where you feel comfortable).

[Spartana]

Cap-Scarlett I don't think $24,000 for 2 people through Aust and NZ is expensive at all.  I did 2 weeks NZ South Island Feb 13 and spent $10,000 just for myself, not even staying in super posh places or going many paid activities.

 

I do think it's expensive (as I do think $10K for 2 weeks in expensive) but everyone has different standards I suppose. My sister lived in NZ for a year on about $10,000. She usually rented a shared place for a couple of months at a time - someplace fairly nice so no queuing up for the loo in a gungy backpacker hostel :-)! She did do that too, and used public transit, even hitchhiked, to get around. I just looked at some vacation house rental properties in NZ and there were some lovely little one bedroom cottages for around $100 - $150/night (very high by my standards but much lower then Cap Scarlets) so something like those could lower his prices by quit a lot and, again, no have to stay at a gangy hostel (although I love hostels myself). Car rental rates seem to be very high too. I rent cars often in the states and can get them for approx. $100/week with a Costco or AAA discount (and other discounts are available) for a mid sized car (like a Nissan Altima) and if you put it on a CC that covers the damage wavier you don't have to pay that fee - which in the states is approx. $15 - $20/day. Not sure if that applies to Aus or NZ but worth checking out. Also some of the all inclusive package tours might be cheaper. They often include R/T airfare, transportation (usually by a nice private bus), all hotels, meals and entrance fees. Would be expensive by my standards but probably cheaper then $24K.

[Cap_Scarlet]

But I won't Troll you - I'll make it easy.  If you don't like my threads and / or posts - don't read or respond to them. Job done.

Just to make it clear: while you're not mustachian (as explained above), I don't think you are a troll either. I don't really get the goal of this post (a bit of bragging, a bit of wanting to seek travel tips about aussieland and kiwiland?), but it didn't sound like you were just looking to rile people up.

You're pretty welcome to post, and I admire your patience and not reacting really offended to what people have said at your unmustachian choices. Just know most people here aren't really in the same mindset as you, and maybe you'll feel more comfortable somewhere else (but you might also miss on learning to be more badass if you just go where you feel comfortable).

Yours is the most sensible post I've read on here.

Generally I am pretty mustachian but I'm coming from a completely different place from most of the people here i.e. high income but trying hard to reduce some expenses back to a sustainable level of spending.  some I'm learning (and that's why I'm here) but not there yet.  Once I'm retired next year there will be some bigger changes but I'm happy with this blow out as it coincides with a lot of special events.

So thanks for the post and I'll try (but may not succeed ;-)) to be less obnoxious.