While people splurge on shoes and bags, I spoil myself with escapades at least two times a year. Mind you, the cost of me travelling to another country is way, way, way, cheaper than any luxury brand of bag that you might be thinking of in your mind right now.
So how do I do it? It’s simple really, you just need patience and discipline.
Patience? What for? Well, when I do book a flight, I book it at least six months prior so I still have enough time to plan, to save up and look for that return flight. That’s right, I don’t usually book all my flights in one go. I usually wait for seat sales (Jetstar, Air Asia, Cebu Pac), your name it for the first half of my trip, and then another seat sale, for the return or next destination ticket.
Here’s some helpful tip in scouting for sales:
1. Mark all the holidays! Airline seat sales usually comes during a day or so before holidays. My favorite booking time is during December 31-January 1 of their year-end sales, (while people still enjoy a good night’s rest, I hunt down every page of booking dates till I find the one I’m looking for).
2. Download Skyscanner This is a very handy app that allows you to compare prices across different airline. You can even subscribe to an email-service that alerts you when the airfare for a particular flight and date goes up and/or down.
Flight
So how much did I spend on for my flight?
*The rate shown above is already for two people. And they were booked on June 2017 and March 2018 respectively.
Accommodation
Now, what about the hotel? Where do I stay? Well, I could only recommend based on where I’ve stayed, and I say that this one is fairly good. I booked it on a book now, pay later basis of the very trusty Agoda website:
I recommend Duc Vuong Hotel. It costs only around Php900 per night (so only Php 1350 per head for three nights stay). The staff are friendly and are very accommodating. They have a rooftop bar you can dine at at night, and they are at the heart of the city center. I also chose this hotel, because it’s a 5-minute walk from the pick-up point of our tour. Oh yeah, the best part, they provide a hearty breakfast buffet every morning to fill you up for the day’s activity:
Pre-Flight
Now, before every flight, I make it a point to make a checklist of essentials or travel must-haves so that I’m prepared for whatever situation:
I highly recommend that you invest on a universal travel power adapter which can be bought for only Php 300 at Ace Hardware. It’s green, and have different versions for different types of outlet for the countries I’ve visited. Also, since hotel rooms sometimes lack in sockets, a portable extension might do you some good.
I also bring snacks along, and sometimes even canned goods for severe times of hunger while on travel or when my stomach and the local cuisine does not really agree.
Pre Flight (Activities)
I’m a DIY gal, and I still am, but then came Klook which made travelling a hell lot easier and more fun. Ever since I tried it out, I have not once regret anything I bought from there. Everything is just worth every penny, and true to their word, Skip the lines, indeed.
Travel Sim & Tour
Both photo reflect tours and sim package that are good for two people already. The sim card got delivered to our hotel prior to our arrival so thumbs up for that and it has 4G connectivity. Then the Mekong Delta tour which we availed of is also inclusive of lunch so yey! We barely spent anything on that day of the trip except for food crawling at night at the street market nearby.
Now, it’s not shown here but we also purchased Cu Chi tunnel trip for only Php 621 per head (exclusive of lunch this time).
Pre Flight (ForEx)
Airport rates are pricey. Since 2017, whenever I get money for a trip, I exchange a few bucks at a time, so it doesn’t suddenly hurt my finances. For buying foreign currencies, I’d recommend Tivoli money changer which is located inside Trinoma Mall, Quezon City.
The Tour
Day 01 & 03/04 (Random)
After leaving our luggage at the hotel, we ate Pho at the street nearby for only 30,00 VND. (Vietnam really makes you feel like a millionaire).
After that very enriching meal, we went on around the city. We went to the following places with the help of our feet (yes we love walking, and so around the city we strolled A LOT). And oh yeah, we’re culture freaks, so we visited quite a lot of museum.
Culture Park
Entrance Fee: FREEEE! You can hear birds chirping and even participate at various exercises (yes zumba, and pilates, and yoga) happening around with community members, again for free.
War Remnant Museum
Entrance Fee: 40,000 VND per person
Though we may be smiling before we went in, our hearts felt heavy once we came out as we pay tribute to those lives affected by the war. It’s a really good learning experience.
City Hall/Post Office/Ben Tanh Market
We look for post office wherever we go to send ourselves a piece of memory of the trip thru a postcard of course. They usually cost just 5,000 VND per card and 10,000-30,000 VND depending on the country of the recipient. We literally just went by street by street and look for different places to discover.
For lunch, we just ate around the park or local restaurant, around 500,000 VND spent for lunch and dinner for Day 01, and 500,000 VND for Day 04 prior to flight.
Note: If you’re going to Benh Tanh Market, barter wisely. They tend to overprice products for tourists but you can always barter, and it gets better through time. Usually when they say a particular price, just go for half of the price already, then negotiate until you and the seller’s prices meet.
Day 02: My Tho/Vin Thrang Pagoda/Tortoise Islet/An Khanh
I’m not gonna waste your time on details because it won’t do any justice to the tour. Our guide is fun and helpful, ready to snap your photo. All I can say is that its a definitely must-try Ho Chi Minh experience.
Day 03 (Cu-chi Tunnel Adventure)
Get ready to feel like a guerilla and learn how the Vietnamese fought off Americans using the wonders of nature. Their battle tactics are admirable and so much fun to learn.
Summary of Expenses:
The amount above excludes as you might have noticed the pasalubong, and breakfast which was already covered by the hotel. So might want to add a million dong for pasalubong and other incidentals.
If you’d like a copy of my Ho Chi Minh Travel Starter pack powerpoint presentation, please feel free to shoot me an email.
Thanks for reading