Monday, 2 May 2011

Where would you like to travel to?

I would say that I am a very lucky girl to be able to travel to many places in Europe during my studies here in Great Britain. I am from Malaysia, and honestly, the one and only country that I have been to in Asia is Singapore, which is just about 1.25 hours away by flight. Even in Malaysia, I've only been to Kuala Lumpur and its near proximity, and not the lovely island that many people might have already been to, i.e. Redang Island and Langkawi Island.

In short, I really enjoy my stay in UK with all the exposures I get, seeing different cities and of course, to study hard.

With my passion of travel, I love to read Yahoo! Travel Featured Articles section, to find out interesting tips, places to go and fun stuff about travels. One main thing about travel is that you need to save money before you travel and you will (most likely to) return home, skint.

I was reading the articles "Cheapest city breaks this Spring" and "Cheapest Holiday Destinations for 2011" (click on the titles to read in details), and I would agree with some of the facts.

One thing that I am still really proud of is be able to fly directly to Paris from Glasgow Prestwick Airport, for only £10 return. That is the amount of money you would need to spend for a nice main course of a meal. The thing is, your airticket can be so cheap but the local expenses at your destination may cause a bomb in your pocket when you are just trying to have a weekend away.

Here's the adaptation from the article of how much you would need to spend for holiday costs including accommodation, meals, drinks, travel and sightseeing. See below:
For those in Malaysia, in case you wonder about the foreign exchange rate to Pounds (£) from Malaysian Ringgit (RM), £1 = RM5.05. You can do the rest of the math yourself.

City

Country

Total basket price

Riga

Latvia

£114.92

Prague

Czech Republic

£134.79

Budapest

Hungary

£136.06

Tallinn

Estonia

£142.04

Warsaw

Poland

£144.18

Lisbon

Portugal

£149.93

Dublin

Ireland

£160.78

Berlin

Germany

£192.74

Edinburgh

UK

£202.85

Barcelona

Spain

£217.89

Bruges

Belgium

£228.62

London

UK

£237.10

Amsterdam

Netherlands

£242.42

Rome

Italy

£247.50

Paris

France

£253.74

Copenhagen

Denmark

£256.77

Boston

USA

£259.89

New York

USA

£305.97

Stockholm

Sweden

£313.64

(Cities highlighted in RED are places I have been to.)

It is amusingly interesting that Stockholm, Sweden is rated as the most expensive among all. I would nod my head twice as hard to agree with that. I stayed in a shared dorm hostel in Stockholm, and a night of cost was the same amount of money I would need to spend for a night in London or Paris. Imagine that! Many people may have thought London is the most expensive places and I would say "NO!". There are lots of little cafes, supermarket, fast food store within your close proximity in London, and that is how you can save on food. In Stockholm, a meal in their local fast food restaurant allows me to buy TWO meals in McDonalds of London. For all the places I've highlighted in RED, I still think Edinburgh is much cheaper than Dublin as a general observation.



Some random picture of me in London as you might have already seen it before. I'm just trying to make this post least dry.

Now it's to compare among countries around the world for their local expenses that includes coffee, beer, cola, water, sun cream, insect repellent, and a three course evening meal for two, including wine.

Position

Country

Typical price

1

Portugal

£32.84

2

Spain

£36.68

3

Czech Republic

£37.98

4

Bulgaria

£39.39

5

Sri Lanka

£40.62

6

Hungary

£43.52

7

Thailand

£44.26

8

Mexico

£45.36

9

Kenya

£45.99

10

Malaysia

£47.68

11

Indonesia

£47.96

12

Croatia

£57.32

13

Cyprus

£57.76

14

Majorca

£57.81

15

Greece

£58.30

16

Turkey

£59.83

17

Japan

£62.32

18

Malta

£63.04

19

Tenerife

£65.48

20

South Africa

£65.62

21

France

£70.72

22

Dubai

£72.25

23

Italy

£73.44

24

China

£80.24

25

Egypt

£80.46

26

Jamaica

£82.53

27

Brazil

£87.73

28

Antigua

£90.83

29

USA

£92.47

30

Mauritius

£100.42

31

Singapore

£105.83

32

Barbados

£111.27

33

New Zealand

£111.37

34

Canada

£119.32

35

Hong Kong

£138.64

36

Australia

£157.51


This is just an idea suggested by Yahoo!Travel. Australia is now at the bottom of the list, with it's exchange rate higher than US Dollar. I would think it's worth travelling to America than to Australia now. What do you think?? For those who have not been to Malaysia, YOU HAVE TO.


I was in Paris, 2010. This was the trip when my airticket was just £10!

I still love London, and I think it's still the best place in the world if you want a good combination of sight seeing, food, and shopping. Also, it's easy to travel within the area but be warned it's always jam-packed and the locals are a bit too calm towards tourists. Occasionally, you would feel as if you're not in the England when the charming-yet-confusing English accent not heard as often on the streets unless you enter a shop. I've been to London quite a few times and I would still love to go. (p/s: I have London trip coming up again)

If you prefer somewhere more relaxing and friendlier, Scotland it is. This is where I study and a place I can call 'home abroad'. It is also much cheaper here. The Scottish highland is a must visit place that the scenery is picturesque as you see in a postcard, but be aware of the moody Scottish weather.

Here are some pictures of Scotland and they are not any downloaded pictures. I should have more but pictures were kept in my other storing area.


Isle of Skye. I love the picture of sunset especially.


The view of Scottish highland in an August day.




Not just summer, winter can be beautiful especially when it snows in Glasgow.

Hope you enjoy reading and might anticipate your desire to get away from town for a while.

x.o.x.o

1 comment:

S said...

Paris oh yes!