Yonaguni-Jima - Okinawa, Japan
Who says you need triple digits in your bank account to go on a vacation? Thanks to VISA and the Internet, all you need is many many hours, a primed set of fingers on your keyboard, and a little extra space on your credit card. The world awaits – exotic and faraway places are just waiting to be discovered, and with airfare-friendly sites like FlightNetwork, Flyforless, options like the StarAlliance South Pacific, Europe, and Asia AirPasses, or country-specific air passes of the same variety, the cost of flying may be a fraction of what you would expect.
I just bought an Air Japan AirPass and managed to score side jaunt from Tokyo to Okinawa – a remote chain of islands in the subtropical zone between Japan and Taiwan, for $300 — a return trip that normally costs around $700.
Yes, there are mega deals to be had. Its just all in the looking. In order to cut costs it is vital to set aside some serious time and energy to scour flight, hotel, and other travel sites to find those deals that travel agents may know about, but would definitely charge a premium for sharing.
Accommodation-wise, Hotels.com and Booking.com are good ones to know. TripAdvisor offers decent reviews, and Google Translate is a friendly helper for those of us who have not yet made the move to Google Chrome as your web browser of choice. Lonely Planet books and sister sites are invaluable resources for pretty much everything, everywhere, as are the Rough Guides. Traveling during off-peak seasons pays off in dollars and also in space to roam and breathe in relatively tourist-free zones. And flying on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is cheaper. Always.
Travel is tonic for the soul. Material objects may be satisfying temporarily, but an unforgettable vacation will stay with you for a lifetime. If you can get the time off, don’t wait for next year to take that trip you’ve been dreaming about. Go online and start dreaming. The rest may very well follow.
Koh Samui, Thailand