(Post asal di FB Kembara Tim BEST pada 26 Julai 2016)
Salah seorang si kecil bijaksana saya sudah bersekolah rendah. Kami sudah tekad tidak mahu menjadikan tindakan ponteng sekolah sebagai kebiasaan sekiranya mahu pergi kembara keluarga. Padahal sudah tahu, sekiranya kembara pada musim cuti sekolah, satu Malaysia akan turut sama bercuti. Itu yang menyebabkan keadaan lalu lintas SESAK GILA SAIKO MELAMPAU.
Nampak tak keseriusan 'trafik jam' itu? Stres bikin hati panas apabila mahu travel semasa cuti sekolah.
Sudahlah kita keluarkan belanja banyak, tiba-tiba terpaksa meredah kesesakan yang membuang masa. Dari masa memandu 2,3 jam, terus menjadi 6-8 jam. Naik tiga kali ganda!
Ini kalau keuntungan masuk duit, tidak mengapa juga 2,3 kali ganda. Ini stres naik, tekanan darah pun naik melampau.
*Tarik nafasss hembusss. Tarik nafas hembusss.
Memang sangat menguji kesabaran.
Namun, stres tak stres, kembara tetap mesti pergi. Jadi apa yang kita boleh buat?
Kembara punya pasal, kita perlu berusaha mengurangkan stres itu.
1. Kenal pasti tarikh khusus cuti sekolah.
Sejak bulan 1, minta takwim sekolah daripada cikgu sekolah. Ini bagi memudahkan perancangan program cuti sekolah sepanjang tahun. Kadang-kadang cuti sekolah itu mula pada hari Sabtu sehingga Ahad minggu satu lagi. Namun, ada pula program di sekolah pada hari Sabtu itu yang tidak boleh dipontengkan. Jadi, kita perlu merancang program kembara kita dengan sewajarnya supaya anak kita dapat turut serta pada hari sabtu itu.
Sejak awal tahun, kenal pasti bila masa cuti sekolah untuk sepanjang tahun 2016.
Cuti Penggal 1 : 12 Mac – 20 Mac 2016 (9 hari)
Cuti Pertengahan Tahun: 28 Mei – 12 Jun 2016 (16 hari)
Cuti Penggal 2 : 10 Sept – 18 Sept 2016 (9 hari)
Cuti Akhir Tahun : 26 Nov 2016 – 1 Jan 2017 (37 hari)
2. Buat perancangan awal
Semasa catatan ini ditulis, 2 cuti sekolah sudah lepas. Jadi fokuskan sahaja kepada 2 cuti akan datang. Cuti sekolah seterusnya adalah pada bulan September. Kurang dua bulan sahaja lagi.
Jadi kita perlu buat perancangan sekarang. Paling kurang sebulan sebelum cuti sekolah.
Sekiranya minggu depan sudah mula cuti sekolah, baru sekarang terhegeh-hegeh nak buat perancangan, kemungkinan besar, kebanyakan lokasi percutian sudah penuh. Sekiranya ada pun, harganya super melampau mahal sebab tinggal itu sahaja pillihan yang ada.
Then...Nasib kau lah labu. Kalau nak pergi juga, bayar sahajalah harga mahal. Sekiranya tak, bercuti sekolah sahajalah di rumah.
Perkara yang sama dengan tiket penerbangan sekiranya mahu bercuti ke luar negara. Rancang awal, kemungkinan besar dapat harga murah sikit semasa ada sale.
3. Pilih destinasi yang sesuai dengan bajet
Mahu pergi kembara ke mana? Di dalam negara? Di luar negara?
Berapa lama? Mula sehingga habis cuti sekolah? Beberapa hari? Atau paling singkat, trip sehari sahaja?
Ukur poket sendiri atau lihat pada baki duit dalam bank. Cukup untuk pergi kembara apa?
Tidak perlu sibuk tengok orang lain pergi mana.
Tidak perlu jeles tengok gambar orang lain.
Kalau nak pergi tempat yang orang lain pergi, menabunglah dari awal deerr! Itu gunanya kita tahu bila cuti sekolah. Supaya kita ada cukup masa untuk kumpul duit. Nak pergi ‘dream holiday’ lah dikatakan.
Ada banyak cara untuk kumpul duit kembara.
Boleh simpan beberapa percent duit gaji setiap bulan.
Atau kumpul duit warna tertentu. Atau buat kerja sambilan.
Atau jimat perbelanjaan lain dan salur ke dalam tabung kembara.
Banyak cara!
Cara saya? Asingkan sedikit duit khusus untuk travel setiap kali dapat $$.
4. Rancangan perjalanan travel dengan betul
Apabila buat perancangan travel, cuba mengagak corak perjalanan semua penduduk Malaysia yang lain. Yalah kan, satu Malaysia cuti sekolah lah!
Sekiranya travel dalam Malaysia, elakkan perjalanan balik pada hari terakhir. Maksudnya sekiranya hari Ahad hari terakhir cuti sekolah, kita travel pulang pada hari Sabtu supaya elakkan jem saiko melampau pada hari Ahad.
Tapi kalau macam tu, rugilah satu hari! Nak cuti lama sikit!
Kalau macam tu, bertolaklah awal sedikit. Sekiranya mahu bercuti lebih lama, kita bertolak awal sedikit, sehari sebelum. Contoh, kita mahu cuti 4 hari 3 malam. Mahu pulang pada hari Sabtu, jadi kita tolak hari ke belakang. Daripada kita bertolak hari Khamis, kita bertolaklah pada hari Rabu. Pergi Rabu, balik hari Sabtu. Dapat bercuti 4 hari 3 malam seperti yang dirancangkan. Insya-Allah kurang masa yang membazir dalam trafik jem.
Bagi yang kerja, sudah boleh ambil cuti awal2 dari sekarang. Kan satu Malaysia nak cuti. Nanti semua orang di pejabat tu dah minta cuti, kita sahaja baru nak hantar borang, melopong pula bila cuti kena rejek. Nasiblahh...
5. Usah travel ikut cara orang lain
Rancang program travel kita ikut cara kita.
Takkan lah orang pi luar negara, kita pun nak pi luar negara
Takkan lah orang nak pi dalam negeri, kita pun nak pi sekali.
Kita boleh jadikan trip orang lain sebagai panduan. Tidak perlu ikut bulat-bulat.
Kita perlu tahu kemampuan sendiri.
Perlu tahu bajet kita.
Perlu tahu masa yang kita ada.
Perlu tahu tema kembara supaya boleh rancang iteneri yang sesuai.
Perlu tahu jumlah rombongan cik Tim yang nak ikut sekali.
Kanak-kanak, lain cara travel mereka.
Mak-mak, lain cara travel mereka.
Ayah-ayah, lain cara travel mereka.
Atok nenek, lain cara travel mereka.
Backpackers, lain cara travel mereka.
Geng tarik tolak beg troli, lain cara travel mereka.
Tema kembara pun, lain orang lain tujuannya.
Ada nak pi cari makanan asing yang pelik.
Ada nak pi tengok bangunan unik serata dunia.
Ada nak pi semua zoo yang ada.
Ada nak pi shop shop sahaja benda2 yang memang tiada di Malaysia.
Ada nak saja jalan kaki sahaja ke mana kaki membawa diri.
Dan macam-macam lagi lah sebab orang lain travel.
Lain orang lain.
Tidak perlu ikut cara travel orang lain.
Kita tahu diri kita sendiri. Rancang sendiri, baru puas hati.
Saya? Kembara dengan dua si cilik bijaksana itu lah.
-Tim-
Nak sambung rancang kembara cuti September
How much money is needed for a long-term trip in Southeast Asia?
This is probably the most important and common question that any long-term traveler in the planning stages asks (and one I get quite often) when considering a trip through Southeast Asia. Some guide books will swear that $30/day or less is sufficient – let me just say that this is generally not realistic.
Though I traveled all through Southeast Asia and Oceania for 10 months, for the purposes of this guide, I am whittling it down to if I had spent just six months in Southeast Asia. This encompasses a month each in Cambodia, Laos, northern Thailand, southern Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
What did I personally spend?
$7,958 (without SCUBA diving – $6,095)
With flights and pre-trip expenses: $11,000
The Breakdown:
Flights: $1500
I bought two one-way flights to get from LAX to Southeast Asia and back. In hindsight, this may not have been the cheapest way to travel (I could have saved a couple hundred dollars by booking round-trip), however, I was entirely unsure of my dates and departure city. Sometimes, the penalties and restrictions on moving flights ends up making a RT flight too much of a hassle.
Though rare as I normally traveled overland and by public transport, I booked flights from time to time when overland travel was not feasible or I simply didn’t have time. One series of flights in around Indonesia was particularly painful at $300.
Travel Insurance: $793
This is one of those costs that’s annoying, but necessary should the worst occur. I went withWorld Nomads Travel Insurance which happened to be cheaper than any other company I could find for US citizens.
Tip: If you know for sure how much time you’ll be away, buying more months upfront is definitely cheaper than extending periodically.
Immunizations: $350
You’re out of luck if you’re an American when it comes to travel immunizations, because chances are you’ll be covering them out of pocket. I personally elected not to take Malaria pills nor get rabies vaccinations because of costs associated and unlikelihood of either becoming a real issue.
In order to get immunized the cheapest way possible, visit the travel specialist at your local county healthcare clinic.
Travel Gear: $400
My backpack alone cost me over $200, but was worth every penny as nothing ever broke and I’ll be able to use it for years to come. I also invested in Pacsafe products to keep everything protected, which I do not regret! Check my guide out for essential travel items.
Food: Average of $10-15/day
Eating local delights and choosing street food when possible is the best way to keep food costs down. The food tastes better and costs much less when it’s a local dish vs. a western dish. Why order a disappointing burger for $4 when I could have amazing steamed pork buns, papaya salad, coconut soup, pad thai (the list is endless!) in Thailand for less than $1?
Don’t fear street food. It’s cooked right in front of you and may even be fresher and less processed than the food available at home.
Accommodation: $2-$20/day
This really varied depending on high/low season and country. Cambodia and Laos were the cheapest while Indonesia and Malaysia tended to be more expensive and provided less value for the money.
Cheapest place:
Cambodia, land of the $2 dorm rooms.
Most expensive place:
Malaysian Borneo, mainly due to the cost of activities.
Sunglasses Lost/broken:
6 – two were swallowed by rivers, two simply broke, and two seem to have grown legs, mysteriously gotten up, and walked away.
Pairs of flip flops lost:
4 – a dog made off with a pair, 2 were washed away by the ocean (and I still feel bad – sorry ocean!), and one got left in a hostel by accident.
Why couldn’t I travel on only $30/day?
The $30/day benchmark does not take into account gear, insurance, flights, and immunizations. It’s also easy to forget that things like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, sunscreen, batteries, adapters, mosquito repellent, medication, and visas all need to be periodically purchased on the road. The cost seems small but when budgeting only $30 for one day, $4 on a small bottle of shampoo can really add up.
The $30 benchmark is more than realistic, if not a little rich, when staying in one place for an extended period of time in one of the cheaper countries. I was able to spend $3/night on accommodation and around $10/day on food and drink in Otres Beach, Cambodia, for example. I didn’t spend a dime on activities because the beach was free. But what about the days when I moved around? What about the times I had to spend $40 on a visa, $9 on a bus ride, and $3 on a water taxi? My budget was blown before I even bought food or a bed for the night.
What about the days that I wanted to visit Angkor Wat (that was a $40 entrance fee), goSCUBA diving, or jungle trekking? An extremely low budget is only feasible if you hardly move around and never spend anything on activities, but why travel to the other side of the world only to miss out on these things?
If I had not SCUBA dived, climbed Mt. Kinabalu, gone trekking in Bukit Lawang or Mt. Rinjani, I would have shaved over $3000 off of my trip easily. I also never spent more than a week in any one place. Had I moved more slowly, I could have saved a lot more.
How to keep costs low
- All hope is not lost if you have a smaller budget to work with. To keep costs low, use services like couchsurfing for free accommodation. Not into it? Stay in dorms. They are a great way to meet people and save some cash. House sitting is also a possibility though less so in Southeast Asia
- Always travel local instead of by private or tourist coach, even if that means travel days are longer. If you’re rich in time but not in funds, this is the best way do it
- Eat local foods and abstain from alcohol. The biggest budget eater is partying, by far. If you never buy drinks, you’ll literally save thousands. Really, thousands!
- Use a debit card that doesn’t charge fees and refunds the ATM fees assessed by other banks. The only one I’m aware of is Charles Schwab
Lastly, I only spent three days in Vietnam. I understand this to be a pretty cheap country, while southern Thailand, Malaysian Borneo, and certain activities I did in Indonesia were quite expensive. Cut out these countries and spend more time in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and northern Thailand, and your budget will last longer.
For a country-specific budget guide on each place mentioned above, I go into more detail in each of these posts:
Note: Though I spent roughly three months in Thailand, and six weeks each in Malaysia and Indonesia, for the purposes of this article, I crunched the numbers to make it a month each for simplification and easier planning.
How much do you usually spend on traveling? Do you have any budget travel tips to share?