Uh, We Interrupt This Broadcast to Bring You an Urgent Message…
Um, nope – it doesn’t LOOK like a Mongolian yak..
Yeah, like as if whizzing to Mongolia for a month wasn’t enough. Not amazing enough. Not decadent enough. Not utterly THRILLING enough.
Don’t get me wrong – I’ve been doing a woo-hoo happy dance here ever since I booked my air to Thailand and Mongolia. Indeed, DELIRIOUSLY thrilled to have more than a full month to peek into Chiang Mai, plus play in the vast and wondrous sandbox of Sir Chinngis Khaan himself!
Oh my yes. Totally blissed out, and incredibly EXCITED!
Still… when an IRRESISTIBLE airfare deal to yet a whole ‘nuther nifty corner of the globe pops into your email, I mean what’s a girl to do?
Yep, this week yet ANOTHER fabulous “Hot Deal” from my long beloved TravelZoo.com dropped into my gmail (’twas thanks to TravelZoo that I nabbed a $745 rt. air to South Africa in ’04, a $1,200 rt. air PLUS a week’s stay in a 5-star resort in Bali in ’08, and a 10 day, 5-star Egyptian cruise down the Nile – including an Egyptologist guide, all meals AND the single supplement – for $628 in 2010).
To be sure, such sweet travel deals don’t come by often, but every once in a great while something pops up that is just TOO. GOOD. TO. PASS. UP.
Guess I’m gonna “scoot” my way to Australia…
Such was the case Wednesday morning when a host of special fares from Singapore to various Asian capitals on a new airline called “Scoot” (I mean, how cute is that?) showed up in my weekly TravelZoo alert. Mildly curious (as I’m obviously pretty satiated just now w/ my plans for Thailand and Mongolia), I clicked on the link to find…
In short, Scoot airlines was offering one way fares from Singapore to either Sydney or the Gold Coast of Australia for just *$61*!!! The deal required that travel be between Oct. 28th and Nov. 21st, and the ticket must be booked by midnight on the 13th (just a 48 hour window or til all flights were sold out.)
It seemed almost too good to be true. I knew that a round trip ticket from HCMC to Singapore was little more than 90 bucks, so I swiftly did the math and realized that I could fly from HCMC to Sydney, Australia for little more than $200!!!
g-knows I had NO plans to go to Australia when I woke up on Wednesday morning, but hey – with such a sweet fare, ya gotta grab ’em when you can get ’em, yes?
So I swiftly clicked on the Scoot air link to choose travel dates and book a ticket, only to be met with an acky:
xxx
‘Twas the absolute FASTEST I ever made a travel decision. I mean, just LOOK at that “SGD 38.83 departure fare” (but US$30)! The return was a smidge more than the lowest price, and of course there’s a bit more for tax ‘n such. Plus I opted to reserve an aisle seat on both flights ($12). But I still can’t believe that somebody’s gonna fly me all the way to Sydney… and BACK for just $294!
So now on TOP of a little foray into Thailand, plus more than a month to play in Mongolia come August/September, I can now start dreaming of a sweet three weeks in the Land DownUnder.
Seriously folks, somebody please PINCH me so I know this amazing life I’m living here in Asia is real. It’s verily like CHRISTMAS every week! Thank oh so GOODNESS that I’ve managed to stay alive and healthy this long – to be able to explore so many wondrous corners of the globe. It all seems like a dream, and I’m sincerely grateful for every blessed minute of it.
About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
You might also like...
Uluru: Is It Worth It? →
Making a Dent in Oz →
The One, the ONLY – Uluru →
Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
Oops, forgot to reply. Before the Travelzoo alert my Bali plans were: 1) Get away from tourist centers, and 2) Go to Bali while #1 is still possible. I’ll soon find out if I put it off too long.
My RSS reader has never missed a post of my blog. Haven’t seen a drop in readership. Don’t know what the problem is. The blog’s author hasn’t been writing much lately. Don’t know what’s go into him.
Strangely, when I click on your linked name in your comment above, it takes me to a “Four Letter Nerd” blogger profile, but says the name of the blog is “TBD”. Then when I click on that, it takes me to a blogger blog interface (address: tkbsotbd.blogspot.com) that shows “No Posts”.
Furthermore, when I google for your blog I can get to your fourletternerd.wordpress.com blog all right, but… when I try to drop the blog in my Feedly reader (by clicking on your “Entries RSS” link there under “META” in the right side column) Feedly says it’s “unable to load the feed”. ;(
I subscribed to the Travelzoo Weekly Top 20 after reading this post last July. Nothing piqued more than a smidge of interest until today. I knew someday I’d go to Bali but now I know when. Thanks for the tip and thanks for all the stories from your personal intersection of travel, optimism and kid-in-the-candy-store game plan of life.
@FLN – yep, not every week’s Travelzoo alert holds something irresistible, but over the years I’ve found enough dizzying gems to make it very worthwhile.
So you grabbed a ticket to Bali, eh? Good for you, no doubt you’ll love it. Do watch my little “Bali Bliss” video (search for “bali” here on TL). It’s true that Bali grows more “touristy” each year, but it’s easy to get off-the-grid by getting out into the countryside. I got lucky and was able to attend a village ceremony in northern Bali.
btw… what’s happened to your blog? I’ve not gotten any posts in my e-Reader for some time, and just now clicked on you name to find “no posts” for it???
@Mary – thanks for the reminder. It’s so easy to say someone’s “lucky”. But you’re right. Luck has little to do with it. It’s up to each of us to make our dreams come true.
The only “luck” I’ve had (and it surely was a DOOZY!) was the sheer crap-shoot of being born to a sweet couple in Illinois – as opposed to a single mom of seven living in a thatched hut in Mozambique.
But after that, it’s up to each of us and our choices that ultimately determines our “luck”.
You may be a “lucky lass”, but you make your own luck by seizing the opportunity. You can be sure I’m going to start having those deals delivered to my inbox. But, for now I’ll delight in the stories of your adventures.
@James – seriously, if I could I’d take you and all my other TL chums along with me – honest! Trust that I’m keenly aware just what a lucky lass I am.
And yes, do share all your tips for Sydney and surrounds – especially the cheapo ones ‘cuz I’ll most definitely be on a shoestring amid the pricey likes of Oz.
Really? One continent to explore simply wasn’t enough? Now you have to rub it in all our collective faces? haha. Sounds like an amazing deal. AirAsia once had a Phnom Penh – Kuala Lumpur – Brisbane flight for USD 150 return, taxes in. But this one sounds great as well. I loved Sydney. Loved spending the day at the Taronga Zoo and the great view of the Opera House on the way there via ferry. I even copped a feel from a koala even though it was supposedly against the law. Can’t wait to read all about your tripS!
Terrific deal and news. How exciting. Learn to fling a boomerang! or see those ancient aborigine sites – karma, mystic….
@Gail (a.k.a. dearest big Sis) sorry I somehow neglected your comment here – yes, yes, “…fling a boomerang!” I shall, I’d forgotten that Oz is the land of boomerangs!
Would love to get Uluru (a.k.a. “The Rock”, and legendary for mystic and karma) but… it’s waaaaaay out in the middle of nowhere (which in Oz geography might as well be another PLANET!) and it might be too pricey for my humble budget. Still, I’m gonna try…