Yay, I’m (very) slowly working through my backlog of entries!

Here’s the expenses breakdown of my Gold Coast 4-day weekend trip last March. I flew via Jetstar, and lucky for me, their Gold Coast segment flies from Tullamarine and not from Avalon airport (which is about one and a half hour from Melbourne).

I stayed the the overpopulated-by-tourists Surfer’s Paradise. Why? Because there are times when I *do* want to be mainstream.

When I was researching for this trip, I was really frustrated that there’s hardly anything online or in travelbooks about the Gold Coast. Usually it’d just be a mention of the beach, the theme parks and the hinterlands. One day in Gold Coast and I see why that is.
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Ah, Sydney. How I loved thee.

I’ve fallen inlove with Sydney, mainly because of the harbour and the ferries. I don’t know why, but I just love riding commuter ferries. It’s one of the reasons why I loved the Chao Phraya in Bangkok.

I only spent 3 days in Sydney, though I wish I could have stayed longer. Sydney has so much to offer to travelers, and admittedly, a weekend in Sydney isn’t too expensive. I was surprised when I saw the total myself.

Here’s my 3-day Sydney expense breakdown to give you an idea when you plan your own trip to this lovely city.

[EDIT March 5, 2009] I am an idiot. I made a HUGE mistake in summing up all the expenses, hence the ultra cheap total *facepalm* From Php 13K for a weekend trip, the real total finally came out (after TWO FRICKING YEARS): Php 23K!
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If you’re travelling international via a low cost carrier from [tag]Manila[/tag], you’ll be paying 3 fees at the airport: the Php 1,620 travel tax (though I think this is only for residents/citizens), Php550 airport tax, and the new Php200 [tag]security tax[/tag].

The security fee, recently approved by the MIAA Board, will be used for the “total upgrading” of security equipment at the NAIA terminals, added Oscar Paras, MIAA senior assistant general manager, in an interview with Inquirer. This would include the purchase of new surveillance cameras and state-of-the-art X-ray machines, among others.

Source: Inquirer.net
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It’s been three days since we got back from [tag]Bohol[/tag] and I’m still recovering from my vacation. How ironic. The things that happened when I got home was just too stressful and I still couldn’t shake it off. Hopefully, I’ll be back in good working condition by Monday.

Something good came in the mail the day after I got back which cheered me up a bit, and I was able to use my computer again without having to take it (and paying lots of money) to the repair shop.

On a lighter note, I was able to stay under my [tag]budget[/tag] for this trip . Unfortunately, with the loss of my MP3 player and some cash, that still brings me over my budget. But what the heck, I’m just glad I was able to come home in with all pieces in tact.

A detailed breakdown of my Bohol budget right after the jump.
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