Part 1 Bali - Singapore - Dubai "From Dreams to Reality: A Bali Hotel Manager's Journey Around the World with Family, Unveiling Travel Tips for Free Luxury Homes, Cheap Airfares & Car Rentals in a Post-Pandemic Era" Part 1

Unlocking the  Secrets to Thrifty Travel:

Join me on a journey of discovering the art of smart travel planning and saving substantial funds while exploring the most enchanting destinations.

Seven years ago, when I embraced family life with my two little boys, my travel style underwent a remarkable transformation.

Gone were the days of luxury suites and business-class flights; instead, I embarked on a quest for the lowest-cost flights, free home exchanges, and budget-friendly adventures.

In the past few years, my trips have been meticulously planned to every detail, maximizing both time and money.

People often assume that I can afford anything, but little do they know that the key to my wealth lies in my ability to save and avoid wasteful spending.

Take, for instance, the exorbitant cost of business class tickets, which could easily soar up to USD 4,000 for a flight to Dubai.
Instead, I found a brilliant alternative - choosing economy class with the added perk of securing bulkhead seating and providing extra legroom without anyone obstructing my view.

But that's just the beginning! Stay tuned for Part 2, where I'll unveil my top tips on scoring free luxury accommodations in Dubai, planning the most affordable routes, and finding the best deals on car rentals. 

Prepare to embark on a trouble-free and budget-conscious vacation, making your travel dreams a reality in the post-pandemic world. 

Saving money never felt this exhilarating!

Picture this: I dedicated a staggering 4 to 5 days solely to meticulously plan every detail of my upcoming adventure. From creating a comprehensive chart outlining our daily itinerary, and airport arrival and departure times, to even noting down our flight numbers and registration details, I left no stone unturned.

However, brace yourselves, fellow wanderers, for the shocking revelation that awaited me. As I delved into booking flights post-pandemic, it became alarmingly clear that prices had skyrocketed by a jaw-dropping 100 to 200 percent compared to pre-pandemic rates. 

The sticker shock hit hard, but fear not, for I have uncovered strategies to overcome this obstacle.

Stay tuned as I unveil my tried-and-tested methods to secure affordable airfare, ensuring you can embark on your dream journey without breaking the bank.

Join me on an adventure of a lifetime, where every penny saved brings you closer to your travel goals.s.

Crafting Your Perfect Itinerary with Savvy Planning Tips"

Welcome, fellow wanderers! Are you ready to embark on an epic journey full of thrills, savings, and unforgettable memories?

Let's dive into Step 1 of planning your dream trip where we'll be discussing some insider tips to help you maximize your savings while creating the perfect itinerary.

First things first, it's essential to consider any constraints or limitations you may have. Whether it's time, budget, or specific preferences, laying out your agenda will ensure a smooth and tailored experience.

Now, when it comes to destinations like England and Canada, timing is crucial. To make the most of your adventure, aim for late summer or early spring, as the weather tends to be milder and more enjoyable. Plus, you'll avoid the endless rains and chilly temperatures that can put a damper on your experience.

Living in Bali, you're already aware of the long-haul flights required to reach certain destinations.

Break up those hours in the air by strategically planning layovers or stopovers. Not only will this help you combat fatigue, but it can also offer opportunities to explore new cities along the way.

1st. Designation Dubai:

Considering these parameters, let's kick off our grand voyage in the dazzling city of our 1st Designation Dubai. 

While many have experienced layovers there, why not seize the opportunity to indulge in a three-day stopover?

It's the perfect chance to acquaint yourself with the mesmerizing beauty of this Middle Eastern jewel, as well as recover from jet lag. 

The next trip would part of the trip would be to fly to London, where my family has never been.

The final step perhaps the most important is to fly to Toronto, ON Canada, and then go visit my brother up at his fishing camp two to three hours away. since he is in his 80s is imperative for me to go visit him.

Simply put, we don’t know how long we have left on this Earth, although I was happy to say that he was extremely healthy.

And then finally to go visit my first cousins who are beginning to pass 60 plus.

Included in that final part is to eat as much live Nova Scotia lobster smoked salmon, fresh halibut, and especially fish chowders as we could handle.

With these goals in mind, I began to plan flights. Often during my life, I build up points on airlines only to move to another area or lose them for some other reason, such as they expired this time. I knew I had a lot of points.

Flight Planning:

The first step in flight planning is to go to Google Flights and see which flights fit your schedule and your budget for the location that you desire.

Remember that Google Flights will probably make a Commission on that. So after you find the airline and the flight, you go direct to the airline and usually you can find a lower price.

Surprisingly enough, we found that Singapore Airlines, had a great price and schedule to fly from here to Dubai.

I was able to cover the several thousand dollar costs for my wife and me with points from my credit cards. So this flight was free.

I would have to pay for my two sons.

To use my points for my wife and me in Singapore points they insisted that I buy the slightly premium seats. Which turned out to be a godsend in the end.

To keep my prices down for my sons, we decided to fly them over to Singapore 20 minutes later than us on Singapore Airlines affiliated airline ScootAir.

Since they age from 15 to 19 And have had seven years of international travel experience. We felt it was that they were more than capable of handling their first flight on their own without us accompanying them on the short two-and-a-half-hour flight to Singapore.

We planned to meet them as they arrive and then we would all go down to the transit gate and catch the flight from Singapore to Dubai.

Everything went according to plan although there was a few problems with visas at departure. Which we sorted out with the airlines.

Remember that the first airline that you book is responsible to make sure that you can go all the way to your destination without any visa problems. Otherwise, they may have to pay to return you if you are not allowed entrance.

Our only concern was that the boys would leave on time because we had a two-hour connection and it only allows one hour for you to get to the gate.

When we arrived 20 minutes ahead of them in Singapore, I was shocked to find out that their plane was not coming in at the same terminal, but at another terminal that was 20 minutes away and required a Singapore airport train to take them from there to the main terminal.

I sent my wife Azizah ahead to the checking counter for our next flight and told her I would go over to the next terminal, find them and bring them over.

Fortunately enough they were smart enough to exit the terminal they were at, take the train and arrive at the main terminal where I met them. Then all was good.

DUBAI -3 DAYS
When we arrived in Dubai we were in awe of the magnificent modern buildings utilizing unique architectural designs.

After a quick taxi drive from the airport. To our home exchange apartment on the marina we walked through the entrance of the lovely apartment which was provided to us by NIA. 

Apartments like this rent normally for $400 to $600 USD per night in Dubai. We paid nothing.

 Our host, Nia, went out of her way to make sure we had an easy check-in. 

One habit I’ve developed over the years is to acclimate myself to my surroundings as soon as possible, so I know where to get everything from refreshments to groceries.

My wife and I woke up early due to jet lag and decided to walk around the marina at 4:00 AM. 

We caught a beautiful sunrise over some distinctly Arab buildings before heading back to our apartment.

As usual, I had made a list of things I wanted to do in Dubai, prioritized by importance. 

First on our list was to visit the famous Dubai Mall and take photos of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. 

We noticed a high-speed monorail next to our building and decided to try it out.

This is an example of what Dubai looked like a little over 25 years ago.

Everyone was very helpful in showing us how to get tickets and most people spoke English.

When we arrived at the Dubai Mall, it was a long walk over to the mall from the train, but it was indoors with air conditioning.

One of the main features of the mall is a regulation size hockey rink.

Once inside the mall, we saw some beautiful architecture and one of the most magnificent indoor waterfalls in the world.

After asking where the best place to shoot the Burj Khalifa was, we arrived around 11:00 AM and were hit with a blast of hot desert air. 

We took a few quick pictures before heading back inside.

Then back into the mall and  a delicious but very expensive California pizza. Then on our way home.

I hailed a taxi to go home.

 About 20 minutes later even I knew  enough about Dubai to know that we were heading in the wrong direction. 

In the old days I would have been furious, assuming that the driver was trying to take advantage of us. I think he was just ignorant. 

I have learned to take advantage of  adversaries and try to turn them into benefits. 

I wanted to see the famous Palm development built out of man-made islands far out into the ocean designed to look like a palm tree.

So with drove out to the end of the palm and saw some absolutely stunning hotels and architecture.

Later, we went for swim in the large pool at our apartment with no one around and took some great shots of my wife next to the pool.

Finally, we had a wonderful Turkish dinner in a restaurant right downstairs from our apartment.

The next day, we set our sights on the Emirates Mall with the sole intent of going skiing indoors. 

Being a former ski instructor, I’ve skied in many places around the world Including most of Canada and the United States. 

One year I did 10 mountains in the European Aps. 

A Couple of years ago, we skied New Zealand and Switzerland. 

Skiing Switzerland, 2019 with the family.

Believe it or not I've even skied Hawaii.

I’ve taught my boys how to ski in recent years. 

So skiing in the desert was definitely on my bucket list.

However, when we went over and signed up, we found that it was rather expensive for only two hours of skiing.

It did, however, include ski jackets, ski pants. Which you wouldn't need if you didn't fall.

What it didn't include was gloves and a hat.

I thought it would be no colder than spring skiing. I was wrong inside not only was the snow cold, but the entire building was minus zero.

Soon thereafter, we came out and bought some gloves for our young son, Darius, who decided to go snowboarding. Therefore his hands were in the snow quite a bit.

Hot chocolates after skiing made everybody warm again.

All in all a rare unique experience that we will remember the rest of our life.

In summary, some tips for saving money on your trip to Dubai include arranging for a home exchange for accommodation, using public transportation such as the monorail, and being mindful of expensive activities such as indoor skiing.

Later that evening. I noticed my Achilles heel had swollen on my left foot.

 I reasoned that it was caused by wearing new shoes the day before, which cut into my heel, and perhaps I had an infection. 

Later that evening, my entire ankle swelled up and I was concerned over whether I was going be able to get on the plane early the next morning. 

We managed to make it to the airport early in the morning.

Thanks to my son Xander, who got me a wheelchair we were escorted directly through security, immigration and directly onto the plane  before anybody else. 

CLICK HERE to see the balance of our trip to London, Toronto, Halifax over the next three weeks. Included are more money saving tips and recommendations for visiting these areas.