IF I had that kinda money. Mad money. Insane money. Bill Gates kinda money I'd make Zopa the world come TO ME.

But thats just me.

Once in ahwile, not always. And if you're talking value for the money, ok. If you're talking wasting money to waste money, then no. Sometimes luxury travel is out of the price range AND not even worth it! I don't mind luxury that's worth it. But...

Well said, happy girl. I like a bit of both as well and would prefer the combination 6 nights in a hostel and 1 in a luxury hotel, rather than 7 nights in a mediocre hotel.

I once did that in Maputo: several nights in Fatima's hostel(don't know if it still exists), where the food was great and people incredibly interesting and 10 people to a room; then 1 night in Polana - a great building and pleasantly cool and just amazingly comfortable, but not a place ot meet people exactly, so 1 night revelling in hot showers and a cool bedroom was enough.

Along the way, I've met several very rich backpackers who love hostels for the people they meet and the atmosphere.

I think I still prefer hostels, but I would like to fly first class and have good connections between flights
and have SO much money that I can buy lots of souvenirs for family and friends

In the world where money is not an issue there is no other options then travel in luxury. Whether you are independent traveler or group of family and friends, no doubt go for luxury if you can. You will find it even in a most secluded and exotic places of the world. It all depends what you are looking for. Nevertheless you can still socialize with the different kind of crowd and meet different people, just go the rural area of any big cosmopolitan city. You don’t have to stay in a hostel to have that kind of experience. The safest, surest and most comfortable way to travel is by arranging your trip through the tour operator.

I have done both. I find that staying in expensive hotels provides a comfortable night's sleep in an airconditioned rooms, quiet rooms, big bath tubs etc. It insulates you from some of the more difficult elements of being far from home. For business travel, it is sometimes helps if you need to get up early and work late. I found myself a little isolated from the goings on. It was a little difficult to meet people. Travelling cheap is not as comfortable. AT ALL. But it can definately be more memorable with a lot more unpredictability. My plan is to travel cheap, but from time to time, when I need to pamper myself a little bit, I intend to take a night or two in a place a little more luxurious, just because I can.

Two words:

HELL

and

YES.

Although I'd still eat lots of pho and ramen.

I have a healthy reserve of hotel points that I could trade in for some pretty swanky places but I'm not very interested in doing that anymore. I did that every once in a while at the beginning of my trip, but have since realized that there may not be a lonelier feeling than being in an incredibly luxurious hotel room...all by yourself. Blech. Plus of course the only reason why I have all those hotel points is because I accumulated them on business trips...so staying in a hotel only serves to make me feel like I'm at work again.

'Independent' and 'luxury' travel are by no means mutually exclusive, and the people you meet in international-class hotels can very interesting. Budget backpackers can be just as stereotypical as cruise ship passengers in many places. I have a harder time seeing the individuals behind the 'travelers' of Khao San Road than many of the business types on Sukhumvit's Impressionist Row, and it's more likely that a businessman staying in Guatemala City's Zone 9 speaks Spanish than someone ostensibly 'studying' Spanish in Antigua.

Oftentimes, I've noticed that the people vehemently claiming 'traveler' superiority over 'tourists' look just like everyone else on the gringo trail (tribal tattoos, etc.), listen to the same music (Manu Chao), stay in the same places as everyone else with a Lonely Planet guidebook, and are just as insulated from anything but the most sanitized version of local culture. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but a lot of budget travelers have a totally distorted image of their travel.

Anyhoo, back to the original question. I appreciate luxury when I can afford it. If given the choice between budgeting for a longer trip, or blowing it all on a week being pampered though, I'd opt for the longer trip any time, within reason. There's a threshold below which I won't go - I never understood the people who would eat paper and sleep in bus station toilets in order to extend the length of their trip. These days though, I have more money for travel than I do time, sadly enough. I postponed that whole career thing for ages for precisely that reason, and now I have to wait probably five years before my next multi-month trip.

I've travelled both ways and I prefer budget travel. You see more, experience the culture more, you try new things more, you meet more people, it's just more fun altogether. I recently got back from a "luxury" vacation in Punta Cana. By luxury I mean that it was a 5 star, all-inclusive, luxury resort. I went there for a family wedding. It was ok, certainly relaxing and care-free....but I don't really feel like I visited the Dominican Republic at all. I ate at the resort all the time, didn't meet any local people except those who worked at the resort. I didn't try any restaurants with unusual food or interesting drinks...well except for the mamawana. Anyway, when I pack a backpack and just travel around to different places it's much more fun and interesting.

I like the "___ nights hostel : 1 night nice hotel", whether it's 7:1, 14:1, whatever...the overall length of your trip can determine that. It's a great way of pacing yourself for longer trips. On a long trip of several weeks, it's just a re-energizing, re-grouping, re-charging experience to treat oneself to something a little more upscale, a little more private. They'll likely give you a few extra bottles of soap/shampoo for the asking and you can wash EVERYTHING from your trip in the nice sinks/tubs, as opposed to the quick one-shirt-wonder in the hostel sink. You'll likely have your own in-room coffee maker to brew at your leisure. You may have a hotel pool to enjoy a swim in. It's just a really nice "break" in the middle of backpack/hostel life.

okay, sorry for the extra post:
I'll also save up the extra frequent flier miles to upgrade from coach if I'm going across an ocean on the way over/back. Just my opinion, but I think it's a far better, more cost-effective (in terms of miles earned/spent) way to use miles than, say, domestic trips. It pays back in spades, as I'm not spending the first few days of my trip just recovering from being spackled into an econo-seat at the back of a plane for 14 hours.

if i had the chance to get upgraded i would do it in a heart beat...for once not be squished back in coach...just once let me be upgraded jesus...

quote:

Originally posted by Eppyboy:
if i had the chance to get upgraded i would do it in a heart beat...for once not be squished back in coach...just once let me be upgraded jesus...

If you can't upgrade yourself, one thing you can do is keep an eye on the "good" seats in coach (exit rows, better aisle seats, etc. Example: On an American Airlines Boeing 777 going from the US to Europe, that would be Row 31 A,B,H or J. See www.seatguru.com) These may start opening up either a few days or a few hours before departure. Those who are waiting on upgrades to clear (either they're using a mileage award or they have electronic upgrades they've earned from the airline) will have reserved those seats in coach . As those upgrades clear (those people are moved forward), those seats become available. Most frequent fliers know this, and will likely be scoping out those seats as well. A good suggestion would be to call the airline & ask if those seats have become available. AND, ask the agent at the counter when you check in.

I would upgrade slightly - only slightly - from how we curently travel. We are riding our bikes, and there are times when we don't shower for a week because we're in an area where they are really expensive. If money was no issue - I'd take the shower. Of course, a lot of times we don'tshower because there is no place to shower - and I couldn't do anything about that even if I had the money!

I would still camp out most of the time, and I would still stay in little Ma & Pa motels rather than five star - they have more character and personality. I would probably eat in more restaurants than we do now - now we do almost all our shopping in grocery stores, but I would love to eat local food more often!