I just received my BIG loyalty cum Visa prepaid card from Tune group of Airasia today! I registered myself online as one of the BIG Shot (member) only 6 days ago which means they are quite efficient. Check out my previous post on the BIG card from Airasia for more information. I can now start to earn points for my free Airasia tickets. Hooray! This is how it looks…

Nothing to shout about, just a credit card sized plastic card with normal red and white colour scheme and a huge BIG wording in front. Having a smart chip and Visa logo means I can use it as a Visa prepaid card to shop. The good news is whatever you spend using this card, you will earn 1 BIGGIE (point) for each RM1 spent! For each RM500 (USD160) spent, you will be able to redeem a flight ticket to Siam Reap! I was too late to miss 1400 BIGGIES from my flight to Europe and Japan recently, which could have earned me a round trip to Guangzhou!

Having said that, there is a very steep curve in BIGGIES required for Airasia X flights. Read why I said so here.

Apply your card now and start collecting your BIGGIES. Who knows? You could have earned a free flight with Airasia by the time you realise it. Just make sure you quote your BIG Shots number each time you buy your Airasia tickets online. Happy flying!   – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide

You book your flights, sit back and think ‘wow, I just spent an awful lot’, and that is before your holiday has even started.

The true price of a holiday only reveals itself afterwards when you are sat back in the cold UK with sunburn asking what went wrong and how you ended up spending so much. After all, it was only one or two meals out, that unexpected trip to the wildlife resort, snorkelling and hiring a kayak to entertain the kids.

The long and the short of it is that holidays cost. However, with careful planning and following the top tips (outlined below), they don’t need to bankrupt you.

1. Plan Ahead
   Probably the most obvious piece of advice, however planning ahead really does save you money because flights and hotels are cheaper. If you book well in advance you will be surprised by the amazing deals you can bag. easyJet Holidays in Turkey are notoriously good value if you get in there quick; so if you are ever bored on a cold winter’s day why not look toward the summer and all the incredible holidays you could take.
2. Pack Light
   Packing light is always a good idea because it means you can avoid paying extra charges for excess baggage. If you are going away for seven days it is recommended you pack a small bag; people always bring too much luggage when they go away. Another advantage to packing light is that you will find your hotel room is a lot less cluttered.
3. Eating Out on a Budget
   The most expensive thing on holiday is often food and drink, with drinks particularly costly if you get a bit carried away at the bar. Yes, holidays are the time to indulge but not at the cost of your savings account. Try to strike a balance; eat out on some nights and go self-catered for the rest. Some all-inclusive deals will undoubtedly save you money, especially if drinks are included too.
4. Be OK Doing Nothing
   Pricey excursions can add up so make sure your holiday is balanced. Some time can be spent poolside or beachside with a cocktail or drink in hand and a good book, while other days can be spent getting out and about.
5. Read Reviews and Shop Around
   Often the best tips about saving money are given by seasoned travellers who know the pitfalls in certain countries, so read up well before you travel. Also, don’t just go with the first company you find, search for competitive deals.
6. Get Friendly with a Local
   If you know a local well they can tell you the best places to go on the cheap and how to avoid hidden charges. If you get really friendly local they might even take you around themselves; a great way to see any city is with a native of the region.
7. Avoid Tourist Spots
   Places that tourists hang out in will always be more expensive without a doubt, so avoid overly populated bars and similar outlets if you can.
8. Look out for Hidden Costs
   In some countries, if they put bread on the table and you eat it they charge you for it. Whereas if you go elsewhere, bread is complementary; different cultural rules apply. The best thing to do is find out about hidden costs before you travel and make sure you are not struck by any nasty surprises.
9. Get a Guide Book
   This is the best way to see a rundown of cheap eateries and bargain places to stay, so get an up-to-date guide book as soon as you can.
10. Bagging a Cheap Flight
    If you want cheap holidays 2011 is the year to find them with tonnes of cheap flight deals to be found online.

Get looking for your perfect break in the sun and if you follow all the advice outlined above you will be sure to enjoy a great holiday without spending too much money. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel blog

Continued from my day 1 story in Paris travel, we reached Gard du Nord at 12.40PM and checked into our hotel at 3.45PM. We took a rest… and went back out onto the street, with my tripod on my shoulder (you will know why I brought it out later). The first tourist spot we went to was the White Church at where we lived in Montmartre area. Officially it is called the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, or Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral. It sits on top of Montmartre Hill, the highest point of Paris city centre.

From butt Monmartre at the bottom, we walked up the narrow street in between shops to the foot of the church. The white church was so gorgeously sitting on top. From here, we needed to walk up stairs to reach to the top.

At the foot of the hill, there is a souvenir kiosk and a Merry-Go-Round.

Once you have reached to the top, look back and you will be amazed by the breathtaking view of Paris city centre! You can see some of the Paris popular attractions from far, such as the Notre Dame, Louvre Museum and the Centre Pompidou. But where is our beloved Eiffel Tower? Why isn’t it in the frame of this cityscape? Sacred Coeur Cathedral is facing South while the Eiffel Tower is located at its South West, just being blocked by those trees.

Read more stories on Travel by photos to Sacre-Coeur Cathedral

After coming down from the church, we caught bus No.30 at downhill which took us straight to Trocadero at its last stop. It cost €1.70. Buses are plentiful in Paris and with comprehensive network (view the bus map here). It covers all the Paris main attractions and are good alternative to Metro where tourists can do sightseeing on bus while traveling. For Bus No.30, it passes by the Triumphal Arch before reaching Trocadero.

From Tocadero bus station, we could walk to the Palaice de Chaillot where I reckon is the best viewpoint for Eiffel Tower in the evening.

It was 6.30PM and the evening view of Eiffel Tower was brilliant.

I said the esplanade of Palaice de Chaillot is the best place to oversee the tower in the evening because the evening sun is shining right onto the tower and I think it is the perfect natural lighting of all!

We continued to walk across the River Seine and came to the bottom of the tower. The tower is so huge in actual that you won’t be able to feel it from photos! You have to see it yourself to believe! And I’ve seen it and touched it! Unfortunately, the queue was too long to go up the tower that we decided to let it go.

Read the whole story of my Travel by Photos to Eiffel Tower

After the Eiffel Tower visit, we had 2 options of next destination to choose from. We could either explore further to the Champs de Mars, or went back to Trocadero for our dinner. It was already 7.45PM though the sky was still bright in late Spring. So our answer to that is obvious: Go for dinner!

Trocadero area is full of restaurants for us to choose from. We strolled down streets after streets to hunt for something good value which wouldn’t burn a hole in our pocket.

While searching, I took plentiful of street view photos…

… and Paris parking machine…

… and even petrol filling machine.

Finally, we picked a Portuguese cuisine cafe called Le Bistro De Longchamp, or read as Longchamp Bistro in English, at No.40, Rue De Longchamp.

The cafe serves delicious Portuguese dishes. Read more on the restaurant here

Another reason why we chose to have dinner in trocadero is I wanted to go back to the viewpoint at Palaice de Chaillot. I wanted to view the night lighting display of Eiffel Tower that starts at 10PM every night! So now you know why I carried my tripod all the way from our hostel to Trocadero!

A photo of a lifetime… for us. Fantastic night view of Eiffel Tower, though a bit cold at night. It was Spring and weather at night fell under 10°C!

We took Metro (subway) instead to get back to our hostel from Trocadero station. Following Line 6 then changed to Line 2 at Charles de Gaulle and got off at Anvers station, it took us merely 15 minutes to reach home. We called it a day…

Oh, wait a second! Sacre-Coeur cathedral really shines at night! Snap it and here is it! Isn’t it beautiful? It was viewed from our balcony. Can you see the balcony railing? – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel blog

>Click HERE to view all full resolution photos taken in Paris via Flickr

I’m Europe crazy! I’ve just grabbed a couple of air ticket to London, again! They are for traveling in June next year 2011!

Good news for those who haven’t been to London and are looking for cheap air fares to Europe next Summer! (Not this Summer, it’s ending soon…) AirAsia X is releasing its extraordinary low fare tickets starting from today to destinations such as London, Melbourne, Tianjin, New Delhi, Seoul and more! This sales will last for only 3 days until19th August 2010!

For traveling both ways from LCCT to New Delhi and Mumbai during 1st April – 11th August 2011, you need to pay absolutely nothing for the ticket. What you need to pay is only RM 207.00 for both the airport taxes of LCCT and New Delhi.

For traveling both ways from LCCT to Australia Melbourne during the same period, you need to pay only RM750.00 for the all-in fares!

For traveling both ways from LCCT to London during the same period, the all-in fares is only RM1,500.00!

Exciting, isn’t it? If you happen to be in Malaysia next Summer and wish to travel to those AirAsiaX destinations from here, log on their website now to grab extraordinary low fares! I’m not promoting for them here. I’m just an advocate of budget travel!

I’ve just travelled to London and Western Europe Last May and I’ve bought these low fare tickets to travel to Eastern Europe next Summer! I’ve saved over one thousand in flight tickets alone. This gives me extra budget to spend on my accommodations and other transportation in EU!

I’ve just had my first confirmed travel plan for Year 2011! I will have my second chance to shoot more photos in Eastern Europe and bet June would be a better month with more sunlight if compared to my last Europe travel in May. I would have better coverage on my travelogue in Europe by then, though I’ve still haven’t even completed my travel stories on my first destination of my recent Western Europe travel… – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel photo blog

Great news for budget travelers! Visit Air Asia website today to grab another round of nearly zero airfare today! Yes. No kidding. Following the last round of zero fare promotion on last 18th May 2010,  Air Asia is pushing out a subsequent air ticket sale started from today until this Sunday (10th August – 15th August 2010).

Instead of giving away Free tickets, they are charging a minimal price of RM1.00++ per ticket per trip this time round!

The actual flying time for the promotional tickets would be next year between 1st April to 11th August 2011. Again.

Bear in mind that the RM1 airfares is still subject to seats availability and the flight popularity. Once the allocated RM1 seats are taken up for certain flight, the airfares would be jacked up in stages. This is common practice for most of the budget airlines of this world. The thing is, how many seats allocated for RM1 fare are unknown to me.

The sad news for me, there aren’t any Air Asia X flights included in this promotion. As my next year travel plan during that period is traveling to either Australia or Eastern Europe, which are both operated by Air Asia X! I have to watch out again for the next round of promotion then…

For those who are planning to travel to all other destinations operated by Air Asia, visit their website now! Don’t wait until weekend as most of the RM1 seats would definitely be taken up! As you know me by now, I love to travel overseas with AirAsia. They are cheapest, most transparent and flexible. If you’re thinking of to travel to places that I flew with Air Asia, such as Phuket, Bali or London, check them out now! – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel photo blog