Budgeting For Travel: How You Can Holiday On A $5000 Budget

A $5,000 holiday is nothing to scoff at. Your dollar will go further in Asia - the farthest in India - and sure can take you to far-off exotic destinations. Blow it all on a luxury weekend at a resort, with plenty right here in Australia to impress. Live out a lifelong dream of sunning yourself on Waikiki beach, or embark on the train ride of a lifetime. There are endless holiday options for $5,000 but, as the travel experts, we've put our heads together and come up with four different ways to invest 5,000 big ones in a well-deserved holiday. Now it just depends on whether you have the weekend, a week, or several months to burn through your budget. After all, travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer! 

Option 1: Luxury Train Travel

Depart from Bangkok or Singapore and travel in style through Southeast Asia on the The Eastern & Oriental Express. For just under $3,000 you can spend four days and three luxurious nights travelling from Bangkok to Singapore, past the legendary River Kwai and onwards to Malaysia. The golden age of travel lives on when you board the Eastern & Oriental Express. Enjoy your own private cabin, along with lunch and dinner prepared by internationally renowned chefs and served in the fine-dining restaurant cart. Retire in the evening to the Bar Car for cocktails and some live piano music. With plenty of opportunities to step off the train, you can take a leisurely cruise along the River Kwai, or explore temples, bazaars and pre-World War II mosques. There’s nothing classier than a luxurious train trip. Package your getaway with cheap flights to Asia and you’ll easily swing this once-in-a-lifetime holiday for no more than 5,000 well spent dollars.

Option 2: Stay at a Fancy Hotel in Hawaii

Room rates at the iconic Luxury Collection Resort, The Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki start from $400 a night. The hotel first opened in 1927 and its pastel pink facade has stood out against the white sands and blue water of Waikiki ever since. Feel like a celebrity as you wander the grounds of the legendary ‘Pink Palace of the Pacific’, living the Hawaiian dream like a 1930s movie star. A must during your stay is attending The Royal Hawaiian Luau - an epicurean journey though time that takes place every Monday night. Held on the Ocean Lawn with the picturesque Diamond Head as a backdrop, the event is composed of spectacular acts that tell the story of Hawaiian history while a decadent feast is served. Return flights to Hawaii start from $855*

Option 3: Luxury Closer to Home

Splurge on a weekend away at Queensland’s award-winning Spicers Peak Lodge. Set atop a mountain in the Scenic Rim, for $2,000 per night you and one other guest can stay in an all-inclusive Private Lodge. You’ll be served a two-course breakfast, three-course lunch or gourmet picnic, evening canapes, a seven-course degustation dinner, and all beverages. Top your stay off with a head-to-toe spa treatment and you’ll be floating in the clouds. With plenty of chances to reconnect with nature, you can bushwalk or bike ride through the surrounding area or take a 4WD safari to check out spectacular views and remote lookouts. If you’ve got a little extra to splurge, you can even take a helicopter ride over the Great Diving Range to the Gold Coast.

Option 4: Find Yourself in India

For $5,000, you can live very comfortably in India for a number of months, depending on your tastes. Given that return flights to Mumbai start from $1,089* and the fact that it is quite possible to live comfortably for around $450 a month, with $5,000 you could have an extended sojourn in India for around six months. Spend a month travelling aboard India’s iconic railways for as low as $4 per night for bed onboard most trains. You can live out your Darjeeling Limited dream – just don’t be fooled into thinking there really is a ‘Darjeeling Limited’ train. There’s no long distance train in India quite like the one from the film, but there is a ‘toy train’ popular with tourists that runs from Darjeeling to Siliguri. In most cities across the country, if you can live without a Wi-Fi connection an average hotel room ranges from $5-$15 per night and meals range from $1-$4. A cup of coffee? Just 10 cents.

* All prices used in this blog article are purely examples based on products from 1 September, 2014. For a current quote or to speak to an Airfare Expert about putting your holiday budget to good use, call 133 133 or pop into your nearest Flight Centre store. 

Read about How To Holiday On A $2,000 Budget here.

asia hawaii india queensland