My friend, Warren, who lives in Gold Coast, once again invites me to visit him. Yes, I know that he and his wife bought a house and they are dying to show off to me!! Jokes aside, he said that I would be getting the most out of my vacation if I do not follow a tour group. He said that he and his wife could be my tour guides and we could go on a road trip. That sounds too awesome to turn down!

According to Warren, there are cheap hotels in Australia that we could put up with along the way. Of course Gold Coast hotels are more expensive but then we would not have a need for a hotel there because his house is large enough for an extra guest!

I am so envious of Warren to have the chance to live in one of the best places in Queensland; Gold Coast, and within driving distance to tranquil places like Noosa and Cairns. Warren promises that we can drive to those places as well because driving in Australia is a breeze. There is no traffic jam or road rage like we know here in Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur.

Warren says that if I could give him the go ahead, he would look for cheap Noosa hotels for the three of us. He would also have to look for affordable Cairns hotels. From the website of Cheaper Than Hotels, these come with plenty of free inclusions!!

I thought that it would be fun to drive through the great Australian Outback but Warren says that it would need plenty of planning ahead because of the permits and permission from the landowners. He said that for my first visit, I should better stick to sealed roads.

Did you know that holiday makers are getting more and more adventurous with their vacation destinations? No longer are people satisfied with those common spots, definitely no longer satisfied with local holiday packages.

Greek is a very popular vacation destination lately, according to a family friend who runs a travel agency here. He said that people had been shying away Greece last time because they found the names difficult to pronounce.

Chania is one of the most exotic Greek tourist spots. To be honest, I knew nothing about this place but there was nothing to worry about as I was told to check out Chania’s ultimate travel on the internet.

If you have ever wondered what the places of attraction of Chania are, Fantastic Greece is the site to consult. Most people go there for the tranquil beaches but you can also expect an exciting nightlife, shopping and there will always be plenty of sightseeing to pack in. If you are into archaeology, Chania is a great place to explore.

Chania accommodation is not a problem as hotels in Chania are comparable and even better than those found in major cities of the world but I believe that staying in a Chania hotel will not be as expensive as those!

For Chania hotels that are listed on the site, you can view and even print out a Google map of the area so reference. The availability of an interactive map helps holidaymakers plan their holiday even better.

My friend Mike, who is a student in New Zealand, told me that he was very happy to discover that driving in New Zealand is basically the same as driving in Malaysia. The general road safety rules are similar except that driving in New Zealand is so much safer! Driving in New Zealand is a stress-free experience unlike in Malaysia where tempers flare easily.

Mike said that the only thing that he was surprised with was that while the minimum driving age in Malaysia is 17, it is 21 in New Zealand. I personally think that the four years in age makes a world of difference in the mentality of drivers.

Before Mike went on a road trip with his girlfriend, he checked the internet for cheap hotels in New Zealand so that he could plan his trip well. Mike already has some of the north island cities in his itinerary, starting from Wellington where he does not need to stay in one of the hotels in Wellington as he has a rented apartment there. One of the major cities that Mike plans to visit is Auckland. Hotels in Auckland surprisingly are not expensive thanks to the special offers.

Mike also checked out some of the more popular hotels in Christchurch in case he visits Christchurch but it is in south island so it is a little harder.

Seeing Mike and his girlfriend’s travelling route on the map, I wish I could tag along as well. How long has it been since I went to New Zealand? It seems like a lifetime ago!!

Oh, how I envy my friends who are already on holiday! I will have to work and only maybe get a break on Christmas Day. I actually enjoy working because if I don’t work, I would feel as if I am being non-productive. Obviously, I am the only one who thinks so because every one else has made plans to go on a vacation!

A friend suggested that we go on a Mexico Vacation. I heard that it is a very romantic place there so I was not very comfortable agreeing to go with him since we are not that close in the first place! I don’t mind going if he pays for my trip, though!

However, his suggestion has given me the idea that should I go on a honeymoon in the future, Mexico is a great place to head to. I believe that Malaysians are slowly picking up these exotic travel destinations because they would like to experience something different and Mexico definitely can offer holidaymakers that unique holiday experience.

My friend was telling me that I should go for a holiday and he suggested Cameron Highlands, AGAIN! I told him no, I don’t want Cameron Highlands because there’s no 3G signal there!!

He laughed and said that I am supposed to go on a holiday so why would I need 3G for? Eh, I still need to work even when I am physically away from my workstation, you know?

A week ago, my friend was on vacation in Langkawi and she told me that her chalet does not have 3G signal and she was so frustrated she nearly threw her laptop and mobile device out to sea. LOL I certainly could do without that kind of frustration!

If I were to go on holiday, I am going to make sure that the area has a decent 3G signal that would enable me to get online at a reasonable cost, if I had to pay for it!!

It has always been my father’s dream to buy a caravan and travel from my home city of Ipoh in Malaysia, up north to Thailand and from there visit China, then Russia. I think that would be too ambitious, that’s why we never really pulled that off.

However, if I had the chance, I would love to visit all the fascinating old European cities in a motor home either with my friends or family, but not both of them together!!

I have a lot of European pen-pals who invited me to visit them and if I were to travel in a motor home, I would save on accommodation and do not have to impose on these friends and their family. Although they did invite me to their place, it is just not convenient for me and for them.

My dream would be to visit Monte Carlo, a place that I have wanted to visit for a very long time but never had the chance. It would a double dream come true if I were to enter the city in a motor home!!

I know that traveling like this is very common in the West but it is not a common traveling concept where I come from so I will be very thrilled if I get to do it at least once!

Maps are very important in our lives. I am so glad that I live in the age where maps are already drawn out for most towns and cities. I wonder what the people who drew these maps went through a long time ago doing all those maps. I really thank them for the maps. I have never been good with maps and let’s not talk about DRAWING them, I have problems even READING them!

There was once when a friend of mine visited me and I had to take him to visit one of the most popular places in Ipoh and I took him to the wrong place, embarrassingly. Luckily, he was a boy scout and came equipped with a local map, GPS and compass. Haha!!

This friend of mine also has his own website that tourists rely on to visit popular places in Kuala Lumpur. You should check out the maps he drew and the popular spots he charted on the map. These people found the maps very useful, with directions and public transport facilities added in that they asked him if he provides map printing services, which he does not.

Without using maps, I think most of us would lose out way, me more than others, because I don’t have a good sense of direction!