Comparison: Budget Travel And Luxury Travel

Travel is the movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations for any purpose and any duration. This is clarified by Aracely (n.d.) who identifies that different styles of travel give travelers a completely different experience. Usually, the type of travel can be defined by how much money is being spent on that experience. Travel is impossible to do if no cost is involved. People do think about the cost before traveling. Budget travel is suitable for those who willing to go for a travel with low budget. However, some people choose to travel in a luxury way to enjoy a trip to the fullest. There are some differences between budget travel and luxury travel. Comparison between budget travel and luxury travel are shown through different angles, which are accommodation, transportation, food and drink, places to visit and quality of travel.

A comparison of budget travel and luxury travel

2.1 Accommodation

Accommodation is one of the important aspects to think of during travel. To have a pleasant journey, first, traveler must have enough time to rest. The comfort ability of accommodation may influence the travel mood of a traveler. However, for budget traveler, they choose to spend less in accommodation. How could budget traveler do that? With limited budget, traveler can either choose to home stay in house of local residents, living in youth hostel or even camping. Home stay is when travelers stay in the house of local. Nowadays, many families join home stay program to welcome foreigners to stay at their houses during their vacation. Travelers will be arranged to like-minded hosts. This is clarified by Alex Robinson (2010) who indentifies that home stay in Japan works with around 1,000 hosts, from young Tokyo professionals to traditional rural families. For travelers who enjoy nature, they can choose to home stay with traditional rural families as their living style are more to nature. There’s no better way to get to know and love the city than through a well-connected local, Alex Robinson (2010). Besides that, youth hostel is also one of the budget accommodations. The website japan-guide.com states that young hostels are among the most inexpensive types of accommodation in Japan. Almost every country do has a youth hostel association. There are many hostels linked with this association, those hostels are usually cheap as youth hostel is purposely designed for youngsters who have low budget. Instead of home stay and youth hostel, camping is an ideal accommodation for those who have low budget in travelling. Camping can be done as long as there is a tent and a suitable campsite. This is clarified by Kelby Hartson Carr (2008) who identifies that there is no need to stay at an expensive hotel when visiting France. One of the greatest things about a France vacation is the wildly diverse range of low-cost lodging options, including camping. The France government regulates five stars rating for campgrounds, just like it does for hotels. Campsite is a commonplace in France, and it’s a much more social form of accommodation than a hotel. Although it may not be as comfortable as we stay in hotel, camping is definitely a different authentic experience.

On the others hand, for luxury travelers, they may choose to stay in luxury accommodation, such as hotels, bungalows and villas. They tend to spend more in accommodation so that they able to rest in a more comfortable place. Hotels with higher ranking, their services and facilities for sure are better. A high class hotel usually provides services and facilities such as meeting room, ball room, golf club, gym, sauna, massage room, swimming pool, shops and also restaurants. When big families go for travel, bungalows and villas are more preferred because bungalows and villas contain more rooms and have their own compound. Staying in luxury accommodation like hotels, bungalows and villas is much more relaxed and pampered compared to staying in budget accommodation as everything is well-prepared in luxury accommodation.

2.2 Transportation

Transportation is important during travelling. However, what form of transportation can lower the budget of a traveler? Firstly, train can be considered as an ideal transport for those who plan for a budget travel. Train has a large capacity; it can fit in more people once. People who travel for a long period are advised to take train as it safe money and time of driving. Besides, busses are an economical option to travel too. This is clarified by Icarus Annals (n.d.) who indentifies that bus travel is the cheapest means of transportation across the USA and bus stations are more common than airports. No extra charge is added to the bus fare if you compared it with air ticket. Special reduced fares are available for students and international travelers, Icarus Annals (n.d.). Airplanes are much faster, but bus let you see the whole country when you travel. Cheap airfare can be purchased in order to lower the transportation expense. Lower airfares usually require a weekday stay and advance purchase time of at least two to three weeks. Travelers are advised to read through the rules and regulation clearly when purchasing airfare if there is any add-on fees needed. Or else air-line company may offer you a cheap airfare, but charge you a high baggage fees. To avoid high baggage fees, one should online search the information of baggage fees and read through it to avoid any unnecessary payment.

People who travel luxury don’t really care about all these charges. To enjoy the whole journey, they can choose to take plane, cruises or even private jet. Plane will always be the first choice for those who go for luxury travel because plane takes the shortest time to reach a place. Cost of airfare is definitely higher than busses or trains. Cruises are also a type of luxury transportation. Cruise can be considered as a place to travel as there are a lot of entertainments in a cruise, such as casino, shopping spots, bar and etc.

2.3 Food and drinks

In addition, budget travel and luxury travel do have differences in terms of the food and drinks. In budget travel, the food or the way of eating is definitely more economical, such as self-catering, street foods, and after-hours eating (after the operational time, some food will be discounted or even free. For example, after 9pm, the foods will be free for public). Thus, public can enjoy cheap dinner or cheap foods and drinks. It’s such a great deal for tourists who are undergoing budget travel. For self-catering, tourists will spend special moment with their family as they cook together and enjoy it just like in their own house. Street foods are great and cheap too. Street foods usually reflect the food culture of a place. For example, street foods in our country such as ‘satay’, ‘apam balik’, ‘kebab’, ‘pisang goreng’ and etc reflect the food culture of our local citizens. Street foods are such a temptation for tourism. After-hours eating is the precious time for those budget travelers because they can enjoy their meals with a cheaper price or even free. However, the disadvantage of budget travel is that they cannot enjoy expensive foods. They cannot have what they actually want as limited budget prevent them from having extravagant meals.

During luxury travel, foods that preferred are usually hygienic, nicely set, high class, perfect and also expensive. Tourists that do luxury travel will never concern about their expenses on foods, as money is not their main problem. A great food is the priority for them. In fact, their stomach capacity is the main problem as they can have whatever they want. That’s what we call as extravagant meals. They also enjoy buffet which required much money in order to enjoy it. Moreover, they usually not prefer drinking mineral water or tea. In fact, they choose wine as their drinks.

It seems like luxury travel is better than budget travel. However, those who do luxury travel, can’t really enjoy those street foods. They used to enjoy their meals under air-condition instead of queuing up in the crowd.

2.4 Places to visit

Other than foods and drinks, in the two types of travel, places that visited by travelers are somehow similar, but luxury travelers do have more options.

For budget travel, tourists prefer going on their own trip instead of following a tour, because it’s cheaper. This is clarified by Aracely (n.d.) who identifies that budget travelers mainly visit to the less developed world. Therefore, places that they go are limited or in other words, they have fewer choices of places to go. Places that they usually visited are like cultural and historical places, cheap shopping spots, and free entry places such as museum, galleries and national park. Budget travelers like to explore and exposed to the nature. Thus, places such as the rainforest, seaside, cave, waterfall, or even island are some ideal places for them. Those places require low entry costs or even free for visiting. All of these places can be visited for those who do luxury travel. Nevertheless, in luxury travel, they have more options to choose. Such as, they can go to amusement park like Disney land. In addition, they can also enjoy cruise, and the beach’s games which are somehow expensive for budget travel.

2.5 Quality of travel

The very last angle for the comparison is quality of travel. Quality of travel can be seen by many different views. The first view is the level of comfort. By comparing budget travel with luxury travel, luxury travel seems to have the higher level of comfort. Budget travelers will usually stay in a low cost motel or hostel. Staying in low costs hotel usually will lacks of amenities of home, Aracely (n.d.). The beds are not comfortable, communication is limited because they don’t understand English, and utilities provided are bad. While for luxury travels, travelers usually go for a four star or five star hotels. Most of the four stars and five star hotels provide a spa service; the travelers can enjoy the services. This is clarified by Maryalice Yakutchik (n.d.) who identifies that different country has different style of spa; in California, their spa uses mud (clay with water) to put on the body and even face and hair, this is a mud treatment. Other than this, luxury travelers have the opportunity to shop in the shopping spots. In these shopping spots, they can purchase things that are with high fashion and designers’ label.

The second view is the level of cleanliness. The comparisons between budget travel and luxury travel shows that luxury travel has the higher level of cleanliness. Budget travel normally shows us the ugly side of a country. As budget travelers usually visit to rural areas other than developed city, they can truly experience the surrounding environment. However, these places usually are dirtier; rubbish littered everywhere, even to the rivers. This is clarified by Aracely (n.d.) who identifies that local picnic spots that she visited were littered by Styrofoam and plastic trash. Amazing lakes such as Lake Atitlan in Guatemala are a toxic mess. Crude oil contaminates the drinking water of Amazonian tribes. Mining chemicals like cyanide flow into the rivers. While for luxury travels, environment are better and so those places are cleaner. Damar Harsanto (2005) in a media release ‘The Jakarta Post’ identifies that, in Singapore, unlike Jakarta, regulations exist and they are followed; they also keep the cleaners busy. Receptacles around street-stalls require cleaning every 30 minutes during peak hours. With an estimated 40,000 public toilets in the city, this is a lot of work, and 10,000 cleaners are employed in the city each day. Keeping eating places hygienic is another of the government’s priority. Luxury travel shows a better condition and this will lead to a better health.

The third view is the safety of travelers. From this view, luxury travel is having more advantages. Budget travelers will choose to be home stay rather than staying in hotel. There is a risk of staying in a stranger’s home. This is clarified by Kathryn Vercillo (n.d.) who identifies that entering the home of someone that you don’t know means that you are taking the chance to let this person to have ulterior motive of attacking you. Home stay required self care; it won’t be the same compare to own home. They need to care about their luggage, healthy and wealth. While luxury travels have more facilities. In discussing the issues related to airport facilities (grenadagrenadines.com), airport provides services such as charters, security service, overnight parking, refueling service and cleaning service. Most of the passengers are highly concern on the security. High class airports will corporate with international standard of security service so that the passenger will trust them more.

The forth view is efficiency. The budget travelers have to go through many processes that are slow and inefficient all the time. This is clarified by Aracely (n.d.) who identifies that purchasing a plane ticket requires travelers to get number from ticket machine, wait in a lobby for 1.5 hours and then watched the clerk shift the plastic credit card hand held machine over the carbon copy and our credit card. This was for a major airline in Argentine. However, the budget travelers must used to it. While for luxury travel, travelers will receive a special offer; once they register themselves under the hotel, they will have the opportunity to enjoy all the facilities at the first time. For example, most luxury hotels do help travelers to settle the transportation matters.

The last view is experience gained during travel. Different ways of travel will definitely have different kind of experiences. Budget travelers will have an authentic experience while luxury travelers will have an extraordinary experience. The budget travelers have the chance to know more about a country’s culture, eating style and habits. For budget travel, travelers will have a simple breakfast served with tea or coffee, own paid lunch and dinner which recommended by the citizen. Foods recommended by local citizens are usually cheaper. During luxury travel, travellers will have the chance to enjoy a superior experience. BC Doan identifies that The Poseidon of Fiji underwater resort is built 40 feet below, and was opened in year 2009, Doan (2008). This resort offers a 16-passenger luxury submarine tour, and guests are also provided with a personal Triton submarine for excursions on their own. Staying in the undersea hotel definitely will bring them an extraordinary experience.

Conclusion

Travel can be classified into two types, which are budget travel and luxury travel. Different people prefer different ways of travel as different experiences can be obtained through both budget travel and luxury travel. Both of them have their advantages and also disadvantages. Budget travel allows people to visit different places in low costs but with some limitations, whereas through luxury travel, people keen to enjoy a trip without bothering the costs. In general, travels do have a lot of benefits. People get to explore to more new places, reducing stress level which lead to a better health and learn the way people live and their traditions.