Where I woke up this morning

Hi Frugalistas! I’ve been remiss in updating the blog while I’ve been traveling.  I’ve got loads of good ideas and fun things to share in upcoming posts     app

frugalfirstclasstravel guides – a short guide to Barcelona

Hi Frugalistas! It’s cool, it’s fun and eternally hip – and it’s one of my favorite cities in Europe.  Barcelona!  Capital of Catalunya in Spain, fiercely independent and with a language and culture all its own, Barcelona takes centre stage in this edition of my short guides series. Arriving in Barcelona The train will drop […]

My three travel regrets

Hi Frugalistas! Two of my Twitter galpals, Vanessa of Turnipseeds Travel (@turnipseeds) and Pola of Jetting Around (@jettingaround) have recently written about their own travel regrets.  Vanessa kindly tagged me, inviting me to do the same. Now, regular readers will know I’m not one to contribute to these types of blog strategies.  This one is […]

Happy Birthday frugalfirstclasstravel!

Hi Frugalistas! My baby is one year old today.  My first “proper” post was a year ago on 25 February 2012.  When you start a blog you wonder if anyone is going to read it – well about 25 000 of you did over the past 12months.  So a big thank you! When you start […]

Itinerary planning 101: Part 3 – the finishing touches to your travel plan

Hi Frugalistas! How are you going with your plans for your latest itinerary?  Have you got a good outline of where you are going, your budget and how you are planning on getting about?  In the final installment of this short series we fill in the blanks with all the special moments that will make […]

Itinerary planning 101: Part 2 – Getting around and paying for it

Hi Frugalistas! Welcome to Part 2 in my series on itinerary planning.  In Part 1 I considered the basic structure of your itinerary and we created a basic itinerary of places to visit organised into a logical sequence, within your timeframe.  Now we get to start filling in the gaps!  For this part of the […]

The books that inspired me to travel

Hi Frugalistas! What inspired you to travel?  Was it a picture, a film or the stories of friends?  A family member who brought back exotic souvenirs, photos and tales?  My own inspiration started when I was young child – I was a reader, and it has always been books that have influenced and inspired me […]

frugalfirstclasstravel guides – a short guide to London

Hi Frugalistas! I’m starting a new occasional series – short travel guides to my favorite European destinations.  I’m starting with London – for no real reason, other than it seems to be start of many European explorers’ adventures.  Being an English-speaking destination it’s also a good starting place for more timid independent traveller. Arriving in […]

Planning your itinerary to save even more money in Europe

Hi Frugalistas! I’m planning on writing a series of posts on itinerary planning.  Before I start though, I want to focus on how to use your planning and your itinerary to save money on your trip to Europe. Here are the principles I stick to help me balance the budget and travel to Europe more […]

Virgin Australia A330 Business Class domestic – the frugalfirstclasstravel review

Hi Frugalistas! I had the opportunity to experience the Virgin Australia A330 business class recently on a trip from Sydney to Perth return on the Coast to Coast service.  Here’s my verdict: At the Airport In Sydney there is a valet check in service for Business Class travelers, but because I arrived by taxi I […]