Budget~

I have made up the tables detailing all my expenditure on my upcoming trip. I have to use my money wisely in order not to go over the limit of $7000, otherwise, I am going to be having to deal with miserable bankruptcy rather than a joyful holiday.~
New York, USA

Item	Amount(AUD)
Air fare/transport	$ 1129.83
Accommodation	$97
Spending money	$185
Food	$200
Total	$1611.83

France- Paris

Item	Amount (AUD)
Air fare/transport	$191
Accommodation	$82
Tour around Paris	$300
Food	$200
Total	$762

                   

London, UK

Item	Amount(AUD)
Air fare/transport	$574.90
Accommodation	$108
Spending money	$158.80
Food	$190
Total	$1031.70

Venice, Italy

Item	Amount(AUD)
Air fare/transport	$165.30
Accommodation	$104
Spending money	$200
Venice tour	$285
Food	$150
Total	$904.30

                    Beijing, CHina

Item	Amount(AUD)
Air fare/transport	$508
Accommodation	$63
Spending money	$200
Tour	$260.70
Food	$100
Total	$1131.70

From Beijing back to Sydney costs me $868.20
Medicare insurance costs me $78.99
This left me with a total of $711.28 as a sum of emergency money~ that's quite a lot, saves me from worries.
Bye~

FAQs

Frequently asked Questions	Answers
What is a passport and why do you need one?	A passport is a form of certification granting the tourists' permission to travel between countries. You have to always ensure that your passport is valid.
What is the process involved in acquiring a passport in Australia?	Acquiring a passport is Australia takes 10 working days for the application to be approved. You will have to complete and print a copy of the Passport application form.And then,you will need to sign all the required documents, certified the translated version of certificates( if applicable) ,provides them your most recent photographs, pay the fees and attend the interview(if required)
What to do if your passport is lost or stolen overseas.	Immediately report the loss to the nearest Australian diplomatic or consular mission. If the trip is only short, you may be issued with a limited validity passport if you are unable to meet all the requirements for a fully valid passport.
What is a visa and why do you need one?	A visa is usually a stamp placed inside a passport that provides permission to transits between particular countries. It is placed in your passport by a representative of the country you will be visiting. It can be obtained from a nation’s embassy or consular office.
What countries in your itinerary require you to have an entry visa?	France
What are some medical requirements you should consider when travelling?	Injections may be needed for particular countries, the most common injections needed are for cholera, typhoid, malaria, tetanus and hepatitis B, H1N1.
Why are medical requirements necessary?	Medical requirements are necessary because people might put themselves in dangerous situations and risking their lives among the world of virus attackers.They may contract a fatal diseases which is unwanted for all of the tourists
Why should you consider travel insurance?	It is beneficial for the tourists as it covers the overseas travellors' loss of money, property and changes to travel plans.It compensates for lost luggage,delays due to strikes, hijackings, hospital and medical care.
What travel insurance have you purchased and how much is it?	I have purchased Medicare travel insurance. It costs AUD$78.99

transport Validity and special requirements for each city

London Travelcard validity

1 day Travelcards (off-peak) can be used from 9.30am Mondays to Fridays, all day Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, on each day of validity and for any journey that starts before 4.30am on the day following the expiry date.

2 and 3 day Travelcards (off-peak) have the same rules as 1 day Travelcard and can only be used on consecutive days.

7 day Travelcards can be used at any time during the period of validity and for any journey that starts before 4.30am on the day following the expiry date.

For Paris, there is a special metro pass at a cost of $28, in includes the following features:

• Unlimited journeys on all Paris Metros, RER, Buses, Trams, SNCF Overland Suburban Trains, and the Montmartre Funicular within zones 1 – 3, which covers the entire of central Paris
• A hassle free and cost efficient day

It is so convenient that the card is activated when I first use it and remains valid for the duration of two days.Insteads,the Metro train system is open from 5:20 a.m. until 1:20 a.m.
For the other three cities, there are no such offer or special requirements on transport modes.
That's it for now.^^ bye

Attractions~

Hi! everybody.~

I have decided upon which tourists attractions I am going to visit.

Firstly, New York is my very first destination, I have booked a New York Pass which is a SPECIAL offer ends in 6th December, luckily, I made it, what a bargain~

It only costs me $77.00.

There are a lot of tourist attractions in New York, countless to list of, my two days New York pass allows me to travel over 100 famous tourists sites.

I will be circumnavigate Manhattan Island and see it all - 3 rivers, 7 major bridges, 5 boroughs, over 25 world renowned landmarks and a magnificent close-up of the Statue of Liberty through the circle sightseeing cruise.

I am going to experience a thrill by heading straight ot the empire state building to view the most breathtaking panoramas across the rooftops of the New York Metropolitan areas, to as far away as four neighboring states. Wondered how  I would feel floating besides the clouds.

In london, resonable price of only AUD$ 58.80 for a two days pass. I can visit over 55 fantastic tourist attractions with unlimited entry with only a London pass at hand. The pass is advantageous as it saves both my time any money, it saves me from having to waiting for long hours to purchase the admission tickets, insteads, it offers me queue jumping privileges. All these top tourists attractions ranging from historical museums to art galleries to entertainment centres are the most captivated sites in London that should not be missed.

I am also going to visit the london eye and big ben, as they are the most recognisable and iconic architecture of London.

Venice, the town on water is renowned for it's industry and tourist attractions.

In Paris, one of the most visited tourist attractions is the palace of versailles,it is one of the largest and most opulent castles in the world. Boasting around 2,143 windows, 1,252 fireplaces, and 67 staircases.

                                                 Tower of Notro dame

The Arc de Triomphe is perhaps the most iconic of all French monuments.

The Louvre Museum is undoubtedly one of the most magnificent art galleries in the world.It is the home to thousands of classic and modern masterpieces.
Supposedly, visitors could not possibly have visited Paris if they had never been to the Eiffel tower.

The Eiffel tower has three levels for visitors. I am going to purchase the tickets to ascend to the first ,second and the third levels by lift as I am too lazy to walk up the stairs of over 300 steps,the third level which is hte highest level is accessible only by elevator. Both the first and second levels feature restaurants. The tower has become the most prominent symbol of Paris.

In Beijing,

there is plenty of history and traditional chinese architecture to discover such as the forbidden city,
As Beijing was the host city for the 2008 Olympic Games and today I am going to visit the Bird’s Nest,  and water cube (Beijing’s Olympic stadium) for sure~

One of the world’s most immense feats of engineering has to be the Great Wall of China. It extends over a distance of 8800kms, built in the Qing dynasty.

Transport

Hey~ fellow bloggers, back again,

I have made up the following table showing both the disadvantages and advantages for each of the transport options. There are a lot more disadvantages than advantages to  every single transport mode, out of all these, the one that I most favoured is aeroplanes and cars, despite of its high risks of road and air accidents. They are the most punctual , fast and easily accessible modes of transport.

Types of transport	Advantages	Disadvantages
Car	Flexible- I can hire the car whenever to wherever I want Relatively reasonable car fares Easily accessible to attraction sites	Inconvenient to hire in specific countries like United states and France. Increasing traffic congestions on roads causing delays Costs varies greatly through different countries and some countries' car fares are increasing, e.g. China.
Rail	Relatively inexpensive Less polluting than road Much safer Easily accessible-Main stations are usually located in the centre of a city Their departure time usually is very punctual	Lots of delays  Might get dizzy  Noise are generated by train rails  rubbing against the tracks Often crowded with passengers Easily being targeted by pocket pickers
Air(aeroplanes)	Short durations Airfares have lowered during the past 20 years	Danger of aeroplanes explosions or other accidents Airfares can still be the most expensive transport options  among all the others. Some people may not be able to afford the expensive airfares during peak periods  during Christmas  holidays ( the price might go up fairly rapidly)
Sea(ships)	Relatively cheap in price View the brilliant scenery along the way	Passengers  may easily get sick and dizzy during the trip This might not be an ideal choice of transport for most tourists as it is dangerous ( in a tempest). Often took a long time to get all the passengers on board. Delays occur frequently
Bus	Cheap bus tickets Easier to get as there are many bus stops around the main attraction sites	Lots of traffic  congestions on the way Lacks punctuality Exposed to traffic accidents Crowded by passengers Very few seats Inconvenient to board when carrying large luggage Very difficult to stand properly on buses

Passport and Visa requirements

hi! my fellow bloggers, how have you been?
I will just go through the basic ideas of what passport and visa are in case if any of you are unsure about these.
Visa is a permission issured by a representative of the country you will be visiting (usually is the officials in a consulate) visa is in the form of a stamp placed inside the passport representing you as a non-citizen's permission to enter, transmit or remain in the country.Usually, it states the length of time that you will be allowed to visit the country.
Whereas, passport is just an official document issued by a national government, granting the holder certification of his or her identity and nationality for the purpose of international travel.
When I browsed through the smartraveller site, it strongly advised us not to travel to the following countries:

• Afghanistan
• Burundi
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Guinea
• Iraq
• Niger
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Yemen

Luckily, I do not need to apply for a visa to travel to the United Kingdom
 The World Health Organization has confirmed human deaths from avian influenza in China, so I am going to buy medical insurance before my departure to cover any overseas medical costs.
 There is a tightened currency policy stating that people entering and/or exiting the European Union (EU) carrying 10,000 Euros or more (or the equivalent amount in another currency) are required to declare the cash at the place of their arrival or departure from the EU. However, I do not need to worry so much about that, as under the legistration,there is no requirement to declare cash for people travelling to or from another EU country.
In italy, demonstrations and strikes are a common occurrence. Often lead to disruptions to public transport services, including air, shipping, train and taxi services, leading to delays and cancellations, particularly in tourists areas.Petty crime including bag snatching, pick-pocketing, passport theft also is a frequent occurrence. I need to be extremely wary about where to put my bags and valuables when I am aboard trains and other public transports.

My itinerary ---- > flying across the CONtinents

Hi~!
I have now scheduled a complete itinerary of my trip. Travelling over five different countries and experience the exotic scenery as well as the local cuisine.How exciting is that!
I have scheduled my commencement of this trip to be on the 20th of January, the first destination I am aiming to travel to is New York in USA, because it is the furthest country from Australia out of all the five countries that I am desire to go. All the flights that I have booked are in the economic class and I browsed through a lot of websites to make a comparison on the prices and quality of airlines, because it is the only way that  I can minimize my expenses on airfares.
On 20th of January, I am going to take the 602 Asiana airline departing from Sydney international airport at 10:10 am, this flight will first arrive its first terminal in Seoul at 18:40,total duration is approximately 10 hours 30 minutes. And then, I will have to wait at the Seoul airport for 3hrs 20 minutes until the flight 222 Asiana airline depart for New york. Arriving New York airport the next morning at 10:00.It took about 28 hrs from Sydney to New York by flight, covering a total of 19,420 km. It is such a long way away`.Wondering how bored I will be on the plane alone for 28 hrs.
I am going to stay in New York for 2 nights and I have already booked the hostel as these 2 days accommodation. This hostel is located in the central region of New York city, that is why I chose to accommodate in this hostel in the first place, it will save a lot of travelling and time when I will be visiting the famous tourist attraction in New York city.
The next country I am leaving for is going to be London, there is also going to be a stop in Dublin during the way from New York to London, the total distance is 5,552km. At 10:30 on 23rd, the 104 flight of Aer Lingus flight is taking off from New York to London. The connections in between is going to be 1hr 20 minutes. If there is no contrary, I will be arriving London at 19:55 on the same day.
After the two days visiting in London, I am going to head towards Paris, because Paris is right under London.The 316 flight of British airway is departed London at 11:15 on 25th and arriving in Paris at 12:30.

At 11:05 on 27th, I  am going to take the 309  flight from Paris to Venice, total duration is going to be 6 hrs 30 minutes.  So I will be arriving Venice at 17:35.
I will be departing Venice for Beijing on 29th, taking the 137 flight of emirates. Deparing at 15:35, arriving Beijing at 15:45 on 30th. A stop in Dubai is going to be for 3:40 minutes. Another long wait.:( Nevertheless, the trip to Beijing is the one that I am most looking forward to!
On the 2nd of February, my trip around the world is going come to an end.I will be departing Beijing at 21:35 and returning to Sydney at 10:05 on the 3rd of Februay~ I bet I will not be willing to be back from such an wonderful trip.

Hostels

Hi ! guys~
I have been looking up for the flights and accomodations that I am going to stay in at each destination
I browsed through these sites http://www.hostelbookers.com/ and http://www.expedia.com.au/ and they offered me some really good insights.I finally decided upon the following prices and I have also set up a table containing the airfares and hostel prices for each destination that I am heading to, this table is easily understandable and clearer to read.^^

New York

When I was browsing through http://www.hostelbookers.com/ , it offered me a wide range of selection of hostels available in New York, but the prices varies greatly from EUR $ 25 to $ 119 per night. There were a lot of cheap hostels but they were all shared rooms and bathrooms between 4-8 people, I personally do not favour this kind of shared accomodation as it is not so convenient and hygenic sharing bathrooms and bedrooms. Therefore, I will go for the private rooms but they are more expensive accomodations than the shared ones, since, Jenny and I are going to meet up in New York, we could even out the accomodation fees. I have finalised on the hostel that we going to stay in, this is the one,"hostelling international" in 891 Amsterdam Avenue, New York City, its overall rating is 90.1% which sounds pretty okay for both of us.

The main reason why I chose this hostel was because its advantageous location, it is a perfect place to explore New York as it is located in the heart of Manhattan's Upper West Side, only two blocks from Central Park, a main subway line, Columbia University, a 24 hour grocery store and only a 10 minute train ride to Times Square, Penn Station,etc. The total cost for 2 days is AUD $ 37.

London

The next destination that I am aiming for is London, in England, there are a great variety of hostels around the central regions of London and they are quite expensive as well. It took me a long time to decide upon which hostel I should be staying in for 2 days, in order to keep my expenditure within the $7 000 budget, I have to spend my money wisely and economically. I have finally chosen "generator hostel" at Compton Place, off 37 Tavistock Place, London.This hostel is famed for its friendly and welcoming services and of its great central location in Bloomsbury. It only takes 5 minutes to walk from the British Museum,Oxford Street. Kings Cross, St Pancras, the Eurostar terminal.etc.

Paris

I have selected the St Christopher's Inns as my accommodations for my 2 days Paris trip. It is renowned for its cleanliness and entertainment facilities.The rooms have got a private bathroom which is the type that I am looking for:).The rating of the hotel services is 4 out of 5, all these great offers won't come at a cheap price, it actually costs AUD$ 58 per night.

This is what the private room that I have booked for look like.I am really looking forward to sleep on that cosy 'spongy' bed!



Venice

I am going to stay in the "Locanda Barbarigo" for my two days Venice trip. I am sure that I will enjoy the trip on water^^. This 3 stars hostel is rated 90% of its overall services.It is located in a quiet and evocative area very close to San Marco Square, 'La Fenice' Theatre and Calle 22 Marzo, one of the most elegant shopping streets of Venice.The room have a private bathroom, are decorated in Venetian style, have queen-sized beds.This perfect location really saves me from having to travel long distances to my desired attraction sites. The total price for 2 nights is $54 which I think is a real bargain.

China

Beijing is the last destination of my trip, indeed,China is my homeland so it is the country where I am most familiar with and fond of. Its historical vaule and structural wonders make China the most unique and ancient country in the world.That is the main reason why I chose to visit Beijing, as everyone know, the capital city of China.

This '9 Dragons House' will be my accommodations in Beijing, this is a stylish hostel located in a traditional Hutong in the heart of Beijing’s Dongcheng District( a bustling district),it costs about $63 for 2 nights. '9 dragons house" is fairly close to the Lama Temple,Wangfujing shopping street,Houhai Park Bar Area,Sanlitun Bar Street,National Museum Tiananmen square ,Forbidden city,Chairman Mao's Mausoleum,Temple of Heaven,Silk Street Market,Hong Qiao Pearl Market ,Great Wall of China .

I have introduced you all the accommodations that I am going to board on during my trip. All in all, it will definitely be a fantastic trip!

Bye for now~!

should I travel in a group or on my own??

Hey~ guys~ I am back!

I have been thinking about whether I should travel in a group in this trip or just  one my own.
There are a lot of advantages of travelling in a group:
- It is a much safer choice to travel in a group than travelling on my own
- Will not experience feelings of loneliness during the journey,
- Travelling in a group provides convenience and they could help each other to carry luggages or other things.
- Can take photos at a long range
- To help around if there is an emergency or accident
- Having someone to talk to and share fun experience on the journey
- Having someone to collaborate with if one encounter a difficulty such as lost in the woodlands.

Despite all those advantages mentioned, there are also a lot of disadvantages of travelling in a group, these might include:
- Very limited freedom as not much free time are allowed for individual to wander around in a group travel
- the routine is set and is not flexible
- the scheduled routine might not suit one's interest
- might not be as fun as once expected as the routine is not flexible
- Likelihood of other people's violation of your privacy or personal details
- Personal items and valuables are not 100 % secure if the person were to share rooms with the group.

The advantages of travelling on one's own includes:
-Having a lot of freedom and flexibility as everything is all under the control of herself/himself
-Privacy will not be violated
- A lot of flexibility
- The routine is effectively designed to suit one's favourites and interests so there will not be any boring stuff.
- Don't have to be restrained as much


The disadvantages of travelling on one's own are as follows:
- Personal security is not garanteed
- Likelihood of exposing oneself to dangerous situation as no one is beside her/him to warn them of the perilous actions and situations such as taking out a large amount of money in public areas.
- More likely to be targeted by robbers and thieves as they are alone
- No one is able to help if one is in danger

Personally, I do not agreed to take on either of these two options as there are  too many disadvantages than advantages to each of these. Hence, I am going to travel to USA, England, china, France, Italy with my elder sister. It is much safer than travelling on my own and we can take care of each other on the way,so there will not be any feeling of loneliness during the trip.Having someone to talk to and share fun experience is actually a very important element in order to have a wonderful holiday.