Last week, one of the cheap no frills airlines had a sale for Bali. Their sale meant that one could fly from Perth to Bali and back for less than the non-sale price of a one-way ticket from Perth to the other side of Australia. As usual, I let my parents know, as they previously expressed a desire for a good inexpensive holiday in Bali. On Sunday night, they decided to take the deal. Now they aren't technophobes, and they sort of know their way around the computer, but they still got me to book the flights online for them. Painful. On the phone, listening to little random tangential stories from mum, trying to get an answer at every upsell screen the airline provided. Which dates? Which times? Yes, I hear your many stories about how each date and time will affect you differently. Package upsell? Baggage? Baggage? Do you know that buying it at the airport later will cost more? Baggage? Just answer the damn question. Baggage? Seat selection? etc etc etc. Wait for her to confer with dad before going off on a tangent again. They were also out to dinner at the time, so they mentioned the deal to their friend, and he kept butting in with stories and suggestions too. One word? Yeah, I'm sticking with "painful". It may have been painful, but it's nice that I can help my parents that way. I know that money is tight for them but they squirrel away a little extra to have a break sometimes, so a really good deal like this is important for making that small amount go further. They don't go on holidays often at all.
The deal had a set date range to choose from, so they booked in for late October. They suggested I might go too. I thought about it. I had originally decided not to because I am right in the middle of a couple of months of big spending, what with a new dental crown and a local nerd/geek convention over the Easter long weekend being held at an expensive hotel. Also, I'm already going on a plane in July, over to Melbourne for 4 days, which will also cost me in accommodation & enjoying myself while there. But then, I've never been to Bali before, and it's been on my bucket list for a long time, and my parents like it when their kids choose to spend time with them, and it would be nice to hang with people I know while in a new place, so in the end I decided to ignore all the reasons why not and today I booked myself in. I'll be getting there three nights before them, and leaving three nights after they arrive, so I'll get some time to myself and some time with them, and ditto for them in reverse. I might have booked longer, but my partner & I host an annual Halloween party on the last Saturday in October every year (this year will be our 17th annual party), so I'm flying back two days before that so I can do last minute prep.
I posted on Facebook and asked for suggestions, and have received a large number of tips for Bali. Bali is really close to Perth, and really cheap to get to, and really cheap once there, so Bali is pretty much the number one destination for many of us wanting to go on holiday. I have several friends who go to Bali for holidays every single year at least once. People who _haven't_ been to Bali at all are the odd ones out. So there's plenty of people to give advice to me. I have travelled to a bunch of other places, including many asian countries, but I haven't been to Bali before, so I'm keen to make a great first impression on myself and also make the most of it. I'm really excited to have finally booked this item on my bucket list!