Virgin Blue was the first, followed closely by Jetstar – there have been others that tried and failed, but I believe these 2 airlines have hit the discount airfare market very successfully. They seem to have found a balance between cheap and ridiculously cheap that still allows them to operate without having to charge to use the bathroom.

Pay to use the bathroom, did you say? – you mean some airlines charge you to relieve your bladder? Yes, my friends – sad but true – and thankfully at this time “Only in Europe”!  Which brings me closer to my point

Europe – the home of ridiculously cheap flights. I have had many a friend or family tell me they flew from London to Timbuktu for ONE POUND! Sure, the taxes were another 50 pounds – but ‘I got a flight for One Pound’ they would say! All I had to do was get online at exactly 3:27am, press refresh 500 times while hopping on one foot and scratching my head. OK, I do exaggerate, but most of you would know – those cheap flights are almost impossible to come by. And at what price do they come these days? There truly is airlines charging you to use the toilet – on top of all the other extras we all like.

It seems that flight for One Pound, isn’t truly One Pound afterall!

I embrace the low cost carriers. They have opened up a world of travel for those who may not have previously been able to experience this vast land, the rest of the Pacific, or even further afar.

What I ask of you, is to not be disappointed that you missed out on that rare $1 seat celebrating one of our airline’s birthdays. While it might now cost you $100 instead to fly, including your taxes and baggage – possibly even your meal and movie – be thankful your “bill” doesn’t rack up like these ladies…

(You only need to watch about the first 4 minutes – the rest of the video is a preview for their DVD )

Fascinating Aida – incredibly talented and “fecking” hilarious! I love this video!

All jokes aside, you do get what you pay for in this day and age. I am sure I will write many posts about the benefits of using a Travel Agent – but remember, the crux of using one is that you are using a professional, who books flights every day. We know whether your bags, your meals, your blankets are included and you have someone – a real person, to ask these questions of to.
Don’t tear your hair out trying to get an internet fare, when using an agent may cost you the same amount of money! But more on that another time

I would love to hear your funny “cheap flight” stories. Was it funny at the time, or only now you look back?

Shell xox

When I was thinking about what regular things I wanted on my blog – a wishlist was one of the first things I thought of.

It stemmed from two things. First of all, what is normally my regular Wednesday morning, I drop the children off at day care, and swing by my local shops for a coffee in peace before getting cracking on my working day. Unable to look a gifthorse in the mouth, I can’t just sit and enjoy, I have to wander while I drink my Soy Caramel Latte, and I wander aimlessly – at a pace that would frustrate me on any other day. I try to avoid myself from entering children’s shops, making the morning all about me. So undoubtedly, I am always coming across something that I quite happily covet!

The second thing it stemmed for is a little less selfish – or is it more selfish? One of my pet hates come birthday or Christmas time is the question – “What would you like for Christmas/Mother’s Day/Birthday?”. I really dislike answering it, I usually do answer it, or even go and buy the present for myself! But what I dislike more is the ensuing lack of surprise come the big day.

So Wishlist (Wednesday) was born in my head – a post that allows me to be a little bit selfish and share with you what I am currently coveting – whatever it may be!

This week, was a little different however, as I lost my internet reliability earlier in the week, so I had to forgo my coffee to come back to the office. Luckily, I already had my eye on something.

I discovered White Raven Designs on Facebook towards the beginning of the year, and Nita’s gorgeous charm bracelets had me in love at first sight. Based in Adelaide, Nita hand makes each vintage style bracelet with crystals, pearls and glass beads. And while the theme may be repeated – each piece is unique.

I love the Autumn Gold bracelet above, it’s warm tones remind me of the time of year I am excited about Winter. The sun is still shining, the leaves are falling and the nights are cool. I dream about Pumpkin Soup and crusty bread, getting out the winter jackets and boots and wrapping a warm scarf around me.

Below, is the gorgeous Emerald Isle. Which satisfies my new obsession with GREEN since seeing Wicked! The Musical.

And because those who know me, are wondering why on earth I haven’t picked a Pink one -

I love the little fairies, and the sophistication that the black and steel grey beads give to this bracelet. And of course, anything with gorgeous shades of pink like this, is of course going to attract my eye!

You can also find White Raven Designs on Facebook and Made It if you prefer to buy in Australian Dollars.

So fellow Shoppers and Dreamers, what’s on your wishlist this week? I would love you to share.

Shell xox

Welcome to my first post on Travel.Live.Laugh!

Some of you know me and my previous blogging attempt. It was dismal to say the least. But a wise ‘someone’ out there said “Blog To Express Not Impress”, not saying my previous blog was out to impress – but it is hard to express when you don’t know what your blog is about.

In January, I joined TravelManagers and found myself learning new things in Travel again! (It’s been a while!) I then found myself wanting to share this with people – whether it be a client, a friend or someone who is just as interested in it as I am. I didn’t really have an outlet for this, so I knew I wanted a blog to support my business. I also knew that I wanted that blog to allow me to share the antics of my life too – because nothing makes my job more enjoyable than forming genuine relationships with people, and you need to know people to do this.

So Travel.Live.Laugh was born. A place to share what I learn in my life and the things I love.