[Moorf]

For those that live here and have returned for a visit to their country of origin - how much did it cost you (flying to/from, approximate costs (flight/car/accomm) and duration of visit + time of year and how many in party would be helpful)?

Over to you...

[incredible hulse]

Flights; 2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant in September nzd 6900 Welly -> Heathrow (Singapore airlines sale), hire car 2 weeks 250 pounds, Hotels about 300 pounds including stopover, beer money way too much. Seeing Leeds United win 3; priceless

[jubjub]

We are currently pricing one up for Sept, with either Singapore, Cathay or Air NZ, whichever way we do it, its gonna be around $8k (two adults, one child)for flights and car hire. we wont have any accommodation costs, but we will want to socialise and buy thank you gifts, we are reckoning $10k total.....

last trip back 18mnths ago, cost about $8k (two adults & baby) flights with Air NZ, car hire (Avis) and fun whilst there (again no accommodation costs apart from thank you gifts)

[Lupin]

2 plus 2 for 6 weeks staying with family mostly, renting a car for only part= approx $14K

:no

[britchik]

Going August and counting !! (the money disappearing that is !!:exit )
Flying with Thai airways Palmy - Auckland - 2 night stopover in Bangkok - Heathrow
$5300 2 x adults

Campervan hire (wicked rentals)
700 GBP - 3 weeks

Am estimating approx another $5k for spending money.

A blimming expensive holiday to catch up with friends but worth every penny in my book :cheers

[Tia Maria]

Ours was about $14k also once you'd spent on flights, hotels, car hire, tourist stuff etc.

When you work out the average months salary thats a lot!

Cheers

Tia

[StevieD]

Amazing how much more it costs going to uk than vice versa.

Assuming 2.5 to 1 exchange rate, MIL is paying $2125, for each adult from here it is quoted as $2656 per adult, and we are going back on the same flight as her!! Why $500 difference as she will not be here for too long before we go back?

$10k in total 3 adults and 1 child, won't have any excessive spends when there re-accomodation or car hire coz we have use of car when there.

[Tia Maria]

Actually the accommodation was a real killer. We actually spent some time in Center Parcs in the end, as it worked out good value for November plus other member of our family could book a cabin too.

We also used the Premier Inn a lot as they are one of the few places to allow 5 in one room!

Cheers

Tia

[willsken]

I can't believe how expensive a trip back is. We are planning to go back in a couple of years. I think I need to start saving for it now! :wah

[Marie P]

We have just paid for 5 flights to London with Royal Brunai .....just under $11,000 .[ I will report on the flights when we get back ]

The Travel agent claims that children pay child seat prices until they are 17 with Royal Brunai.

We will have car and accommodation with family ,and hopefully will do our socialising at friends houses .

Not sure how much I will be spending at M&S :laugh

Marie x

[benandclare]

Heading back for visit to UK in 2009 and thinking we'd get folks back in UK to book flights for us, anybody else done this? Indeed is it possible ?

[Milliemoo]

We had to go back to the UK in January when my FIL passed away. $18k for business class flights to Edinburgh (2 adults). Free accommodation with family. I guess we spent about £250 on food and eating out. A few more £££ on some retail therapy.

We booked our trip back in August for my sister's wedding. 2 x premium economy flights + flights to Newcastle + 3 nights in a club room at Langham Place in Hong Kong approx $11k. 10 nights rent of a holiday flat in Edinburgh during the festival £1140 :exit I'm guessing we'll spend about £750 in the UK on eating out and a wee trip to the Lakes. Oh and train fares.

It's a good job I like my travel :D

Milliemoo

[zardell]

Heading back for visit to UK in 2009 and thinking we'd get folks back in UK to book flights for us, anybody else done this? Indeed is it possible ?


We are going back in July for our middle daughters wedding. Our eldest daughter tried booking our flights from the UK and couldn't do it.

Now, I know that we are talking Melbourne to Manchester here (as opposed to NZ) but I thought you may be interested in the costings.

AU$ 7,130 for two return flights, including a 10 day holiday (5 Star hotel Ben, not camping ;) ) in Phuket on the way there and a 2 day stopover in Singapore on the way back.

When my daughter enquired on prices from the Man to Mel, she was quoted £404 one way. Unbelievable eh?

Julie

xx

[willsken]

a 10 day holiday (5 Star hotel Ben, not camping ;) ) in Phuket

Julie

xx

Who's living the high life!!! :laugh :laugh

[benandclare]

We are going back in July for our middle daughters wedding. Our eldest daughter tried booking our flights from the UK and couldn't do it.

Now, I know that we are talking Melbourne to Manchester here (as opposed to NZ) but I thought you may be interested in the costings.

AU$ 7,130 for two return flights, including a 10 day holiday (5 Star hotel Ben, not camping ;) ) in Phuket on the way there and a 2 day stopover in Singapore on the way back.

When my daughter enquired on prices from the Man to Mel, she was quoted £404 one way. Unbelievable eh?

Julie


xx

Are you really sure you dont want to borrow our tent, all those lovely sunsets you could watch camped on the beach :p

My daughter is coming out for Xmas 2008:raebanana and she's going to book flights and we'll send her the money , was hoping she'd be able to do same for us when our time comes, perhaps we need a friendly travel agent in UK?

Cheers

Ben

[jubjub]

When you book a flight, you need to book it in the currency of the country where the plane departs, so paying for it in pounds isnt going to be an option....

We discovered this when we went to the states and left from a diff airport to where we landed, so it wasnt a straightforward return flight, the return leg was charged to us in US dollars due to the regulations.

[veronica]

I always have a return ticket as I go back each year, mixture of business and family. and as the first one originated in the uk my tickets are always booked in the UK with the first leg of the journey being london to NZ. this last time of booking it has cost me aprox. 950 pounds for me and the same for Pete. I usually book it through Dial a flight. I also book a flight for our fosterdaughters son who comes out to us each August and thats expensive then, about another 200 pounds, times to avoid are the summer holidays for either place, surprisingly Petes fare at easter was cheaper than mine in late Feb early march. We travel at different times as its hard for the pair of us to get away together. How much you spend when you get there is up to you. we stay with family so costs are pretty low for us.

[Smiler]

When you book a flight, you need to book it in the currency of the country where the plane departs, so paying for it in pounds isnt going to be an option....

We discovered this when we went to the states and left from a diff airport to where we landed, so it wasnt a straightforward return flight, the return leg was charged to us in US dollars due to the regulations.

Sal Does this mean I could pay for it with a UK credit card from here or is it deeper than that, done on ISP's or sommat? is thick today :confused:

[jubjub]

You can pay with a UK credit card, the costs will just get converted from $ to pounds so the cost will probably be the same.

[zardell]

Are you really sure you dont want to borrow our tent, all those lovely sunsets you could watch camped on the beach :p
Ben


:laugh :laugh :laugh

Can't get my head around how you are going to save money by your daughter booking your flights for you from the UK unless as you say she can find a friendly travel agent.

If she books your flights, won't she have to book UK to NZ return (obviously you wont be using the UK to NZ part) then UK one way to NZ? And will that work, because you won't have used your outbound UK to NZ in the first place??

Ooooh my head hurts !!

Julie

xx

[willsken]

Ooooh my head hurts !!

Julie

xx

How much you had, then??? :D :D

[benandclare]

:laugh :laugh :laugh

Can't get my head around how you are going to save money by your daughter booking your flights for you from the UK unless as you say she can find a friendly travel agent.

If she books your flights, won't she have to book UK to NZ return (obviously you wont be using the UK to NZ part) then UK one way to NZ? And will that work, because you won't have used your outbound UK to NZ in the first place??

Ooooh my head hurts !!

Julie

xx

Naively thought that she would be able to book our return flights orginating in NZ and that might be cheaper:D

Ben x

[jubjub]

I just did a simple experiment with Expedia.co.nz and .co.uk, same flight details, both akl-lhr return... 1090 pounds on .co.uk and $2740 on .co.nz, using the currency converter on google, pounds to $ was $2705, a saving of $35 bucks....

[benandclare]

I just did a simple experiment with Expedia.co.nz and .co.uk, same flight details, both akl-lhr return... 1090 pounds on .co.uk and $2740 on .co.nz, using the currency converter on google, pounds to $ was $2705, a saving of $35 bucks....
Ah ah good work

Be interesting to see if someone back in UK did the same incase our ISP's default to NZ prices if you see what I mean
:nice1

[zardell]

Naively thought that she would be able to book our return flights orginating in NZ and that might be cheaper:D

Ben x




Thats what my daughter tried to do and they wouldn't let her......so she said ...:uhoh

I'd be interested to know what happens when yours tries - let me know. ;)

Kids eh.

Julie

xx

[castleclan]

My Neice has just come back to UK from OZ for a holiday and we were not allowed to buy tickets for her from this end ( UK). I think there is also something that the person doing the booking has to be on the flight.

[benandclare]

My Neice has just come back to UK from OZ for a holiday and we were not allowed to buy tickets for her from this end ( UK). I think there is also something that the person doing the booking has to be on the flight.


Might try booking them from UK with my daughter using my credit card which is UK one :nice1

[benandclare]

I just did a simple experiment with Expedia.co.nz and .co.uk, same flight details, both akl-lhr return... 1090 pounds on .co.uk and $2740 on .co.nz, using the currency converter on google, pounds to $ was $2705, a saving of $35 bucks....


Have just done smiliar research on ANZ site for Penny's trip over at Christmas a saving of £53 by flying from UK and for our trip over in late Aug 2009, using 2008 for comparision, flying from UK is £ 410 cheaper :(

This is using opposing flights

[jubjub]

Well we just booked our flights for sept, we looked last month and found a price of 6700 for two adults and a child on Air NZ, great we thought, save up another month and we can afford that (just)....

Yeah right.... prices have skyrocketed to 8200 and are now unaffordable again.... but we found a price of 6100 with Royal Brunei, and have had to go with them, or basically not be able to go at all, and with two parents going in for operations in the near future we wanted to get back as soon as we could to see them, and for them to see the little fella...

[Smiler]

Ouch Sal! :( :wah :(

[Moorf]

*gulp* :uhoh

[Familyofmonkeys]

Well we just booked our flights for sept, we looked last month and found a price of 6700 for two adults and a child on Air NZ, great we thought, save up another month and we can afford that (just)....

Yeah right.... prices have skyrocketed to 8200 and are now unaffordable again.... but we found a price of 6100 with Royal Brunei, and have had to go with them, or basically not be able to go at all, and with two parents going in for operations in the near future we wanted to get back as soon as we could to see them, and for them to see the little fella...

That is very scary....i'd hate to think how much it will cost when we decide it is time to visit all the relatives!!

[ellenmelon]

i really really wanted to go to ireland this november when i finish uni for the year and stay until late january (and work to save some money) but plane tickets are sooo expensive. so its likely i wont see my mum and dad til november 2010 when they come over for my graduation. havent seen them since october '06 :(
still..things may change if im able to work more this year and if moving costs get paid off on mum and dads side.

[Jo Jo]

I've just booked my trip home - it cost GBP 985 using the return portion of the ticket I bought to come here and a single from London to Auckland.

[katandbob]

We leave on the 29th April for 4weeks (3 in UK)
I have now got to find the cheapest way of getting from Manchester to Immingham as we don't have anyone who wants to get up at 4am to pick us up :confused: can see why:laugh

I have my itinerary at home so I will calculate the price later

we are flying Invercargill to Chch ($588 - minus flightcentre price beater? probably $10 but it will buy a flat white at chch!) they haven't sent the invoice yet
this gets us in 90mins before we catch our Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore where we have a 1day stopover (both ways) and then into Manchester on the 1st May:uhoh can't say I am looking forward to flying since I had such a bad time in sardine class on the way here (can't take sitting in one place for long - old horse accident injurys)

But when we get there I am hoping that our accomodation/:cheers is on the house! LOL

I was hoping to stop over and visit friends in chch but work will only give me the 4weeks off and I am in work Monday before we fly!

Oh well it pays the bills

going to buy some Euro millions when I am there and keep everything crossed!

Kat