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In the OP we are told that cost of airfare is a non-issue.
$135 a day is, however. Keep Googling Stevo.
Retirement kick off.
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In the OP we are told that cost of airfare is a non-issue.
$135 a day is, however. Keep Googling Stevo.
You are a planning to travel in the winter which is the peak season in the tropics when prices are at their highest. Shore diving can be the cheapest way to do a lot of diving, but you would probably need to be solo certified, traveling with a buddy, or hoping to hook up with buddies on location.
Places that I know of with good, inexpensive shore diving in the Caribbean are Bonaire, Curacao, Cayman, and St. Croix, but those are not cheap places to stay. Of course you can find good shore diving in Florida also, but the winter water will be cold and it can be windy - and Florida in the winter isn't cheap either.
I have no experience with the Philippines so maybe that will work for you, but even with the ability to use points for air travel you may need to rethink your budget or shorten the length of your trip.
I am sorry to say that because I am looking forward to our own retirement, hopefully soon!
Places that I know of with good, inexpensive shore diving in the Caribbean are Bonaire, Curacao, Cayman, and St. Croix, but those are not cheap places to stay. Of course you can find good shore diving in Florida also, but the winter water will be cold and it can be windy - and Florida in the winter isn't cheap either.
I have no experience with the Philippines so maybe that will work for you, but even with the ability to use points for air travel you may need to rethink your budget or shorten the length of your trip.
I am sorry to say that because I am looking forward to our own retirement, hopefully soon!
Catito
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Catito
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SandyRobinson
Contributor
Not familiar with a ferry from Cancun but there are several between Playa and Coz. Playa is a one hour bus ride on ADO directly from the airport - pretty easy to do.
Other ruins are Coba and Chichen Itza (sp?). And more south of Tulum to the border.
Peter Bomberg
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I would suggest Malaysia or Indonesia, both wonderful and budget friendly especially if you like cooking and like asian food, but you are looking for something like the Caribbean they are almost the polar opposite.
My 0.02 is when it comes to diving Asia/Oceania is simply the dream, other than the red sea everything else is a time based compromise.
My 0.02 is when it comes to diving Asia/Oceania is simply the dream, other than the red sea everything else is a time based compromise.
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oops fixed
I am bookmarking this thread for my own retirement.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Also am peeking for when it's time for my retirement.... Off the cuff thoughts:
Are your budget numbers for one person?
$1k per person per week, if the flight cost is spread out over 5 to 10 weeks, seems very doable on Bonaire if the rooming cost and truck cost are split between 2. Going single and rooming single and bearing the truck cost single it will be quite harder, maybe too hard? Maybe try a smaller car rental than a truck then (that may have you sign you don't use it for diving ... well, don't drive it in the water then
, but a pick-up is so convenient.
But to do 10 weeks on Bonaire w/o the significant other, without a DM stint, without being in a group with good friends, one would have to be very, very diving & maybe photography focussed, make friends, look into wind surfing... IDK...
...
Something like splitting the time between a few Philippine Islands and maybe low cost dive safari/so sounds more exciting.
But more deeply exploring say the dive sites on, say Bonaire does not sound un-appealing either...
....
You may just be able to stay around 1k/week with back to back to back LOBs on the Red Sea... but with tips and, if necessary an interim night, counted in (which was not necessary when we did back to back RSA weeks, but that boat would, tips and fees considered, have been above budget even at 50%off). Realistically, the best you can do is a bit above 1k all considered and you still need to factor in flights (costlier from the US, cheap from Europe). And would you really want to do that much back to back LOB diving? It would be interesting to see if one could finale a deal if one contacted "a fleet" and told them: So, I am not bringing a group of 8 or 10 people, but I plan to do 10 back to back weeks on your boats. Will you give me a deal equivalent to your group deals?
But then you still have to want to do that much boat time and LOB diving in a row... Maybe too much LOB based "group diving" for me...
...
...
Are your budget numbers for one person?
$1k per person per week, if the flight cost is spread out over 5 to 10 weeks, seems very doable on Bonaire if the rooming cost and truck cost are split between 2. Going single and rooming single and bearing the truck cost single it will be quite harder, maybe too hard? Maybe try a smaller car rental than a truck then (that may have you sign you don't use it for diving ... well, don't drive it in the water then
, but a pick-up is so convenient.But to do 10 weeks on Bonaire w/o the significant other, without a DM stint, without being in a group with good friends, one would have to be very, very diving & maybe photography focussed, make friends, look into wind surfing... IDK...
...
Something like splitting the time between a few Philippine Islands and maybe low cost dive safari/so sounds more exciting.
But more deeply exploring say the dive sites on, say Bonaire does not sound un-appealing either...
....
You may just be able to stay around 1k/week with back to back to back LOBs on the Red Sea... but with tips and, if necessary an interim night, counted in (which was not necessary when we did back to back RSA weeks, but that boat would, tips and fees considered, have been above budget even at 50%off). Realistically, the best you can do is a bit above 1k all considered and you still need to factor in flights (costlier from the US, cheap from Europe). And would you really want to do that much back to back LOB diving? It would be interesting to see if one could finale a deal if one contacted "a fleet" and told them: So, I am not bringing a group of 8 or 10 people, but I plan to do 10 back to back weeks on your boats. Will you give me a deal equivalent to your group deals?
But then you still have to want to do that much boat time and LOB diving in a row... Maybe too much LOB based "group diving" for me...
...
...
SandyRobinson
Contributor
Wherever you choose, I have got to believe with some research, pre-planning, and negotiation for a 6 to 10 week, you could get discounted lodging and dive rates.
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