Those traveling all of New Zealand, not just the North or South Island will have to cross the Cook Strait either by plane or boat. Facing the added expense of both options can be a bit concerning for travelers on a budget.

Luckily, Interislander makes the crossing more than just a mode of transportation, but also a great activity to add to the agenda. Passengers can expect jaw dropping views through the Marlborough Sounds, onboard food and entertainment, maybe even a few dolphins swimming beside the ship.

While on a recent ferry crossing with Interislander from Wellington to Picton, I said a few times, “Now this is how to travel.”

Amenities

Interislander is set up similar to a cruise ship. It offers a few eateries, a bar, a movie theater, several lounges and viewing platforms, a children’s play area, a travel information center with a real live person on site to help book trips, VIP sections, even a lounge for truck drivers.

I boarded early in the morning and headed straight to the cafeteria for breakfast. At $12, the big breakfast was extremely reasonable considering how much airlines and ferries usually charge people for food these days. Expect your standard cafeteria food. Visit the cafe for better meals.

Big breakfast served on board. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

One of the ship's dining areas. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

The only other purchase I made was an hour or 40MB of internet at $7. I would only purchase it to do a few little things online, but I found the connection extremely good considering we were out to sea and in the middle of nowhere most of the time.

The majority of my time on board was spent either napping on the ferry’s big, comfy lounge chairs or on the top deck checking out the views.

Sights

The top deck was definitely the place to be on the clear summer day I traveled. Views are absolutely stunning sailing through the Sounds with massive mountains cascading into blue and green waters.

I was even lucky enough to watch a pod of dolphins swimming and jumping beside the boat. The captain who first spotted them, made sure to announce it to everyone on board.

A view of the Sounds from inside the ferry. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

It seems like wildlife spottings are pretty common through the Marlborough Sounds too. All three times I’ve taken the ferry, each captain announced seeing dolphins. In fact, I’ve actually been on dolphin sighting tours that cost more than my Interislander ferry trip and didn’t give me nearly as good an experience.

Staff

A great interaction with the staff started as soon as we drove onto the ship. One of the staff members directing Ric where to park the car, pretended to be pulling us in on a rope while giving a massive smile. For me, it’s little things like this that always make a trip that much better.

From then on every member of the staff was extremely kind, even fun. The duty manager waited by the exit door bidding everyone farewell at the end of the journey.

Duration

Expect three to four hours for this trip. Those traveling with a car must arrive before final check in, which is usually about an hour before departure, but don’t worry about arriving much earlier than that, as you’ll just have to wait in line.

Ric having a nap during our trip. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Price

People can book through their website, at a ticket counter or through an agent. A single adult ticket with no vehicle costs $NZ52-$NZ75. For two people traveling with a standard sized vehicle, the price is between $NZ215 and $NZ330 depending on what kind of ticket you purchase and time of travel. These prices seem to have stayed the same the few times I have checked.

The cheapest option is a web saver reservation and these are a lot cheaper so it’s beneficial to book as early as possible as only a limited number of these non-refundable reservations are available. Interislander also offers promotions which may be worth looking into.

Thanks to Interislander  for sponsoring our ferry crossing to the South Island. As always, all opinions are my own.

The new year is in full force, which means most people have already given up on those resolutions they created in their head when they were counting down. This year, more than ever, it’s imperative to keep up with them, because if the Mayans have anything to do with it, 2012 could be our last year on earth.

So instead of seeing resolutions as hinderances on life that force us all to give up and give away more than we’d like, use your resolutions as a means of giving something back to yourself. This year, why not focus your resolutions on taking that dream vacation or round-the world journey you’ve always dreamed of, something to give yourself light at the end of the tunnel.

The most common resolutions can actually be great ways to save up, here’s how. 

Lose weight

Photo courtesy of Amanda M.

This is the resolution that plagues women from 17-70 all over the world. So ladies, instead of signing ourselves up for expensive diet programs or buying heaps of low-calorie cook books, why don’t we all just do it the old fashion way and eat less.

Minimize portions at home and maybe instead of buying an appetizer and main meal in restaurants, just choose one of the two. All the money saved on buying less food, can go towards accommodation.

To add to the common weight loss campaign, people will resolute to start hitting the gym in January. The problem is that they’ll grow tired of this come February, which is a huge waste of money considering how much gym memberships cost and that they usually require a contract. Apart from the people who actually do visit gyms religiously, this year may be a good one to save that money towards travel and find other means of working out.

If a person finds the motivation to maintain a weekly work out plan come new year, he or she should be able to do this anywhere. How about working out in the great outdoors. Grass works just like a treadmill and lakes are the original pools.

In regards to travel, getting and staying in shape is unbelievably helpful. First of all, it makes the type of travel he or she can participate in limitless. Hello Mt. Everest! Second, it gives people who are saving up and can’t afford certain things a healthy hobby. Finally, being in shape makes people confident in all sectors of life.

Some may be putting off that trip to the Caribbean, because they can’t stand the sight of themselves in a bathing suit. If that’s what’s stopping you, then finally tackle it this year. Who knows, maybe you’ll find the courage to go nude on the beaches of France!

Quit smoking/drinking

Photo courtesy of Debbie Gonzalez.

These two things are probably the biggest waste of money anyone could ever take on in life. Based on money alone, these are two things we should all probably give up or do less of in 2012.

Consider this, a pack of cigarettes costs anywhere between $7 and $20 depending on brand and where in the world they’re being sold. People who smoke a pack a week could save between $364 and $1,040 a year. That’s roundtrip airfare money. People who smoke a pack a day are looking at saving $2,548 and $7,280 a year. That is an entire trip paid for.

Alcohol on the other hand, as a traveler and lover of all things food and wine, I can’t possibly advise everyone to completely give it up. (This of course does not apply to people with substance abuse problems. Honestly, all our lives are better without booze at the end of the day.)

But people should consider cutting down their alcohol intake substantially when saving for a trip abroad. A night out is extremely costly these days. Drinkers are looking at spending anywhere from $30-$100 just on booze at a bar. Maybe consider hosting dinner parties at home instead of going out for drinks. People could also go out just one night a weekend instead of two.

The final and most reasonable option is to just cut down your drinking whenever you do. Drinking too much is unnecessary and actually quite embarrassing a lot of times. Instead of getting sloshed, get tipsy. Bring out only enough money to get you to the happy point, then just enjoy the night.

Of course, your personal health is a much greater reason to give these two things up. In general it’s much harder for unhealthy people to travel, which is something to be mindful of if you’re interested in spending some or a lot of time abroad.

Take on a new hobby

Photography is a brilliant hobby to use while traveling. Photo courtesy of Emily Kendall.

When saving up, this is a huge must to fill the void of time you used going out to dinner, shopping or to the movies. A lot of people end up just watching loads of films and TV shows. (Don’t worry, I’m one of them.) But this time can also be used to do things you could never find the time to do before.

Let’s focus on travel-related hobbies since that’s the whole point anyway. You could try and learn a new language, start planning a trip or maybe even start a travel blog. These all take up time, are useful and are actually beneficial to someone interested in seeing the world.

Plus, they don’t have to cost money. Youtube is a great source for people interested in learning a language, almost all travel blogs and websites are free and very helpful in planning a trip and sites like WordPress, Tumblr and Blogger allow anyone to create their own blog at zero cost.

Improve relationships

Don't be like these owls. Photo courtesy of Bahman Farzad.

The most rewarding thing in life is our relationships with others and lucky for all human beings, this reward is absolutely free. If you’ve lost touch with a family member, take time to get to know them better. It won’t cost a dime.

If you’ve lost focus on a lover. Put the effort into getting it back. Not to go into details, but the things you can do with a spouse or significant other are the most blissful in the world. Of course, I’m referring to deep conversations and long walks on the beach…

The point is that the number one most important thing in our lives as human beings is the relationships we have with fellow human beings. This means friends, family, lovers and more. Yet it’s something a lot of us don’t put enough time or effort into and the best thing about it, is that it requires only two people.

So when you’re saving up for a trip and start moaning about what to do this weekend, how about just spending an entire day with someone special to you doing nothing but watching films in bed, walking around town and getting to know each other a little bit better.

Don’t see your resolutions this year as giving up, but saving up and getting ready for something really special.

The reward: maybe a few days in Fiji. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon.

Banner photo by Julia Eve Hays.

While New Zealand may be known for its extreme sports, sheep and friendly people, it’s the country’s scenery that dominates anyone’s travels here. We spent ten days traveling the country’s South Island from Picton to Milford Sound constantly saying,”Look at that!” or “Wow that’s beautiful!”. Ric said after three days, “You really run out of superlatives for this place.”

He couldn’t have been more right. 

Driving this great country is truly incredible. Every turn presents a new landscape and every bend a sight more breathtaking than the last. We traveled about 2,000 kilometers up, down and through mountains, beside vineyards and crystal clear lakes.

Our general route of the South Island on Google Maps.

No picture or video will ever do this country justice, but hopefully this montage of our drive across the South Island will help people realize why I can so easily declare that New Zealand is by far the most beautiful country I’ve ever traveled.

Thanks to Interislander and Jucy Cruize for sponsoring my ten day South Island adventure. As always, all opinions are my own.

Banner photo taken by Bobbi Lee Hitchon near Milford Sound.

We arrived in Wellington cold, homeless and hungry.

Yes, five months ago we arrived in this city and it’s hard to believe how much has changed. We had no idea where we’d go or what we would see when we first arrived in New Zealand, but we definitely didn’t expect to make such an amazing home in Wellington. This is the tale of what brought us to the windy city and how it blew us away.

After about five months of jobless travel around Asia and America, we took a chance and headed to New Zealand on a working holiday visa instead of saving up at home. We didn’t have a choice really. Since Ric and I are from different countries, this was one of the few easy ways to stay together and work. Parting was out of the question.

So we boarded a plane for a long flight in early July. Destination: Queenstown, but not for long. Queenstown was our original arrival city, because-well it’s Queenstown; winter wonderland, extreme sports, lots of backpackers. Unfortunately, our arrival date was mid-ski season, making it hard to find work. Further, it had yet to snow in Queenstown that season, making it even harder to find work.

On the way from Queenstown to Blenheim in July.

No worries. Ric had a friend he met in Australia living and working in Blenheim. Biggest legend ever, not only did she let us crash at her house for a long time, but also sorted Ric out with a job before he even arrived.

We arrived at the small town in the middle of Marlborough, a huge wine region, and met our friend for drinks. While at a bar, I met a guy who worked in viticulture and he gave me a contact for a local vineyard looking for workers. Next day, I was sorted with a job.

We thought we made it. We thought we were going to be okay. We thought wrong. Family matters had me on a plane back to the States only ten days after arriving. I spent two weeks at home then was on a plane back to New Zealand. Talk about jet lag.

In that time, Ric was ready to leave Blenheim. It’s not the most active town, plus Ric wasn’t doing his passion, cooking, so he had enough. To add to that he had fractured his thumb, making him actually unable to work for a few weeks.

I arrived back in Blenheim with a choice. Either stay in the quiet town doing jobs that weren’t nessarily our favorite or make a move to Wellington, the closest city, and see how it worked out.

We went for Wellington.

It’s not a cheap trip either. Wellington is on the North Island and Blenheim on the South. People must take either a plane or a ferry to get to Wellington from the South Island because they must cross the Cook Strait, either way your looking at spending about $70.

We came to Wellington with one night booked at a hostel, hoping to find a flat, jobs and a routine in a day. That’s when things started to look up.

It was just me job hunting at that point. Ric couldn’t because of his thumb. I felt so much pressure hunting for jobs that day. Between contacting people on TradeMe and walking into places, I had about seven job opportunities within the first day of looking.

I remember sitting at a kebab shop on Courtney Place, nervous but excited about what would come in this city. The owner gave us one of those “buy-ten-kebabs-get-one-free cards”. I wondered if we would even last long enough in this city to get that free kebab.

Ric was in charge of finding us a room. He looked on TradeMe and Easyroommate. We had a few good prospects in just two days of searching. One room and couple looked like an especially good match for us. That night while I had a job trial, Ric looked at a room. At the end of my trial, I had a message on my phone that said, “Come home.” I grabbed my stuff from the hostel and hopped a bus to Mt. Cook.

Since we arrived so late, we didn’t really have time to make our new room comfortable. Our new roomies were nice enough to give us comforters and pillows, but they were covered in cat fur and Ric and I are both allergic. The room only came with a bed, which is actually quite lucky considering most of the rooms we saw came with nothing. We had to make it work though.

God that first night. The matress was so old that the springs had worn out, so Ric and I just kept rolling into eachother in the middle of it. On top of that we were sneezing and coughing all night because of the cat. I’m not writing this as a complaint, just as a funny note on how ridiculous that first night was.

The next day I did a trial at Fidel’s Cafe, pretty much a Wellington icon, and was hired. The next week we both organized our new room, sorting the bed out, using boxes as tables and dressers and putting some art up on the walls. The following week Ric found a job at Hotel Bristol and was hired to do what he loves, cook.

This little door can be found out the back of Fidel's. I fell in love with it when I found it. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Leaving Wellington we are in a completely different situation. We both saved up a lot of money, met so many wonderful people here who were so welcoming, got to experience the World Cup in one of New Zealand’s biggest cities, beat our cat allergies (we both fell in love with the little guy) and we’ll even get to eat that free kebab.

Now that it’s time to say good bye to Wellington, I can’t help but look back on how we arrived and just give the city and all the people in it a massive thanks. I can’t speak on behalf of Ric, but I’ve never had a work place treat me so well and the people working there welcome me so much. We made a home here when we were literally close to being homeless. Everyone here was so amazing, it was a true realization of how kind the kiwi spirit is.

My favorite shot of Rondell, the best cat ever. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon