Welcome to Travel Diaries, a Refinery29 series where we tag along as real women embark on trips around the world and track their travel expenses down to the last cent. Here, we offer a detailed, intimate account of when, where, and how our peers spend their vacation days and disposable income: all the meals, adventures, indulgences, setbacks, and surprises.
Age: 36
Occupation: Supply Chain Internal Consultant
Salary: $115,000 plus an additional $30,000 from licensing consulting business
Travel Companion: Husband
Travel Companion's Salary: $140,000 plus an additional $25,000 from private consulting
Travel Companion: Teenage daughter
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Trip Location: Manado, Indonesia
Trip Length: 12 days (including travel), 7 days on site
Annual # Of Vacation Days: 20
Companion's # of Vacation Days: 20
Transportation
Cost: From Austin to Jakarta, roundtrip tickets for the three of us came at $5,625. Then from Jakarta to Manado it came to $1,428.
Accommodations
Costs: For our 15-hour layover in Jakarta, we booked a night at the Orchardz Hotel Bandara that included breakfast for a total of $54, including fees and taxes. It was a great deal at a three-star property.
In Manado, we are staying at the Tasik Ria. We bought the all-meals-included option that also has all the dives and boat time for my husband and daughter and covers everything but alcohol. I don't dive anymore due to previous medical issues, but I love the other experiences on these types of trips. All in at Tasik Ria was $3,400 for eight nights.
On our return, we needed a hotel in Los Angeles since our flight got in late and the final leg home didn't board until 6:30 the next morning. We stayed at the Courtyard Los Angeles, but paid in points so our cost was actually $0.
We use the Travel Pass on our phones so they just work in whatever country we are in. We pay for it every day on my husband's phone and mine just as needed (like when I have to make sure I have service for an interview!) This tacks on $10 per day of use per line used. ($120)
3:30 p.m. - I wrap up my last call and load the dogs up to go to the kennel while my husband finishes vacuuming and making the bed so it is fresh when we get home. Our dogs are super co-dependent (one has pretty extreme separation anxiety issues) and will be in a premium room together. We specifically board in the higher rate rooms so we can see a live stream of them and because extra walks, treats, and playtime are all included.
7:40 p.m. - Off to LA on the first leg. It is only about a 2.5-hour flight. We will spend approximately two hours in LA, then take the long flight to Hong Kong. At Hong Kong International, we will have about a three-hour layover and then a 5-hour flight to Jakarta. Once we arrive in Indonesia, we have a 15-hour layover with a hotel stay and then a domestic morning flight to our final destination of Manado in North Sulawesi. It's going to be a long couple of days.
9:25 p.m. (LA time) - New time zone. We land in a little early and head over to the Cathay lounge in Terminal B at LAX. We have about 2.5 hours to wait for boarding our next leg. The food is better here and we all have a plate of marinara pasta with bread. I grab a glass of Champagne. My husband walks around for a bit and when he gets back the kiddo and I do the same. This way I don't have to carry a backpack while I talk myself out of buying any designer items since they are duty free. We board the next flight for Hong Kong a little before 11:00 p.m. local time.
12:45 a.m. - We get our dinner on the plane. We all have beef cheek with potatoes and zucchini. There is even vanilla Haagen Dazs for dessert. My policy on the fights is no alcohol if it is over six hours. I get dehydrated enough so it's only water or sparkling water for me. After the meal, we all lay back our seats, put up the footrests and I do a quick Boscia water mask and pass out.
1:45 a.m. (Hong Kong Time) - New time zone for Hong Kong. We all slept a solid eight hours and wake up feeling pretty good. I attribute this to a number of factors: the lie-down seats, wearing Lunya Restore pajamas with a long sweater, compression socks (a must for me on any long trip), and the creature comforts of my silk sleep mask and pillowcase that I take on all trips.
2:30 a.m. - We are served a meal of fried chicken and noodles for breakfast with a croissant, fruit, and yogurt; all of which are delicious. It tastes like ramen topped with all the good stuff from fried rice. Our daughter opts for an omelet. After eating, I run through a facial moisturizing routine with moisturizing eye gel, Clinique Pep-Start, Too Faced Hangover Rx, and more Boscia water mask prior to landing.
6:00 a.m. - We make it to the Cathay lounge in Hong Kong International and all take quick showers and change. We have about two hours until our flight to Jakarta boards. The showers feel glorious and I'm back to being human again after what is pretty close to my normal morning routine just with travel size toiletries. Being in a flying metal tube for 15 hours makes anyone not smell quite right. The lounge has a great selection of fruit, so I have some dragon fruit, strawberries, and watermelon with an iced latte and strawberry mint water. My husband opts not to eat for now, but I'm all about 'free' food that is included in any way.
8:30 a.m. - I once again walk past a load of duty free designer stores (I'm looking at you Burberry and Dior) and refrain from purchasing. I make no promises about my willpower on the return trip. When we're on the plane we have a mushroom quiche and I help my daughter work through her algebra that she will miss in school. The eye rolls and pissiness are strong with this one and I reassure myself part of it is jet lag with this being the longest in-transit trip she has taken.
01:45 p.m. (Jakarta Time) - We have 15 hours here in a hotel and then the last flight to Manado, so in another literal day we will be at the resort. Fuck. They left my bag in Hong Kong. Fuck Fuck Fuck. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This is literally the third time I have had this happen to me where the rest of my family gets their bags and mine just didn't get loaded for some reason. After a mercifully short wait with the lost luggage group, I find that my bag will literally arrive tomorrow as we take off for Manado. Fuck again. Well, on the bright side, they are sending it as a follow on to Manado when it arrives and they front me the equivalent of $22 (the exchange rate is crazy!) but what will buy a decent outfit for me to wear while I wait. I'm told that if I go over, I can submit receipts for the balance. Honestly, I'm glad it was my bag and not one with dive gear. I can get clothes. Replacing or renting dive gear is expensive and a much larger pain. Glad I always pack one change of clothes in my carry on.
5:00 p.m. - A couple we know actually lives in Jakarta and they come over to the hotel for dinner. It's nice to see them, since it has been about a year at this point. We chat about how all the kids are doing (ours is already asleep in the room) and how they won't understand how lucky they are with all the travel until they are much older. After around two hours we head back upstairs and pass out.
7:45 a.m. - Back at the airport and all checked in. Business-class tickets for the four-hour flight to Manado gain us access to the Batik Club, so we spend a little time there and my husband and I have espressos before heading through regular security and onto the final flight in at 9:25 a.m. Our daughter is doing really well with this traveling and I'm reminded how thankful I need to be about having her around.
2:00 p.m. - Off the flight and into the resort shuttle, still without my bag. I call the baggage office and I'm told it isn't even in Jakarta yet. Who knows if I'm going to get the damn thing today or if it will be sometime tomorrow. It is an hour's drive to the resort even though it is barely 35 miles. Island traffic is apparently the same on any island anywhere. As we pull in, we see the rest of the dive group. They flew in from Illinois. The only people we know on this trip are the owner and one other person who went on a trip with us to Belize a few years ago. The shop owner is shocked to see how big kiddo is since she was about a foot shorter when he saw her last in our dive trip to Bonaire in 2017. We all get big hugs.
5:00 p.m. - Everyone heads down for the dive briefing and to watch the sunset over one of the peninsulas. It really is beautiful. We have a couple of hours until dinner so my husband starts setting up his camera for tomorrow and my daughter and I go up to the main lobby so we can get wifi. I run through and clean out my work inbox and set up a time on Friday (day 10) for a Skype interview while she messes around on Instagram like a typical teen and impatiently counts down until dinner is served at seven.
7:30 p.m. - My bag is in the country! The manager lets me know that the bag finally made it to Jakarta and will be on the next flight out here. They are sending a driver to pick it up for me so I'll get it sometime tomorrow morning. There are three couples, our family, two single guys, one single woman plus the shop owner on the trip (13 total). We are the only ones who brought a kid along since the others are all older and their children are in their 20s+. The whole group sits down and has a dinner of rice, fried chicken, steamed veggies and an amazing Indian beef dish. We finish off with an orange mousse that is just as wonderful as everything else we have had. I obviously travel for food.
9:00 p.m. - We have all retreated to our rooms for the night. I check on our pups' camera and see them being fed breakfast. Kid passes out in two minutes and I hear my husband snoring as I finish up reading on my iPad. Maybe these ear seeds worked better for me than I thought. I feel pretty normal after only one day.
6:30 a.m. - Everyone is up and moving. Kiddo and husband are gearing up and packing their dry bags. My trusty duffle gets delivered by the resort staff and I shower and put on a bathing suit and sundress. We head down to the pier for breakfast and have an omelette with my new favorite hot sauce: sambal. The divers head out immediately after eating and won't be back for at least seven hours.
9:00 a.m. - In talking with one of the main hostesses, T., I express my want to go into town and buy a few things (including a jug of sambal to take home). She has off tomorrow and wants to go shopping as well so she offers to take me along with her. I'm more than happy to have a personal guide! It makes me feel like I won't get ripped off just because I'm not a local.
5:00 p.m. - After a long, arduous day of relaxing for me, the divers are back and putting their gear away. My husband heads to the spa for his massage and my daughter showers and immediately heads to the front of the resort to access wifi. Withdrawal is real for a teen on Instagram and I can't say that enough. I check in on our dogs and make sure my interview is good to go. The pups aren't doing much since it is 5:00 a.m. at home.
6:15 a.m. - We wake up and the others pack their dry bags, put on sunscreen, and then we all walk down to the pier for breakfast. Another omelet with sambal and a cinnamon roll with coffee for me and my husband while kiddo has some toast with Nutella and a chocolate muffin. It's going to be another beautiful day.
8:00 a.m. - The dive boat takes off and I head to the beach with my travel yoga mat for about an hour of vinyasa. It is so peaceful and the perfect temperature right now. When I'm done, I head to the main lobby and chat with the manager for a while. He moved to the country 16 years ago from London. I envy him in many ways, but I'm not sure I could give up some very American things like Amazon, lol! We talk about having a special cake for my daughter for dinner on her birthday. The people here are awesome.
8:30 p.m. - After dinner, we head back to the room and my husband goes through the first two days of photos on his laptop. There are some real contenders for our photo wall at home! A black nudibranch and a frogfish are determined to be the top two, however, we will hold final judgment until the week is over. We head to bed soon after.
6:30 a.m. - Up and going! My husband and I spend some 'alone' time in the shower to separate from our daughter. She is horrified at the thought that her parents have sex, but I continuously tell her she should be happy we love each other and are still together when so many of her friends' parents are divorced. We all get dressed and head down to breakfast. Today I have a cereal that is kind of like flattened Cocoa Puffs and some tamarind juice.
8:00 a.m. - The dive boat is off! I talk with the manager and book a jungle tour for our family tomorrow. My husband usually likes to take a dry day halfway through to give his ears a rest from the pressure changes. One of the staff brought in her foster puppy today. I can tell I miss ours because I wrestle with him for a good half hour. He also likes to play with a laser pointer like a cat it's hilarious to watch him try to climb the wall after it! After saying bye to the pup, I head down to the beach for another peaceful hour of vinyasa.
3:30 p.m. - After such an arduous day, I'm not sure what to do with myself! I head back to my room to soak up a little AC while my nails finish drying and do some reading. I have one of the Cokes I bought and love the taste but instantly regret the bloat. I have stuck with sparkling water and haven't had any type of soda in almost a year so my body is really wondering what's going on. I have seltzer and some of the chocolate cookies as well.
8:00 p.m. - My husband is back in the room, so I must have dozed off too. Kid really isn't feeling well and I knew this was going to happen. She is due to start her period any day and it wipes her out (another thing we have in common). We leave her be and head down to a dinner of cream curry chicken and rice. The desserts tonight are an avocado mousse and cream puffs. Yum! The manager brought in some of his pineapple home brew cider for us to try and it is amazing and dangerous. You can't taste the alcohol. We also sample the local distilled palm drink where the name literally translates to "rat piss." It is... an experience. One that I will never choose to have again.
10:00 p.m. - The two of us walk up to the main lobby for wifi so my husband can upload some of his pictures in LightRoom. He is especially proud of one he took of a baby cuttlefish on the night dive. When you see it compared to the grains of sand on the ocean floor it is so tiny. I would estimate the size of your pinky nail! After he does all the uploading, we head back and crash hard.
8:00 a.m. - Can I call it or what? Kid started her cycle today and is in some serious pain. I give her some meds to take the edge off and head down to breakfast. My husband isn't even up yet. Eleven dives in three days have him a little waterlogged. I have an omelet and sambal while chatting about travel with the manager. I really enjoy learning about his transition into Indonesian culture and his experiences and family. Half the fun of travel is meeting people like him!
11:45 a.m. - We were supposed to leave at eleven, but the guy N. from the group going with us shows up late. Oh well. Island time is universal I guess. The cost is $70 per person, but you get private transportation, an individual guide, lunch, water for the hike, and the admission to the reserve. I've got a backpack full of water, camera gear, and period paraphernalia all ready to start our jungle trek. It's a three-hour bus ride out to the nature reserve, so the kiddo watches more Jane the Virgin while my husband and I talk about how his photos have progressed over the years and where we want to go next as a family. We are seriously considering the Palau trip with the same dive shop next year, but I also want to spend real time in Scotland. Maybe both for 2020? $210
3:45 p.m. - We finally arrive at Tangkoko reserve to begin our jungle hike. Very quickly we run into a family of 90 black macaques. It's incredible. There are a ton of them just wandering through the trees stopping to eat and randomly have sex in front of us. The kid instantly ignores her cramps and gets to snapping pics like her dad. She gets a few good ones of the babies learning to climb, one of which we may blow up and hang at home. We hike around a while more and find multiple types of hornbill, couscous bears (the only marsupial in the region), and the reason we came out: tarsiers. They are little bug-eyed monkey things with long tails that have kangaroo type legs. They look alien. My husband and daughter get some photos and I take a video to record their sounds. Seriously, look up a video online. I thought they were birds at first!
8:45 p.m. - The driver makes it back to the resort in great timeand I tip him the same as the guide. He spent a long time with us and helped us learn more about the history of the region. We head to dinner after dropping our bags. Tonight is Italian night so it is chicken parm, lasagna, beef stuffed tomatoes, calzones with coffee mousse and rum balls for dessert. I also have one of the beers I bought earlier with my meal. $14
10:00 p.m. - My husband goes through his pics of the day and there are a few clear winners. One is of a pair of the tarsiers hanging on in their tree. It is something you definitely won't see anywhere else and I'm really glad we made the trek. Kiddo has already showered and passed out. My husband and I do the same.
8:45 a.m. - Another round of vinyasa on the beach. I head up to the front desk to check out any other excursions. I want to do the kayaking, but it is a minimum of two people and I know I'm going to be alone, so that's out. I leave a little disappointed and sit at the pool to read some more while drinking a seltzer.
10:30 a.m. - It's alive! My daughter shows up at the pool looking forlorn because she isn't diving. The breeze at the pool is nice while we talk a bit. I try to explain to her that she has to start wearing tampons if she wants to dive. The look of sheer disgust on her face makes me want to laugh but I hold it together and go back to the room with her for a quick tutorial that does not go well.
9:15 p.m. - The divers are back and when we head to dinner I'm regaled with stories of tiny seahorses and the three-hour bus ride that turned into five and a half hours due to downed power lines. I guess that's why the wifi's out. Most of the group is still in good spirits, anyway. When we head back to the room my husband does some picture editing and I fall asleep. He isn't far behind.
7:30 a.m. - The alarm goes off and my husband is out for the last day of diving. Kid decides not to go and it kind of pisses me off that we are halfway around the world and she won't take meds and make the effort for one last day. Whatever. Today is her birthday though, so I am more inclined than usual to let it slide. I head to breakfast (omelet with sambal) and chat with a few of the other non-divers.
12:00 p.m. - My neck and back are loving this every other day massage timing. I head to the room and kid is awake, showered and doing her initial pack out. When she's done, we head down to the pier and hang out waiting for the dive boat. While I read on my iPad, I let her use my phone as a hotspot so she can clean up some of her notifications and check her school email. She's going to have plenty of work on the way back and the class hours to make up when we're home.
2:00 p.m. - Kid and I head to the pool bar with one of the non-divers from the travel group from our dive shop in Illinois for lunch. She has a quesadilla and I get the grilled tuna and eggplant. We both finish up with scoops of ice cream just as the diving group comes and jumps in the pool. It turns into a full-on party with a lot of booze and people trying to ride an inflatable unicorn in the pool. Kiddo comments that adult parties and stories are more interesting and fun than the ones with her friends.
5:30 p.m. - The whole group heads back to our respective rooms to rinse the chlorine off and change for dinner. My husband and I give kiddo the presents we bought for her (a Mario Badescu set and a new hoodie she wanted). She didn't expect anything and is happy with the gifts. I read for a bit and my husband wanders off to take some pictures of the sunset and do some post-processing on others. The whole trip has been peaceful for me and very informative in chatting with the locals.
7:00 p.m. - We head to the pier for dinner. Another great night of grilled prawns, rice, and some sort of beef. There is also a chocolate mousse for dessert that tastes like cake batter and does not disappoint. I duck out a little before 8:00 p.m. to go make the phone call for my interview. I think it went well and I'll hear something in a couple of weeks after all the HR shuffling is complete.
9:00 p.m. - Back down at the pier and they bring out a birthday cake for kiddo! She is thoroughly embarrassed and I love every minute of it. It devolves into a drunken karaoke night since the rest of the group leaves tomorrow, but we still have another day. Kid and husband grab their cameras for some astrophotography at the other end of the pier while I hang around and have four rum seltzers. One of the other divers picks up the tab for everyone.
11:00 p.m. - My family is nowhere to be seen, so I head back to the room. Kid is already asleep and my husband is looking through photos of the week debating which is going to make the cut for the wall at home. There are a few real options between various nudibranch, clownfish, the baby macaque, and even the tarsiers. We talk for a bit in bed before falling asleep.
7:30 a.m. - Since we aren't leaving until tomorrow morning, there is no real reason for me to be up. I lay in bed reading some more while my husband still snores.
9:15 a.m. - We all get up and dressed and head to the front lobby to say goodbye to the rest of the group. I'm sure we'll see some of them again. I even found out one guy works at the same company as me and ends up in Austin periodically, so I'm sure we'll get together when he's in town. After they leave, we have a light breakfast of toast and coffee and chat with the manager for almost two hours. We learn a lot about the political landscape of the country as well as how the locals live.
9:00 p.m. - We decide to make it up to dinner at the main restaurant tonight instead of the pier. It's a great final meal of ginger beef and rice finished off with vanilla mousse and layer cake. My lovely husband, once again, has a Coke ($2).We spend some extra time chatting with the manager and D., who is on duty until 10:00 p.m. I run up to the front desk and pay out our full tab for the week and add in a tip ($210). They asked us to tip at the end in bulk so everyone at the resort gets a share. It really has been a great trip. $212
11:00 p.m. - Back in the room we all shower and finish the pack out. Tomorrow is literally going to be a 39 hour day with the flights and time changes.
2:30 p.m. - The flight out to Hong Kong boards and we get our meals. I finish my book and watch two episodes of Carnival Row This day is going to just keep going...
8:20 p.m. - (Hong Kong time) - In Hong Kong and we head to the lounge. I'm fucking exhausted of flights and airports already and we still have a literal day of flying to go. My husband and daughter grab Starbucks on one of my gift cards. Kiddo settles in finishing up her homework while she has wifi for the online stuff. I zone out completely and surf the Internet. My brain doesn't want to focus on anything like starting a new book or a new show.
11:55 p.m. - We board the flight to LA and take off. We'll actually land at 10:20 p.m. - before we take off due to time zone shifting. That makes this an extremely long day. We all eat dinner on the flight, which is a pretty good fried chicken and noodle dish with more vanilla ice cream like on the way over. After, we all pass out pretty quickly. They offer something for breakfast, but none of us are awake enough to eat at that time.
10:15 p.m. (LA time) - We land and stumble off the aircraft through customs. We all have Global Entry, so it is really quick for us. By some miracle, we only wait five minutes and our bags are some of the first off the plane! We grab them and hop the shuttle over to the Courtyard hotel LA Airport only 15 minutes after deplaning. We'll stay here overnight until our final flight into Austin. Even with sleeping a full night before on the plane, we all shower and crash out quickly.
4:45 a.m. - Another super early morning. Being able to just lay down totally flat for a bit helped though, and since we paid in points, it didn't cost anything to us. We get the shuttle back to the airport and check-in. We have to get new bag tags since we took them with us last night instead of dropping them and checking them through.
5:30 a.m. - PreCheck is wonderful. We are through security and in the Admiral's club in LAX in no time. We all eat a bagel and my husband and I have some coffee. We are all in a pretty good mood, which I find surprising considering the pace of the last 24+ hours. We board around 6:30 a.m. and end up on our final leg home.
1:30 p.m. - We make it to the house, which smells nice and is clean because of our obsessive need to make sure everything is handled before leaving on trips. I'll head to pick up the dogs after he unloads the luggage. It was definitely a trip to remember!
For any divers, the Lembeh Straight is probably the highlight. My husband brought back pictures of seahorses, a baby cuttlefish the size of a pinky nail (you can see individual grains of sand stuck to his face!) and multiple types of frog fish. We still haven't decided which picture is going to get blown up for our wall at home!
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