Today’s Upgrade Mindset Matchup: Hawaii versus Bali:
Go exotic for a more exciting vacation—at a comparable cost.
I have a friend that goes to Hawaii just about every year. Her daughter is a great, young, competitive surfer, so it’s a no brainer for a couple of Californians.
But I asked if her daughter would more be interested in going to Bali to surf or stay with what she knew in Hawaii.
Her daughter’s answer, in a heartbeat, was Bali!
Perspective
I said that a Business or First Class airline ticket is probably going to be more expensive.
Bali will cost you maybe 20,000 more miles round-trip in Business Class, if even that, since Business Class awards can start as low as 100,000 miles (with Alaska or All Nippon and/or Amex, Marriott/SPG points) and range up to 155,000 miles (with Air Canada, American, Korean Air, or United and/or Amex, Chase, or Marriott/SPG points).
Then, factor in that most of the time low-cost (80,000 miles) awards are not available to Hawaii, so you end up paying anytime rates ranging from 135,000 to 180,000, sometimes even more.
Bali might even end up costing you less than Hawaii. More on this in a moment.
No Miles or Points? No Problem
A ticket to Hawaii can easily cost $1,200 from the West Coast to $2,000 from the East Coast, but you can buy miles cheaply when they’re on sale. For more see FCF’s Beginner’s Guide: How to Play the “Buy Miles to Fly In Style” Strategy to Net Up to 90% Off Premium Travel here.
Or buy up to 500,000 points through Amex Rewards at 2.5¢ per point (more here). In effect you can buy 100,000 points for $2,500—not much more than a ticket to Hawaii—and then transfer to All Nippon for a mileage award.
4-Star Bali Hotels at 2-Star Hawaii Hotel Prices
However, this also comes with a side benefit: When you do get there, you can stay at a four-star hotel, like the Grand Bali Nusa Dua, the Westin Resort Nusa Dua, or the Fairmont Sanur Beach Bali, and pay hundreds less per night than you would for a hotel of comparable quality in Hawaii.
The Grand Bali Nusa Dua and the Westin Resort Nusa Dua, for example, cost $150 per night, while the Grand Hyatt and Westin in Maui will easily cost $350 per night or more.
Then, there’s the usual vacation fun to be bought or rented–scuba gear, surfboard, car rental, meals, drinks—and they, too, will be a lot less expensive than in Hawaii.
Cookin’ With Bali
We humans compartmentalize travel because it’s one less thing to trouble our brains about. Places like Bali are often placed in the too hard / too far / too expensive basket.
As a result, we are overlooking some of the world’s most beautiful, friendly, and exotic places.
Yes, it can be more expensive to get to Bali because it’s further away. But it’s a lot cheaper once you’re on the ground.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Hawaii, and you don’t need a passport to get there. But don’t have a one-track mind when it comes to your next vacation in the sun. You might be missing out on something different, and something great, for the same cost, while also flying in a premium cabin.
Upgrade Mindset Matchup: Hawaii versus Bali
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