Stories Through Her Lens | Aida Nordin: oversea travelling

"Sediakan payung sebelum hujan"

Mungkin ramai yang tak tahu 'perks' ini. Aku pun mungkin takkan tahu kalau tak dek kerana kehilangan beg sewaktu balik cuti musim panas tahun 2011 dahulu (masa tu aku guna Citi). Cabin kecik so dorang suruh tinggalkan hand luggage untuk dicheck-in tapi beg tak sampai-sampai KLIA. Sebulan lepas tu baru dorang jumpa balik. Kat London uolss. Nun jauh kau pergi diknon... Hahaha... Dapat la duit pampasan dari Chartis. Jadi moh ler aku mengsharing is caring dengan kome semua...

Aku ada dua kad kredit - satu dari Maybank, satu lagi dari CIMB. Awal tahun 2016 aku pernah email Maybank untuk request polisi insurans mereka tapi diberitahu travel insurance dari Maybank hanya untuk customer-customer berpangkat Platinum sahaja. Ok fine, merajuk dengan rimau. Lain pula dengan Encik Sotong CIMB kita. CIMB menawarkan travel coverage untuk semua warga ~~kotaraya~~ pemegang kad kredit mereka tak kesah la gold ke platinum ke klasik ke... tapi kadar perlindungannya berbeza-beza lah. Takpe, janji ada kan?

Syarikat Insurans untuk CIMB adalah Allianz. Apa pelindungannya? Dia ada dua bahagian: Pertama, kematian dan hilang upaya kekal. Kedua, faedah kesulitan semasa penerbangan (flight inconvenience). Ni kalau korang ada flight delay ke, kena cancel ke (seperti yang selalu berlaku kepada pengguna Rayani Air tahun lepas), beg hilang ke boleh la claim dengan dorang ni. Berapa banyak boleh claim? Haa.. Korang tengok la sendiri kat bawah ni... (untuk CIMB sahaja. Lain bank lain benefit)

Of course lah salah satu requirement nya ialah kena beli tiket kapal terbang dengan kad kredit tersebut. Automatik dah dapat coverage untuk trip tu. Jangan lupa untuk 'untick' insurans airline tersebut sebelum membuat bayaran kang macam no point la pulak kan? Hehehe...

Perlu ditegaskan di sini, insurans ni tak cover medical ketika melancong ye? So kalau korang eksiden ke jatuh sakit ke atau kena beli ubat masa kat obersea tu, kena la keluarkan duit sendiri melainkan korang ada tambah insurans. Juga tak cover kalau beg korang rosak. Tak pasti bank lain macam mana. Banyak syarikat insurans yang menawarkan polisi-polisi yang murah. AXA ada polisi basic kurang dari RM20 tak termasuk flight inconvenience (CIMB kan dah cover yang tu). Time tu aku tak tahu medical tak cover aku slumber je pergi bercuti. Hahaha... Alhamdulillah tak ada apa-apa yang terjadi.

Had polisi berubah dari semasa ke semasa so kalau nak tahu yang latest boleh la download kat website CIMB. Camni caranya...

1) Pergi ke www.cimbbank.com.my. Hover kat 'Product' kemudian klik 'Cards'.

2) Scroll ke bawah sikit nak hampir ke penghujung page tu cari 'Other Information' kemudian klik 'Terms and Condition'.

3) Voila! Bahasa Malaysia punya bermula muka surat 61. Pasal travel pulak muka surat 100.

Sebarang pertanyaan lanjut, boleh lah hubungi pegawai CIMB di 03-62047788.

Yes, we rented a campervan.

No, that doesn't mean we parked at the side of the road and called it the night. That's against the New Zealand law.

PSA!
If you wish to look for a more 'homey' experience, have a go with AirBnB. I've tried it and loved it! Sign up HERE to enjoy some bucks off!

Jump: Itinerary Part 1, Itinerary Part 2, Motorhome.

Listed below, in alphabetical order, are all the places we stayed throughout the trip -- Three backpackers hostels, five holiday parks. Range (varies from season to season):

$ - $10-$15

$$ - $16-$25

$$$ - $26-$35

$$$$ - $36-$45

$$$$$ - $46-$55

P.S.: I hardly give ratings of extremes to any survey I've done (eg. a 1- or a 10-rating). So a 9 doesn't entirely mean it falls short, mmkay?

P.P.S.: These ratings are my non-biased, personal opinion. I was not paid to review (Although it'd be nice if I were. Hahaha... I kid, I kid!).

Word of advice: Don't book your accommodation just yet. Plans change, vehicle breakdowns happen (touch wood). You may need to make bookings for summer trips though as they tend to fill up very quickly especially near tourist hotspots. We only made reservations for our confirmed locations such as in Auckland, Christchurch and Omarama. The rest I called them while on the road to check availability (keep their numbers handy!).

Hostels

At the Right Place. Location: Bealey Avenue, Christchurch.

Accommodation: 5-bed female dorm

Affordability: $$$

Rating: 8/10

Pros: Cantik! Clean dorm. Complimentary 100MB. Private kitchen & shower/toilet. Lovely garden. Walking distance to the city center. Free towels. Friendly & helpful receptionist.

Cons: Bunk bed squeaks like crazy! No locks for the shower area so bismillah no one walks in. The toilet has a door but the bulb was out so I had to leave the door open for some light to come in. Bismillah to that too.

Jailhouse Accommodation. Location: Addington, Christchurch.

Accommodation: Twin bunk

Affordability: $$$$$

Rating: 9/10

Pros: Fast complimentary 500MB. Spacious & clean kitchen. Clean shower & toilet. Free towels. Friendly receptionist. Bus stops right in front of the hostel. Lots of historical items on display and photo hotspots (they have a mugshot booth!)

Cons: Cold. Expensive for a small room. Far from the city center.

Note: Security breach! Some weird guy went into our room late at night when we were about to sleep. Complained to the receptionist the next morning. Apparently the guy was a previous tenant who didn't return the key. Although the security tag from his key was deactivated, he managed to get in the hostel (because someone held the door for him when there was a clear sign stated not to let strangers in). There's time when baik hati-ness doesn't belong, peeps!

Nomads Fat Camel Backpackers. Location: Auckland City Center.

Accommodation: 8-bed female dorm

Affordability: $$

Rating: 7/10

Pros: Strategic, 5 mins walk from the bus stop, walking distance to the pier with ample restaurants and food trucks nearby. High security with card required to get access to room. Clean shower & toilet.

Cons: Room was quite on the dirty side. Small and stuffy for 8 beds. Electric kettle wasn't working. No complimentary wifi but there is a Spark Free Wifi Zone nearby.

Note: Don't get confused with its sister company, Nomads Auckland, just before Fat Camel. Ask to make sure. We waited in line for nothing. Lol

Holiday Parks

Fox Glacier Holiday Park. Location: Kerr Road, Fox Glacier.

Accommodation: Non-Powered/Tent Site

Affordability: $$

Rating: 8/10

Pros: Fantastic view. Friendly staff. Clean shower & toilet. Huge communal kitchen.

Cons: Internet was very slow.
Note: It was raining heavily when we arrived. Since it was not a busy night, we requested to park our camper at the powered site, close to the shower & kitchen. They were more than happy to do so!

Omarama Top 10 Holiday Park. Location: Omarama Avenue, Omarama.

Accommodation: Powered Site

Affordability: $$

Rating: 7/10

Pros: Easy to find, just by the main road. Friendly staff. Clean shower & toilet.

Cons: Dryer doesn't dry well - requires another cycle. Map given was not updated. I accidentally went in a (occupied) lone cabin when the map shows it as an internet kiosk. Wahi made fun of me since!

Queenstown Lakeview Holiday Park. Location: Upper Brecon Street, Queenstown.

Accommodation: Powered Site

Affordability: $$$

Rating: 8/10

Pros: Walking distance to the Skyline Gondola and city center. Clean shower & toilet. Huge communal kitchen. Tight security - require pin to enter site and shower room.

Cons: Didn't see the lake, though.
Note: In the summer, they charge a small fee for hot shower. I guess many parks do the same in their effort to conserve water and energy. So don't complain!

Skyline right behind us

Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park. Location: Manapouri, Te Anau.

Accommodation: Powered Site

Affordability: $$

Rating: 9/10

Pros: Amazing view. Clean facilities. Helpful staff. Walking distance to town.

Cons: Wifi is very weak, even in the communal area. Hardly any connection at the sites. Disappointed we didn't get the site we wanted. We booked another night there with a better view of the lake. When we arrived at the site after our tour, another camper was already parked there. Turns out they had a miscommunication and double booked our site. They gave us a replacement which was alright although semi blocked by a building.
Note: Booked our glowworm tour there at the reception.

Waitaki Waters Holiday Park. Location: Waitaki, Oamaru.
Accommodation: Powered Site

Affordability: $

Rating: 8/10

Pros: Cheapest of the lot. Quiet place with very few people. Clean toilets. There's a beach nearby to check out.

Cons: May be difficult to find since it is quite secluded - use Waze. Hot showers only available in the unisex toilet. Dump station was not labeled clearly. Park is fenced with tall shrubs making the view mediocre.
Note: Dubbed a fisherman's paradise. Behind the counter there are a lot of news articles and Trip Advisor awards framed. Interesting to see & read.