At the end of July 2025, we are heading off on a holiday just the two of us for a couples vacation. We are leaving our youngest teen daughter, who is now 17, home by herself for the first time while we head to Phnom Penh, Qingdao and Manila.
It will be our second time in Phnom Penh, we also visited in 2019. Our daughter lives in Qingdao, so this will be our 3rd visit and our first time to the Philippines.
Over the years, when we have travelled with two kids, we used to travel on a budget and stay in cheaper accommodations, take cheap airlines and eat street food. In all honesty, we will still be eating street food because it is the best!
Now that we have two less people travelling with us, our accommodation style may change a little bit, but we have always enjoyed cheaper, more local places. In this article we we explain our travel planning costs and thoughts on booking this holiday.
Who are we flying with?
On this trip, since it’s just Bec and I (Mark), we decided to fly a few better airlines. We chose Singapore Airlines from Melbourne to Phnom Penh and Cathay Pacific from Qingdao, China, to Manila.
Both these airlines are 5-star rated and come with big reputations. We have flown Singapore before and found them to be fantastic with service and comfort. Cathay Pacific has some big shoes to fill if it is going to be as good as Singapore Airlines.
Next comes another two airlines we have never used before, China Eastern, which we will be flying with from Phnom Penh to Qingdao, and Cebu Pacific from Manila to Melbourne. China Eastern is a 3-star full-service airline, and Cebu Pacific is a budget carrier, so we have a bit of everything with these 4 airlines.
Cebu Pacific flies an Airbus A330-900neo aircraft that has a capacity of 459 passengers, making it the most densely configured A330neo in operation.
Luckily, we paid for seat selection, which allowed us to book a 2-seat aisle near the back. Cebu Pacific is the only one of airlines we are using where we have to pay for a meal.
Flights
- Melbourne to Phnom Penh with Singapore Airlines $976.92
- Phnom Penh to Qingdao with China Eastern $ 567.40
- Qingdao to Manila with Cathay Pacific $966.63
- Manila to Melbourne with Cebu Pacific $680.00
I searched for flights on Skyscanner and Trip.com. Then, I headed to the airlines’ official sites and booked the flights from there.
Do we need a visa?
Cambodia is the only country of the three we are visiting that requires a visa in reality. Cambodia has an online system where we filled in our details, uploaded a copy of our passport and paid $35.00 USD. It was really easy to use, and the visa was in our email 3 days later.
The Philippines requires you to log onto the eTravel platform (the official website for eTravel registration) and register your stay in the Philippines. The Philippines eTravel Platform will only allow you to register your trip within 72 hours of arrival. So, it looks like I will be doing this from China.
China has opened up big time in the last 12 months and now allows 30-day visa-free travel to citizens from 79 countries at last count.
Visa
- Cambodia Visa – x2 $100.00
Booking travel insurance
We never travel without travel insurance. It is a must-have for anyone who is travelling overseas. We have travelled a lot previously and have needed travel insurance on a number of occasions in Germany, Vietnam and Cambodia in the past.
It really is a non-negotiable for us. I booked this travel insurance with a company called Freely, that we have used on previous trips. I was lucky that Cashrewards, an Australian app, had 18% cash back when booking travel insurance, which made the price even more attractive.
Travel Insurance
- Freely – 2 people: $204.00
Booking airport parking
We live 243 kilometres away from Melbourne International Airport, so we need to drive our car to the airport. There are not really any easy public transport options from our hometown.
The nearest train station is 20 kilometres away, then we would have to catch a train to Melbourne Southern Cross Station and get a bus from there. This means that airport parking is our best option.
We were able to get 5% discount when booking through our Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) membership.
Airport Parking
- Easy Airport Parking costs $165.00 for 19 days.
How do we get from the airport to our hotels?
The time of day and the distance from the airport to the hotel make a difference in how we choose our transfer options. In Phnom Penh, we are going to grab a ride-sharing service.
In Cambodia, this will be Grab (the Asian version of Uber) because we are landing in the morning and will have time to sort this easily by ordering a car on the app.
In Qingdao, the airport is 50 kilometres away from the city. Our daughter, Willow, will be there to meet us, and we will take the Qingdao Metro to our apartment.
In Manila, we do not land till nearly 11 pm at night. We have a long day of flights from Qingdao to Hong Kong and onto Manila, so we have booked a transfer to the hotel.
The older we get, the more likely we have become to take the easy option, which is a pre-arranged car. So, I even booked one back to the airport on the day of departure in Manila.
Airport transfer
- Grab ride-share from and back to Phnom Penh Airport $30.00 (estimate)
- The cost of a ride from the airport to Qingdao Metro is $1.40, or $30.00 for a ride share.
- Return transfer from Manila International Airport costs $46.18, ordered through booking.com
Where are we staying on this holiday?
After searching Booking.com and Trip.com, we booked hotels in Phnom Penh and Manila. We are lucky enough to have free accommodation in Qingdao. In saying that, we have stayed at Holiday Inn Express in Qingdao previously, which cost around $90 Australian a night.
We generally choose hotels mostly based on price. Let’s be honest, we do not have an unlimited budget. We have our price in mind, then we go looking for the best hotel that fits that price in the best location for us.
We want to stay in central areas that are close to attractions, sights and restaurants. In Phnom Penh, we are staying in the popular area just near the river and in Manila, we are staying in the Makati district, which is also central and popular with tourists.
Both hotels have breakfast included, which is a must in Rebecca’s eyes and as a bonus, they both have roof pools.
Accommodation
- Phnom Penh – Ohana Phnom Penh Palace Hotel. $234.08 USD for 4 nights
- Qingdao – We stayed in an apartment for free
- Manila – 1898 Hotel Colonia $550 for 5 nights
Staying connected while away
One of the most important things for us while on holiday is being able to access the internet on our phones. You need internet access for Google Maps, ride-share services and banking. So far, I have resisted the temptation to try the eSIM because I keep reading lots of conflicting views about how good they are.
This is even more important in China, where you pay for everything via a QR code on apps like Alipay and WeChat Pay. China is an ultra-modern society, and everything is done online.
You will also need a VPN to access many of your favourite Western apps like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
Sim card
- 2 x 10gig for Philippines $36.00
- 2 x 20 gig for China $63.00
- 2 x 5-day 2-gig for Cambodia $40
- VPN x2 with LetsVPN $20 for 30 days.
How much spending money do we take on a couples vacation?
We are still coming to terms with this as we are used to travelling as a family. On this couple’s trip, we have a budget of around $200 a day.
My experience in Asia in the past tells me this will be plenty, and we will more than likely come home with some change. This will depend on how many cocktails and souvenirs my amazing wife buys!
| Flight costs | $3280.95 |
| Visa costs | $100.00 |
| Travel insurance | $204.00 |
| Airport parking | $165.00 |
| Airport transfer | $100.00 |
| Hotel accommodation | $810.00 |
| Sim cards & VPN | $159.00 |
| Total | $4818.95 |
To be fair, we have spent a little more on things than we usually have. We have treated ourselves on the accommodation more than we would normally. This is the longest trip we have taken as a couple in the last 19 years.
Up till now, it has always been with 1 kid or 2 kids, depending on who was at home. I guess the thing to consider when booking a vacation is all the extra costs associated with it before you even leave. For us, this means visas, airport parking, SIM cards and more.
This is just an example of how we travel. Some people will want to spend less on a trip away, and for others, they will be happy to spend more. Work out what’s doable for yourself, budget-wise and book it. We hope you enjoy your holidays.
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