January 2, 2026 • 5 mins
Great holidays don’t have to come with eye-watering price tags. Sean Aylmer speaks with Sammy Turpin from Luxury Escapes about where travellers can find genuine value in 2026, with a focus on the best cruises and a few other ideas too.
This episode is brought to you by Luxury Escapes. Fear & Greed's summer series - all-new short episodes every day, with regular news back from January 12.
Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Fear and Greed summer series, brought to
you by Luxury Escapes. I'm Sean Elmer. We're here at
the new Luxury Escapes botique at Bondi Junction in Sydney,
and today we're talking about value for money. Sammy Turban
Welcome to Fear and Greed.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Thanks Sean.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Nice to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I have a feeling we're going to be talking about cruises.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Yeah, maybe potentially, So.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Tell me why a cruise is such good value for money.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I feel like we're seeing a very big uptick in
people wanting something that's all inclusive when they're going on
their vacations. So cruises really offer that option that is
both family friendly, solo traveler friendly, or great for couples
as well. And they include everything for you, so all
the internal travel, your room, your accommodation, your food. And
(00:49):
I'm finding them really popular because yeah, they have everything
all inclusive, so it is great value for money for
a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Now, JACKI and I took a cruise about three months
ago and it kind of the North Atlantic and I
was dead set against cruises and until we decided to
take one, and we will keep taking them. They are
quite amazing. You said that. I mean, so we were
a couple, but there were families, there were singles. What
amazed mean We're on a big boat, is how distinct.
(01:18):
We didn't get caught up with kids. We didn't want
to get caught up with kids, and we didn't have
to because there were really discreete areas. So you know,
not every part of the cruise ship is the same.
You can find where you want to be.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah, exactly, And I think that's a crazy part.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
People don't realize a lot of people until they take
a cruise, or they don't really realize.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
How big their ships are.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And there's definitely like something for everyone on board, and
you can I mean there can be like five thousand
people on board at a time and you don't see
the same person twice. So I think until you cruise,
you don't really realize how great they are and how
much individuality there is on board.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
It's not a one size fits all thing, which is great.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
My great fear was an RSL club on Wheel and
it was mild from it.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
It was nothing like an aur Cities.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I didn't go to the casino,
but maybe if I went to the casino, I could
have had that experience, yeah, but it was quite incredible.
The other thing is that it's actually cheap. So we
went to places like Norway and Iceland and they are
incredibly expensive. Yeah, out of our reach. But cruising does it.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah for sure. And it's not for everyone because you
obviously do have a amount of time in each port.
So if you're someone that likes really individualized travel and
likes to really get in depth experiences in each place
you go to, it might not be the fit for you.
But it's definitely something that's great to get like a
taste of different places. So I think it's amazing that
(02:41):
you can go somewhere and go to like some of
the most exclusive places in the world, like you said yourself,
and not have to pay that price tag that's attached
to that, which is a nice option for a lot
of people. So it's it makes it quite accessible too. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
And I mean in the spas, the entertainment, the food,
it's all great. Sam, I've got to bisk it.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
You were a on a cruise ship, Yeah, I was.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
How do you The entertainment is phenomenal? Like that really
blew me away. How good you guys are or were
in your case, how do you do it when the
ship's rock it? How do you dance when the ship's rocking.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Look, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. There's definitely moments
where it can be a bit impossible. But yeah, it's
a great part of cruising, I think, and I definitely
had a lot of fun and I got to see
a lot of great places and had a lot of
people that really loved it. I had a lot of
family members come and visit me whilst I was working
as well, and they also, like your self, weren't cruisers
(03:34):
or didn't think that they would enjoy it, but really
ended up loving it. But yeah, it's definitely not for
the fate of heart living on board and dancing on
a moving stage, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
What about smaller cruises, So we're talking generally about larger cruises,
but there are lots of European river cruises and those
types of thing, different experience, i'd imagine, yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So I think there's of course, like the big ocean
ocean liners and then smaller cruises and talking about value
for money, you can have those luxury cruise lines as well,
but some of the ocean liners are great. Obviously you
can meet a lot of people on board, and you
can also get that more intimate experience from a river cruise.
(04:17):
I think there's different demographics too for both, but yeah,
river cruises are also a beautiful way that you can
kind of access a lot more cities that are not
just like on the coast or on the ocean at
which you can obviously only access those cities on ocean liners.
So I think river cruises offer Yeah, definitely a great
experience to go through like you know, the Ryan River
(04:38):
or the Scene, or access beautiful places like that.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
We are out of time, but very quickly drop cruising
for a moment. What are the value for money options
you think you we're around at the moment.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, we're working for luxury escapes. Obviously we have some
great package options, so value for money, we definitely see
those packages that include like the buffet, breakfast, lunch, dinners,
all inclusive drinks. Those sorts of things tend to be
really popular. They're a great way to just make sure
you can go to your holiday, all costs are taken
care of before you go and you're all set. So
(05:10):
those are definitely on the rise.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
In popularity and where are people going at the moment.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Bali Bali, Thailand and even Maldives is a more expensive
location generally, but the all inclusive packages we're seeing sell
a lot.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Just really a.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Very very popular, especially for honeymooners and romantic getaways.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Sammy, thank you for talking to Fearing Greed Summer Series.
Thank you don't forget to follow on the podcast. You
episodes every day. I'm suan Alma. This is a Fearing
Greed Summer Series brought to you by Luxurious Scapes.
Welcome to the Fear and Greed summer series, brought to
you by Luxury Escapes. I'm Sean Elmer. We're here at
the new Luxury Escapes botique at Bondi Junction in Sydney,
and today we're talking about value for money. Sammy Turban
Welcome to Fear and Greed.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Thanks Sean.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Nice to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I have a feeling we're going to be talking about cruises.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Yeah, maybe potentially, So.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Tell me why a cruise is such good value for money.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I feel like we're seeing a very big uptick in
people wanting something that's all inclusive when they're going on
their vacations. So cruises really offer that option that is
both family friendly, solo traveler friendly, or great for couples
as well. And they include everything for you, so all
the internal travel, your room, your accommodation, your food. And
(00:49):
I'm finding them really popular because yeah, they have everything
all inclusive, so it is great value for money for
a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Now, JACKI and I took a cruise about three months
ago and it kind of the North Atlantic and I
was dead set against cruises and until we decided to
take one, and we will keep taking them. They are
quite amazing. You said that. I mean, so we were
a couple, but there were families, there were singles. What
amazed mean We're on a big boat, is how distinct.
(01:18):
We didn't get caught up with kids. We didn't want
to get caught up with kids, and we didn't have
to because there were really discreete areas. So you know,
not every part of the cruise ship is the same.
You can find where you want to be.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah, exactly, And I think that's a crazy part.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
People don't realize a lot of people until they take
a cruise, or they don't really realize.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
How big their ships are.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And there's definitely like something for everyone on board, and
you can I mean there can be like five thousand
people on board at a time and you don't see
the same person twice. So I think until you cruise,
you don't really realize how great they are and how
much individuality there is on board.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
It's not a one size fits all thing, which is great.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
My great fear was an RSL club on Wheel and
it was mild from it.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
It was nothing like an aur Cities.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I didn't go to the casino,
but maybe if I went to the casino, I could
have had that experience, yeah, but it was quite incredible.
The other thing is that it's actually cheap. So we
went to places like Norway and Iceland and they are
incredibly expensive. Yeah, out of our reach. But cruising does it.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah for sure. And it's not for everyone because you
obviously do have a amount of time in each port.
So if you're someone that likes really individualized travel and
likes to really get in depth experiences in each place
you go to, it might not be the fit for you.
But it's definitely something that's great to get like a
taste of different places. So I think it's amazing that
(02:41):
you can go somewhere and go to like some of
the most exclusive places in the world, like you said yourself,
and not have to pay that price tag that's attached
to that, which is a nice option for a lot
of people. So it's it makes it quite accessible too. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
And I mean in the spas, the entertainment, the food,
it's all great. Sam, I've got to bisk it.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
You were a on a cruise ship, Yeah, I was.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
How do you The entertainment is phenomenal? Like that really
blew me away. How good you guys are or were
in your case, how do you do it when the
ship's rock it? How do you dance when the ship's rocking.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Look, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. There's definitely moments
where it can be a bit impossible. But yeah, it's
a great part of cruising, I think, and I definitely
had a lot of fun and I got to see
a lot of great places and had a lot of
people that really loved it. I had a lot of
family members come and visit me whilst I was working
as well, and they also, like your self, weren't cruisers
(03:34):
or didn't think that they would enjoy it, but really
ended up loving it. But yeah, it's definitely not for
the fate of heart living on board and dancing on
a moving stage, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
What about smaller cruises, So we're talking generally about larger cruises,
but there are lots of European river cruises and those
types of thing, different experience, i'd imagine, yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So I think there's of course, like the big ocean
ocean liners and then smaller cruises and talking about value
for money, you can have those luxury cruise lines as well,
but some of the ocean liners are great. Obviously you
can meet a lot of people on board, and you
can also get that more intimate experience from a river cruise.
(04:17):
I think there's different demographics too for both, but yeah,
river cruises are also a beautiful way that you can
kind of access a lot more cities that are not
just like on the coast or on the ocean at
which you can obviously only access those cities on ocean liners.
So I think river cruises offer Yeah, definitely a great
experience to go through like you know, the Ryan River
(04:38):
or the Scene, or access beautiful places like that.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
We are out of time, but very quickly drop cruising
for a moment. What are the value for money options
you think you we're around at the moment.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, we're working for luxury escapes. Obviously we have some
great package options, so value for money, we definitely see
those packages that include like the buffet, breakfast, lunch, dinners,
all inclusive drinks. Those sorts of things tend to be
really popular. They're a great way to just make sure
you can go to your holiday, all costs are taken
care of before you go and you're all set. So
(05:10):
those are definitely on the rise.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
In popularity and where are people going at the moment.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Bali Bali, Thailand and even Maldives is a more expensive
location generally, but the all inclusive packages we're seeing sell
a lot.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Just really a.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Very very popular, especially for honeymooners and romantic getaways.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Sammy, thank you for talking to Fearing Greed Summer Series.
Thank you don't forget to follow on the podcast. You
episodes every day. I'm suan Alma. This is a Fearing
Greed Summer Series brought to you by Luxurious Scapes.
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