Treat yourself in festive spirit, but focus on value for money

I'm a platinum member of a popular Chinese booking site, spending the equivalent of thousands of dollars on travel for the past 11 months this year alone. Yet I've been excluded from its private club - I may not be able to join it in my lifetime.

Last week, I searched the site for the best affordable package trip I could buy for my family of five for the coming Chinese New Year, a ritual my colleagues and friends do every year around this time. Our destination is Southeast Asia where sun, beach and tropical breeze beckon to people who live in constant worry about smog.

However, finding bargain deals was difficult. As a parent of two young children, aged 7 and 1, I'm picky about flights, connection times and hotels. So hoping against hope, I clicked on the dingjiyou or "top-class tour" button and was directed to a micro site devoted to the rich travelers. I was dumbfounded by how much they pay for their breaks.