Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[brocoli]

Thanks Chris,

Going back to Panama b/c of this deal now. Now to spend more time in the jungle this go around

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by MacDaddy77

of all those destinations what would be the best recommendation?

Thanks,

I've been to all of the destinations with the exception of El Salvador.

I would recommend Nicaragua and Belize as the top destinations. Belize has its own unique personality compared to the other countries in Central America. Nicaragua offers almost everything that the other countries offer while being much cheaper than Panama and Costa Rica while being safer and more developed than Honduras and Guatemala.

All of them have some pretty nice features and I'm not sure you can really go wrong with any of the destinations, but the two I just mentioned were standouts for me. These would be my rankings of the destinations:

Nicaragua- You have beautiful colonial cities in Leon and Granada.

You have natural beauty in amazing beaches and volcanoes.
It's the safest destination in Central America according to many sources.
All of the major destinations are within close proximity to each other. (Within 3 hour drive of Managua).
It's very cheap especially in comparison to their neighbour Costa Rica to the south. The only drawback is that Managua is not much of a city, but there is no reason to stay there anyway.

Belize- The Cayes are very laid back, and quite easy on the eyes.

There are some pretty neat activities to try mainland.
Placencia I'm told is very nice as well.
Great diving.
The country is English speaking and the people are very friendly.
Quite easy to day trip to Tikal, Guatemala which is the top ruin in Central America and a must see (IMO).

Guatemala- Tikal is amazing. Ruins set into the jungle. The small island town of Flores near Tikal is outstanding as well. Very pretty.

Lots of volcanoes to climb.
Antigua is a nice colonial city. Lake Atitlan is very nice as well.
It's very rustic. Would be great for travelers that do not like development.
Very cheap.
Drawback is that Tikal is very far from Antigua/Lake Atitlan and the roads aren't good.
Doesn't have good beaches compared to other destinations. Better for the traveler that isn't interested in the ocean.

Panama- Has the canal. Very developed in comparison to most other central American countries.
Beautiful beaches and the highlands are quite nice as well.
Bocas del Toros is the biggest destination which I feel is nice, but is much the same as the Cayes in Belize only more expensive, and the diving isn't as good.
More expensive than other countries.

Costa Rica- Much the same topography as Nicaragua. Nice volcanoes, beaches, forests.
Very developed tourism industry. With all the pros and cons that go with that.
Puerto Viejo on the Carribean side is a great laid back beach town.
More expensive than most other countries in the region.
Travel by traffic was very slow when I was there. Inadequate roads, ongoing construction, and high local car ownership slows everything down.

If you are going by rental car be very careful to follow all traffic laws. In my case police expected a huge bribe and levied a large fine when i refused to pay the bribe. This ended up on my credit card through the rental agency when I wouldn't pay them off (ie$600 CDN). Insane amount for passing on a solid line IMO.

If you are interested in a very developed tourism industry with multitudes of tours and the like this is probably a good destination. I just personally found that Nicargaua offers just as much for much less money. The only other thing Costa Rica offers over Nicaragua besides more developed tourism industry is that San Jose is a far superior city to Managua in terms of development.

Honduras- To me this country was the most threatening, dirty out of all of the Central American countries. High crime rate. Saw citizens open carrying fire arms.
The islands of Roatan and Utila are great for scuba divers and snorkelers. Very cheap diving. Would recommend if that is your interest.
The main land had some neat places, but mostly they were far apart and the cities are gross.
I didn't go to Copan, heard its nice. All in all, if I were to avoid one country this would be it.

[Badgers Nose]

Headed to Shanghai Friday, thanks Chris! $585 return was quite the bargain.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Cape Town, South Africa - $987 roundtrip including taxes

It's certainly not every day that there are flights between Calgary and South Africa for under $1000 roundtrip including taxes.

Certain date combinations in late Oct, Nov & Dec 2015

Available dates look pretty limited, but there are some 2 week date combinations.

Nov 17 to Dec 01
Nov 25 to Dec 13
Dec 02 to Dec 16

blog post with the full details: http://yycdeals.com/calgary-to-cape-...ncluding-taxes

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Anyone know if a website that will give cheap deals for Hotels in New York?

[getbak]

If you're looking for a normal hotel and don't really care where you stay, Priceline's name-your-own-price is the cheapest way to go. There's also Hotwire's "secret" deals.

They both work the same way in that you select the general area of the city and the star-level of the hotel you're looking for, and it will give you the lowest possible price, but you don't know which specific hotel it will be until you've booked and paid (and you can't cancel for a refund after you've booked).

Hotwire just gives you the price, where on Priceline you have to bid what you're willing to pay and they can either accept or reject it. Hotwire is easier because you don't have to jump through the hoops of bidding, but Priceline will get you a better price.


The fact that you don't know exactly which hotel it will be can be a little worrisome (but there are sites you can search that will help you figure out which hotel it likely is based on the amenities available -- even that isn't 100% though).


I've used the Hotwire "secret" deals many times throughout Europe and the States, and didn't have any problems with any of the places I got. Most were very nice. I always stuck with the city centre area of the cities and went with 4-star or greater (unless there weren't any available, which can happen in a smaller city).

I didn't use them in New York because I found the deals weren't that much better than just booking the specific hotel I was interested in, but I got some really great deals in Germany.

[bizaro86]

I've gotten some great deals through priceline in NYC booking super last minute. (24 hours before). I always have a cancellable backup. Then I research the place online. Once when I thought it wasn't up to standard (mostly queen rooms) I used the $50 trick on check in to get an upgrade to a king, which got me a junior suite and a king bed.

[Ozy_Flame]

I use Hotwire every time I go to Toronto. Usually there is a 20-60% discount on the four-start hotels every single time doing the secret prices.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Hong Kong to Tokyo, Japan and then back to Calgary - all for just $668 after taxes

Awesome multi-city deal with United and ANA.

Can stay a week or two in each place.

Mostly in November & December, but a few dates in 2016 as well.

full details: http://yycdeals.com/calgary-to-hong-...68-after-taxes

[Regular_John]

Tokyo dammit, don't tempt me. Got the email alert this morning and started checking my vacation time again.

[RW99]

I have a quick question as an infrequent flyer. When is it the best time to buy a flight to the US? Is it immediate or 4-6 weeks out, etc? Do I buy now or later because of the dollar. It would be near the end of this coming winter.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by RW99

I have a quick question as an infrequent flyer. When is it the best time to buy a flight to the US? Is it immediate or 4-6 weeks out, etc? Do I buy now or later because of the dollar. It would be near the end of this coming winter.

It really doesn't seem like the currency fluctuation has had that much impact on prices of U.S. destinations. At least not yet. A Calgary - Los Angeles flight that was $400 CAD/$347 USD when the exchange was 1.15 is now simply priced at $400 CAD/$307 USD, now that the exchange is 1.30.

It may have had some impact on Canada - Hawaii prices, which have been noticeably cheaper by historical standards for a while. But that could also just be the high level of competition. Haven't really noticed anywhere else in the U.S. that's had noticeably cheaper prices.

But if the 1.30+ exchange continues, you would have to think it would certainly impact the demand for popular U.S. leisure destinations from Canadians at some point.

It really isn't possible to predict the precise best time to book (until it's in hindsight), but in general, you're usually safe watching prices up until about 8-10 weeks before departure, other than for dates that have unusually high demand.

If you see a noticeable price drop during that timeframe, I would pull the trigger. After the 8-10 weeks out mark, the odds of prices rising can start to outweigh the odds of a price drop.

For the most part, airfares are priced very efficiently.

A bit more on the 'best time to buy' myth can be found under Myth #4 in this article:
"Travel Booking Myths That Just Won't Die"
http://yycdeals.com/travel-booking-m...-just-wont-die

[temple5]

I figured I would add this in here vis-a-vi travelling.

Got back from the Czech Republic a few months ago and I made a huge mistake exchanging currency here at FOREX rather than waiting till I got there.

I am not sure how other countries are for getting cash and what the exchange rates are but I figured I would leave that there.

Next time I go I would get max 100 CAD in CZ and then buy the rest when I get there.

[cmyden]

YYC Deals Alert: Calgary to Kelowna for September Long Weekend - $169 to $189 CAD roundtrip including taxes

JumpOn has a pretty great deal for YYC-YLW September long weekend flights.

The flight leaves Calgary on Friday after work at 6PM, and leaves Kelowna on the Monday at 6 PM. About as convenient as it gets!

blog post with the details: http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-k...-at-this-price

[Kswiss]

Originally Posted by temple5

I figured I would add this in here vis-a-vi travelling.

Got back from the Czech Republic a few months ago and I made a huge mistake exchanging currency here at FOREX rather than waiting till I got there.

I am not sure how other countries are for getting cash and what the exchange rates are but I figured I would leave that there.

Next time I go I would get max 100 CAD in CZ and then buy the rest when I get there.

I totally 2nd this. I find it extremely cheaper for the eastern European countries for sure.

[cral12]

Is there a preferred website these days for searching for vacation packages (for instance, all-inclusives)?

[calgarygeologist]

I have a quick question regarding a Montreal flight transfer. I am thinking about booking an Aeroplan rewards flight to Miami but it only has a 1 hour and 22 minute stopover in Montreal. I haven't done an international stopover in Montreal but I'm assuming we would have to clear customs there and I'm concerned that it might not be enough time. Also the travel date is in December so there could be weather delays which might make that connection time even shorter.

Should I take a chance at that short connection or look for a different flight option?

[Fuzz]

If you aren't booking it as one itinerary, you are taking the risk, and won't be covered if something happens. I don't think that is enough time as you will have to collect your bag and clear customs, then check in again.

If it is all one itinerary then they have already decided that is enough time and will cover you if you miss it.

[billybob123]

One doesn't have to claim luggage at US CBP in Montreal. You do have to clear security though if I recall.

This is of course assuming it's the outbound connection in YUL. I would risk it. There are multiple flights to FLL that would work as backup.

[topfiverecords]

Anyone know if Montreal customs is similar to Toronto where connecting passengers get priority? I love getting to the Toronto customs hall and seeing 600 people in a long line, and then getting into the 20 person connection line.