Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie - Page 166 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

cral12 · 02-22-2014, 11:06 AM

Likely headed to Paris and south of France late May, early June. All booking and travel tips welcomed.

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Calgary14 · 02-22-2014, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cral12

Likely headed to Paris and south of France late May, early June. All booking and travel tips welcomed.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Hide your wallet while in Paris and watch out for fake tour guides. Saw a couple tourists fall victim to this while there. We went to about 7 countries in Europe and France was the worst for this

Calgary14 · 02-23-2014, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

This is why I think travel agents are dying. One agent scolded me for booking online for a minor price difference after she had put in hours. Really, it took you hours to pull one quote from some system where I could not find anywhere on the web close to as expensive? It was close to $1900 difference by going to expedia. It took me 10 minutes to get a trip for $1900 cheaper than you were able to come up with in "hours"?

I believe travel agents exist solely for exotic trips, business travelers where price does not matter and for seniors who are not aware of the internet. Thats all.

My company uses a travel agent company as a central source for all flight, car rental, hotel bookings, corp events, corp meetings in other cities, billings, etc. they do provide value in this case but beyond that I'm not sure why any one person would use a travel agent. You can find the exact same info online in seconds

cmyden · 03-12-2014, 12:18 PM

Crazy day! Cheap flights from Calgary to Maui, San Francisco, Chicago, New York

Maui ($398), New York ($335), Chicago ($271), San Francisco ($271).

Roundtrip inc. taxes! And the Maui ones are even non-stop.

details: http://www.yycdeals.com/crazy-day-ch...icago-new-york

Wormius · 03-12-2014, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmyden

Crazy day! Cheap flights from Calgary to Maui, San Francisco, Chicago, New York

Maui ($398), New York ($335), Chicago ($271), San Francisco ($271).

Roundtrip inc. taxes! And the Maui ones are even non-stop.

details: http://www.yycdeals.com/crazy-day-ch...icago-new-york

Wow, those are really good prices.

fundmark19 · 03-12-2014, 01:01 PM

Sucks they only go to May! I just came back from Maui I would love to go later this year again

woob · 03-12-2014, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fundmark19

Sucks they only go to May! I just came back from Maui I would love to go later this year again

Totally agree!

Wormius · 03-12-2014, 01:22 PM

It looks like there are still some decent prices, if you look further along in Google. Just not *as* cheap. Looks like Spring Break isn't blacked out though!

Calgary14 · 03-12-2014, 08:17 PM

Too bad I already booked our vacation for spring break, those are some good deals

NewVegasRanger · 03-16-2014, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calgary14

Hide your wallet while in Paris and watch out for fake tour guides. Saw a couple tourists fall victim to this while there. We went to about 7 countries in Europe and France was the worst for this

France and maybe Italy.

And also watch out for dudes trying to put a sort of wristband on your hand. You then have to pay them to get it off. And also don't let them make you stare at any maps to give them directions or showing you some kind of questionnaire, because when you look at that most likely somebody will show up from behind to grab your wallet/purse.

Radio · 03-16-2014, 06:39 PM

Going to San Fran first weekend of May, $256 return. We have to take the red eye home but oh well.

Thanks Chris.

EYE_Overstand · 03-17-2014, 04:35 PM

thank you chris for always updating this thread. i went to Beijing earlier this year because you pointed out a sale via AC which came out to only $860.

Are those asia sales usually sporadic... i was hoping to go back in August BUT its $1300.

Hi-Psi · 03-18-2014, 08:43 AM

I've booked probably 4-5 trips now thanks to Chris, this time I'm going back to Chicago in May with 8 friends. Last time was 9 friends to Turkey, 8 friends to Costa, tickets to Aus, Asia and Europe. It's been sooooo awesome having his updates!

cmyden · 03-18-2014, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EYE_Overstand

thank you chris for always updating this thread. i went to Beijing earlier this year because you pointed out a sale via AC which came out to only $860.

Are those asia sales usually sporadic... i was hoping to go back in August BUT its $1300.

Thanks EYE,

Flights to Asia, specifically China, have routinely been one of the best deals out there from Western Canada in the last year or so. Flights under $800 roundtrip inc. taxes have been quite common lately. Even Air Canada seems to be trying to compete on price with the many lower cost Asian carriers now flying out of Vancouver. These carriers have affected prices from Calgary/Edmonton as well.

The airlines are always pretty reluctant to drop their summer prices, to nearly everywhere, as it's a popular time for leisure travel.

Keep an eye on Google Flights...

https://www.google.ca/flights/explor...4;d=2014-05-17

You can see the prices currently take a big jump starting in early June. About a season before departure is usually when the airlines start to get nervous about not having enough passengers booked at current prices and *potentially* drop their prices.

RemyD · 03-18-2014, 06:06 PM

Thanks Chris for all of the updates.

core_upt · 03-19-2014, 11:52 AM

Hey Chris - thanks for passing along these latest great deals. We booked Chicago from May 10-14 for $275 rtn inc. taxes! Thanks!

cmyden · 03-19-2014, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RemyD

Thanks Chris for all of the updates.

Quote:

Hey Chris - thanks for passing along these latest great deals. We booked Chicago from May 10-14 for $275 rtn inc. taxes! Thanks!

No problem! Have fun in Chicago core, it's a great city! This Google Map from when I went is a few years old now, but should still be pretty relevant, if you're looking for ideas of things to do or spots for photo opportunities.
http://tinyurl.com/4b48qj4

tvp2003 · 03-25-2014, 09:16 PM

For anyone willing to fly out of Great Falls or Kalispell -- looks like Allegiant recently announced new direct flights to LA starting in June (ending in September). One way introductory prices start at $74 per person.

It's been discussed a few times on this thread -- depending on the fare, it's probably not worth the drive unless you have enough people (i.e. 4+) or you can offset the additional cost of gas/hotel by building the trip to Great Falls into your itinerary.

EYE_Overstand · 03-25-2014, 11:38 PM

has many on this forum used AirBNB. i know all about the company and that its reputable BUT how are the experiences with the actual apartment?

i will obviously do my due diligence and read reviews and such, i just never have done this sort of thing… i am travelling with my wife, so i really don't want anything to come up… if it was only me, i wouldn't be as hesitant.

I was planning on a week in Paris and have found quite a few nice places in the 250-300 price range and when comparing that price to hotels… the size/ location/ unique places are much more attractive on airBNB

Hi-Psi · 03-26-2014, 07:57 AM

I've used AirBnB and VRBO and every experience has been great so far. I find you get the best value when you are booking a large place for a group of people but deals can still be had if there are just 2 of you. I trust the reviews so I try to find places with quite a few reviews, I did book one with no reviews and the experience was still very good.

Jason