Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[Wood]

Noob traveller questions

I assume that's just the flight price. How much would it cost for a trip there booking a hotel and everything? Are there all inclusives?

What's Jamaica like?

[bizaro86]

Hey Curtis,

Just wanted to let you know the deals map is an appreciated piece of work. I'm going through withdrawal like systems while it's down, so there are people out here who use and thank you for the hard work you're doing on it.

[getbak]

I'm going to Mexico next week, at an all-inclusive for the first time.

To anyone who has gone to one recently, how much cash did you bring? US or Pesos? While at the resort, even though it says tips are included, did you tip, and if so, how much and how often?

Thanks.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Wood

Noob traveller questions

I assume that's just the flight price. How much would it cost for a trip there booking a hotel and everything? Are there all inclusives?

What's Jamaica like?

They do have all inclusives, although personally I would just find a nice cheap place with good reviews on TripAdvisor with a great beach and a bottle of rum. Can find everything from $50/night to $1000/night.

The hotel is usually the easy part, it's the flight costs that rarely waiver too much. More and more I'm finding that I book the flight first and worry about where I'm going to stay later. There's always something reasonable. This one is a little tougher though, with the departure being only a week away! Definitely not for everyone.

Hey Curtis,

Just wanted to let you know the deals map is an appreciated piece of work. I'm going through withdrawal like systems while it's down, so there are people out here who use and thank you for the hard work you're doing on it.

Thanks man, believe me, I miss it too. I've been busy with some other things so I haven't really had time to work on it, but hope to soon.

Just to note, I'm Chris. Curtis is my Olympian turned doctor cousin, the black sheep of the family.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by getbak

I'm going to Mexico next week, at an all-inclusive for the first time.

To anyone who has gone to one recently, how much cash did you bring? US or Pesos? While at the resort, even though it says tips are included, did you tip, and if so, how much and how often?

Thanks.

Some tips from Calgary's 'other' forum...

we were in the riviera maya from dec. 18 - dec. 25. here are some of my lessons learned:

- bring lots of $1 bills for tipping. they DO remember who you are.
- do not use USD for shopping because you will receive mexican pesos for your change. not a very good deal, i think.
- always offer half of the asking price when purchasing anything.
- don't be afraid to take the collectivos. very safe and very cheap.
- make friends with the locals working at the resorts! they're geniunely nice, generally.
- i, personally, hated taking the taxi because i know that they know they screwed me with the rate, LOL!
- bring sun screen because it'll cost you 3 times more there.
- if you want a discounted price on excursions, do not book with the hotel. we booked our trips at PDC and saved some cash. although, i'd have to warn you that our trip to chichen itza was canceled because the van never showed up! oh well, only lost $8 in deposit. we still saved on other trips.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Thanks man, believe me, I miss it too. I've been busy with some other things so I haven't really had time to work on it, but hope to soon.

Just to note, I'm Chris. Curtis is my Olympian turned doctor cousin, the black sheep of the family.

Thanks very much, I look forward to seeing it whenever you get time to put it up. As a side note, have you considered monetizing it in some way, to help you cover costs/your time? Because I'd pay a subscription and/or book travel through an affiliate link if it'd help you out. It definitely adds value to me.

Sorry about the name screwup, and at least imo the olympics don't have anything on saving money on travel...

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Thanks very much, I look forward to seeing it whenever you get time to put it up. As a side note, have you considered monetizing it in some way, to help you cover costs/your time? Because I'd pay a subscription and/or book travel through an affiliate link if it'd help you out. It definitely adds value to me.

Sorry about the name screwup, and at least imo the olympics don't have anything on saving money on travel...

I have some interesting things planned for the site, and it's one of the reasons I've been so busy lately. I wanted to build my own tools from the ground up, to show people what they should be doing to narrow down the best deal possible in the shortest amount of time. I wanted the tools to be different, unbiased, easier to use and just plain better than anything else out there.

I will be beta testing the first one shortly. Hopefully people will enjoy it, and it will allow me to build the rest. I'm pretty excited about it!

[cmyden]

Last minute flight from Calgary to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Mexico - $229 roundtrip after taxes

This is a *really* last minute flight.



AirCanadaVacations just drastically slashed the price of their Jan 14-21 flight from Calgary to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo (ZIH) airport down to $229 roundtrip after taxes.

Here's how to find it...

1. http://www.aircanadavacations.com

2. Click on Flights.

Search for Calgary to 'All Mexico'.

Departing Jan 14, and Returning Jan 21.

3. Hit Search

screenshot of verified price:

[albertGQ]

Any deals for a Calgary to New York trip from April 27 to May 1?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

Any deals for a Calgary to New York trip from April 27 to May 1?

Can't say I've seen any unusual airfare activity to NYC since this...

http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-n...ghout-schedule

(about 40% cheaper than flights currently stand)

[jjbouma]

Hi Chris,

I'm looking at flying to Bergamo (near Milan) for a wedding in mid-late April. I'm thinking of flying from Calgary to Milan, traveling around Italy, then flying from Rome to Amsterdam, staying a couple of days in Amsterdam and then going home. Right now KLM has this itinerary for ~$1000 incl tax. Historically, does that seem like a fairly good fare price? What's the lowest you've seen for something like this?

Thanks!

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by jjbouma

Hi Chris,

I'm looking at flying to Bergamo (near Milan) for a wedding in mid-late April. I'm thinking of flying from Calgary to Milan, traveling around Italy, then flying from Rome to Amsterdam, staying a couple of days in Amsterdam and then going home. Right now KLM has this itinerary for ~$1000 incl tax. Historically, does that seem like a fairly good fare price? What's the lowest you've seen for something like this?

Thanks!

I would say that's about as cheap as one can typically expect for an itinerary involving flying into Europe on a major carrier, into one city and out of another, from Calgary. For all 3 flights I would say that's a good deal. Even with a rock bottom Air Transat flight + cheap flights between cities I doubt you'd save $.

[DownhillGoat]

Figured I'd post in here instead of starting a new thread.

Looking for suggestions for a short trip (5-7 nights) between Feb 11-20. Usually do a ski week around that time but this year it may not pan out. Thinking of doing Vegas for a few days, then driving to LA to catch the Flames/Kings game.

-If I go the Vegas/LA route, any suggestions on a good hotel near the arena?

-Any other suggestions for a quick(ish) trip? Open to pretty much whatever. Will be travelling with one other person. No budget set, but not looking to break the bank either.

[Envitro]

Looking for flights for 2 to LAX from YYC on Feb 16, coming back on Feb 20.

Any ideas? The cheapest I can find right now is around $680 all in return, per person. That's about what we paid for last year for the both of us...

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Envitro

Looking for flights for 2 to LAX from YYC on Feb 16, coming back on Feb 20.

Any ideas? The cheapest I can find right now is around $680 all in return, per person. That's about what we paid for last year for the both of us...

Damn, that is pretty pricey to LAX.

I don't think there's a lot you can do, unless you're willing to fly slightly different dates and/or into surrounding airports.

This query on Kayak will cover them all: BUR, SNA, LGB, LAX, and ONT.

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#YYC-LA...-flexible-1day

[Envitro]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Damn, that is pretty pricey to LAX.

I don't think there's a lot you can do, unless you're willing to fly slightly different dates and/or into surrounding airports.

This query on Kayak will cover them all: BUR, SNA, LGB, LAX, and ONT.

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#YYC-LA...-flexible-1day

That's exactly what I thought. And it keeps getting more expensive by the day. When I started looking it was approx $500 per person R/T, taxes in.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Envitro

That's exactly what I thought. And it keeps getting more expensive by the day. When I started looking it was approx $500 per person R/T, taxes in.

Family Day is on the 20th, which can mean much higher travel demand a few days on either side. Presidents Day in the U.S. on the same day doesn't help.

[rubecube]

Hey Chris,

What are the cheapest hubs in Europe to fly to generally if you're planning on taking one of the discount airlines after that?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Hey Chris,

What are the cheapest hubs in Europe to fly to generally if you're planning on taking one of the discount airlines after that?

It's tough to beat London, as you can fly out from LGW or LHR, both of which have plenty of discount airlines. (Although taxes/fees can be higher)

Otherwise, I would probably say Amsterdam.

[Meelapo]

Is there a place that shows historical prices for flights? I'd like to plan a trip to Europe this summer but I just want to know what the ticket prices have been over the last year or so to certain places. I haven't done a search on Google or anything as I thought it might be better to get some links from a few experts.