Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[mykalberta]

I am looking to fly into Vienna somewhere around September 15.

Currently the cheapest flight I can find is $1400 KLM (tax incl)

Just wondering if its possible to look at what pricing was available last year and if its possible to see when the best time to book might be.

Thanks

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

I am looking to fly into Vienna somewhere around September 15.

Currently the cheapest flight I can find is $1400 KLM (tax incl)

Just wondering if its possible to look at what pricing was available last year and if its possible to see when the best time to book might be.

Thanks

I actually can't think of any free tools that show historical fare data for international flights one year back. Kayak has historical data but it's only 90 days back. FareCompare only has domestic data.

Best thing to do might be to look at fare prices in a month with similar demand to September, departing about 8 weeks from now, such as May...

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#//YYC-...exible/1adults

$1314 roundtrip after taxes.

Barring that, the only way to get there cheaper might be to go charter. ie: Hope for a cheap Air Transat to London in September (quite common) + cheap inter-Europe flight.

Condor airlines has also had cheap flights to Vienna in the past. Haven't seen any unusual activity for their summer/fall Europe prices yet though. Last year there were some pretty great prices for late summer, early fall.

[Mista_Incognito]

I have seen Vienna as low as 800$ based on the posts from Chris. Of course this does not reflect the summer high season. I recently returned from Vienna for 1050$, Vienna via SLC and Paris on Delta and AirFrance. Flew back on KLM via Amsterdam (much better than Delta/AF) after a few days in Paris on the tail end.

Sometimes you can find better priced deals if you are doing a multicity search. It was cheaper for me to stop in Paris than it was to book a direct flight to Vienna so definately worth checking your options out.

[cmyden]

Just to note, Austrian Airlines has some fares to Vienna for $1252 in September at the moment...

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#/YYC-V...09-22-flexible

[cheevers]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

My wife and I just booked tickets via BA to London for the end of August/earlyseptember. Going for a wedding in Essex, then heading over to Devon for a few nights. Flights were good price- $2400 for 2 return.

Without trying to ask for responses like "why not try something other than Europe", does anyone have any recommendations for a 4-5 day trip, within striking distance of the UK, keeping in mind that we have already been to virtually every major destination in Europe? We have been to just about every major spot (and many less known gems) and want to try something a little unique.

Some thoughts so far have been

Northern Scotland
Southern Portugal
Southern (but not coastal) France

Hey Flabbibulin,

I know this is a little late, but have you ever been to Slovenia? Ljubljana is a cool city, and there are cool underground caves that are nearby as well as Predjama Castle. Both only an hour or so drive. Not to mention its a short drive to the Sea if you are wanting to get some sun in.

Another idea would be Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been,

[mykalberta]

Thanks, I booked it on Aeroplan for the tax/fee price of $630 return (fuel surcharge of $400 )

Austria is a very expensive country to fly into, almost $90 taxes alone.

I am flying into Vienna, spending a few days there and then driving to Czech. Time to research what to do while I am over there

[rubecube]

Hey Chris,

My girlfriend and I are wanting to somewhere tropical in August (only time we can get away) for 10-14 days. What are some good non-Mexico ideas that are relatively affordable during this time? Can be all-inclusive or not. I think we mostly just want to lay on the beach in the sun.

I live in Victoria, so Vancouver, Bellingham, and Seattle are all doable departure cities.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Thanks, I booked it on Aeroplan for the tax/fee price of $630 return (fuel surcharge of $400 )

Austria is a very expensive country to fly into, almost $90 taxes alone.

I am flying into Vienna, spending a few days there and then driving to Czech. Time to research what to do while I am over there

Here's an Excel spreadsheet with everything to do in Austria and the Czech Republic according to TripAdvisor, sorted by rating.

http://www.filefactory.com/file/c4c0...tria_czech.xls

Can filter by 'type' of thing to do.

If anyone else needs a similar spreadsheet for other countries, let me know.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

I am flying into Vienna, spending a few days there and then driving to Czech. Time to research what to do while I am over there

Visit the Pilsener Brewery in Plzen. It's kind of a pain in the ass to get to from Prague using public transit, but if you have a car, it would be easy. Beer is cheaper than Coke there too.

Also, if you're going at that time of year, you have to hit Oktoberfest in Munich, which is only 450km from Vienna.


Of course, if you don't like beer, disregard both suggestions.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Hey Chris,

My girlfriend and I are wanting to somewhere tropical in August (only time we can get away) for 10-14 days. What are some good non-Mexico ideas that are relatively affordable during this time? Can be all-inclusive or not. I think we mostly just want to lay on the beach in the sun.

I live in Victoria, so Vancouver, Bellingham, and Seattle are all doable departure cities.

When it comes to all inclusives (which just means free food + drinks), the order of value (what you're getting for the money) from best to worst is generally Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica. All inclusive value falls off pretty significantly after Jamaica, as you start getting into very pricey Caribbean islands.

For just flight & hotel, the order would be similar, but you could throw Hawaii into the mix as well.

Central America is in the rainy season in August.

If you all you need is a beach, you could also consider California or Florida. For that matter, Kelowna would fit the bill too.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Here's an Excel spreadsheet with everything to do in Austria and the Czech Republic according to TripAdvisor, sorted by rating.

http://www.filefactory.com/file/c4c0...tria_czech.xls

Can filter by 'type' of thing to do.

If anyone else needs a similar spreadsheet for other countries, let me know.

Wow, awesome thanks

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by cmyden

When it comes to all inclusives (which just means free food + drinks), the order of value (what you're getting for the money) from best to worst is generally Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica. All inclusive value falls off pretty significantly after Jamaica, as you start getting into very pricey Caribbean islands.

For just flight & hotel, the order would be similar, but you could throw Hawaii into the mix as well.

Central America is in the rainy season in August.

If you all you need is a beach, you could also consider California or Florida. For that matter, Kelowna would fit the bill too.

Good to know about Central America. I know hurricane season technically starts in August for much of the Northern Caribbean as well (i.e. DR) but I read that the northern part of DR doesn't really get hit by it.

I know I wouldn't mind doing the Carribean or South Pacific. What's generally considered a good price for flights there?

And actually I meant to post a deal I found on Expedia for Belize (from Vancouver). It's August, so rainy season I guess but it's $1451 (including taxes) for roundtrip airfare and 14 nights. Seemed cheap to me.

http://tinyurl.com/7aa87au

[kipperfan]

Originally Posted by getbak

Visit the Pilsener Brewery in Plzen. It's kind of a pain in the ass to get to from Prague using public transit, but if you have a car, it would be easy. Beer is cheaper than Coke there too.

Also, if you're going at that time of year, you have to hit Oktoberfest in Munich, which is only 450km from Vienna.


Of course, if you don't like beer, disregard both suggestions.

The nice thing about Eastern Europe is that beer is cheaper then Coke everywhere. When I was in Bulgaria earlier this year I was buying 2.5 litre bottles of beer (no joke, never seen anything so great in my life!) for less then I could buy a 600mL Coke! Hell, even in western Europe beer is cheaper then coke (as long as you buy it in the grocery store, they do rape you in pubs/bars/clubs of course).

Edit: I should also note that half the reason for this (beer cheaper then coke) is, of course, due to the crazy low prices on beer. But the second half of that reason is that Coke is a lot more expensive over there (comparatively speaking) then it is here.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Good to know about Central America. I know hurricane season technically starts in August for much of the Northern Caribbean as well (i.e. DR) but I read that the northern part of DR doesn't really get hit by it.

I know I wouldn't mind doing the Carribean or South Pacific. What's generally considered a good price for flights there?

And actually I meant to post a deal I found on Expedia for Belize (from Vancouver). It's August, so rainy season I guess but it's $1451 (including taxes) for roundtrip airfare and 14 nights. Seemed cheap to me.

http://tinyurl.com/7aa87au

To the Caribbean it's common to find charter flights in the winter that drop in price significantly. In the summer, there are less charters, so I would say around $450-$500ish roundtrip after taxes would be a good price, but it really depends on the destination. 'Caribbean' refers to quite a few airports and different countries! A decent price to Hawaii would also be in this ballpark ($500 to $500ish).

The South Pacific is a completely different ballpark, I can't think of any destinations that I would refer to as being in the South Pacific that were less than $1000 roundtrip after taxes for flight alone. More likely $1200-$1400ish. You can basically lump all South Pacific destinations in with Australia or New Zealand in terms of the usual pricing.

Belize is a great country, I went there for the first time this February. There were some crazy price drops this year to Belize, which has never occurred before. It always used to bottom out at around $900ish roundtrip after taxes.

That deal you just found does look like a pretty good one!

Belizean Dreams hotel

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ann_Creek.html

Awesome reviews, and looks to go for $300/night normally! (There are definitely far cheaper places to stay in Hopkins, but this place could be worth the extra cost).

Hopkins is a tiny laid back place with plenty of nice, cheap, basic accommodations right on the water. I spent my last 2 nights in Belize there. 2 nights felt about right to me, I'm not sure what one could do for 14 nights in Hopkins, but that's just me.

Note that the Expedia package has it bundled with AA flights that are 24 hours in duration each way

I know there's a lot of people that hear 'Belize' and might think it would be filled with beautiful, sandy beaches. I think it might be because it's also associated with some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world. But Belize actually doesn't have many beautiful beaches, it's mostly mangroves that come up right near the water. There are a few decent ones around the Hopkins/Placencia area, and some other nice ones that require a boat to get to. Belize has a lot of awesome things going for it, but as far as purely beautiful beaches go I wouldn't say that's one of it's strengths.

[return to the red]

Hello Cmyden, What are your thoughts on Costa Rica in November? Looking at going there for a honeymoon and really unsure about prices, place to stay, side of the country, etc.

Any advice you could offer would be awesome!

Thanks
RTTR

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by return to the red

Hello Cmyden, What are your thoughts on Costa Rica in November? Looking at going there for a honeymoon and really unsure about prices, place to stay, side of the country, etc.

Any advice you could offer would be awesome!

Thanks
RTTR

Costa Rica is a great country. November is the beginning of the dry season. The tourists start to arrive around American Thanksgiving. If you go before that you might be able to find lower prices especially earlier in November. Costa Rica is generally considered to have the most developed tourist infrastructure of Central American countries. That also comes at a price, making it one of the most expensive, with perhaps only Belize being more expensive.

Travel is such a personal thing. What one person likes to do while on vacation can be something that another person hates. When I was there in 2007 I enjoyed...

- the Arenal volcano (believe it's dormant now, so might not be worth seeing without the lava flow)

- whitewater rafting down the Pacuare river

- Manuel Antonio park (guaranteed monkeys)

- Ecotermales hot springs (similar to the famous Tabacon hot springs, but a lot cheaper)

- Ziplining through the Monteverde cloud forest

- Cano Negro wildlife refuge

We rented a jeep to do all this in a reasonable time. That makes for a very different trip from someone who wants to stay in one place or use public transport to get around, so it all really depends on your travel style.

You could start with this Excel spreadsheet of everything there is to do in Costa Rica, sorted by rating...

http://www.2shared.com/document/_CI8...osta_rica.html

Choose the 'types' of things you like to do from the dropdown. Note the things that look interesting to you. Also note where they are, or plot them on a Google map. Seeing them all on a map gives a good idea of which areas a person might want to concentrate on while visiting.

Once you have a rough idea of the areas you'd like to visit, use TripAdvisor to find some well reviewed, nice places for a reasonable cost. Many can be found under the B&B/Inns section of TripAdvisor that won't necessarily be found in the major booking engines. Google their name to find their website.

[Jbo]

Originally Posted by cmyden

To the Caribbean it's common to find charter flights in the winter that drop in price significantly. In the summer, there are less charters, so I would say around $450-$500ish roundtrip after taxes would be a good price, but it really depends on the destination. 'Caribbean' refers to quite a few airports and different countries! A decent price to Hawaii would also be in this ballpark ($500 to $500ish).

The South Pacific is a completely different ballpark, I can't think of any destinations that I would refer to as being in the South Pacific that were less than $1000 roundtrip after taxes for flight alone. More likely $1200-$1400ish. You can basically lump all South Pacific destinations in with Australia or New Zealand in terms of the usual pricing.

Belize is a great country, I went there for the first time this February. There were some crazy price drops this year to Belize, which has never occurred before. It always used to bottom out at around $900ish roundtrip after taxes.

That deal you just found does look like a pretty good one!

Belizean Dreams hotel

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ann_Creek.html

Awesome reviews, and looks to go for $300/night normally! (There are definitely far cheaper places to stay in Hopkins, but this place could be worth the extra cost).

Hopkins is a tiny laid back place with plenty of nice, cheap, basic accommodations right on the water. I spent my last 2 nights in Belize there. 2 nights felt about right to me, I'm not sure what one could do for 14 nights in Hopkins, but that's just me.

Note that the Expedia package has it bundled with AA flights that are 24 hours in duration each way

I know there's a lot of people that hear 'Belize' and might think it would be filled with beautiful, sandy beaches. I think it might be because it's also associated with some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world. But Belize actually doesn't have many beautiful beaches, it's mostly mangroves that come up right near the water. There are a few decent ones around the Hopkins/Placencia area, and some other nice ones that require a boat to get to. Belize has a lot of awesome things going for it, but as far as purely beautiful beaches go I wouldn't say that's one of it's strengths.

I just came back from Belize last night and stayed in the exact same area (Hopkins - The Family Villa) The weather was great for all but two days. Usually about 30C with a Breeze off the ocean.

My advice for Belize is to get a flight on tropic air and fly to Caye Cauker for a couple days. Great island to just get lost on. We also stayed 3 nights for about 60 american.

There are Canadians on the island that own a sports bar (and play every game if you ask nice) Managed to meet up with about 6 fellow travellers and watch the Flames and Jets Game.

Another place is Pizza Cauker. His name is Greg and he makes a good pizza and will buy you a beer if he knows your Canadian. (Trust me you will be sick of beans and rice and habenero after a week)

Avoid San Pedro unless you want to see a busy tourist trap.

Other things to see and do in Belize: Zip-Lining, Cave Tubing, snorkel, visit the blue hole.

Couple little points. Cops are corrupt for the most part, get out of Belize city and never flash lots of money. Taking money out there is easy (found a scotia bank in placencia and a Cibc in dangrega.

Great place, hope you go!

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by J-bo09

I just came back from Belize last night and stayed in the exact same area (Hopkins - The Family Villa) The weather was great for all but two days. Usually about 30C with a Breeze off the ocean.

My advice for Belize is to get a flight on tropic air and fly to Caye Cauker for a couple days. Great island to just get lost on. We also stayed 3 nights for about 60 american.

There are Canadians on the island that own a sports bar (and play every game if you ask nice) Managed to meet up with about 6 fellow travellers and watch the Flames and Jets Game.

Another place is Pizza Cauker. His name is Greg and he makes a good pizza and will buy you a beer if he knows your Canadian. (Trust me you will be sick of beans and rice and habenero after a week)

Avoid San Pedro unless you want to see a busy tourist trap.

Other things to see and do in Belize: Zip-Lining, Cave Tubing, snorkel, visit the blue hole.

Couple little points. Cops are corrupt for the most part, get out of Belize city and never flash lots of money. Taking money out there is easy (found a scotia bank in placencia and a Cibc in dangrega.

Great place, hope you go!

Pizza Caulker is great! We stopped by there 3 times in 3 days. Greg was there the first time we went and chatted with us for a while.

Really loved Caye Caulker. No cars on the island, just bicycles and golf carts. If anyone goes, look up Juni the fish whisperer, it's a snorkel trip of a lifetime, the guy is a living legend.

How much was the flight on Tropic Air? We just took the water taxi from Belize City which was about $10 each way. Bit of a bumpy ride, but I imagine Tropic Air could be too. Can't be a very long flight!

[Jbo]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Pizza Caulker is great! We stopped by there 3 times in 3 days. Greg was there the first time we went and chatted with us for a while.

Really loved Caye Caulker. No cars on the island, just bicycles and golf carts. If anyone goes, look up Juni the fish whisperer, it's a snorkel trip of a lifetime, the guy is a living legend.

How much was the flight on Tropic Air? We just took the water taxi from Belize City which was about $10 each way. Bit of a bumpy ride, but I imagine Tropic Air could be too. Can't be a very long flight!

It is usually about 70 american to fly just about anywhere (much more expensive). We started down in Dangriga, to Belize International, to Belize Municipal and then over. Longest flight was maybe 20 minutes. From Belize to the island was 7 minutes. It is more expensive, but flying in one of those small planes was a fun experience. The runways are so small it is pretty exhilarating to land.

If you are afraid of flying it may not be for you. The company is run well though. I never felt safety was an issue.

Loved the golf carts, although you can walk from the airport to the split in probably 20 minutes, so we only took them once. Loved the snorkelling. for others interested, the island is right next to the 2nd largest Barrier reef in the world.

[Buzzard]

Hey Chris, or anyone else for that matter. We've been going to Mexico every year for a while and although I love it, I'm thinking next winter of somewhere different. I've always kind of had a desire to check out Turks and Caicos (good marketing on their part I guess!). I haven't done much research yet, but can you or anyone give whatever info you can spare......where to stay, preferred hotels, all incl. or not, flights, whatever else, etc.? I'm assuming there's nothing direct out of Calgary and would probably have to go through Toronto or somewhere down east?