Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by something

Chris, have you had any experience with discount carriers in Europe? Can you share any advice or tips with using them?

I think the key things to watch out for would be:

- the discount carriers sometimes fly out of airports that are quite far from the city. Be aware of where they actually are when booking/planning.

- plan on being nickled and dimed for everything, from booking fees to baggage fees. Travel as lightly as possible. Make sure you know what your total cost will really be!

- skyscanner.com is useful for seeing where the cheapest cities to fly in and out of are, particularly because you can search from country to country.

[rubecube]

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!

Thanks for the Caye Caulker suggestion. Girlfriend couldn't get August off work so we're thinking July now (pending my vacation approval). I think we're settled on either Belize or Dominican. Which is the best out of PP, PC, or Samana?

Prices to Belize are still relatively reasonable ($700 after taxes) and some of the condos on Caye Caulker are dirt cheap in the summer. I'm also looking into flying into Cancun and catching a bus to Belize City, but the price difference isn't worth it at the moment.

What are the odds of catching a Cancun flight for under $600 if I wait until closer to our travel dates (looking like July 7th -23rd)? Any tips for finding cheap flights to Cancun from YYJ or YVR?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Thanks for the Caye Caulker suggestion. Girlfriend couldn't get August off work so we're thinking July now (pending my vacation approval). I think we're settled on either Belize or Dominican. Which is the best out of PP, PC, or Samana?

Hmmm, well best is kind of subjective, but I think the consensus is that Punta Cana has the best beaches, and is a little more expensive than Puerto Plata. All the newer, nicer, resorts are in Punta Cana and Puerto Plata is trying to revitalize itself.

Samana = less of a busy feel than Punta Cana, less all inclusive resorts, and perhaps more natural beauty.

Prices to Belize are still relatively reasonable ($700 after taxes) and some of the condos on Caye Caulker are dirt cheap in the summer. I'm also looking into flying into Cancun and catching a bus to Belize City, but the price difference isn't worth it at the moment.

Yep, it used to cost $1000ish or more to get to Belize, making it worthwhile to fly to Cancun and take the bus, but in late 2011 flight prices to Belize suddenly dropped, and seemed to have stabilized around $700ish, making the Cancun flight + bus option less attractive.

What are the odds of catching a Cancun flight for under $600 if I wait until closer to our travel dates (looking like July 7th -23rd)? Any tips for finding cheap flights to Cancun from YYJ or YVR?

I don't think under $600 roundtrip after taxes would be that unreasonable to hope for from Calgary, Victoria, or Vancouver. But in the summer there are less charter flights, and charter flights are the ones that can occasionally drastically drop in price closer to departure date.

On the major airlines, I'd probably watch up to about May or so in hopes of a decent price, without too much fear. Flights to Cancun normally seem to bottom out around $550ish though, so I don't think one should be too optimistic for something in the $400s these days.

American Airlines has flights from YVR in the summer for $555 at the moment:
http://www.kayak.com/flights/#/YVR-C...exible/1adults

[rubecube]

Expedia is having a 40% off sale on all-inclusives to Barbados.

[DownhillGoat]

Any tips on flying to Santiago, Chile? Right now it looks like my options are connect via Toronto, or connect via Dallas. Would connecting in Dallas be an issue? Or would it be easier just to connect through Toronto and avoid US customs?

Alternatively, are there any good options for flying out of the US if I were to drive down there and fly?

Kind of a noob when flying out of continent is concerned, so any help is appreciated.

[Mattington]

My girlfriend and I are currently planning a trip to Europe and I was hoping somebody could give us some advice as to what would be a good ticket price.

We are planning on doing Amsterdam and several cities in Germany. So currently looking at direct flights from Calgary to one of either Amsterdam, or Frankfurt. We are looking to leave in mid June for 2 weeks. Direct flights right now are sitting at $1250 each w/return to Amsterdam, and about $2000 to Frankfurt. Obviously we are considering the Amsterdam flights at the moment. But should we be waiting for a sale or something? Or are these prices the best we can expect for travelling in June?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Any tips on flying to Santiago, Chile? Right now it looks like my options are connect via Toronto, or connect via Dallas. Would connecting in Dallas be an issue? Or would it be easier just to connect through Toronto and avoid US customs?

Alternatively, are there any good options for flying out of the US if I were to drive down there and fly?

Kind of a noob when flying out of continent is concerned, so any help is appreciated.

Toronto airport vs connecting in Dallas, that's a bit of a toss-up. A lot of international flights connect in Dallas and I've seen some massive passport lines there and have come close to missing flights because of it. On the other hand, last time I was there, there was no line, all about timing I guess.

The only viable U.S. airports within driving distance from Calgary are in Montana, such as Great Falls (GTF), a good 5 hour drive. Generally speaking, it's not likely to be worth the drive. Calgary's flights to South America are generally cheaper and less complicated than out of Montana.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Mattington

My girlfriend and I are currently planning a trip to Europe and I was hoping somebody could give us some advice as to what would be a good ticket price.

We are planning on doing Amsterdam and several cities in Germany. So currently looking at direct flights from Calgary to one of either Amsterdam, or Frankfurt. We are looking to leave in mid June for 2 weeks. Direct flights right now are sitting at $1250 each w/return to Amsterdam, and about $2000 to Frankfurt. Obviously we are considering the Amsterdam flights at the moment. But should we be waiting for a sale or something? Or are these prices the best we can expect for travelling in June?

$1200-$1300ish after taxes is about what you can expect to pay on the major airlines to Europe these days.

The only fares to Europe that ever seem to drop in price are the charter flights, Air Transat & Thomas Cook . Occasionally they'll drop their flights to the UK or Amsterdam down into the $700 or less range (after tax). When it happens, it's usually about 2-6 weeks before departure.

If you're considering Frankfurt, you could also keep an eye on Condor (.com) They had some really cheap flights to Europe last year, and Frankfurt is their hub.

[rubecube]

Mini-rant: Getting frustrated as hell trying to book this trip because I keep seeing flights for prices that I like, but I'm in flux between jobs right now and I don't want to book anything until I'm sure I can get the time off. My girlfriend is also dealing with ####ty bosses who keep moving her vacation time around on her. Meanwhile the flights go back up. It's like watching my money spend itself.

Sorry to clutter the thread.

[rubecube]

So, for those who have been to Belize, is there much point in staying in or around Placencia. Our plan is now to fly from Victoria to Roatan, Honduras, stay there for 3 nights, ferry to Belize, then fly to Amergris Caye and spend time there and Caye Caulker. The ferry drops us off near Placencia so that's why I'm wondering if there's any point in spending a few days there. Our tentative dates are arrive June 10th in Honduras and depart June 28th from Cancun.

Anyone have recommendations for places to stay?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

So, for those who have been to Belize, is there much point in staying in or around Placencia. Our plan is now to fly from Victoria to Roatan, Honduras, stay there for 3 nights, ferry to Belize, then fly to Amergris Caye and spend time there and Caye Caulker. The ferry drops us off near Placencia so that's why I'm wondering if there's any point in spending a few days there. Our tentative dates are arrive June 10th in Honduras and depart June 28th from Cancun.

Anyone have recommendations for places to stay?

I was in Belize in February and made it down to Hopkins, which is similar to Placencia, only smaller, and just north of it.

The Hopkins/Placencia area is known for having some of the nicer beaches in Belize. A lot of people don't realize that Belize doesn't actually have great beach areas, so if some beach time is important to you I'd say it's worth a night or two stay.

There seemed to be a lot of decent restaurant options in Placencia when we were reading about it and one of the more reasonably priced places to stay in Belize.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by cmyden

I was in Belize in February and made it down to Hopkins, which is similar to Placencia, only smaller, and just north of it.

The Hopkins/Placencia area is known for having some of the nicer beaches in Belize. A lot of people don't realize that Belize doesn't actually have great beach areas, so if some beach time is important to you I'd say it's worth a night or two stay.

There seemed to be a lot of decent restaurant options in Placencia when we were reading about it and one of the more reasonably priced places to stay in Belize.

Yeah I was reading that about Belize and was suggesting to my girlfriend that it might be smarter to spend more time in Honduras if she really wanted a nice beach but she's always wanted to go Belize so alas I only get my 3 nights in Honduras. I'm pretty easy either way because I hear there's pretty good snorkelling in Belize.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Yeah I was reading that about Belize and was suggesting to my girlfriend that it might be smarter to spend more time in Honduras if she really wanted a nice beach but she's always wanted to go Belize so alas I only get my 3 nights in Honduras. I'm pretty easy either way because I hear there's pretty good snorkelling in Belize.

Definitely! Some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world. Do yourself a favor and look up Juni when you get to Caye Caulker. His house is right on front street, the oldest one on the island. He only takes out 6-7 people at a time, and the guy is literally 'one with the ocean'.

He's been swimming with the fish/rays/turtles for over 40 years and they follow him around like something out of a Disney movie. One of the rays (skate actually) has been swimming with him for 30 years. He's also a gruff older man that builds his own boats from scratch.

He'll take you way out and get you away from the other tourist snorkel tours in Hol Chan, the ones with large groups that are wearing flotation devices. Juni just jumps in the water and you're expected to keep up as he shows you 'his world'.

Definitely the best snorkeling I've ever done.

Bring an underwater camera to Belize if you can, almost all of my best pics from Belize were thanks to an underwater camera.

[rubecube]

So, I just checked flight prices to Cancun and Roatan and they've creeped up again. I can fly into Roatan and fly out of Cancun for $755, or go Cancun directly for about $650. I've seen them as low as $650 to Roatan and under $600 to Cancun directly. Our flight dates are either going to be June 8th (or 9th, 10th) - June 27th (or 28th, 29th), or July 6th (or 7th, 8th) - July 25th (or 26th, 27th).

Is there any way to guess whether flight prices will go down or should I jump now before they go any higher?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

So, I just checked flight prices to Cancun and Roatan and they've creeped up again. I can fly into Roatan and fly out of Cancun for $755, or go Cancun directly for about $650. I've seen them as low as $650 to Roatan and under $600 to Cancun directly. Our flight dates are either going to be June 8th (or 9th, 10th) - June 27th (or 28th, 29th), or July 6th (or 7th, 8th) - July 25th (or 26th, 27th).

Is there any way to guess whether flight prices will go down or should I jump now before they go any higher?

Unfortunately price fluctuations can't really be predicted. And you'll never catch me telling someone when to pull the trigger, that can backfire just as easily as hitting the target.

Article: 'Should I buy my flight now or wait?' - The question I get asked the most

http://www.yycdeals.com/should-i-buy...asked-the-most


$500ish after taxes to Cancun and back is about the norm these days.

To most major destinations in Central America and back used to hover around $800-$900ish but it's been a lot cheaper this past year or so, seemingly sticking around $650-700ish save for some freak price wars that caused them to go into the $300s! (rare and unexpected event).

[rubecube]

Good article. Is there any truth to the whole buying flights on Monday or Tuesday evening idea?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Good article. Is there any truth to the whole buying flights on Monday or Tuesday evening idea?

It almost seems like an urban legend, but I have seen plenty of claims from people that have access to large amounts of airfare data who suggest that it's true (although it could be one of those things where one person claims it and the rest of the media world just latches on to it without doing any real research).

Rick Seaney from FareCompare for example....

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/times...hts-35464.html

The time of day can make a significant impact on the price of your plane ticket. In general, airlines offer their cheapest flights during business hours, when value-minded business travelers are booking flights.

The best single time and day to book a flight is 3 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, according to Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.

Value-minded business travelers? Really? The ones who pay 10X as much to be on the same plane as the rest of us slobs for a few extra inches of legroom? I think we have different definitions of value.

He goes into greater detail here....

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/best-da...7#.T3Sfo4LDyVo

If you've been reading my column for any length of time, you probably already know the answer to this, but if not, I won't keep you dangling: the best day to shop for airfare is Tuesday. And let me get even more specific: shop on Tuesday at about 3 p.m.



Here's why: usually, when an airline wants to launch a sale, it will do so late Monday. When the other airlines see this, they immediately go into competitive mode, and begin lowering their own prices to match the first one's sale.
All the airlines that plan to join in on this "matching" will have completed the process by early Tuesday afternoon, so by 3 p.m., shoppers will have the most "good prices" to choose from.

That theory makes a little more sense to me.

Personally from what I've seen, I haven't noticed anything significant in regards to fares dropping on a Tuesday or any other specific day of the week or even specific time of day. I find it to be a pretty random event, although maybe I should go back through all my blog posts and see if there's a day of the week that stands out.

[rubecube]

Well I decided I didn't want to wait any longer, as I found the exact flights I wanted for a pretty reasonable price and I didn't want to risk them going up. We went back to the whole Cancun idea. My girlfriend really wants to do one of the dolphin experience things and there really isn't a good place for that in Belize.

So anyways I'm flying into Belize and staying in San Pedro and Caye Caulker for 12 nights, then will take the water taxi from San Pedro to Chetumal and bus from there to Cancun and stay four nights at an all-inclusive. The flight cost $730 after taxes, which was a little higher than what I wanted to pay but we're hitting the 8 week mark today (we moved the trip up to June) and they had been trending up. Plus, the flight to Belize connects in Vancouver and Houston, and when I did seat selection for the IAH - BZE flight there were only about half a dozen seats left.

Anyways, flights and accommodations for the whole trip for 16 nights are landing me right around $1500, so I'm pretty happy with that. Both of the places we're staying at in Belize have full kitchens, so I imagine we'll be able to eat for pretty cheap.

Staying at the Palms in San Pedro, Caulker Condos in Caye Caulker, and the Golden Parnassus in Cancun.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Well I decided I didn't want to wait any longer, as I found the exact flights I wanted for a pretty reasonable price and I didn't want to risk them going up. We went back to the whole Cancun idea. My girlfriend really wants to do one of the dolphin experience things and there really isn't a good place for that in Belize.

So anyways I'm flying into Belize and staying in San Pedro and Caye Caulker for 12 nights, then will take the water taxi from San Pedro to Chetumal and bus from there to Cancun and stay four nights at an all-inclusive. The flight cost $730 after taxes, which was a little higher than what I wanted to pay but we're hitting the 8 week mark today (we moved the trip up to June) and they had been trending up. Plus, the flight to Belize connects in Vancouver and Houston, and when I did seat selection for the IAH - BZE flight there were only about half a dozen seats left.

Anyways, flights and accommodations for the whole trip for 16 nights are landing me right around $1500, so I'm pretty happy with that. Both of the places we're staying at in Belize have full kitchens, so I imagine we'll be able to eat for pretty cheap.

Staying at the Palms in San Pedro, Caulker Condos in Caye Caulker, and the Golden Parnassus in Cancun.

Sounds like a great trip, and I'd say that's a pretty great price for flight + accommodations for 16 nights, and flying into one country and out of another.

Flight alone to Belize would likely have been $1000+ just over a year ago (which is why people used to fly into Cancun and bus it to Belize).

[Temporary_User]

What would be the best way to get a good deal on a group flight booking (10-15 people)?