Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[Hans Landa]

Originally Posted by cmyden

There's a few factors at play here...

You're a fountain of knowledge.
Thank you!

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

I have a wedding to go to in Costa Rica (a couple hours from the San Jose airport) first week of May. Right now flights are running $800 or so from Edmonton and Calgary.

Obviously it's way too early to buy right now but what is the expected range? I've never been to Latin America. I remember there were some ridiculous seat sales not too long ago but if I recall they were for February/March.

Alternatively, are there any "creative" ways to get there? I was thinking of maybe using points to get to Dallas or something along those lines but not sure if there's a way to make that work economically.

[brocoli]

Originally Posted by Hans Landa

Need to go to a wedding in Riviera Maya Mexico in May.

The engaged couple sent me the pricing they received from the travel agent they are using (based in Ontario) for their destination wedding and from Calgary, it's $1600/person. All inclusive, 5 nights at Gran Bahia Akumal.


I dunno... it's Mexico. That's outrageously expensive, no? I've done my own searching hoping to find something cheaper, even at a different resort on the same beach, but I'm having no luck.


I've never been anywhere outside of Canada/US (with exception of Japan and New Zealand), so the whole Mexico/Caribbean/Cuba vacation nonsense is new to me.

Suggestions?? Can I just fly there, build a sand castle on the beach and live in that for a few nights?

I went there last August for a wedding, which by the way, don't do at that time. The resort is amazing. We stayed at Tulum and couldn't have ben happier. There is a shuttle that takes you between all 3 resorts (Coba, Akumal and Tulum), so getting anywhere is easy. The shuttles run all the time.

Akumal is the largest of the 3 resorts, with Tulum 2nd and Coba 3rd. The only major benefit to Tulum or Akumal are that you have direct access to the beach out of your rooms. Coba is back a little in the jungle, hence the cheaper price.

We paid $1800 for our 7 week trip. I know that my brother who was flying out of a different place and didn't go with the tour agent got it cheaper (about $1300 I believe). All in I would not hesitate to go back to a Bahia resort. They are very well run and beautiful. Plus the ability to go to any resort gives you 9 sit down restaurant options (of which you get 3 if you go for a week). Book those in advance as the good times and places fill up quick. If you want to know anything else just PM me.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

I have a wedding to go to in Costa Rica (a couple hours from the San Jose airport) first week of May. Right now flights are running $800 or so from Edmonton and Calgary.

Obviously it's way too early to buy right now but what is the expected range? I've never been to Latin America. I remember there were some ridiculous seat sales not too long ago but if I recall they were for February/March.

Alternatively, are there any "creative" ways to get there? I was thinking of maybe using points to get to Dallas or something along those lines but not sure if there's a way to make that work economically.

I have never been there direct, only through Houston and Dallas. $800 does seem like an ok price (I have been twice $625 is the lowest I have gone for) as CR is one of those places airlines tend to limit seat count as its not a high volume destination - mostly eco tourism.

You can get there via IAH, DFW, DEN, SFO, LAX, ORD etc on major airlines 1 stop from YYC. The other thing to maybe try would be traversing through Mexico. Although not sure what the visa requirements would be transiting through Mexico.

[Rjcsjc62]

I have a question for travel experts...

Flights to the east coast are really good right now, and I have enough in the piggy bank to buy the family's annual summer vacation right now.

Problem is, my wife is currently pregnant, due in February.

When I try to book my flights and I enter "1 infant" I then have to provide the name and birthdate of the infant, which at present has neither.

Can this really prevent me from booking the trip?

[MrMastodonFarm]

I think it depends on the airline and varying policies. I'd give WestJet or AirCanada a call and ask directly.

Can't you make one up and change it when he/she is born?

Or just do it as an add on after the baby is born? It's not like you're paying for a seat, right?

[tvp2003]

Has anyone ever taken a trip on Amtrak before? Thought it would be a neat experience to travel somewhere by train; however, VIA Rail is wickedly expensive.

Was thinking of doing the Vancouver to Seattle trip (which I still might do someday just for the experience); however, I noticed that Amtrak runs through Shelby, MT (about 4 hours south of Calgary; 1:30 north of Great Falls); heading east it goes to Seattle, going west it goes to Chicago (and beyond).

Might post a separate thread but I thought I'd start here

EDIT: Amtrak map can be found here: http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/948/674/...1_101web,0.pdf

[getbak]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Has anyone ever taken a trip on Amtrak before? Thought it would be a neat experience to travel somewhere by train; however, VIA Rail is wickedly expensive.

Was thinking of doing the Vancouver to Seattle trip (which I still might do someday just for the experience); however, I noticed that Amtrak runs through Shelby, MT (about 4 hours south of Calgary; 1:30 north of Great Falls); heading east it goes to Seattle, going west it goes to Chicago (and beyond).

Might post a separate thread but I thought I'd start here

EDIT: Amtrak map can be found here: http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/948/674/...1_101web,0.pdf

I took Amtrak from NY to Boston and back a few years ago. It was supposed to be an Express train, but they were doing bridge work along the route, so it didn't travel on the Express route for most of the distance. Because of that, it took longer than it should have.

Other than that, I didn't have any complaints. The seats are wider than on a plane, and you have more leg room.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by Rjcsjc62

I have a question for travel experts...

Flights to the east coast are really good right now, and I have enough in the piggy bank to buy the family's annual summer vacation right now.

Problem is, my wife is currently pregnant, due in February.

When I try to book my flights and I enter "1 infant" I then have to provide the name and birthdate of the infant, which at present has neither.

Can this really prevent me from booking the trip?

I think kids under 2 don't need their own seat and ticket, so perhaps you can add him or her later. Like oversize luggage

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Has anyone ever taken a trip on Amtrak before? Thought it would be a neat experience to travel somewhere by train; however, VIA Rail is wickedly expensive.

Was thinking of doing the Vancouver to Seattle trip (which I still might do someday just for the experience); however, I noticed that Amtrak runs through Shelby, MT (about 4 hours south of Calgary; 1:30 north of Great Falls); heading east it goes to Seattle, going west it goes to Chicago (and beyond).

Might post a separate thread but I thought I'd start here

EDIT: Amtrak map can be found here: http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/948/674/...1_101web,0.pdf

I've never doneamtrak, but via rails website has huge discounts for last minute specials

[Inferno]

Is there a chance of flights the week before Christmas (December 21st) going down or is the current price the best I'm going to get? I've already screwed myself out of getting a decent flight to Winnipeg without paying a grand but I can fly to Saskatoon for about $300 cheaper. I've heard airlines have a sale the first week of November but I wonder if it's even worth waiting for or if that week will be blacked out.

[Byrns]

Is there a map or list of all the direct flights available from YYC?

I found one for Air Canada on their site, but the Westjet route map sucks.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Byrns

Is there a map or list of all the direct flights available from YYC?

I found one for Air Canada on their site, but the Westjet route map sucks.

1. http://openflights.org/

2. Enter YYC into the search box

3. Hit Search

It may not have the complete data from charter flights, but it looks pretty accurate for the most part.

[Ozy_Flame]

cmyden, have you heard anything about Australia-based Tiger Airways? I'm jetting around Australia in January, and their prices are lower than even Jetstar and Virgin Blue, which makes me nervous because it's a considerable price gap. I'd prefer not to feel like I'm going to die using a low-cost airline.

Also, do you have any inside tracks on vacation specials to Tahiti or the Cook Islands?

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

cmyden, have you heard anything about Australia-based Tiger Airways? I'm jetting around Australia in January, and their prices are lower than even Jetstar and Virgin Blue, which makes me nervous because it's a considerable price gap. I'd prefer not to feel like I'm going to die using a low-cost airline.

Also, do you have any inside tracks on vacation specials to Tahiti or the Cook Islands?

I have heard nothing good about Tiger Airways. Their base fares are low, but they nickel and dime you on everything else.

There was a reality show that aired on TLC a few years ago that followed Southwest Airlines in the States. The Australian version followed Tiger. I only watched one episode while I was down there, but it was basically a half hour of people saying, "Tiger is the worst airline in the world. I will never fly with you again."

[getbak]

Hey Chris, I saw on Facebook that you're back from your trip to Turkey. I hope you're planning on doing a trip report for us (and if you're not, can I request one?).

Any tips, tricks, pitfalls to avoid, and places not to be missed would be greatly appreciated.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by getbak

Hey Chris, I saw on Facebook that you're back from your trip to Turkey. I hope you're planning on doing a trip report for us (and if you're not, can I request one?).

Any tips, tricks, pitfalls to avoid, and places not to be missed would be greatly appreciated.

I'll try to write up a full report at some point, but just off the top of my head, I would say the highlights for me were...

Hot air balloon ride at sunrise over Cappadocia



- If you're on the fence about whether it's worth the $$ or not, just do it, this was certainly the highlight of our trip. Even the day after our balloon ride we got up early just to watch the balloons being inflated and taking off.

- Before we left, we checked out the various balloon websites, and the going rate seemed to be around 160 euros. When we got there though, we were offered a rate of around 120 euros through two companies. Booking through your hotel or an agency can be cheaper than going directly to the balloon company.
To me the key was finding a reputable balloon company with a low maximum number of passengers. Some of the balloons had up to 20 people in them. The company our hotel had arrangements with was through Atmosfer, which has good reviews on TripAdvisor, and a maximum of 8 passengers, which I think made it that much more enjoyable.

Pammukale



The town itself is a little odd. It didn't feel unsafe, just had this strange vibe to it, with pulsating music coming from what appeared to be makeshift nightclubs with nobody in them, and groups of men just hanging around outside them. It's probably because most tourists don't actually spend the night there, they're bused in from somewhere else during the day.

The Pammukale site itself though was definitely another highlight of the trip. We spent the entire day there, and it's a really neat place unlike any I've ever seen. I'm actually pretty surprised they let people walk over most of it, and wade in the pools, surely this can't be sustainable long term. You can enter it from the top or the bottom, we chose the bottom, and it appeared that most of the tour groups start at the top.

So if you start at the bottom in the morning you can avoid most of the crowds, as tour groups seem to avoid walking long distances downhill for fear of having to walk back up. By the end of the day though, the Japanese tour groups had invaded the site.

We were also surprised to find that Pammukale has some pretty great ruins as well.

Paragliding off of Bagadag mountain over Oludeniz beach



Another highlight, cost about $100 (200 lira). The two best operators appear to be Gravity and Sky Sports. We went with Sky Sports.

If you're driving, be careful when parking your car in town around Oludeniz. We got what appears to be a ticket, although we're not really sure, and had no clue we were in a no parking area.

Chimaera (Eternal Flames)



This is close to Olympus (or Olympos). After a hike up the mountain, you come across these flames coming out of vents in the hillside that have been burning for thousands of years. The gas has been found to be mostly methane.

While the fires aren't nearly as large now, apparently a thousand years ago sailors used to be able to navigate the sea by using this burning hillside.

I've been trying to figure out if they have any connection to today's eternal flame used by the Olympic games, but Wikipedia doesn't seem to think so.

Patara Beach

I'd say Patara Beach was the nicest of the beaches we visited. Sandy the entire 20km length (longest in the Mediterranean apparently).

Fethiye

Really enjoyed this town, probably the most of any on our trip. Very walkable, and just the right size. Some really nice multi-colored fountains in their new town square. Cafe Park Teras is a nice place to grab a drink, 4 stories up, overlooking the town square.

Ephesus

Definitely the most impressive ruins I've ever seen. To avoid the massive number of tour groups, later in the afternoon, the hour before sunset is probably your best chance. Going early in the morning doesn't appear to help, from what people told us. Rick Steves has a free downloadable audio guide (MP3) for Ephesus about 45 minutes in length that was just right for a good tour of the site.

Istanbul

Definitely grab one of the cheap ferry rides ($2) over to the Asian side of Istanbul. Great Views of the city and the cheapest intercontinental cruise in the world.

We thought the Asian side was actually more enjoyable than the European side and wished we would have spent more time there. Of course, the European side has all the famous sights, but after that, I'd head right over to the Asian side for better restaurants, and a whole lot less tourists.

Best Meals

I'd say our two best meals were probably at...

TopDeck Restaurant in Goreme
Mozaik Garden in Fethiye

The Not So Great

- Didn't really think all that much of the town of Kas, but that might have been heavily influenced by the fact that it was raining and I was sick. Other people seem to really enjoy it! It had a little harbor area, and some restaurants that seemed to be geared towards British tourists, but to me this town would have been skippable and didn't really hold our interest for more than an hour.

- The McTurko Kebab from McDonald's. Not that tasty Had to try it though.

- Topkapi Palace in Istanbul: Found it hard to enjoy this place, fighting a massive number of tour groups in tiny rooms to try and get a look at exhibits.

- Grand Bazaar in Istanbul: I was expecting a bunch of shops full of things I'd never buy, and that's exactly what I got.

Everyone has a different experience when they travel though. We ran into a couple from Chicago who said they thought the Haga Sofia was terrible, and to not even bother checking it out, while we thought it was pretty amazing.

That's about all I can think of. I tried to keep it to info that you might not read about in your guidebook. If there's anything specific you're looking for info on, just let me know.

Oh and if anyone goes, and has room to bring back an Efes goblet, mine broke on the way back and I would appreciate another one. It's usually the only souvenir I bring back.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

cmyden, have you heard anything about Australia-based Tiger Airways? I'm jetting around Australia in January, and their prices are lower than even Jetstar and Virgin Blue, which makes me nervous because it's a considerable price gap. I'd prefer not to feel like I'm going to die using a low-cost airline.

Also, do you have any inside tracks on vacation specials to Tahiti or the Cook Islands?

DO NOT use Tiger. It's tempting because of their fares, but they are hands down one of the WORST airlines I've ever flown. I work in Oz 4-6 weeks of the year and fly around the country, and no one that I work with will go near them. They are constantly late and cancelling flights, so if you don't have a timeline and can afford to stay overnight when you get stuck then I'd say give them a shot.

Have a look at their reviews on the internet. They're terrible. Until they get their poop together don't bother.

[core_upt]

I'm looking for flight to Asia over Christmas. I basically have from the 15 of December to the 5th of January. The plan is to see a bit of Thailand, Vietnam and maybe a couple days in either Tokyo or Singapore.
Any advice on getting across the pond for as little as possible? YYC - Toyko? YVR - Singapore? Arrive in TaiPei? Shanghai? LAX to BKK??
Once we are in any of those places, it seems easy and cheap enough to move around, it's just trying to get there and back for as little as possible.