Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[Sheva #7]

Hi guys

I'm a bit sick of your usual Mexico, Cuba, Dominican, Jamaica etc. all-inclusive resorts and looking for an option to go to all-inclusive somewhere in Europe this summer...I'm looking at Antalya, Turkey in particular...anyone been there? how was it? I know it is a bit pricey and definitely higher than your regular "North American" all inclusives but I'm hoping it's worth it. If anyone can recommend anything new (Egypt? Greece? Cyprus?) or have been there and can provide some feedback that will be great.

Thanks,

[lucky1]

Antalya is a great city, and a jump off point for several smaller tourist destinations such as kemer (lots of golfing), Side(good nightlife), alanya etc. there are lots of all inclusives in these areas, mostly full of Russian and Eastern European vacationers.
Turkey is extremely cheap when it comes to food and bevvy's, you may find it more cost effective to rent a private residence (literally hundreds available) and just experience great Turkish food at all the great restaraunts that dot the streets

[mykalberta]

Any ideas for November flights for Calgary to Honolulu?

Maui deal was missed (could have short hopped from OGG to HNL).

[cmyden]

Calgary to Vancouver | $208 roundtrip after taxes | May and June

http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-v...s-may-and-june

It's been a *long* time since there's been an actual deal on flights from Calgary to Vancouver. Prices on both WestJet and Air Canada never seem to budge much below $300-$350 roundtrip after taxes from Calgary to Vancouver anymore.

But today it looks like Air Canada is undercutting WestJet by a good 40%. It's tantalizingly close to the sub-$200 airfares that Calgary used to have to Vancouver, back in.... 2009?

[rubecube]

^^ Flights to Victoria have also dropped to the low $300s, which isn't too bad.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Calgary to Vancouver | $208 roundtrip after taxes | May and June

http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-v...s-may-and-june

It's been a *long* time since there's been an actual deal on flights from Calgary to Vancouver. Prices on both WestJet and Air Canada never seem to budge much below $300-$350 roundtrip after taxes from Calgary to Vancouver anymore.

But today it looks like Air Canada is undercutting WestJet by a good 40%. It's tantalizingly close to the sub-$200 airfares that Calgary used to have to Vancouver, back in.... 2009?

WestJet has now matched AC's price.

[Codes]

Originally Posted by cmyden

WestJet has now matched AC's price.

Went to select the flights, and took a few minutes to confirm times with my girlfriend, and it appears the cheap fares are gone. Missed out.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Codes

Went to select the flights, and took a few minutes to confirm times with my girlfriend, and it appears the cheap fares are gone. Missed out.

What dates were you trying? Just tried May 20-22 to May 27-29 on WestJet, and the cheap fares are still there.

[Codes]

Hi cmyden,

Initially I was looking at Air Canada, but after posting last night, I was able to find an excellent deal on Westjet. I ended up getting a round trip from Calgary to Vancouver for $272!

Thanks for the heads up. Definitely saved me some money!

[rubecube]

nm

[Fueled By Fire]

A co-worker forwarded an e-mail from Air France and it looks like they have another promotion going on. Intially, I didn't believe it since its not listed on the airfrance.ca website but if you go to https://www.facebook.com/airfrance there will be a poll to vote and the deal with the most votes will determine their next promotion.

Nice, Prague, or Moscow - $849
Dubai - $949
Ile Maurice, or Antananarivo - $1249

The e-mail also indicates that the promotion will be valid between May 8 and June 18, 2013 or between September 11, 2013 and April 1, 2014.

Did anyone else get this e-mail?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Fueled By Fire

A co-worker forwarded an e-mail from Air France and it looks like they have another promotion going on. Intially, I didn't believe it since its not listed on the airfrance.ca website but if you go to https://www.facebook.com/airfrance there will be a poll to vote and the deal with the most votes will determine their next promotion.

Nice, Prague, or Moscow - $849
Dubai - $949
Ile Maurice, or Antananarivo - $1249

The e-mail also indicates that the promotion will be valid between May 8 and June 18, 2013 or between September 11, 2013 and April 1, 2014.

Did anyone else get this e-mail?

It's a real offer, but the price may only apply out of Toronto and Montreal. I asked the PR girl for Air France Canada, and she confirmed that this would be the case.

Calgary/Vancouver has codeshared Air France flights with KLM, and what Air France does with their fares, KLM often does as well, but there's usually separate prices for Western Canada and Eastern Canada (with Western Canada usually being $200-$300 more). Sometimes though, they do offer the same price from all across Canada.

[rubecube]

Has anyone tried booking all-inclusives from U.S. cities? I'm thinking of doing a Mexico and Vegas trip. Are my best bets sites like Bookit, or does anyone else have any tips?

[cmyden]

Calgary to Kelowna with Wine Tasting Tour | $198 roundtrip after taxes | May long weekend

http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-k...ip-after-taxes

Even if you didn't go on the included wine tasting tour, it's still 50% cheaper than Air Canada or WestJet's May long weekend flights alone.

[Rapidfire999]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Calgary to Kelowna with Wine Tasting Tour | $198 roundtrip after taxes | May long weekend

http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-k...ip-after-taxes

Even if you didn't go on the included wine tasting tour, it's still 50% cheaper than Air Canada or WestJet's May long weekend flights alone.

Never heard of this before but may actually try it out. Been wanting to get out of calgary and this sounds kinda fun.

Used your "Jump Code"

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Rapidfire999

Never heard of this before but may actually try it out. Been wanting to get out of calgary and this sounds kinda fun.

Used your "Jump Code"

Thanks! Just to note, GoJumpOn hasn't paid me to promote them, and as far as I know, you don't get anything when someone uses your Jump Code. I think it's just a way to try and promote the sharing of their deals.

I'm a fan of their concept and hope they can keep going with it. As long as they're offering flights that are cheaper than the major airlines, I'm happy to plug them.

[Wormius]

Anybody been on flights leaving from Bellingham, WA? I will be with my family in Kelowna this summer, and the flights out of Bellingham to San Diego look very lucrative and might be worth the 3-4 hr. drive. Anything I need to know about driving and parking my car there for a few days? Is there an equivalent to "park & fly" there?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Anybody been on flights leaving from Bellingham, WA? I will be with my family in Kelowna this summer, and the flights out of Bellingham to San Diego look very lucrative and might be worth the 3-4 hr. drive. Anything I need to know about driving and parking my car there for a few days? Is there an equivalent to "park & fly" there?

This article has some info that might help, and also has a spreadsheet calculator that can help determine whether it's worth the drive from Kelowna to Bellingham.

The Official Guide For Canadians Flying Out Of U.S. Airports (from Kelowna & area)

http://ylwdeals.com/the-official-gui...m-kelowna-area

How much is parking?
Parking is currently $9 to $10/day, according to the Bellingham Airport website.
You can also park at WikiWiki Park N Shuttle for $8/day.
There is also a company called Designated Park & Ride which offers parking for $5/day, but it looks like you would also need to pay for a taxi ride of $8 each way, and reservations are required.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by cmyden

This article has some info that might help, and also has a spreadsheet calculator that can help determine whether it's worth the drive from Kelowna to Bellingham.

The Official Guide For Canadians Flying Out Of U.S. Airports (from Kelowna & area)

http://ylwdeals.com/the-official-gui...m-kelowna-area

Thanks! That's quite interesting. I would definitely nullify the value on people's time from the spreadsheet from a family vacation and not business travel perspective.

[Captain_Obvious]

Anyone have advice on flying to Macau, China?

Easier to fly into Hong Kong?

Am going in late November and could use advise on who to fly with etc...