Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[WideReceiver]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

There's a really good subreddit on Thailand travel:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ThailandTourism/

There's a Phuket one as well, but this one has almost a million subscribers so you'll find more talk about Phuket here than the other one.

I doubt it. There pretty much everyone has been or is going, whereas few here have.

[marsplasticeraser]

Just a note of a good deal on the newly announced Amsterdam to Calgary via Halifax route on Westjet (AMS - Halifax announced yesterday).

I got $575 one-way in August, and it qualified for member pricing, so I could use my WJ dollars, so about $300 in actual cash.

$575 is a steal for mid-July to mid-August, and pretty much any other flight over a 2-week window was $1k each way.

There was Rome to YYC direct last 10 days in August for $575 that was really tempting, but alas couldn't extend the trip that long.

[WideReceiver]

Anyone use or familiar with the Wise card for foreign currency? What’s the advantage over credit cards?

[JD]

Originally Posted by Engine09

Anyone have good info on Phuket?

Where to avoid, where to stay, which little islands to hit. Thanks!

I've been to Phuket a couple times in the past 5 years. The answers to your questions really depend on what kind of vacation you want to have. Phuket offers a wide variety of experiences!

Patong Beach is the centre of the action, if you want nightlife and crowds and walkable experiences, that's where you want to be. But be careful about choosing your hotel. Something a little to the side or away from the ocean tends to be newer and cleaner.

Otherwise, there are resorts all over the island catering to all price points and types of travelers.

I recommend being on the west side of the island because of the sunsets at the beach. Stunning stuff.

Last trip I stayed in the north, near the airport. More relaxing and quieter, but further from where most of the "stuff" is. Whenever we wanted to go somewhere, it meant getting a taxi or hire a ride and traffic can be bad. You don't want to spend half your day in a car. Lots of tourists like to rent motorcycles and maybe you do too, but I prefer to leave the island alive.

As for the little islands, there's a pretty basic tour that goes to Phi Phi Island and monkey beach and all the other tourist traps in the ocean. It's a fun day overall but those places are all incredibly crowded now.

Phuket is a big place with a lot of choice, so don't try to do too much. Leave some downtime to just explore and eat some local fruit and get a massage by the beach.

[Engine09]

Great info, thanks! I've already read a ton of Reddit threads, gone through countless youtube videos and marked off a lot of areas on Google Maps, just trying to narrow it down since I'm less than 3 weeks away.

I've tons a lot of kms on motorbikes and still dirbike every summer but I don't trust the drivers there will likely go with a few cabs and that's it. Will probably find a boat tour to the little islands, don't think I want to miss out even if a bit crowded.

[RandyHolt]

My experience is probably wildly outdated as I went pre-tsunami, but I really enjoyed staying by Kata Beach. We stayed a short walk from the beach and it was quiet back then but probably much busier now as it looks like a lot more hotels have come into the area.

Phi Phi Islands was a can't miss back then, so if you do end up going I'd be curious to hear your impression of it now.

I'm also happy to see Dino Park Mini Golf survived all these years, so it you wanted stupid fun and are in the area, I'd pop in there too.

[morgin]

Other than porter, does anyone fly anything other than the 737 or a320 between Toronto and Calgary anymore? Any widebodies ever doing the route?

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by morgin

Other than porter, does anyone fly anything other than the 737 or a320 between Toronto and Calgary anymore? Any widebodies ever doing the route?

AC runs quite a few A220's on that route as well. And sometimes a few 787's a week

[InglewoodFan]

Originally Posted by morgin

Other than porter, does anyone fly anything other than the 737 or a320 between Toronto and Calgary anymore? Any widebodies ever doing the route?

I have AC136 to YYZ next month on an A330-300

[Bigtime]

We definitely see more widebodies with AC to and from YYZ over the summer schedule.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by WideReceiver

Anyone use or familiar with the Wise card for foreign currency? What’s the advantage over credit cards?

I’m a fan of Wise, and have used it in Scotland, Ireland, and Italy. It works nearly flawlessly at every vendor - just tap and go, just like what you’re used to at home.

The big advantage is that you can exchange currency at a better rate than with credit cards. And they are upfront about the fees. The issue with traditional credit cards is that they either a) charge a currency exchange fee (often 2.5 or 3%), or b) they bury a currency exchange fee into their exchange rate (again 2.5 or 3%), or c) both! So even if you have a card that does not charge to pay in foreign currency, have a look at their published rate and it will be marked up, so you’re still paying for it.

Wise gives you the mid-market rate and then adds a small fee, and they are transparent about it.

You can either pre-convert money into a different currency and hold it, or you can keep everything in CAD and when you spend, it will convert it on the fly. You can hold balances in multiple currencies at once. If you are spending in Euros, Wise will deduct from your Euros first. If you have none in your account, it will take from the highest balance of another currency and convert on the fly.

I found Wise to be particularly handy when travelling as a group. Suppose you need to split a dinner bill and you owe someone in your party 20 EUR, you can just send them 20 EUR from your balance, without any fees. No need to convert to CAD in your head, send them an e-transfer, etc. And then when someone owes you something, it goes right into your EUR balance and you can spend it. No converting happens, formally or informally.

If you’re able to convince others in your party to get Wise, it will make life easier.

Because it is a Visa Debit card, you can only spend what you have on it. You can also move money from your balance into a “jar”. The jar is the term that they use to keep money safe from unauthorized tapping. So maybe keep a few hundred in your “balance” that you can use freely, and maybe keep your larger wad in a “jar” so if you lose your card, you won’t get tapped into oblivion. You can move it back and forth freely with the app.

You can even withdraw a little bit of cash using Wise, but there are limits and some fees once you pass a certain threshold. But in all honesty, I went on a trip to Scotland and used Wise for everything except tipping the tour bus driver, and paying a private taxi driver in cash (which I withdrew). Literally everywhere else was tapping with Wise. And even if you do withdraw cash with Wise, it is still cheaper than doing it from your regular bank account. I did have my dad with me, who has a UK-based account and debit card, so he was my backup if Wise let me down. But it never did.

Of course, some countries are still more cash-based. In Europe, they tap everywhere like we do. Other countries may vary, so you may want to have more backup cash.

If renting a car somewhere, I would still use your traditional credit card because of the insurance.

There are some other benefits, like getting a bank account number in a foreign currency so others can pay you via bank transfer. I could see it being handy if you freelanced for a foreign company and they wanted to pay you in their currency - you could give them the banking details and they could deposit it in the native currency, and you could convert it more cheaply, or hold it in that currency if you wanted to. Not something that I have used, but I could see if being useful.

So yes, I am a Wise fanboy, and no I don’t work for them. I have used it in Scotland, Ireland, and Italy, and my folks have taken their to Mexico, Portugal, England, and probably more places, and it hasn’t let anyone down yet.

Let me know if you (or others) have any questions about how it works and I’ll be happy to try and answer. And if it gets too boring for this thread, PM is also fine.

[WideReceiver]

Good explanation; thank you. You’ve sold me. We’re heading to Japan. I’ll post questions later.

[Hanni]

Jimmy Stang covered the highlights so nothing to add other than we recently used it for the first time on a trip and it was great, everything said above was our experience as well.

[Inferno]

Damn Delta went and changed my return flight from Vegas now.

I decided to keep my original flight that got changed but I'm going ot have to change this one because by the time I get to Calgary my flight to Winnipeg would have landed an hour earlier. I don't know why they even bothered changing it to that flight.

I'm just debating on a flight that would leave around the same time but get to Winnipeg an hour later (7.5 hrs) or stay another night and take a non-stop flight at 7:30 p.m. the next day.

[WideReceiver]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

I’m a fan of Wise, and have used it in Scotland, Ireland, and Italy. It works nearly flawlessly at every vendor - just tap and go, just like what you’re used to at home.

The big advantage is that you can exchange currency at a better rate than with credit cards. And they are upfront about the fees. The issue with traditional credit cards is that they either a) charge a currency exchange fee (often 2.5 or 3%), or b) they bury a currency exchange fee into their exchange rate (again 2.5 or 3%), or c) both! So even if you have a card that does not charge to pay in foreign currency, have a look at their published rate and it will be marked up, so you’re still paying for it.

Wise gives you the mid-market rate and then adds a small fee, and they are transparent about it.

You can either pre-convert money into a different currency and hold it, or you can keep everything in CAD and when you spend, it will convert it on the fly. You can hold balances in multiple currencies at once. If you are spending in Euros, Wise will deduct from your Euros first. If you have none in your account, it will take from the highest balance of another currency and convert on the fly.

I found Wise to be particularly handy when travelling as a group. Suppose you need to split a dinner bill and you owe someone in your party 20 EUR, you can just send them 20 EUR from your balance, without any fees. No need to convert to CAD in your head, send them an e-transfer, etc. And then when someone owes you something, it goes right into your EUR balance and you can spend it. No converting happens, formally or informally.

If you’re able to convince others in your party to get Wise, it will make life easier.

Because it is a Visa Debit card, you can only spend what you have on it. You can also move money from your balance into a “jar”. The jar is the term that they use to keep money safe from unauthorized tapping. So maybe keep a few hundred in your “balance” that you can use freely, and maybe keep your larger wad in a “jar” so if you lose your card, you won’t get tapped into oblivion. You can move it back and forth freely with the app.

You can even withdraw a little bit of cash using Wise, but there are limits and some fees once you pass a certain threshold. But in all honesty, I went on a trip to Scotland and used Wise for everything except tipping the tour bus driver, and paying a private taxi driver in cash (which I withdrew). Literally everywhere else was tapping with Wise. And even if you do withdraw cash with Wise, it is still cheaper than doing it from your regular bank account. I did have my dad with me, who has a UK-based account and debit card, so he was my backup if Wise let me down. But it never did.

Of course, some countries are still more cash-based. In Europe, they tap everywhere like we do. Other countries may vary, so you may want to have more backup cash.

If renting a car somewhere, I would still use your traditional credit card because of the insurance.

There are some other benefits, like getting a bank account number in a foreign currency so others can pay you via bank transfer. I could see it being handy if you freelanced for a foreign company and they wanted to pay you in their currency - you could give them the banking details and they could deposit it in the native currency, and you could convert it more cheaply, or hold it in that currency if you wanted to. Not something that I have used, but I could see if being useful.

So yes, I am a Wise fanboy, and no I don’t work for them. I have used it in Scotland, Ireland, and Italy, and my folks have taken their to Mexico, Portugal, England, and probably more places, and it hasn’t let anyone down yet.

Let me know if you (or others) have any questions about how it works and I’ll be happy to try and answer. And if it gets too boring for this thread, PM is also fine.

Are the fees a deterrent or do you find the Wise cheaper?

[WideReceiver]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

I’m a fan of Wise, and have used it in Scotland, Ireland, and Italy. It works nearly flawlessly at every vendor - just tap and go, just like what you’re used to at home.

The big advantage is that you can exchange currency at a better rate than with credit cards. And they are upfront about the fees. The issue with traditional credit cards is that they either a) charge a currency exchange fee (often 2.5 or 3%), or b) they bury a currency exchange fee into their exchange rate (again 2.5 or 3%), or c) both! So even if you have a card that does not charge to pay in foreign currency, have a look at their published rate and it will be marked up, so you’re still paying for it.

Wise gives you the mid-market rate and then adds a small fee, and they are transparent about it.

You can either pre-convert money into a different currency and hold it, or you can keep everything in CAD and when you spend, it will convert it on the fly. You can hold balances in multiple currencies at once. If you are spending in Euros, Wise will deduct from your Euros first. If you have none in your account, it will take from the highest balance of another currency and convert on the fly.

I found Wise to be particularly handy when travelling as a group. Suppose you need to split a dinner bill and you owe someone in your party 20 EUR, you can just send them 20 EUR from your balance, without any fees. No need to convert to CAD in your head, send them an e-transfer, etc. And then when someone owes you something, it goes right into your EUR balance and you can spend it. No converting happens, formally or informally.

If you’re able to convince others in your party to get Wise, it will make life easier.

Because it is a Visa Debit card, you can only spend what you have on it. You can also move money from your balance into a “jar”. The jar is the term that they use to keep money safe from unauthorized tapping. So maybe keep a few hundred in your “balance” that you can use freely, and maybe keep your larger wad in a “jar” so if you lose your card, you won’t get tapped into oblivion. You can move it back and forth freely with the app.

You can even withdraw a little bit of cash using Wise, but there are limits and some fees once you pass a certain threshold. But in all honesty, I went on a trip to Scotland and used Wise for everything except tipping the tour bus driver, and paying a private taxi driver in cash (which I withdrew). Literally everywhere else was tapping with Wise. And even if you do withdraw cash with Wise, it is still cheaper than doing it from your regular bank account. I did have my dad with me, who has a UK-based account and debit card, so he was my backup if Wise let me down. But it never did.

Of course, some countries are still more cash-based. In Europe, they tap everywhere like we do. Other countries may vary, so you may want to have more backup cash.

If renting a car somewhere, I would still use your traditional credit card because of the insurance.

There are some other benefits, like getting a bank account number in a foreign currency so others can pay you via bank transfer. I could see it being handy if you freelanced for a foreign company and they wanted to pay you in their currency - you could give them the banking details and they could deposit it in the native currency, and you could convert it more cheaply, or hold it in that currency if you wanted to. Not something that I have used, but I could see if being useful.

So yes, I am a Wise fanboy, and no I don’t work for them. I have used it in Scotland, Ireland, and Italy, and my folks have taken their to Mexico, Portugal, England, and probably more places, and it hasn’t let anyone down yet.

Let me know if you (or others) have any questions about how it works and I’ll be happy to try and answer. And if it gets too boring for this thread, PM is also fine.

Help me understand. My Canadian ATM card charges 2.5% on foreign transactions. How can I get cash onto a Wise card without the fee? Could I do it at a bank branch or do it in Canada to dodge the fee? I’m not sure if I’m asking this clearly.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by WideReceiver

Help me understand. My Canadian ATM card charges 2.5% on foreign transactions. How can I get cash onto a Wise card without the fee? Could I do it at a bank branch or do it in Canada to dodge the fee? I’m not sure if I’m asking this clearly.

You can send Wise Canadian dollars directly from your bank account in Caanda and then they convert them to whatever currency for a low fee.

[jar_e]

After 2.5 years, finally got my APPR ruling in my favour. Ridiculous WestJet filed to defend their position but then submitted nothing, clearly just looking to kick the can down the road. We’ll see how soon they actually fulfill their compensation requirements.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by jar_e

After 2.5 years, finally got my APPR ruling in my favour. Ridiculous WestJet filed to defend their position but then submitted nothing, clearly just looking to kick the can down the road. We’ll see how soon they actually fulfill their compensation requirements.

wow props to you for having the intestinal fortitude to tough it out 2.5 yrs

[jar_e]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

wow props to you for having the intestinal fortitude to tough it out 2.5 yrs

To be fair, it was about 2.4 years of just waiting lol it did make it infinitely easier that they didn’t clarify any documents, etc. I feel I’m pretty good at being on top of the record keeping but hard after a few years.

Despite the delay, the site is laid out and explained well. Some of the deadlines were just ignored by the CTA in the final 90 day window but happy to have it resolved nonetheless.