Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Hey Chris, What are your thoughts on booking last minute all-inclusives over Xmas? Are there generally deals to be had? Right now we're booked for Vegas because we got a sweetheart deal at the MGM, but it's fully refundable and I was thinking in the long run an all-inclusive might be cheaper. I've always kind of told friends that as long as you don't really care where you're going, you can usually find good deals within 7 days of your departure trip, but I don't know if this holds true for Xmas or not.

Christmas = extremely low percentage odds of a great deal, to anywhere, for virtually any travel product, due to the crazy increased demand (while supply remains constant). That's a recipe for higher prices in any market.

It's true that amazing deals on all inclusive packages can be found within 7 days of departure throughout the year, but over the highest demand period of the year, the tour operators are far, far, far less likely to feel a need to significantly drop their price. Of course, Christmas prices could drop a bit relative to expensive Christmas prices (but still not a great price relative to non-Christmas prices).

I am currently using the Ultimate All Inclusive Deal Finder to monitor the December 20 to January 2 date range (the most expensive time of year to travel) and see what the 'best' time of year to book turns out to be.

The following search will always show what the best deal for the money is within this date range:

http://ydeals.com/share/frptj/

The highest deal score that has been detected so far was on August 13, when a deal score of 63 / 100 was detected.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I'd like to do a self-driven circle tour of Iceland in 2013. Any suggestions on what time of the year is best in terms of scenery?

Also, are there any particular good airfare/hotel/car rental packages (not necessarily all of them in one) to be aware of?

Iceland is very high on my list of countries that I want to visit. Based on it's latitude, I'd say the closer you can get to July/August, the more pleasant the weather, and along with it, the most tourists.

I think most of the waterfalls are flowing pretty much year round, although like most waterfalls, there might be more water in spring.

So I'd probably go with late May or the first 3 weeks of June, as a nice balance between good weather, scenery, and tourist hordes.

Halifax and Toronto both get amazing deals to Iceland, thanks to IcelandAir. I wish they'd fly out of YYC. Prices can dip into the $500s, roundtrip after taxes (they've even dipped into the $400s on rare occasion). Even Winnipeg used to get some ridiculous prices to Iceland ($400s roundtrip), thanks to IcelandExpress, which no longer operates out of YWG.
Seattle also has flights in the $600s on occasion, again thanks to Iceland Air.

From Calgary though the typical bottom is in the $1100ish range (roundtrip after taxes) to KEF.

There's not likely to be anything too spectacular in terms of flight + hotel + car packages from YYC. Likely just the usual bundlings from the usual suspects that try to convince you you're saving a ton of $$$, when it's probably about the same as the individual components added up together.

When I go, I'd like to try some camping to save on expensive hotel accommodations. Iceland is one of the priciest countries around and I picture it having some really great campgrounds, but haven't really looked into it.

[Flacker]

Originally Posted by cmyden

I think you read Iceland as Ireland

Doh, carry on!

[Table 5]

Thanks for the great advice. I'm mostly looking to go with my dad as a photo tour since the country is so darn photogenic. Although we'll probably bring the wife and perhaps child too....so camping may or may not be an option, ha.

We were thinking early June before the tourists start coming....I usually try to do trips on the edges of tourist season to minimize the amount of people.

I might also fly out of NYC, as that way we use it as stopover to visit some inlaws. Im guessing the flights to Iceland are a lot cheaper from there as well.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Thanks for the great advice. I'm mostly looking to go with my dad as a photo tour since the country is so darn photogenic. Although we'll probably bring the wife and perhaps child too....so camping may or may not be an option, ha.

We were thinking early June before the tourists start coming....I usually try to do trips on the edges of tourist season to minimize the amount of people.

I might also fly out of NYC, as that way we use it as stopover to visit some inlaws. Im guessing the flights to Iceland are a lot cheaper from there as well.

Looks like the current bottom in October is about $600 roundtrip after taxes from NYC, using IcelandAir. They likely see a crazy price drop every now and then on offseason prices, perhaps in the $400s.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Mike Vernon

Has anyone been to Quebec city? Any recommendations?

I've only been for the Winter Carnival in February. It's a pretty good time, with ice palaces (Bonhomme's home) and sculptures, snow tube rides, life sized foosball, a really great electric night parade (although it may have been better than usual being the 400th anniversary of Quebec City), and some sort of local drink called Caribou that they sell on the streets (brandy, vodka, sherry, port) to keep you warm.

There's also a pretty awesome ice hotel that you can tour during the day, complete with an ice bar...

http://www.hoteldeglace-canada.com/

During the warmer months, I think you'd basically have the Old Town and some historical buildings and sites (Plains of Abraham, etc). Probably one of Canada's more interesting cities to walk around since it's old enough to have some decent history (404 years old, vs 137 for Calgary).

Montmorency falls just outside the city were worth the visit. Looked pretty neat in the winter with them being completely frozen over.

[morgin]

Is January/February a decent time for Carribean? I was hoping the post christmas lull would mean some decent deals.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by morgin

Is January/February a decent time for Carribean? I was hoping the post christmas lull would mean some decent deals.

Can definitely be some great deals in January/February to warm destinations.

Basically, if you can avoid the Christmas/New Years season, family day week in February, and reading week, chances are greater.

In general, mid December to the end of March will have higher prices and less chance of a crazy price drop than October/November or April/May will. Drops still happen in the colder Canadian months, just with less frequency.

There's just bound to be more price drops in the shoulder seasons than during the coldest months of the Canadian calendar when there's more demand to get away to warm places.

[morgin]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Can definitely be some great deals in January/February to warm destinations.

Basically, if you can avoid the Christmas/New Years season, family day week in February, and reading week, chances are greater.

In general, mid December to the end of March will have higher prices and less chance of a crazy price drop than October/November or April/May will. Drops still happen in the colder Canadian months, just with less frequency.

There's just bound to be more price drops in the shoulder seasons than during the coldest months of the Canadian calendar when there's more demand to get away to warm places.

Thanks! We're going to be governed by work schedules so will just try to make the most of it! Thinking St Lucia - saw there was a deal 2 years ago in January you posted, so maybe we'll see something similar in 2013!

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Can definitely be some great deals in January/February to warm destinations.

Basically, if you can avoid the Christmas/New Years season, family day week in February, and reading week, chances are greater.

In general, mid December to the end of March will have higher prices and less chance of a crazy price drop than October/November or April/May will. Drops still happen in the colder Canadian months, just with less frequency.

There's just bound to be more price drops in the shoulder seasons than during the coldest months of the Canadian calendar when there's more demand to get away to warm places.

Looking at trying to get to Jamaica for a honeymoon at the second week of November, what's the best time to be looking for deals? Everything seems still kind of expensive at this time. Also whats your general thoughts with timeshares and paying the $xx per day for all-inclusive? we are looking at the Secrets resort and have a week given to us.

Thanks
rttr

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by morgin

Thanks! We're going to be governed by work schedules so will just try to make the most of it! Thinking St Lucia - saw there was a deal 2 years ago in January you posted, so maybe we'll see something similar in 2013!

Definitely a beautiful place, although I'd generally place it in the more expensive realm of warm destinations typically traveled to from Calgary, barring an unusual price from YYC.

In general, you have these 4 destinations with a much higher likelihood of a significant price drop, aka a great deal...

Mexico
Cuba
Dominican
Jamaica

And then once outside these four destinations, which comprise the majority of warm destination travel, you start to get into the more expensive Caribbean destinations...

Bahamas, Barbados, St Lucia...

And lastly, into the world of very expensive...

Turks & Caicos, Grand Cayman

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by return to the red

Looking at trying to get to Jamaica for a honeymoon at the second week of November, what's the best time to be looking for deals? Everything seems still kind of expensive at this time. Also whats your general thoughts with timeshares and paying the $xx per day for all-inclusive? we are looking at the Secrets resort and have a week given to us.

Thanks
rttr

The general pattern is that the Canadian tour operators will start dropping their package prices a few months before departure (ie: in September for November departures). This can be a good time to strike if you have a specific destination or hotel in mind, as the price drops will have affected a larger number of resorts.

And then with a few weeks or less before departure, there can be some *really* crazy price drops, but *only* to a few specific resorts, so you have to be 100% flexible on where you're going.

I can't say I've ever really been into timeshares, as I avoid anything with the word 'timeshare' attached to it at all costs, but if it were me, I'd probably add up all the costs involved and see how it compared to buying a similar package to see which was the better deal. How much is the $X/day for the all inclusive? How much is the flight?

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by cmyden

The general pattern is that the Canadian tour operators will start dropping their package prices a few months before departure (ie: in September for November departures). This can be a good time to strike if you have a specific destination or hotel in mind, as the price drops will have affected a larger number of resorts.

And then with a few weeks or less before departure, there can be some *really* crazy price drops, but *only* to a few specific resorts, so you have to be 100% flexible on where you're going.

I can't say I've ever really been into timeshares, as I avoid anything with the word 'timeshare' attached to it at all costs, but if it were me, I'd probably add up all the costs involved and see how it compared to buying a similar package to see which was the better deal. How much is the $X/day for the all inclusive? How much is the flight?

I think it's ~$150 per day per person and the flights are about $700 per person for the secrets resort Montego Bay (adults only one). Personally I think a better deal could be had and we should use the week somewhere closer (Meadowlake Montana).

I'll keep my eyes open for deals, any particular sites that are better than others in your opinion?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by return to the red

I think it's ~$150 per day per person and the flights are about $700 per person for the secrets resort Montego Bay (adults only one). Personally I think a better deal could be had and we should use the week somewhere closer (Meadowlake Montana).

I'll keep my eyes open for deals, any particular sites that are better than others in your opinion?

This search query will keep an eye on prices in the first half of November to Secrets Montego Bay from the Canadian tour operators....

http://ydeals.com/share/dsvpm/

The bottom looks to be $2000ish/person after taxes for a 7 night package from the Canadian tour operators in November at the moment.

If you click on the Flexible Deal Finder and set the date flexibility to the entire year, we can see that the cheapest for the entire year is in the range of $1800/person after taxes, on a package in September, which gives us a good idea of the bottom price one might expect from the Canadian tour operators (although there is likely to be stronger demand in November than September).

That takes care of the Canadian tour operators, which are the packages sold by all the Canadian based websites (RedTag, Itravel, SellOff, etc). You could compare that to the world of flight + all inclusive hotel mashed together, offered by U.S. based sites such as Expedia, Travelocity, etc.

By comparing those two worlds (Canadian based tour operators vs U.S. based mashers) you've effectively done all you can to cover prices out there in the all inclusive world. Most people think they're doing some price comparison shopping by checking one site vs another. What they're really doing 99% of the time is wasting a tremendous amount of hours comparing the exact same price data against each other over and over.

So at $300/night x 7 nights, + $1400 in flights, the total would be $3500. If that's the total price after taxes, you could compare that to the best 7 night package offered by the Canadian tour operators for the same resort for a fair comparison. And then compare that to a U.S. based masher site (Expedia) to cover all your bases.

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by cmyden

This search query will keep an eye on prices in the first half of November to Secrets Montego Bay from the Canadian tour operators....

http://ydeals.com/share/dsvpm/

The bottom looks to be $2000ish/person after taxes for a 7 night package from the Canadian tour operators in November at the moment.

If you click on the Flexible Deal Finder and set the date flexibility to the entire year, we can see that the cheapest for the entire year is in the range of $1800/person after taxes, on a package in September, which gives us a good idea of the bottom price one might expect from the Canadian tour operators (although there is likely to be stronger demand in November than September).

That takes care of the Canadian tour operators, which are the packages sold by all the Canadian based websites (RedTag, Itravel, SellOff, etc). You could compare that to the world of flight + all inclusive hotel mashed together, offered by U.S. based sites such as Expedia, Travelocity, etc.

By comparing those two worlds (Canadian based tour operators vs U.S. based mashers) you've effectively done all you can to cover prices out there in the all inclusive world. Most people think they're doing some price comparison shopping by checking one site vs another. What they're really doing 99% of the time is wasting a tremendous amount of hours comparing the exact same price data against each other over and over.

So at $300/night x 7 nights, + $1400 in flights, the total would be $3500. If that's the total price after taxes, you could compare that to the best 7 night package offered by the Canadian tour operators for the same resort for a fair comparison. And then compare that to a U.S. based masher site (Expedia) to cover all your bases.

Love the site, i'll have to book mark that one for sure!

cheers

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by return to the red

Love the site, i'll have to book mark that one for sure!

cheers

Thanks! The next version will be taking things to a new level and doing some really innovative things that I hope people will enjoy.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by username

So I'm starting to think about organizing my honeymoon for Sept 2013. Has anyone here been on an African safari?

If so where did you leave from? Where did you stay? Can you give me any things to look for or to avoid when selecting a tour company? What countries should I avoid due to safety concerns?

I'm on an African safari right now, will post more information when I get back home. In the meantime any specific questions post

[cmyden]

7 night all inclusive packages to the Royal Decameron in early September just dropped to $591/person after all taxes & fees (flight, hotel, food, drinks, etc)

http://ydeals.com/share/rsctc/

The resulting deal score of 85/100 is currently the highest in the system.

[username]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I'm on an African safari right now, will post more information when I get back home. In the meantime any specific questions post

Well I certainly don't want to take you away from your vacation but if you have time.....I do have a few:

- Did you visit Cape Town? If so what did you do down there? Did you hike Table Mountain? Is it worth it?

- Are you using a tour company or getting around on your own?

- Is Johannesburg worth going to? Everyone I talk to say it's basically a land locked dump.

- What have you enjoyed doing the most? What would you avoid?

Thanks!!!!

[cmyden]

^^ How do you know he's in South Africa? Or maybe I missed something.

I'd say the typical countries for a safari other than South Africa would be: Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Uganda, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

Tanzania has the Ngorongoro crater, which is basically the world's largest crater that essentially acts as a natural enclosure for pretty much every type of wildlife found in East Africa. If you watched the latest Amazing Race, that was where they went...



A dream trip of mine is to visit the Gorillas in Rwanda.

And spend a night or two in Giraffe Manor (Kenya) like these WASPS