Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by fotze

Obviously you care where you go or else you would pick crappy Vallarta or Mazatlan and go.

Preferences?

Nah, we'll go to those ####ty places if they're cheap enough. I'm just going with a buddy, so all we want is place that's on the beach, serves good liquor until all hours of the night, and has a decent selection of on-site bars and restaurants. Don't really want to pay more than a grand each, but I think we'd go up to 1300 or so. I'm not sure. He's paying for the whole thing on his points because he has a business card that racks them up like crazy and he just wants someone to go with.

[cmyden]

Odds are you're 2 degrees or less away from knowing someone in Calgary with a place in Phoenix ...

Calgary to Phoenix - $281 roundtrip after taxes
http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-p...ip-after-taxes

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Odds are you're 2 degrees or less away from knowing someone in Calgary with a place in Phoenix ...

Calgary to Phoenix - $281 roundtrip after taxes
http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-p...ip-after-taxes

Funny -- I was just on google explorer this morning and noticed this price to Phoenix, which seemed really low. Then I realized that they all involve connecting flights, which is a bit of a dealbreaker for us (having two young kids). Good deal though!

[rubecube]

I'm noticing when comparing last minute prices for right now vs. booking ahead in April, that there isn't much of a difference. Chris, how often does playing the waiting game work to your advantage?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

I'm noticing when comparing last minute prices for right now vs. booking ahead in April, that there isn't much of a difference. Chris, how often does playing the waiting game work to your advantage?

There does seem to be some pretty good deals in April right now. In fact, the April deals appear to be better than the last minute deals, which is a little unusual.

I'd say the waiting game can work out well a high percentage of the time, provided:

- you are not narrowly focused on one specific resort, but are open to wherever the deals happen to be.

- you are not a large group. Many of the craziest last minute deals have limited number of seats. And of course, the fact that the larger the group, the less likely they can all depart on a whim and take advantage of a last minute deal.

- you are not focusing on dates that are bound to have higher demand than usual (ie: typical holiday dates)

And keeping in mind this advice applies specifically to all inclusive vacations from the Canadian Tour Operators which is what I assume you were referring to. Different travel products have different tendencies.

April can definitely have some significant discounts, as things start to warm up a little in Canada, so demand drops, but still a decent supply of flights heading south (end of the season runs), which can lead to planes that need help filling up.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by cmyden

There does seem to be some pretty good deals in April right now. In fact, the April deals appear to be better than the last minute deals, which is a little unusual.

I'd say the waiting game can work out well a high percentage of the time, provided:

- you are not narrowly focused on one specific resort, but are open to wherever the deals happen to be.

- you are not a large group. Many of the craziest last minute deals have limited number of seats. And of course, the fact that the larger the group, the less likely they can all depart on a whim and take advantage of a last minute deal.

- you are not focusing on dates that are bound to have higher demand than usual (ie: typical holiday dates)

And keeping in mind this advice applies specifically to all inclusive vacations from the Canadian Tour Operators which is what I assume you were referring to. Different travel products have different tendencies.

April can definitely have some significant discounts, as things start to warm up a little in Canada, so demand drops, but still a decent supply of flights heading south (end of the season runs), which can lead to planes that need help filling up.

Thanks. I'll take the patient route then unless something screams a good deal. I'm guess from Victoria good deals would look something like this:

Mexico, Cuba - $800 - $1000 for a 4 star or higher
Carribean - $1000 - $1500 for 4 star or higher

Are those numbers about right?

[Jbo]

That PHX deal would be way better if it had the low prices when the Flames are down there (Feb 18th)

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Thanks. I'll take the patient route then unless something screams a good deal. I'm guess from Victoria good deals would look something like this:

Mexico, Cuba - $800 - $1000 for a 4 star or higher
Carribean - $1000 - $1500 for 4 star or higher

Are those numbers about right?

Yep, I'd say that's pretty accurate, although Cuba doesn't tend to be quite as great a deal from out West as it does from Eastern Canada.

Victoria doesn't really have too many destinations in the Caribbean served by the Canadian tour operators outside of Cuba and Jamaica though.

Could definitely be worth watching prices from Vancouver as well if it's easy/cheap for you to get there. A far greater number of packages departing from YVR, which means a far greater chance of a significant price drop.

[rubecube]

Yeah, I hate getting to YVR. I'm of the opinion that, if I'm gonna to YVR, I might as well go Bellingham.

[rubecube]

I should add that it costs about $150-$200 to get from Victoria to YVR, unless you bus it, and then you have to make sure your flights line up with bus and/or ferry schedules or you can add an extra night in Vancouver to your costs.

[Wormius]

Passport question. My passport expires in Aug., and I am travelling overseas in March / April. The travel agency is saying I should get it renewed early since the passport should be valid for 6 months from the time of my return flight or the international airlines might not allow me to board.

Is this really true? I don't understand why this would be the case. I am not planning on staying past the expiration of my passport.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Passport question. My passport expires in Aug., and I am travelling overseas in March / April. The travel agency is saying I should get it renewed early since the passport should be valid for 6 months from the time of my return flight or the international airlines might not allow me to board.

Is this really true? I don't understand why this would be the case. I am not planning on staying past the expiration of my passport.

It varies from country to country, so it depends on where you're going.

The issue is that once you're in the country, you can cancel or re-schedule your return flight rather easily. When you enter the country, you are usually granted a tourist visa for a set period of time, usually 3 or 6 months.

You could walk out of the airport with your 6 month visa, cancel your flight and never plan on leaving. If you did that, they want to be able to find you and deport you back to Canada without a problem.


If you're denied entry, the airline has to find a way to get you back to Canada, so it's easier for them to just not let you board the flight here if there's a chance you'll have a problem at your destination.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by getbak

It varies from country to country, so it depends on where you're going.

The issue is that once you're in the country, you can cancel or re-schedule your return flight rather easily. When you enter the country, you are usually granted a tourist visa for a set period of time, usually 3 or 6 months.

You could walk out of the airport with your 6 month visa, cancel your flight and never plan on leaving. If you did that, they want to be able to find you and deport you back to Canada without a problem.

If you're denied entry, the airline has to find a way to get you back to Canada, so it's easier for them to just not let you board the flight here if there's a chance you'll have a problem at your destination.

Sucks. If I was able to renew my passport later, I could at least get the new passport that is valid for 10 years.

But, anyway if somebody's intent was to stay in the country they are visiting beyond their visas' duration, couldn't they just throw their passport away? Wouldn't the end result for the visiting country be the same to try to get them removed?

[Oy Tiggins]

Anyone have a hotel recommendation near MSG?

[sa226]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Passport question. My passport expires in Aug., and I am travelling overseas in March / April. The travel agency is saying I should get it renewed early since the passport should be valid for 6 months from the time of my return flight or the international airlines might not allow me to board.

Is this really true? I don't understand why this would be the case. I am not planning on staying past the expiration of my passport.

http://travel.gc.ca/

Use this link and go to "travelling abroad" - "country travelling advice and advisories"

Then just click on the country you are wanting to travel to, and it will tell you the entry and exit requirements.

The standard rule is 6 months, but you will find many countries allow 3 months.

There is always the risk of running into a ornery customs and immigration officer.

EDIT: Also to add, since you aren't traveling for a few more months, passport renewals are really easy. No guarantor or anything. Just take the renewal and apply in person. You can pay for expedited service, but my renewal took maybe a week (In Winnipeg, could be slower here). For peace of mind, I would just renew.

[rubecube]

Hey Chris,

I know I've been bugging you about this on twitter, but is there anyway outside of your websites to determine whether the all-inclusive I'm looking at is a good deal? Do yuo have a specific algorithim or something?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Hey Chris,

I know I've been bugging you about this on twitter, but is there anyway outside of your websites to determine whether the all-inclusive I'm looking at is a good deal? Do yuo have a specific algorithim or something?

Hey RubeCube, can you refresh my memory, I don't recall seeing a message about this on Twitter? Did I reply?

I think the tough part is defining what you consider a 'deal'. It can be a pretty subjective term.

On my site, I'm comparing the current prices from the Canadian Tour Operators against the quality of the resorts involved, to determine in which packages a person is getting the most for the least. I like when a price gets way out of line (in favor of the traveler) relative to the quality of the resort involved. The more out of line it gets, the higher the Deal Score.

Using historical price data could be another way to define a 'good deal', if the price for resort X is cheaper now than it usually is.

[Draug]

Hey Chris,

So, I fly back to Calgary from Houston in mid February. I noticed something with the pricing. Flying direct from Houston to Calgary is about $1000. At the same time, with the same originating flight, flying from Houston to Victoria, through Calgary, is about $300 less.

What's to stop me from booking the Houston to Victoria ticket and just walk out in Calgary, never showing up for the Victoria leg?

Other than having checked bags, I can't think of anything. Will I get blacklisted with that airline? Will it raise flags with Canada Customs and cause me trouble there?

Has anyone tried this before? It's not the first time I've noticed such pricing.

Thanks!

[Tron_fdc]

Chris,

Is there any way to set up price alerts for certain destinations?

Also, what do you know about flight passes? I've heard of them, but can't seem to find a definitive opinion on them. I'm looking at buying them for Vegas and Kelowna.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by Draug

Hey Chris,

So, I fly back to Calgary from Houston in mid February. I noticed something with the pricing. Flying direct from Houston to Calgary is about $1000. At the same time, with the same originating flight, flying from Houston to Victoria, through Calgary, is about $300 less.

What's to stop me from booking the Houston to Victoria ticket and just walk out in Calgary, never showing up for the Victoria leg?

Other than having checked bags, I can't think of anything. Will I get blacklisted with that airline? Will it raise flags with Canada Customs and cause me trouble there?

Has anyone tried this before? It's not the first time I've noticed such pricing.

Thanks!

I also wonder if you could ask the agent to check your bags to the first leg, so you could access them before the connection?