Activities & Adventure

Quite often when we travel as a family we have a well researched, planned activity scheduled at some point during the week. Like when we went to the Bahamas we paid to splash around and kiss dolphins. I would be wrong if I called it "swim with the dolphins." That would make it seem much more glamourous. This was a controlled encounter with dolphins, perfect for young kids. That was in the Bahamas and we loved it, and of course, we paid for the overpriced tourist photos.

When we went to Maui, I organized a private surf lesson for our family. It was my Christmas gift to everyone. That was a blast. We all rode the waves and thought we were rockstars. Again, I bought the touristy photos. But doesn't my boy look like he was born to surf? Takes after his mama!

We have had the character breakfasts at Disney World and panned for gold in Alaska. When we were planning a the trip to the Turks and Caicos I was really tired. I was out of planning energy. I could hardly lift a finger to research any more beyond studying our resort. I thought, perhaps, I would consider planning an excursion once we arrived on the island. 

Instead of pushing for another adventure or splurging on a once-in-a-lifetime activity we all agreed to just chill. And holy heaven that was nice! No praying for good weather on our whale watching or rushing to catch a charter just to stand in line. No $200 photo package to purchase. Instead we simply walked on the beach, played on the beach, swam in the pool and generally just lounged around like lizards. Lounge lizards! And we all loved it. 

I'll admit, there were times before the trip that I worried the kids would be bored. When we arrived I worried that they were going to be expecting something magical... another one of mom's fun travel surprises. But rather, they surprised me. They went all old school.... sandcastles, imagination activities, physical fun (swimming/running/jumping/diving/walks) mixed in with some cards, some reading and a couple ipod games. Oh, and "Jimmy" aka Mr. Crabs, the hermit crab they found. He was 3 hours of fun for sure! They kept building him new fortresses and making sandcastles to contain him. They had fun.... without me ever having to plan it, pay for it, or buy the photo package. Ahhhh. Score one for true relaxation! 

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I've finally joined Twitter. I basically plan to use it to tweet travel tips, and bargains that I spy. If you are at all interested, please follow me.   @cdntripseeker    But be prepared for a few tweets about hockey. I'm a hard core hockey fan. And I likely will gush about my new favourite tv show Dallas, from time to time. JR Ewing is mixin' it up again and you won't want to miss that new John Ross.   Hey, maybe I should plan a trip to the Lonestar state?  

Volatility of air fare prices

It's up. It's down. It's all about supply and demand. Buying air fare is like buying shares in the stock market. It is so difficult (and scary) to know when to jump in and buy.  Everything is timing. And like the stock market, you don't want to buy (when the price is) high.

For lack of a better hobby, I've been studying air fare prices to popular destinations over the last couple of years. It's interesting. Ok, interesting in a patterning and nerdy kind of way.

The pattern I have seen is that each airline has a baseline, a standard, fair price to each route.  Then, depending on when you buy, it can be more or less expensive than the baseline.

Let's say, for example that a one way fare price is $200 (plus taxes and fees).  You might see that price available 5 months in advance of the route. But the closer you get to the travel date, you will see the fare go up and down. Whether it's called a "seat sale" or a price adjustment or whatever, it doesn't matter. So suddenly you might be looking at the airfare price 3 months out and it's $169.  It's now up to you knowing it could go lower, and for certain it will go back up. What you need to determine is what price you will be happy at. Are you a gambler? How low will it go? Will you kick yourself if it goes up to $240?

One thing you can be sure of , is that if there is a national/calendar holiday, demand for air fares around that date will be higher than average. (ie. Thanksgiving)  So, if you wish to find a bargain, you need to book early, or be prepared to book an alternate date for your flight. Sometimes it's as easy as looking at the day before or the day after your first choice.

I record the lowest price I've ever seen on a particular route and keep that in mind if I plan to buy. For example, a one way flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver is generally around $200, but sometimes it is offered at $149. The best I've ever seen is $124. So, with that knowledge in mind, I would be able to make better bargain-hunting decisions.

Air Canada is the only airline, that I use that offers to send you automated fare alerts for prices that you can set yourself. For example, if you receive their monthly newsletters and sales, you can pre-set your preferences. You may choose 4 or 5 different routes to watch. You set your price and it e-mails you every time your specified price is met on a route! It's much easier than checking prices yourself daily. I have an alert for Winnipeg to Maui. If the one way fare price falls to $249 I receive an e-mail.  Getting that cheery e-mail is a nice pick me up on an average ho-hum day even if I can't go to Maui.

I have always found the best air fare prices are purchases directly from the airline. And when you use their website, there are no ticketing fees (except for Allegiant who charges about $17 each to book on-line) with the big airlines like Delta, Air Canada and West Jet.

The best prices, in general, are for average, boring days like Tuesdays or Saturdays, NOT around national holidays and are purchased between 6 and 8 weeks in advance of the flight. But it's all ultimately up to the individual buying the air fare. What blend of date, time and price is right for you?

My First Man Trip

I've always liked football. Actually, it's pretty much all team sports. I've always watched and enjoyed, discussed and attended sporting events. It's the way I was raised. I share these interests with my brother and it's one of our strongest links as siblings.

I grew up watching NFL football and have admired many players for their incredible talent. Dan Marino & the Miami Dolphins, Steve Young and the San Francisco 49s and Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers were some of my most favourite quarterbacks and teams.

When I started to travel more intensely, as an adult, I began to pursue "life experiences" rather that vacations or mere casual vacation activities. Meaning that I decided I could travel for an event or a specific activity NOT just because it was my holiday time or I had casual interest in a destination.

So when Brett Favre came out of retirement for the 2nd time and announced his intention to play with the Minnesota Vikings, I decided that I was going to see him play live. It took some research and preparation. After all... the greatest (my opinion and that of many others) quarterback of all time was going to play just one more season. I had to see it!  There was a huge buzz and very quickly Minnesota Vikings games were selling out all over the country.

My next step was to analyze the schedule and see where they played that would suit my work schedule. I then narrowed it down to "away games" and cities that I had interest in seeing. There was no way I was going to freeze my ass in chicago in the middle of winter to see ANY football player. So... Arizona it was! Arizona is also an ideal location as with their slumping economy and desire for tourists, flights are cheap and so are accommodations. Not that I want to take advantage of anyone in a down turned economy, it simply makes sense to visit and offer them any little boost I can.

So I decided that I  would start planning in earnest. I talked to my brother and he thought it was a great idea. I then picked up a pair of club seats off of Stub hub. (My friends & I have used this service numerous times and never got burned. It's fabulous for grabbing the seats you want when you want them.) Club seats.... they deserve a column of their own! Though, in short, my theory is that if the difference in the best seats and the "nosebleed" seats is $50. YOU HAVE TO GET THE GOOD SEATS. Especially if this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience or you are travelling for an event. Sit in the good seats!

I should mention that with club seats, in Arizona anyway, you get access to the building and lounges 3 hours pre-game. You get to see the teams warm up and you get to chill and enjoy the atmosphere before the flood gates open and the other 60,000 people get in.  (So worth it!)

Anyways, when my brother & I go on Man Trips we get a 2 bedroom condo or something similar. The Marriott (Towne brand) chain is good for these types of rooms as well. There are a number of "long stay" kitchenette type rooms that you can get at a reasonable price.

Flights weren't hard to get either. We simply searched our dates regularly until they came to a typical sale price for the route & then pounced!

I think in the end we stayed 4 days in Phoenix/Glendale. We took in a Coyotes game (I'd highly recommend it) and THE GAME.  I LOVED the whole NFL experience. It was like absolutely nothing I'd ever done. When 65,000 people are all cheering, it moves you. You feel the vibrations right through your ribs and into your core. It's like being a part of one big surreal experience. And never mind the tailgating. OMG I had no idea they were THAT serious about tailgating. Keith and I showed up 3.5 hours before the event, thinking we'd be able to take in the whole atmosphere and really it seemed like we were the LAST people to arrive before the game. Crowds arrived pre-dawn it seemed to stake out their spot and set up their elaborate BBQ stations. Plus there were bands playing and people tossing around footballs. It seemed that the Sunday night NFL game was a 12 hour experience for Arizona fans.

Ultimately, I got to see my favourite QB play. The game and weekend were amazing. And there began my love for the Man Trip.  Why do I call it a Man Trip?  Because Keith & I went, just as a couple of buddies, going to see a game. No kids, no pressure, no shopping, no whining, no fancy clothes. Just a couple buddies, a couple beers and a couple games.  Ah, the Man Trip. When can I go again?

Sweet Easter Travel Deals

The best time to grab airfare is on a Tuesday or Wednesday. It's a known fact. Airlines check their stock and discount what they have too much of. Generally, the best deals are to be had in that 6-8 week pre-flight range.

If you're truly after a bargain, don't be scared to take a milk-run route. Meaning, one or two stops. Sometimes you can literally save hundreds off the direct flight. But then, and herein lies the gamble... What if a plane is delayed? How much money is your time worth? But sometimes, one extra stop for a $300 savings is... soooo  worth it.

Also, the best way to grab a bargain, and be the hero at work too, is to GO when everyone else is coming back. So, lets say you work in hospitality... volunteer to work the long weekends. You'll make time and half pay, plus be the hero to the folks who don't have to work the long weekend. Then... you take off the day they get back and enjoy your own half price vacation. I'm sure it's like a 70% savings, if you factor in the fact you got paid extra for working... but never mind. I'll get to my point.

Easter 2011: Good Friday is April 22nd; Sunday the 24th. Most people will try to take off on the 21st to beat the crowds. Too bad for them if they are just trying to book airfare. Just about anywhere will be $800+  with those dates.

However... if you want to leave on Sunday the 24th, Westjet will take you from YWG to PHX for $98.99 (one way, plus tax). This is way lower than typical. Same dates to Orlando... $139. (Or Cheaper with the Air canada Facebook discount code - good until March 4) The hotels will also be cheaper because people will be checking out... not typically checking in. Rates will be 30% less, if not a better deal.

So if you were thinking about a quick trip somewhere exciting... think about going after the long weekend. Any long weekend.  And when you see a great price, book quick. They can disappear just as quickly as the Easter Chocolate!

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Further to Maui
If you are thinking about taking your sweetie to Maui, Air Canada STILL has lots of great dates. You just have to go to Aircanada.ca and play around with dates. Lucky for us, they have a lowest price date tab on the top. And you can see why going a day earlier, or later can be real savings.

April 24th-29th, with the discount code, now comes out to $579.52 with taxes. That's for 5 days, but you can do 10 at the same price. A steal. And on one of the world's top rated airlines... you can't beat it.   Then I would go to Expedia.ca and look around for hotel deals. Or hotel and car, if you are so inclined. That's when Maui can get as expensive as you want it to be. Sheraton, Westin or Marriott hotels run about $350 a night. Condos, and Canadian hotels like the Maui Coast can be $100-$200 per night. It's up to you to decide where you want to be, and how much luxury is enough.

I do want to mention that any of the above mentioned deals can be found through Canadian travel agencies. And each time I find something great that I want, I call my Travel Agent with the details (Especially flight numbers) and then get her to line it up. That way me, and my credit card, deal with someone I trust and SHE still gets a commission. So, it does pay to have a relationship established with your travel agent, and have her on speed dial, because as I said before, the clock is ticking.