Vacation Bargains Abound

I've been looking around at all my favourite discount travel sites lately. Not for myself, but for any friend who asks. I'm happy to do this. I'm certainly not a travel agent, but I have had a pretty wide variety of travel experiences and adventures in the last 10 years.

We have managed to tote our kids to Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota, North Dakota, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, The Turks & Caicos,  The Bahamas and Hawaii. We've travelled by passenger train, car, plane and cruise ship.

We've gone hiking, skiing, swimming, surfing, shopping, to amusement parks and more. It's felt a little crazy at times, but it's been good. I have no regrets at all.

My hubby and I also do the classic couples' getaway to Vegas every now and again. Personally, I love Vegas. I'd go anytime. I think one of the things I like so much about Vegas is the nightlife. It's the opposite of my hometown. My hometown exists, Monday to Friday, from 9AM -9PM. After that, the place shuts down and seems like a sleepy hollow.  So, to have concerts and plays and people out enjoying life after dark seems exciting. I like the change of pace.

But I'm not ready or able to plan another family vacation. Not yet anyway. As I stated last week, I seem to have lost my spark. Though, I am genuinely ok with researching on behalf of friends.

There are lots of amazing bargains out there right now. 5* golf vacations to california for about $700 including taxes, hotel and airfare.  Cheap jaunts to Cuba at under $1000.  Luxury caribbean cruises around $800 (Airfare extra).  Lots of bargains to Florida & Arizona.  Vegas is always cheap in the first part of December & the last part of January.

I priced out one golf vacation during the 3rd week of January at $800. The identical trip in late February is sitting around $1700. So yeah, that's what I consider a bargain.  5* trip, at 3* price.  But truly, it's about getting the type of vacation that works for your family, at a time that's convenient, at a price you can afford. I would caution to never ever take a vacation that the only thing that interests you is the price. If you go somewhere you hate, it's truly no bargain.

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Travel sites I like:

www.itravel2000.com

www.redtag.ca

www.yqrdeals.ca www.yegdeals.ca www.ywgdeals.ca  (Deals specific to your local airport)

www.aircanadavacations.com  (Check out their last minute specials.)

Both Redtag and Itravel2000 will chart the vacations days before and after your selected date and show you a grid of the varied prices. This is an amazing feature, as sometimes a day can make a $500 difference, and you'd never know unless you see this comparison. Each site also searches all the package providers for you. It will show you if Westjet has a better price than Air Canada on the nearly identical vacation.

Phoenix/Scottsdale for Thanksgiving?

Air, hotel, car and taxes for under $500 per person for a holiday long weekend. Amazing!  Perhaps I should mention it's not really a hotel.... it's an AMAZING world class resort.  It's the Arizona Biltmore. Do follow the link to observe the luxury! Do check out Trip Advisor to see all the glowing recommendations.

There are some other fabulous resorts in the area, but none quite as good a deal this time around.
Do check out Allegiantair.com  for some great deals on September travel from your local US border city.

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?