A little shopping

I haven't done much shopping this winter. A pair of shoes and a purse for me, but for the most part it's been hockey equipment for the boys.

Shopping is not a hobby of mine. I prefer to get in and get out, rather than meander. I guess I'm kind of a "guy" that way.

However,  I do like a little on-line shopping and FREE SHIPPING DAY (December 15th - ish) is my favourite way to do the whole Christmas shopping thing. This brings me to today's point.... Orb Clothing.

Orbclothing.ca is a Canadian company out of Vancouver. They make relaxed clothing, of exceptional quality, in a responsible and ethical manner. I "discovered" them on free shipping day when I purchased a sweatshirt. I have since made 2 additional purchases and each time I am awestruck by the detail and effort they put into producing a quality garment. The whole philosophy of their business and manner in which they conduct themselves is very "Mountain Equipment Co-op of the 1990s" to me. (And that's a very good thing.)

They also know how to throw a sale. Seriously good sales. (Like this weekend when they offered 75% off Winter merchandise plus free shipping.) Use the link above and they will send you a $10 coupon just for giving them a try. 

I bought a jacket. I expect it will last for years and years and years. Unlike the mass-made crap you find in every chain store.  The seams, the details and the thoughtful Canadian climate touches make this jacket simply outstanding.

Anyways.... one last bargain before my weary head hits the pillow tonight.... Shoppers Drug Mart has great deals in their grocery section on until Thursday this week. (March 14th). Christie crackers (like Ritz and Triscuit) are on for $1.99. They also have all their microwavable Lean Cuisine/Stouffers (I like the lasagna) on sale for $1.99. Those are great for lunches and for those of us too lazy to cook for ourselves after a long work day. Shredded cheese and taco kits were each $3.99 and Cheerios were $1.99.  Lots of great grocery items to fill your cart with, plus you get their Optimum points. Win-win.

Olympic Travel Bargains

During the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, Air Canada posted new outrageous deals whenever a Canadian athlete won gold.  The deal would start at midnight and often be all snapped up by dawn.

I remember one night seeing YWG to YUL for $49 each way. Or YYZ to YUL for $29. That's crazy! Crazy good! But, having just stumbled upon the deal late at night, and not having ever discussed taking a weekend in Montreal with my husband, I didn't jump at it. The next day when he said "you should have just booked it" I felt a little down. Like coming 4th place in the Olympics. I hesitated and lost out.

So after that, each day I'd cheer more for our Canadian athletes and if/when they won, bubble over with excitement waiting for the deal to pop up.  Then when Jon Montgomery won (remember the athlete who grabbed & downed the pitcher of beer in a post-victory celebration!) gold, I got MY deal.  At midnight, flights to NAS (Nassau, Bahamas) went on sale from across Canada. I grabbed tickets for $99 each way and in April, hubby and I went to the Bahamas for a 3 day weekend. It was crazy and spontaneous and the best quick trip bargain EVER! The Bahamas are my happy place. No place on earth I'd rather visit. Even if it was just for 2 nights. (Sounds crazy. But probably one of, if not my absolute favourite trip ever.

So, the point of this little jaunt down memory lane is to say that AIR CANADA IS DOING IT AGAIN!!! It's a little different this time, but still good and worth looking into. Each day they are offering a different Olympic special. July 30-August 12. There is a new special each day. The first one was a deal on flights to London. The second one was 10% off Executive Class.  I hope there will be some really special deals in there like last time. I'll be watching.

Simply go to Aircanada.com to see their deal of the day. Who knows, you might just strike gold! This, my friends, is the Olympics of travel bargain hunting. Typically you have a day or two to decide when a bargain price pops up, this time, if it's truly good, it will be a few hours at most to decide. Time to put your credit card and you desk calendar in their ready positions. On your mark... get set....

Vegas again!

Super cheap! From Minot, ND September 10-13. Stay at any awesome resort for $300 per person, air & tax included.   Here's a screenshot with the Paris Hotel. Someday I would love to stay at this resort. Rooms are a little fussy for my decor choices, however, the crepes are amazing! The Bistro is amazing and the location is absolutely perfect.

It's Allegiantair.com

I Spy a Bargain

Las Vegas, NV  

We recently flew to Phoenix, AZ on Allegiant Airlines. Their package price was outstanding and we managed a quick 5 star vacation on a 2 star budget. What could be better than that?

In my latest round of searching for travel bargains I saw a Las Vegas gem. I won't be going, but YOU might like to.

It is four nights, leaving on a Sunday and returning on a Thursday near the first week of March. You would fly out of Minot, ND on a moderately sized plane (about 150 passengers.) It is a direct flight of less than 3 hours.  Included in this price is shuttle transportation to the hotel, from the Las Vegas airport. Typical shuttles are NOT my idea of a good time, but if you've ever seen the taxi line-up in Vegas, you would consider a shuttle.

The taxi stand line is a winding "cattle chute" and you typically wait 40 minutes or more in line. If it's hot and you're tired from the flight, anything other than the taxi line will look good.

Anyways, for these dates you can choose a cheaper hotel. The Flamingo Hilton (on The Strip) would be about $100 less per person. However, it's not a new or newer hotel. Since I prefer 5 star, at 2 star price, I would encourage you to look at places like PH (Planet Hollywood). It is dead centre on The Strip and absolutely the centre of the action. Lots of beautiful people at PH.

Lights of Planet Hollywood Hotel

The Tropicana is at the MGM/Luxor/New York corner. It's the last hotel I stayed at and LOVED. The Tropicana is Canadian owned (little known fact) and just had big money renovations. It is tropical themed, the rooms are very nice, the pool is very happening, and the restaurant Bacio (Italian food) was absolutely amazing. Seriously, chef Carla Pellegrino prepared one of the best meals of my life. It was so good. Hell, I'd go to Vegas just for another meal at Bacio.

The Tropicana is priced at $296 for March 4-8, per person, plus taxes and shuttle. So per couple it would be $706.10. AHHHHHHH. That is so cheap. I want to go now!

Pool at Tropicana 

But I am going to suggest VDARA Resort and Spa in this instance, because Vdara is also in the centre of The Strip. It is one of the very newest and most posh hotels ever. I can't actually say I've ever seen it so cheap. Vdara is different because it is all suites, plus it does NOT have a casino. It is also one of the only Vegas hotels that is non-smoking.  Lastly, if you book these particular dates (or several others this late winter) they are offering 2 free show tickets. There are several shows on the list to choose from, like Criss Angel (yes I spelled that correctly), Zumanity or Terry Fator.  Tickets to these shows are at least $100 value. 

If you want to gamble conveniently, Bellagio is right next door to Vdara. And, in my experience, gambling at Bellagio is worth it for the premium adult beverages. Nothing is watered down at Bellagio. Order a Baileys on the rocks and you get about 2 oz of name brand Baileys on the rocks. A lovely breakfast beverage if you are so inclined. 

So, if you are so in need of a get away, I would jump at the chance to nab this little bargain and enjoy a late winter Vegas vacation. 

For comparison sake, I also checked Westjetvacations.com for identical dates and hotels, but leaving from Winnipeg airport. To stay at the Tropicana would be $1133.32 (taxes in) per couple. They have Vdara listed at $1264.66. So, to fly Allegiant from Minot would save you $366.36 on a vacation to Vdara. That seems to be a good chunk of change which you might prefer to spend on meals or in the casino. 

If you choose to go to Las Vegas, enjoy! I'd love to hear about it, but.... what happens in Vegas - stays in Vegas!!!

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First step to a travel bargain

If you're going to nab the travel bargain, first you have to get on the list.

The old shotgun approach to advertising and marketing is dead. The shotgun approach was to blanket the audience with advertising (like putting an ad in 2 million newspaper copies)  and hope to "hit" 2-4% that would actually respond/buy. But now, in this Internet era, big businesses are really targeting their audience and often saving their very best deals for the folks who are already regular customers or subscribers.

So if I were to offer a very specific plan, it would be this:

Open up a generic hotmail/or similar e-mail account for your junk mail/subscriptions. Then grab a notebook and write down all your usernames, passwords or details for these specific subscriptions. Subscribing to Safeway's newsletter, Beaches Resorts etc etc all have different password formulas  - like must be 8 characters, or must contain numbers and letters. Way too confusing. And don't ever use the same password as your online banking or other secure info. Minimize your risk of getting hacked.

Then specifically choose the resorts, hotel chains, airlines and car rental agencies that you are most likely to use. Subscribing to their newsletters will show benefits right away.... some offer airmiles or similar points just for signing up.  Also "like" their facebook pages if you are on FB.  This will ensure that you are up to date on the offers.

Some offers are as good as 40% off regular rack rates at hotels, just for belonging to their President's Club or Preferred Guest Program. In addition to discounts, you can also learn a little about the products, services and activities that are offered.

It's best, truly, to have the separate e-mail set up for offers (as noted above) because if you subscribe to even 10 different sites, and you receive one e-mail a week, they can sure add up fast. Chances are you'll become frustrated with the clutter of all the e-mails amongst your important mail, so best to separate from the beginning.

Atlantis resort (Atlantis.com) and West Jet (westjet.com) have good newsletters and offers. I enjoy receiving theirs. Though sometimes it's so tempting I find myself constantly dreaming of the Bahamas!

Why 19" is better than 20"

I love to travel. The more trips I can squeeze out of my limited travel budget the better. I love the 5 star trip at the 2 star price. But every year there seem to be more and more surcharges levied by the airlines. My point is clearly illustrated by Air Canada's recent announcement to charge $25 per checked bag. This is inline with what other carriers, like Delta, have been doing for a while. Discount carriers that have come on the scene, like Allegiant Air, have many surcharges, checked bags being just one of them.

So, to maximize my travel budget I've gotten used to travelling with just a carry on bag. Not only used to it, I'm almost dictator-like when it comes to family vacations. In fact, we travelled to Hawaii on Delta airlines last Christmas and got the bargain of a lifetime on the flights. I was not going to mess with my accomplishment by checking 4 bags and forking over another $200 to Delta. That $200 was instead spent on surfing lessons. Easy to see that surfing provides a better family memory versus toting extra clothes across the country.

So how do we do it? How did we spend 8 nights in Hawaii with only check-on bags?  Well here are my top 5 secrets to packing light and efficiently.

1) Only bring it if you really love wearing it and it can be worn in at least 2 different outfits.
2) Jumbo ziploc bags. Roll everything, stuff in jumbo ziplocs and take the air out. This is also easy & tidy if customs/security wants to search your bag.
3) Wear you most bulky items on the plane. For example, the one sweater, pair of jeans & walking shoes you are bringing on the trip.
4) Know in advance if your hotel/resort has guest laundry facilities. I would MUCH rather do one load of laundry halfway thru the trip than haul twice the clothes.
5) Know your airline rules for liquids, bag size, etc. Etc. The more you know in advance the better.

The reason I say 19 inches is better than 20 is that while most airlines allow the little wheely rectangular 20 inch suitcases as your carry on, they often get stuffed to the zippers and can bulk up past the allowable size. When they ask you to measure it in their metal sample thingy at the airline counter, you can get busted and be asked to check it. When you have to check at the counter the prices go up. For example, if you pre-pay your bag on Allegiant when you are booking the flight it's $35, but if you have to check it when you get to the counter it's $50.

Also, budget and regional carriers are flying planes like the MD88 or MD90 series. A great plane, but limited overhead space. So again, if you can't jam it in the overhead bin, or you are late boarding the plane... guess what.... you're checking it now.

Many of the luggage makers are now producing a compact 19" model that looks just the same as the industry standard 20 inches.  These bags at a good sale price are under $50 to buy. And you'll slide in nicely at the measuring device and look like a pro.

Follow my carry on advice and you'll never get stuck at the baggage carousel waiting for bags that arrive damaged or 30 minutes after you do. You'll grab the first cab and be on the beach in no time.

Calgary to China

Westjet, Air Canada and Delta have been all over the map lately with their prices. Literally.  Delta was running European specials last week. To go to Stockholm, Sweden from Grand Forks, ND was under $500 including all taxes and fees.  Yesterday, Air Canada ran a special that went from Edmonton, AB to anywhere in Asia. Today, Feb 23rd, it's Calgary to Asia.  For example, a one-way pre-tax fare from Calgary to Beijing is $260.  Hmmm.

Westjet has been very quick to match Porter Airlines with their discounts of 30% on the east coast. Say a person wanted to go from Montreal to St. John's NFLD, from April 6th to 12th. It would be a very sweet $132.32 each way. That's $373.34 after taxes etc.   Sure, I've flown from YWG to NAS for less than that, but it's still a good deal.

Delta currently has a promotion on travel to Spain. Seats are limited. A few weeks ago, it was Dublin, Ireland at a bargain.

Most airline deals last merely a day or two, but can be a great bargain if you're ready to pounce. The best deals, in general, can be found about 8 weeks out of when you want to travel. My suggestion is to know your price and your route and be patient. Keep checking. Also sign up for their automated fare reduction notifications. (See flightnetwork.ca) Once you mark a route, they will e-mail you each time the price drops, even if it's just $10.

I mention Delta, specifically for us in central Canada. Delta flies out of little airports, like Minot, Grand Forks and Fargo North Dakota. They are feeder planes that take you to Minneapolis in less than an hour. From Minneapolis (one of 3 main North American hubs for Delta). Delta, surprisingly, runs 5 daily flights to Minneapolis, from Minot. There really IS a convenient time every day to catch a flight.

I flew Delta this past Christmas, but out of Winnipeg. I'd do it again. But that's another story, for another day.