Anyone got any travel planned?

[travelover]

For a long time I had lots of frequent flyer miles so we never had to buy airline tickets. Now that my miles are about gone, we are buying tickets. The way that the prices change is driving me crazy. How do you decide the best time/price to buy?

On domestic flights, I try to fly Southwest. If the price goes down (I watch it), I can re-book and bank the difference as a credit.

 

[Sunset]

Pricing is not very predictable, IMHO. ......
Basically, I set the amount I think is reasonable and try to find the best deal under that. .....

+1
This way I probably won't get the best price, but I won't stupidly pay the highest either.
When I see the right price, I pounce.

 

[Johanson]

I'm off to Athens on Thursday. I'm just staying until the following Tuesday. It was less than $450 RT from MSP.

 

[Bamaman]

Just finishing up preparing a boat for a delivery from Chattanooga to Ft. Myers, leaving tomorrow. Should be an interesting ride down to Mobile and across the Panhandle and Big Bend.

You'll be coming right by our house on Lake Wilson. Your first 250 miles should be nice, however when you turn south into the Tenn/Tombigbee Waterway, it's going to be 400 miles of dull. They also have very few facilities and boat docks on "The Big Ditch."

Once you get to Mobile and along the Gulf Coast, things will be different.

After a winter of 70 degree days, we're experiencing snow on 3/12--something we've never seen this late in Winter. Hope your starting day is not snowy.

 

[brett]

Heading back to Panama City, Panama after 8 days in Boquete and 10 days in Play Hermosa and Playa Carrillo, Costa Rica. Then home to colder weather and snow.

 

[Fedup]

Just finished booking for all our trips this year. One to a USA National Park near Las Vegas. Got to use my husband's free senior pass. One to go to Canada for the free National Park, plus to take advantage of the strong dollar compare to the CDN, I hope it stays low. One for a graduation celebration trip to Hawaii. Yeah for no more tuition check. But it's going to be a low key year for traveling because we are planning 2 big overseas trips next year. One to South Pacific, New Zealand, Sydney and possibly one Asia country, not sure which, for about 6 weeks. Then we are going to Europe for about 12 weeks, not quite 4 months like last year.

 

[explanade]

Just finished booking for all our trips this year. One to a USA National Park near Las Vegas. Got to use my husband's free senior pass. One to go to Canada for the free National Park, plus to take advantage of the strong dollar compare to the CDN, I hope it stays low. One for a graduation celebration trip to Hawaii. Yeah for no more tuition check. But it's going to be a low key year for traveling because we are planning 2 big overseas trips next year. One to South Pacific, New Zealand, Sydney and possibly one Asia country, not sure which, for about 6 weeks. Then we are going to Europe for about 12 weeks, not quite 4 months like last year.

I was looking at going to Banff and Jasper.

The hotel rates in Banff, after tax, is $400 a night for many places in the summer.

And many of those places are little more than glorified motels.

Some Canadians on the TA forums say they're going elsewhere, some part south of Banff where the hotel rates aren't so crazy.

They think the hotels are taking advantage of the exchange rate to gouge Americans and Europeans.

 

[Fedup]

I was looking at going to Banff and Jasper.

The hotel rates in Banff, after tax, is $400 a night for many places in the summer.

And many of those places are little more than glorified motels.

Some Canadians on the TA forums say they're going elsewhere, some part south of Banff where the hotel rates aren't so crazy.

They think the hotels are taking advantage of the exchange rate to gouge Americans and Europeans.

I thought I was going to stay at the Fairmont but my husband and realized we dont want to be ripped off either. We are paying around $300. But I think if you read online forum, there is a closer place cheaper. I forgot the name of the town.
But for us, I consider we're lucky if we don't get mauled by a bear so that's my main focus.

 

[explanade]

I was looking at places in Banff, figuring it would be better to be near the amenities.

Looked at some in Canmore and it wasn't much cheaper. Even some out of town were expensive.

The one place by Moraine Lake was ridiculously expensive as was the Lake Louise Fairmont.

It's not known if they raised rates in anticipation of the free parks bringing in more people. That would be ridiculous since the pass is only like $20.

I think they said demand has been increasing consistently so it wasn't much cheaper last year.

 

[Fedup]

I don't think the free park is the reason, maybe because it's the strong dollar, more Americans will go. I wasn't thinking the Fairmont at Lake Louis either, they are in the category of fleecing, but I was thinking of the Fairmont in Banff, it's just as expensive, a few hundred cheaper than the Fairmont in Lake Louis. But I will definitely spend as much time there if I can, without sleeping, it's almost as good.

 

[explanade]

I honestly think, based on a quick look, that you can take a trip to the Alps -- Switzerland, Bavaria, Austrian Tyrol -- for less than it costs to visit Banff if you're going for say 2 weeks because of the differential in hotel costs. Including airfare!

 

[Bestwifeever]

For a long time I had lots of frequent flyer miles so we never had to buy airline tickets. Now that my miles are about gone, we are buying tickets. The way that the prices change is driving me crazy. How do you decide the best time/price to buy?

We just booked a little more than four months ahead of time for a trip to Germany. We need to be there at a specific date so didn't want to put it off and summer can be crazy (and a lot of people might be taking advantage of the strong dollar this summer).

OTOH we planned an upcoming trip to the British Isles around the sale airfare as the date didn't matter to us at all.

Once we book we let the prices go and don't keep on top of whether we might have saved $$ had we waited.

 

[explanade]

There are some travel bloggers who will send email alerts for every article they post. It's usually to pump up credit card deals, because the links they have to these credit card offers give them some kind of referral fees.

But they also send notices of flash sales, usually on lesser-known airlines. Sometimes, you can get $300 tickets to Europe where the airfare itself is minimal but most of it is taxes and fees.

You don't always get the schedule you want and the bloggers are touting these deals as a way to get to some place in Europe, often in Iceland or Oslo, and then buying a separate ticket if you want to get to France or Italy.

I don't pay attention to these deals because I'm trying to buy flights to get status and bank miles but if I was looking to save as much as money as possible, I'd probably look into them.

 

[Fedup]

I honestly think, based on a quick look, that you can take a trip to the Alps -- Switzerland, Bavaria, Austrian Tyrol -- for less than it costs to visit Banff if you're going for say 2 weeks because of the differential in hotel costs. Including airfare!

The airfare is cheaper from where I am. I'm only going to stay there one week and then to Vancouver for one week. The hotel in Vancouver is 1/3 the price for a luxury 5 stars hotel. I need to space out my Europe trip otherwise I might not want to see it as often.

 

[explanade]

Sure airfare to Calgary is definitely cheaper.

But I see some nice hotels in Tyrollean Austria in August for under €100 which I believe includes half board.

Compare that to paying $1500 and up for 4-5 nights in Banff.

 

[Lsbcal]

We planned early on a Canada trip after missing last year because many good hotels were booked by February. So we will be in Banff, Jasper, and Wolverton. Haven't been up there since about 1980. I'm prepared to have to pay up a bit for meals as July is the high season.

We like to do day hikes and take our watercolor sketch stuff with small lightweight 3 leg stools.

I'm thinking, especially in Banff it would be good to beat hikers to some of the trails by getting up early and out. Probably helps to eat an early dinner to beat crowded restaurants. I hate crowds but sometimes one has to compromise. It could not be worse then Yosemite Valley in the summer, could it?

 

[Mango1956]

We are planning a road trip to Escalante, Utah in early-mid April and will camp and mabye cabin/Airbnb along the way. We are investing in camp cots, larger tent and better stove to make camping more comfortable. Utah and Nevada tend to have showers in the parks-big plus! Will go out Hole in the Rock road, and do a night or two dispersed camping (self contained, byo water, etc.) The skies out there are supposed to be so beautiful at night, and we're hoping the weather cooperates so we can sleep under the stars. Hiking Coyote Gulch, and maybe a few others off the road if we can manage to not get lost. I figure that's where the GPS comes in. The desert beckons!

 

[braumeister]

Heading to Switzerland in a week or so. Never spent any time there so we're looking forward to it. We'll be near the Victorinox (Swiss Army) flagship store in Zurich, so I suspect I'll be the proverbial kid in a candy store.

 

[brett]

We recently returned home from a trip that included Panama and Costa Rica. It was a great trip and we enjoyed it very much.

Costa Rica was bit of a surprise. We spent six weeks there four years ago. We really noticed the inflation over that time. Especially in the grocery stores and in the clothing stores.

We also found prices in Panama to be higher than we expected. Our friends in Panama are expats who have lived there, and operated a hospitality business, for the past 25 years. We asked them about those articles that list the best places to retire. Places like Equador, Panama, Costa Rica.

They claim much of that so called advice is salted/planted by the firms that build retirement communities in those countries. They claim that where they live, fifty percent of the people who move there to retire leave within the first year. Cannot imagine why someone would move there and buy without first renting for a period of time.

 

[Johnora]

Heading out in a few days for a California Coastal cruise for a week with grown kids and grandson. Entertaining some friends from Australia when we get back, then heading over to the Oregon Coast to visit more family in May. Then finally a nice romantic cruise for just me and DW in November in the Caribbean. I do love that retirement has opened up my travel window's and I can take advantage of some screaming good prices.
We will take both cruises for less than what we paid for one at peak time in 2011.

 

[HFWR]

Pretty full year ahead, though nothing exotic. In a couple of weeks I'm meeting a lady friend for a weekend in Memphis. Then, a week or so in Kentuckiana, or Indyucky, as a friend calls it, for some Derby festivities. July is the annual houseboat extravaganza on Dale Hollow Lake. Late August is a trip to Yellowstone. Then, in November, a short road trip to Austin to see John McLaughlin and Jimmy Herring, purported to be McLaughlin's last American tour, which will include some Mahavishnu Orchestra material.

That's enough travel for one year...

 

[MichaelB]

Heading to Switzerland in a week or so. Never spent any time there so we're looking forward to it. We'll be near the Victorinox (Swiss Army) flagship store in Zurich, so I suspect I'll be the proverbial kid in a candy store.

That sounds pretty cool. No concerns about getting your purchases back home in unlocked luggage?

 

[braumeister]

That sounds pretty cool. No concerns about getting your purchases back home in unlocked luggage?

Oh, definitely an issue, but I've never had anything stolen from my luggage so I'm optimistic. I've heard the prices at the flagship store are much lower than anywhere else, so it should be a fun shopping experience.

 

[Lsbcal]

We are planning a road trip to Escalante, Utah in early-mid April and will camp and mabye cabin/Airbnb along the way. We are investing in camp cots, larger tent and better stove to make camping more comfortable. Utah and Nevada tend to have showers in the parks-big plus! Will go out Hole in the Rock road, and do a night or two dispersed camping (self contained, byo water, etc.) The skies out there are supposed to be so beautiful at night, and we're hoping the weather cooperates so we can sleep under the stars. Hiking Coyote Gulch, and maybe a few others off the road if we can manage to not get lost. I figure that's where the GPS comes in. The desert beckons!

We have driven through there when going between Bryce and Capital Reef National Parks. The weather can be quite cool to cold in April I think. May might be better timing. Perhaps others here have an opinion. Here is one weather source but only gives Bryce not Escalante. https://weatherspark.com/averages/29719/Bryce-Canyon-Utah-United-States

 

[Mango1956]

We have driven through there when going between Bryce and Capital Reef National Parks. The weather can be quite cool to cold in April I think. May might be better timing. Perhaps others here have an opinion. Here is one weather source but only gives Bryce not Escalante. https://weatherspark.com/averages/29719/Bryce-Canyon-Utah-United-States

Yes, we're having the conversation about going in May instead for that very reason. Watching the extended forecast closely and hoping for a warming trend. Nothing worse than camping and being cold. We visited Escalante twenty years ago right after the establishment of the Grand Staircase monument. Did some day hikes, and loved it. Now that we have high clearance AWD, we can venture out farther on the non paved roads which access the more remote hikes.