Register for Marriott Megabonus Now

This is a great program, and only twice a year do they offer a 2 for 1 bonus. Once registered, you stay at whichever Marriott brand hotel of your choosing and you collect points towards free nights.

During Megabonus, you only need to stay twice in order to receive a FREE future night at a category 1-4 hotel. That's a sweet deal.

You DO NEED to book your hotels directly through them in this case. Expedia, Travelocity etc will NOT count towards your bonus.

A stay is defined as one check in & one check out, regardless of the number of nights you stay. So you could stay 3 consecutive nights and earn "1 stay" or you could stay 2 separate nights, at 2 separate hotels and have your 2 stays. If you really wanted to do this in a weekend, you could.

Let's use Grand Forks, North Dakota as an example. Book the Friday night at the Springhill Suites (Marriott Brand hotel) and then check out Saturday morning and drive 2 blocks to the Fairfield Marriott hotel and check in for Saturday night. There.... 2 stays. Now, you have 1 FREE night in your account for the next time you wish to shop in Grand Forks or anywhere there's a Marriott hotel!

Registering for the Marriott frequent flier/ rewards program costs you nothing.

Lots shakin' in the travel industry.

A year ago I was amazed by some of the low ($150 tax in, return) flights to Denver being offered by Frontier Airlines out of Minot. The prices were unbelievable and it instigated a bit of a price war with United Airlines whose home hub is Denver.

This year's prices are double that. So, I started searching, and reading. It seems that Frontier Airlines was recently sold.  While I'm sure there will be seat sales, I think the glory days of $150 are gone. Frontier also struggles with bad reviews littering the Internet and citing poor customer service. I haven't flown with them, and right now I have no plans to. However, new ownership will certainly want to fly a viable company in to the future, so I would watch them to make bold changes.

Air Canada Rouge has added routes, hired hundreds of staff and are making a splash in the winter vacation market. Right now Rouge does not fly out of Winnipeg, but expect that on the horizon if things go well. Of course, you can easily connect from YWG to YYZ and take advantage of those new Rouge packages.

 ITravel2000.com, a popular Canadian booking site, has been making headline news as their company goes through some takeover struggles and job loss. However, a restructuring and strengthening plan has led them to a new agreement with Westjet which will offer some exclusive pricing and incentive packages. There is lots to read on this Canadian company before you book.

Expect travel costs to rise as our Canadian dollar is losing ground. CBC cites a number of things to watch for in their news article, including new airline surcharges. You might avoid the increases by booking now for travel later this year.

One of my favourite destinations has been in the news lately, The Bahamas. With the new BahMar Hotel opening up, there's new buzz about luxury travel in The Bahamas. On Nassau's Cable Beach, the Sheraton Hotel was recently sold and re-branded Melia. They are trying build up an all-inclusive business and compete with the likes of Breezes and Sandals on this stretch of beach.  I think they'll be in tough with BahMar less than a mile away and already nicknamed "The Bahamian Riviera."

Just today, Southwest Airlines announced their new flight paths to Caribbean Islands including The Bahamas. There will be more competition, so look for flight prices to heat up this summer. I'm happy with flights to the Bahamas in the $500 range, though I have purchased return flights as low as $283 on an exceptional sale. Atlantis Hotel and Casino has already introduced Summer pricing and incentives. They are not going to take the new competition lightly.

Vegas for Valentine's Day

This price just dropped tonight. If I wasn't working in a flower shop and taking kids to hockey that weekend, this is exactly where I would want to be.

Great price! Stay in any number of great MGM hotels. Monte Carlo is centre strip. MGM Grand has a hot nightclub scene. Or stay at Aria for amazing meals and first class romance.

Look at the price checking IN on Valentine's Day! Yikes!  So in this case, early is better.

www.westjetvacations.com
www.redtag.ca

If you're not sneaking away for a weekend, or even if you are, BOOK YOUR PLANS NOW!! Next week will be too late to book in for most great restaurants/hotels/spas.

$800 to see the Jets do that again!

Pretty amazing to see the Jets beat the Anaheim Ducks tonight, wasn't it? I bet you wish you were at that game!  Well, a quick check of flight prices & ticket prices and it's an easy Spring Break trip for you and/or the kids. And it will cost you about $800 per person, plus food and souvenirs.

Jets play the LA Kings on March 29th. Incidentally, that's the first day of school's Spring Break. The they play the Ducks on the 31st. Good tickets to the LA game will cost you about $100 off Stub Hub, while there are Club Seats for the Ducks available about $60. (AMAZING!!!) Or $8 for the cheap seats. Yes, $8 to see the Jets play!

Both Delta Airlines and United have flights to LAX & SNA on sale right now. SNA (John Wayne Airport) is smaller and really easy to manage. It's also the closest to the Anaheim Ducks home, the Honda Center.  Flying out of MOT (Minot ND) will cost you about $350 return taxes in. Flying out of YWG will run you about $450. Both are really manageable.

So, with 3 night's hotel and some taxi/shuttle charges you are looking at $800. Add another night and a full day at Disney for about $250.

This would be an awesome Spring Break!!

I have personally flown into SNA and been in the Club Seats at the Honda Center for a Ducks' game. I can and do highly recommend it.

The sooner you book, you grab a Spring Break bargain and have something amazing to look forward to. Go Jets Go!

Honda Center, Home of the Anaheim Ducks

Air Miles includes Brandon again

This week's Air Miles travel discounts include departures from Brandon once again! You can even save 40% off flights purchased with Air Miles to Hawaii.

Finding a flight that works for you is key! Some times this is hard to do with the Air Miles system. But it is always worth a try.

A 40% discounted flight will run about 3850 Air Miles to Hawaii, or at 30% discount to The Bahamas you are looking at 2965.

For half those points (1505) you can fly Westjet from Winnipeg to Vancouver, roundtrip.

If you have a little time to look and try some combinations, you could land a deal. However, considering the layovers in Calgary & Vancouver, you might actually prefer flying out of Winnipeg on this one.

Sale runs through Sunday Jan 26th.

Yellowknife on Sale

Both Air Canada and Westjet are offering 15% off flights booked from anywhere in Canada, to Yellowknife. You must book by January 24th and travel before the end of April.

Yellowknife is known as the diamond capital of Canada. If you're looking for adventure... this might be your answer.  With discounts, fares will be around $530 (tax in, return) depending on the dates and connections you choose.

A quick view of dates in February, and you could do a 4 or 5 night trip for about $1000 per person, hotel included. That would be a pretty romantic way for a Canadian guy to propose, eh? Take your girlfriend to Yellowknife, the diamond capital, and propose with a Canadian diamond under the northern lights. Ah.... 'sigh.'

New York for Valentine's Day?

Bright lights are calling you! What about a couples' getaway to New York City?
Westjet will take you there.

Seriously? St. Lucia for $879!

I'm impressed by this one. Yes, when St. Lucia is typically in that $1600 range, this stood out. Big time!

It's Westjet. The flight times are great! The hotel rates high at Trip Advisor. I'd say this one is a winner, if you can book very quickly. It will disappear (get sold out) faster than the Bahamas trip I mentioned earlier this month.

The dates of this bargain are March 25th to April 2nd.

The price as of 10:30pm on January 10th is $879 plus $171 taxes for a total of $1050 per person, double occupancy. Now, of course it's not Jade Mountain resort at St. Lucia (ranked regularly as the most glorious resort on earth) but it is also not $1500 per night.

You should definitely google Jade Mountain to see what that's all about. And if you win the lottery, please consider sending me there for a week as a gift!

Win a little Florida sunshine?

I stumbled upon this contest, open to residents of both the USA and Canada. After reading through their site, and suffering through this polar vortex we know as winter, I think it would be the most wonderful place to visit! Even if I don't win, Clearwater - St. Petersburg, Florida is definitely on my list of places to go now! 

You can enter now through April 15th, 2014. Good luck! 

photo credit: Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater

Madeira Beach Boardwalk (photo credit: Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater)

Visitors Welcome!

Eye spy Vancouver! 

It seems that we have hundreds of new visitors this week. That's wonderful and welcome! Perhaps there's a common desire to escape this polar vortex and get away somewhere warm? I know I feel it!

If you're new here, first know I'm not trying to sell you anything. Simply, I'm a travel junkie and when I spy these deals and can't go myself, I do take comfort and it warms my heart (awwww!) knowing that someone else might be able to go and benefit from the deal.

Why do I look for deals? I'm a Manitoban. Enough said?

What is a bargain? To me, a bargain is something that I would gladly pay more for. It is also good value. Value is a personal and subjective term. But just because something is cheap does not mean it's a bargain. If it seems sketchy, or can't be recommended on Trip Advisor, I'm not interested. I live for the 5 star holiday at the 2 star price.

How do you find the bargains? For the most part, I stick to three bargain hunting principals:

1. Go when others aren't going. (Like stocks, buy low and sell high.) This is as simple as travelling after major holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving.

2. If a market is being advertised, they want tourists. When they want you to visit, there are incentives. And competition among providers (like hotels) makes for better sales.

3. Keep your eyes and ears open. Twitter and other sources like airfarewatchdog.com provide some great tidbits. (Like when AFWD said flights to Boston were on sale from LAX, YVR & DEN, I thought, I wonder if they are on sale from our market too? The answer was yes.) You then just have to follow the trail that leads to the deal.

I have a job and family life, like everyone else, so I typically end up reading, researching and writing late in the evening. So watch for posts in the morning, that way YOU can capitalize on the bargain before the deals disappear.

Prices are time sensitive. That's why I use screen shots, to prove it was there. Prices can change daily or hourly. If you are prepared to act quickly, you get the best prices. As in the old Wheel of Fortune game show motto "once you buy a prize it's yours to keep!"  Meaning:  Once you click confirm and pay for your flight/hotel/package, it's done. That price/bargain is yours to keep - even if it was simply a typo or #deltaglitch. And you can buy the deal anywhere. Click expedia.ca or phone your favourite travel agent. It's up to you. Again, I'm not on commission or affiliated with anyone. Unless YOU want to hire me or pay me to travel and write about it.

I don't get paid to write, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. I might have been a best-selling author at one time, or I might be in the future. I have certainly travelled a fair bit in the last 5 years, and for the last year been documenting it here. Actually, this is an anniversary of sorts, a year blogging about travel bargains. That's 150 posts.

150 posts means there is quite a bit of solid reference material. If you wonder what bargains might appear this April, go back and read last April's blog. History often repeats itself.

I welcome your feedback and interactions. I am media friendly. Simply leave a comment, tweet me or track me down through the friend who sent you here. Whether it's 90 seconds on the radio, or a guest blog post, or even speaking at your staff meeting, we can talk.

I also LOVE MANITOBA. It's a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. But it's cold, and I strongly believe that every time you travel, and for whatever reason (work, family, entertainment) you learn something and you bring that home with you and enhance your own community.

If you want to read about my finds regularly, please sign up for the e-mail notification. It's not me e-mailing you, it's the blogger system. I won't be using the addresses for anything. I definitely don't post even half my bargains on Facebook or Twitter.

What can you do for me? Share these posts, comment here and give me encouragement to keep doing this. And definitely, give me leads and recommendations on trips you've enjoyed yourself. I'm always searching for new warm and affordable destinations.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay warm!

@cdntripseeker

7 Days Sin City $427 Taxes In

Sometimes you just need to escape.

Sometimes the budget says "road trip" and your soul screams "VACATION."

So what about a week away... $289 plus $138 in taxes, at a 4 star hotel? Sadly it's not on a beach, but it is a veritable hot spot. Or, at least 50C warmer than you are in the 204. And people say the pool there is really nice. You could just enjoy the pool area and NOT be in a parka. So where is it?

Vegas.

Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

The "catch" in this case is the flights are not direct. You have to travel either thru YYC or YEG. And it's flying out of YWG.

But this IS on road trip budget.

Now this is a full week. And it's a week that includes Super Bowl! Where is the best place on earth to watch the Super Bowl if you are not in New York AT the Super Bowl? Well, Las Vegas of course!

But what if you only wanted a couple days?
Take a look at the second screen shot. The $249 price, for 4 nights ($138 taxes) includes direct flights.
And if your flight is on time,(January 12th) you should be able to score some last minute discounted tickets to see the Zac Brown Band which is playing at the Hard Rock that very night.

But, you know me, I prefer to stay centre strip, where all the action is. And in Vegas, a little enhancement of the budget and you are REALLY going 5 star.

So why not a week at the Cosmopolitan or Aria? Both are amazing. And a typical week at either will normally cost you about $1200.

This is, of course, the kind of deal that makes me want to pull my hair out. I really would LOVE to just chill at Aria for a week, eating crepes and drinking Baileys. But, alas it's not in the cards. With hockey games and a new puppy, well, I'm on an 8 foot leash myself.

Basically, all Vegas is cheap in January. The prices only go up from here, until November when it will be super-el-cheapo again. (sigh)

Just go to westjetvacations.com and find yourself an escape! Prices shown as as of January 8th.

$25 off Hotwire

Take $25 off your next hotel stay with Hotwire, just for downloading their APP.

See the Boston Red Sox

Are you a baseball fan? Wouldn't it be amazing to see the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox play at Fenway Park?  Yes it would! And if you start planning the trip now, you'll nab a bargain.

Delta Airlines has Boston (BOS) Logan Airport on sale NOW. This is true for dozens of departure cities across North America.  In some cases, flights are about 40% off. Sale dates appear straight through until August.

Sales and preferred dates don't last long. I'm guessing you have a 2-3 day window to book your flight. After that you can take your time booking the rest of your baseball dream trip. You might even want to rent a car for a day or two and see Cape Cod and the ocean. How about a seaside lobster roll? Doesn't that sound like a well-rounded week? Now you can sell it as a couples' vacation to your spouse! LOL

Step by step: 

1. Go to the Boston Red Sox schedule and pick the game(s) you like. Baseball often plays 2-4 days in a row at home. This should give you a chance to pick a couple different opponents you wish to see. (Make sure your dates don't align with major holidays/events, unless you wish to pay more)

2. Run your dates through an iphone app like "On The Fly" to get flight prices. (See screen shots below.) Or, go straight to Delta.com. You can then book through whatever travel service you like. If you want to double dip.... go to airmilesshops.ca and then click through to expedia.ca. You will be booking through a trusted operator, plus collecting Air Miles on the value of your purchase. (Which of course, when accumulated can later be used towards a different trip. See how I do this? )

3. Get tickets to the games. Cheapest thru the Boston Red Sox site, but you can also use Stubhub.com if you are looking to score particular seats or a game that is normally hard to get tickets to. Expect to pay more.

4. Watch for hotel deals near Fenway. This is the easy part. No rush...though good to start looking now and watch for loyalty specials with your favourite chain.

Total estimated costs per person:

Flights: $365
Tickets $100 (2 games)
Cabs to/from airport: $35*
Hotels 5 nights $300*
-----------------------------
$800

*Cost split between 2 people
Food/souveniers/tours extra

For my examples I have searched and chosen May 28-31st games. You could see the Atlanta Braves and the Tampa Bay Rays.  There are substantial savings with this flight sale. Best rates are out of GFK. You can choose flight times in both directions that do NOT NECESSITATE an overnight stay in Grand Forks. Awesome flight times available. ***If you don't already have a Delta Skymiles loyalty account. Make sure to sign up first. It costs nothing!

Now that you're booked, enjoy! You've got something amazing to look forward to this summer!

Creatures of the Caymans

There are days when the trip budget goes out the window and other days when frugal fun is all you'll get. Our port tour in the Grand Caymans was just that... a frugal fun day. 

We spent the day on the famed Seven Mile Beach and rather than paying for a tour to Stingray City or swimming with dolphins, we took our chances and I created our own little game called "Counting Creatures of the Caymans." 

We were still on the dock when he spied these fish!

My no-budget game was simply a challenge to my son to spy marine and wildlife while we were on the beach. He saw much more than I anticipated and he had an absolutely great time! Actually, we both did! Did I mention it was free? 

I was in charge of the camera and tried my best to photograph everything he saw. I used an Olympus Stylus Tough camera. It's been on more than a dozen adventures with us. It's a good little underwater camera and perfect for kids. "Tough" means it will survive (and has) a few falls and mishaps. 

I haven't edited or enhanced any of these photos. 

Water so clear you could see everything! 

You'll have to look closely for these fish. (underwater pic)

Schools of yellow "Nemos" as he called them. (Underwater)

Sea urchin. Glad we didn't step on it! (Underwater)

My "C" monkey (Underwater) 

Chicks and a rooster right on the beach!
As far as I could tell no one was feeding them.
They were just scavenging for fallen fruit off the trees. 

Imagine my surprise when he yelled, "chickens!"

Hit the Internet Highway

What a frostbitten freaking cold day, eh? Makes you want to do a little research on a hot vacation doesn't it?

I love to write and travel but I'm by no means worldly. I haven't seen it all and I haven't done it all. And guess what? I actually have no desire to. At this point I'm not planning any trips to Asia, Antarctica or even Australia. But if you are inspired to do it, I say "GO FOR IT!" Travel wherever you heart and wallet would love to go. I'll even buy your coffee when you get home so I can hear all about it!

There are sooooo many travel blogs better than mine. Here are just a few to fuel your travel fire and get you through this cold, cold week!

1. Toque and Canoe - Truly Canadian!

2. Mike's Road Trip - Incase you're thinking of packing up the kids and hitting the open highway.

3. Dream a Little Dream - They've been everywhere, man.

4. Uncommon Caribbean - So beautiful and thorough. Pick an island!

5. Dave & Deb Travel - A Canadian couple going places. Specializing in couples' trips.


And if Twitter's your thing, make sure to follow these savvy travellers.

@spencerspellman

@mrsaroundtheworld

@hlooman

@Roamingblog

@theplanetd

Prices on the rise

After a waste of a couple hours, I can honestly say this is a lousy week to book a bargain vacation. There just aren't any eye-opening ones popping up no matter how hard I look.

And even a quick search of last week's bargains reveal price increases.  For example, the 5 star resort in Freeport, Bahamas has increased $190 per person on the EXACT vacation.

What's the reason for this? There are a few things it could be.

1. Supply and demand pricing. With cold weather across the country, more people are looking to getaway

2. Major airlines are offering big sales on TV and their "sales" aren't often the best bargains.

3. Canadian dollar has dipped. Perhaps the airline has increased price to reflect cost of goods/services.

So, if you haven't booked a February getaway yet, I'd suggest you give it a week. See what surfaces next Tuesday when prices are likely to fluctuate again.

Tiki Beach - Grand Cayman

Less than six weeks ago, I was on a gorgeous stretch of 7 Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. It was as beautiful as they say in Travel & Leisure Magazine where it is ranked among the best beaches in the world.

CJ and I found ourselves there thanks to Disney Cruise Line. It was a port excursion that was available to us on our recent cruise.

The sand was white and soft as anything. The water was crystal clear and clean, a gorgeous Caribbean blue colour. There were top quality restrooms, lounge chairs, security/lifeguards and dining. Tiki Beach had everything we needed for a fantastic day.

Can you leave this Monday?

Take the week off? Simply $1500 gets you a couples' week on a beach in the Dominican Republic.
Air Transat has a very last minute sale at a price you simply can not beat. That's taxes, food, drinks... everything their All Inclusive offers at a 4 star Barcelo Resort, right on the beach. $750 per person. Yes, that's it. Here's proof:

Bargain found by tripcentral.ca on January 4th.

You can also book at airtransat.ca

Recent reviews are moderate at trip advisor. You should read them for yourself before packing your bags.

Spend more... and you'll get more, however, if you are desperate to get out of the deep freeze in the "204" and you just need to see a beach, this might be the last minute ticket you've been waiting for.

How about Grenada?

Known as the spice islands, Grenada is a tropical Caribbean destination offered by Air Canada Vacations. A quick search of the next 3 months shows a favourable price leaving February 2nd.

As always, I suggest you read recent trip advisor reviews for further information.

Brandon to Hawaii on Air Miles Sale!

Holy Hanna-Banana Brandon is included on an Air Miles flight sale and it is to HAWAII!!!!

If you are a gold collector you can fly now, until March 5th for about 4500 miles depending on duration and dates selected.  DREAM. COME. TRUE.

Of course, I won't be going because I cashed in all my miles to see Rod Stewart in Vegas this past November, but YOU can!

This sale is only on until Sunday January 5th. Air Miles discount flights change every Monday morning.  Yes, Hawaii applies to Winnipeg (YWG) departures as well.

You will pay the taxes, plus your hotel. Choose a condo and make some of your own meals and you will be enjoying a thrifty, dream trip to Hawaii before the snow melts in Manitoba.

This is "regular" Air Miles fare. Gold takes 30% off making it 4500.

Look, it says Brandon! Use airport code YBR when you search. 

Late January Quickies

Here's an assortment of vacation getaways from Westjet.com. They range from a quick 3 day escape, to a glorious week on a beach. Prices are more than reasonable. Each is leaving from Winnipeg. (YWG)