Bet on World Series Baseball?

A few weeks ago I wrote of an amazing price to Los Angeles, California this fall.

Well, some of those bargain prices are still hanging around.  Currently, $337 includes taxes, return flight from Winnipeg airport. (Screenshot from October 2nd)

This is an amazing week to go if you are a baseball fan. If the LA Dodgers win the National League, their World Series home games would take place October 30-November 1st.  (click to see the whole post season schedule.)

Now, if you're a Blue Jay's fan, wouldn't it be AMAZING to see a Dodgers/Jays World Series?

But you also like hockey too? Well, the Staples Center is just down the road from Dodger's stadium. Perhaps you'd like to take in a Kings' game as well?  They host the Nashville Predators on Saturday Night, Oct 31st.

You can pair the flight with a hotel through Expedia.ca and save a few dollars there, booking together. Or, you might like to use Hotwire and book a hotel in the area using their blind purchase system.

Tickets to the baseball games will be pricy. But wouldn't this once-in-a-lifetime California trip be one to remember?

Fast 5 Travel Tips: Your kid belongs in the club seats

There was a time that I chose my season tickets to our local WHL hockey team with only one thing in mind....the distance to the men's washroom.  So it should come as no surprise that I'm selective about where I sit with my kids in any arena or stadium.

If you're the mom or dad of young boys, I know I don't need to explain. For those non-parents of boys, I'll simply explain by saying, there is no such thing as advance warning. It's an emergency pretty much every single time.

Now, to get back to the topic at hand. Why on earth would anyone spend extra dough to have an 8 year old sit in one of the most expensive seats in the stadium/rink?

1) You minimize the disruption to other fans. There are more aisle seats, is more leg room, better sight lines and usually waitress service at the seats. No need to jump up and 'excuse me' every time your child wants popcorn, a coke, or a pretzel. You might actually see more of the game!

2) Security. There is no access to club level without a ticket. And with ushers at every entrance and less than 20% of total audience on club level, the risk of your child wandering off or getting lost in a huge crowd is minimized.

3) Washroom access. This alone is worth the extra $20. Club level has more washrooms, and they are better washrooms. And for me, the mom of a boy, I know that the longer he is out of my sight and waiting in a line, the more I stress.  And vice versa. He is more likely to panic if he is alone, waiting outside the ladies' room for more than 3 minutes. This really isn't a huge issue if you are travelling as a family, or with a same-sex child, BUT it is absolutely a HUGE issue when you are taking a youngster who is too old or is resistant to a family washroom. And no boy wants to be traumatized by his mother racing him into the ladies' room begging to cut in line because it's an 'emergency.'

4) Autographs and opportunities. At the recent Denver Broncos game that we attended, there were alumni players and current cheerleaders shaking hands and offering autographs.  There is always something extra taking place on the club level. You also have a very relaxed and comfortable area, with lots of seating where you can wait out a rain delay, or watch the other league games on TV. In Denver, my son wanted to sit by the fireplace and eat an ice cream sundae during half time. Not only was it possible, it's probably one of the things etched in his memory from the event.

5) Better food. At both the Arizona Cardinals and the Denver Broncos stadiums, I had a carved roast beef sandwich. Actual attendant, actually carving, actual roast beef. Not a hot dog off a roller! The roast beef sandwich and chips in Denver cost $10.  There was also a chef's corner with a menu inspired by the day's visiting team. $14 a plate. For dessert there were gourmet cupcakes for sale. I bought a mini-pack for $6. How could you not?

Before you condemn me for spoiling my son, know that he has had, and will have many more opportunities to sit on freezing metal benches, eating taco-in-a-bag from the canteen, in a community rink watching his brother play hockey, than anything else. But on the very rare occasion we get to see a professional league game, I want it to be a memorable and positive experience for both of us. The cost of 'A seat' versus the cost of 'a CLUB seat' is less than you think. I rationalize it by skipping the souvenir booth and taking photos instead.

• At Coors Field, we paid $40 per club ticket, rather than $29 for a regular first baseline ticket. 
• In Anaheim at the Ducks game, we paid $75 per club ticket, rather than $180 for rink side seats or $39 nosebleed seats. 
• In Denver (pre-season) we paid $100 for club seats, rather than $300 for sideline seats, or $69 for balcony level seats. 

Stubhub.com offers tickets to any game, and can offer savings over Ticketmaster. It all depends on how popular the game is, and when you buy the tickets. The price of the ticket is only one factor in your total event cost. When you look at the big picture and consider concessions, parking, travel, souvenirs and convenience, you might see things my way. And if, over a lifetime, you only get the chance to attend maybe 6 professional events with your child, isn't it truly a good time to splurge and really make the most of your time together?

C'mon kids... we're sitting in the club seats tonight!

Home of the Braves

Some of my best travel stories have come from detours and wrong turns. Like the night we ended up in Atlanta, at the Braves game.

We were on a flight from Minot, North Dakota thru to Nassau, Bahamas, via Atlanta airport. That's when and where we were delayed and bumped overnight to the next flight. Delta Airlines set us up with a nearby hotel and meals (plus future flight credits) for the inconvenience.

With a free evening in Atlanta, I looked up and found a Major League Baseball (MLB) game starting in 2 hours. We rushed to the stadium only to find out it was a sold out game. Turns out this October night was the one-game playoff to determine which team got the wildcard into the playoffs.  It was the Atlanta Braves vs the St. Louis Cardinals.

The automated ticket kiosks only offered standing room tickets to this big game. I passed. Next up, the scalpers. "C'mon kids, mom's going to make some new friends." But all they had to offer were single seats.

As a last resort, I went to the on site Box Office.  "Don't suppose you have 4 tickets for the game? We're Canadian and my kids have never seen a live MLB game...."  I didn't even have to finish the sentence before the clerk said she had great seats right behind home plate. The visitors (Cardinals) just released their team seats. We could sit right behind the Anthem Singer and special guests. Tickets were $40 each and we were in!

A quick stop at the souvenir booth for a couple of Braves' shirts and hats, and we were cheering for the home team!

It was a heck of a game! But better than that it was an EXPERIENCE. Since then, each of my kids has gone to 2 other stadiums to see 2 more games. Our spontaneous detour in Atlanta helped to ignite a passion for the live game.  A MLB game, with a cold lemonade and an Oscar Mayer hot dog... well, it's hard to beat. One of those must-do events when you travel through America with your kids.

Blue Jays vs Yankees?

If your idea of an epic sports trip is watching the Blue Jays vs the Boston Red Sox, you're in luck.

If your idea of an epic sports trip is watching the Blue Jays vs the NY Yankees, you're in luck.

If you're idea of EPIC is seeing all this in one weekend, you better sit down, take a deep breath and then find your credit card.

Will there be another year when the rivalries are this heated? Will the Jays be contenders next year?

Check out this schedule:

Now, since you're going to need some money for tickets and souvenirs, you might want to save $300 on flights, and instead of paying retail, cash in your Air Miles for the flight. (If you pay retail for the flights it's $420 if you book asap) 

Cashing in your Air Miles will be at a very affordable rate of 1600 Air Miles and just $123 in taxes. You can put the savings towards tickets or the hotel. 

A quick glance at Stub Hub says you can have game tickets for about $30 each. They won't be great seats, but you're in the building. (Also check Ticketmaster.ca for seats)  So 3 games for about $100, plus flight tax, and hotel (split with a buddy) $300. Plus hot dogs ($11 each) and a few beers ($12 each) I'll estimate $650 for your epic weekend per person. 

Worthy of the EPIC WEEKEND title, if you're a baseball fan.  

Don't wait on any of this. as the pennant race heats up, so will ticket prices, hotels etc. 

I've actually done this Blue Jays trip before and watched them play the Boston Red Sox, so if you have any questions, I have the personal experience to answer them. (We stayed at the Doubletree Hotel, a place we picked up off of Hotwire.)   We had a great time, of course, there's something special about an MLB game that you just have to experience for yourself. 

My Travel Lesson

It wasn't an easy or inexpensive to lesson to learn... but I believe in the future, I will stick to betting my travel dollars on sporting events, rather than aging rock stars.

You see, I travelled to Las Vegas to go see Rod Stewart perform at Caesar's Palace. (End of July 2013). For this event, I purchased fancy gold shoes, and a gorgeous black dress. I also stopped in at the Bellagio Salon & Spa for an updo and makeup especially for the concert evening.

Alas, when we arrived 30 minutes before the scheduled show (July 31st) we were advised the show had just been cancelled. As were were informed, the performer wasn't comfortable with his voice at sound check and decided to cancel the whole show at the last minute.

I was devastated! Not that it was going to be the highlight of my life or anything, but it certainly was an enormous let down.

Then, I felt ripped off. There was no alternative presented by Caesar's staff. No compensation or significant effort to salvage the evening. Yes, they made suggestion for alternate Vegas shows we "might" be able to get tickets to at late/last minute tickets but I hardly wanted to zip into a cab and hope to get into a performance of "O" down the street, or Carrot Top or the like. I wasn't dressed for Carrot Top and at this point I certainly wasn't in the mood to laugh. If Rod Stewart was in the building... damn it, I wanted him to sing to me.

Sadly, we were not able to re-bound from the disappointment and salvage the mini-vacation. 12 hours later I was at the airport and heading for home on our scheduled flight. The next day I was right back to work where I would genuinely work the next 30 consecutive days and nights.

When days off are so precious and far between, you want them to be memorable. Not a huge waste of planning energy and money.

Frankly, I fume when I think of all I had to co-ordinate to get these 3 days off, and everything I had to plan around just to make attending a concert possible. Staffing for the restaurant, 3 days with an out-of-town sitter for the kids, and a kennel for the dogs. Plus airfare, accommodations, parking, meals, and well.... that makeover.  GRRRRRR!!!

Had the concert happened and I'd sung along to "You're in my heart" I would have been a very happy and beautifully dressed lady, with a great story to tell and a memory for the scrapbook. But that didn't happen.

And for more than a week, I didn't think my concert tickets were going to be refunded. Even though I bought them direct from the concert company, I was initially offered an exchange for future tickets, not a refund and I was very unhappy. I wanted my money back. There wasn't going to be a future concert date for me.

But ultimately I did get a refund of my total purchase price to my credit card. So that was good.
Now of course there's no refund for the dress I only wore for an hour, but I guess that's life. At least I didn't cry and ruin my $100 face.

So, here's the lesson.  Hockey players don't cancel and football players finish the game even with broken ribs! So I'm going to pay to see them.  Sure, there was a delay of game at the Superbowl when the power went out.... but they didn't CANCEL!

Therefore, into the future I will pin my hopes and hard earned time off on professional sporting events. I will forgo the dress and buy a jersey. No makeup required and rather than sing along I'll scream and cheer for goals. My voice is better suited to that purpose anyway! LOL And if I'm going to travel, let's hope the host stadium/arena has club seats. If I want to watch little league and sit in bleachers, I'll do that at home. If I'm going to see the pros....  well, I'm willing to pay for it. But there sure as heck ought to be a show!

So there's my newest life lesson, in your choice of formats!  "Bet on the game. Not an aging rock star..... Travel to see the team, not the tease. Somethings are better on the radio.... but the game isn't one of them."

Now, I need to sign off and Google an NFL schedule!!! I have some ticket money and a few flight credits burning a hole in my pocket!