Fares and Finds

Travel Tips and Deals for Maritimers

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Finding An Affordable Week In Europe Despite High Airfares

When checking Google Flights, it seems that low fares Halifax to Europe in the next few months are relatively scarce. In spite of that, I set out to find a few examples of week-long trips to Europe that are less than $1500 per person for flight and accommodation. Instead of just hunting for the cheapest airfares, I looked for interesting places where you can find good lodging at a reasonable price. [Read more…]

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I Bought A SPIbelt – A Travel Item I Didn’t Know Existed

A few weeks ago Mountain Equipment Co-op emailed me a coupon code for $10 off a purchase either in-store or online. At first I was going to let it pass because free shipping requires a $50 minimum purchase. Picking up at the store would necessitate a trip to Halifax and I didn’t know when that would happen. Fortunately, I received another email about a one day promo for free shipping with no spending requirement. So I looked around the website and discovered an interesting potential purchase. [Read more…]

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We Booked A WestJet Member Exclusive Fare – Was It The Right Move?

I recently wrote about the annual passholder discount for the onsite hotels at Universal Studios in Orlando. The 3 hotels in the premier category offer the added perk of unlimited express access to many attractions in the parks. Upon finding 2 nights at the lowest rate, we made a speculative booking. We also booked a nearby Doubletree on Hilton points for the arrival night. A couple of days ago we went ahead and booked a flight. [Read more…]

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Interesting Stopovers On One-Way Alaska Miles Flights From Halifax

I previously wrote about ways you can collect and use Alaska Mileage Plan miles. The flights for which you can redeem these miles are relatively few out of Halifax. Still, within those options are further opportunities to maximize the value of your miles by including an extra destination in your trip. Alaska Mileage Plan generously allows one to add a free stopover on a one-way redemption. I played around on the Alaska Airlines website to see what possibilities exist and there are some interesting ones. [Read more…]

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Universal Orlando Hotel AP Rates – Confusion, Perseverance And Deals

About a year ago we booked 2 nights at one of the 3 deluxe onsite hotels at Universal Orlando as part of a short December trip. We took advantage of a great opportunity to get a rate that is somehow both a bargain and a splurge. Our other nights were spent at a nearby Best Western on points. It worked out so well that we decided to try again this year. However, the website is doing strange things. We did eventually find a rate similar to last year so we made a speculative cancellable booking in case we decide to do a repeat trip. [Read more…]

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Saving On Accommodation In The Maritimes

I had the flights all picked out on Aeroplan in business class. There was availability on the preferred airlines on the right dates. The hotel points were ready to go. My father had mentioned wanting to take another jaunt over to Europe and it seemed like a great trip was in the making. But when it came time to pull the trigger, the urge to go overseas faded. It was replaced with a desire to visit more exotic places…like Parrsboro or New Ross. [Read more…]

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Seasonal Sweet Spot – New York City & Washington

In the travel sphere one often hears mention of the “off season” or “high season” or “shoulder season”. Those terms refer to periods of the year when a destination is either especially busy and expensive or relatively cheap when hotel occupancy numbers are low. Sometimes you can also find a sort of micro-season when a few days buck the trend of that period. I wrote a post on the blog last month about great hotel rates in Chicago over the first week of July. Another such phenomenon exists for New York City and Washington, DC in late November. [Read more…]