Article prepared and submitted by Bob McKechnie, Dec. 2022.
In describing recent travels that my partner and I took (to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand) with guys in the VRMNC hiking group, several members suggested I submit an article with some tips on how to find affordable travel options.
For some, a travel agent is the best and most convenient way to arrange travel. This article describes some alternatives. Hope some of you finds some useful tips here!
A few ways to do planning for a trip:
1. Self planned: Self built itinerary travel is generally the most flexible, and easy to change on the go. It also takes the most time to plan and prepare. Purchase travel guide books for destinations you are interested in, and shop for affordable flights on such sites as Google Flights, Kayak, etc. Common guidebooks brands are Rick Steves (he also provides a very informative website), and Lonely Planet books. Munro’s Books, Bolen Books, and other books shops have good selections. This involves a lot of reading, looking at travel blogs submitted by other travelers, reviews, and booking one’s own hotels through such sites as Booking.com, Airbnb, and VRBO. Hostels in some cities are a treat, where you meet travelers of all generations who are adventuresome. The Community Hostel in Quito, Ecuador is one such hostel we enjoyed.
2. Group tour packages, and self guided tours. These are the easiest to book and prepare for. They have multiple price categories, usually based on accommodation rating and extras that you may or may not want to pay for (e.g. alcohol included). Our recent SE Asia tour was rated for 3 star hotels, and we found the hotels to be fine.
Exoticca is an example of one international tour operator. They provide cost effective packages, with fixed flight dates to and from Vancouver airport (you make your own way to YVR), airfare with reliable airlines (e.g. Air Canada). To view Travelzoo one signs up for their weekly newsletter, emailed directly to you.
https://www.exoticca.com/ca/search?size=n_20_n
GAdventures is a Canadian based tour company which offers trips worldwide. Priced a little higher, reviews indicate most users find their tours worthwhile.
https://www.gadventures.com/
There are many tour companies available. The above are just samples of ones we’ve had experience with.
3. Third party services that summarize “deals” that are available. These brokers, or non profit community information sharing sites, usually provide you with advice on pros and cons of the deal offered, the tour operators reliability, etc.
Travelzoo: This service assesses deals, arranges discount prices, and gets a kickback from the tour company when a customer clicks to book through the Travelzoo site. Travelzoo does not charge the customer a fee. Included in the listing is a summary of ‘Why We Love This Deal.’ To view Travelzoo one signs up for their weekly newsletter, and you receive emails with the details of their “Top 20” deals.
https://www.travelzoo.com/ca/
YVR Deals: This nonprofit service is offered by a fellow from Vancouver who loves to travel, and runs this free site (funded with ad revenue) of travel deals that work when travelling from the Vancouver area, and often mentions when connection options from Victoria are included. You can also set this up to receive email alerts, such as for seat sales.
https://www.yvrdeals.com
Enjoy your travels! Submitted by Bob McKechnie
