Off Topic Part Cinq

[ashenflowers 5]

That reminds me, anyone who is traveling to Canada ANYWHERE near a border town, and by that I mean 2 hours from the border, or so... I strongly recommend flying to the nearest U.S. border city and then renting a car, or taking an airport shuttle to your Canadian destination. You will literally save hundreds of dollars by not flying to a Canadian destination. I can't remember if we've discussed this on VJ before or not.

[Colleens 40]

Sounds like a great deal, have a wonderful time!

I've used Priceline for hotels but never flights. Do you get to choose your airline and approximate times or just the destination?

You basically only get to choose the dates. Your flights can leave anywhere from 6am to 10pm, and they try to get flights that are direct or only 1 stop. Sometimes you can get some pretty lengthly layovers, but I did not too bad...only 2hrs each way in Chicago. I leave a bit before supper time, so that will work out well for me to grab a meal in Chicago. Even with a longer layover, to get the flight for about half the advertised price is well worth it.

That reminds me, anyone who is traveling to Canada ANYWHERE near a border town, and by that I mean 2 hours from the border, or so... I strongly recommend flying to the nearest U.S. border city and then renting a car, or taking an airport shuttle to your Canadian destination. You will literally save hundreds of dollars by not flying to a Canadian destination. I can't remember if we've discussed this on VJ before or not.

It is amazing how much you can save. When I was living in Ottawa and wanted to visit Si, I would drive to Syracuse (about 2.5 hrs), and I generally saved $400-$600 over a similar flight leaving from Ottawa.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

That reminds me, anyone who is traveling to Canada ANYWHERE near a border town, and by that I mean 2 hours from the border, or so... I strongly recommend flying to the nearest U.S. border city and then renting a car, or taking an airport shuttle to your Canadian destination. You will literally save hundreds of dollars by not flying to a Canadian destination. I can't remember if we've discussed this on VJ before or not.

Agreed! Like Colleens, we would fly to Rochester, rent a car and drive to Kingston (Rochester was cheaper than Syracuse from Atlanta as well as a direct flight ). Last time we did this we saved over $400 each on air fair - far more than we paid on the car rental for a week (substantially far more!). We would have had to rent a car anyway because to get to Kingston we would have had to fly to Toronto or Ottawa so yeah, flying to a border city and driving across is definitely a worthwhile option to consider.

Edited August 26, 2010 by Kathryn41

[Marilyn. 340]

yeah, flights from LA to Bellingham, Washington are around 400 to 500 dollars for 2 people.. and if we were to fly to Vancouver it would be around 900 to 1000 dollars.. and Bellingham is actaully closer to my parents then Vancouver

[Flames9_RN 358]

I'm too chicken to try that method,lol I like to know exactly what I'm getting. Heading back to the free world in October, our tickets from DC to Saskatoon were $508 each, which isnt too bad!!! Think the lowest I have paid is in the mid 400's and the highest was around $800.

[The_Dude 1,142]

That reminds me, anyone who is traveling to Canada ANYWHERE near a border town, and by that I mean 2 hours from the border, or so... I strongly recommend flying to the nearest U.S. border city and then renting a car, or taking an airport shuttle to your Canadian destination. You will literally save hundreds of dollars by not flying to a Canadian destination. I can't remember if we've discussed this on VJ before or not.

This was not the case for me for the last 5 years when flying to London. I could have flown to Detroit for about $400-$500, versus $600 to London. However, the cost to rent a car and the mileage and fuel costs pushed it over the amount saved when flying to London. Same case with taking a shuttle, so I guess it really depends upon where you are flying.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Time sure flies! One year ago today I became a US citizen. It doesn't feel anything like a year since the ceremony but it is. It's great being able to vote again!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

This was not the case for me for the last 5 years when flying to London. I could have flown to Detroit for about $400-$500, versus $600 to London. However, the cost to rent a car and the mileage and fuel costs pushed it over the amount saved when flying to London. Same case with taking a shuttle, so I guess it really depends upon where you are flying.

Wow $400 to Detroit? It would still be cheaper for me to fly from Atlanta to Detroit and drive to Chatham than to fly to London. Tickets are usually less than $200 - sometimes less than $150 (sometimes just over, sometimes just under) and it is a direct flight. London I have to change planes and it is much more expensive. I guess it does depend where you are flying from and to - and when.

Edited August 26, 2010 by Kathryn41

[ashenflowers 5]

I fly into Detroit, and shuttle to London (well, when the hubby and I were still dating anyways, that's usually how we did it for visits... I haven't been able to visit since I got here, so that's another story). I still save a minimum of $100 every single time. We didn't rent a car, and took the Aboutown shuttle (or Robert Q on occasion). It's possible prices have changed, but it's still worth it in my books to save $100 (or more!).

It's still about $300-400 to fly from Santa Barbara to Detroit (worse at Christmas, of course).

I just wish there was a direct flight, but there never is from here

Time sure flies! One year ago today I became a US citizen. It doesn't feel anything like a year since the ceremony but it is. It's great being able to vote again!

Happy Anniversary!!

[Hugglebuggles 60]

I always use the Buffalo airport, because it's much cheaper and much closer. I can usually fly from Denver to Buffalo for under $300, and flying to Toronto is generally no less than $600. If I fly into Buffalo it's also only about a 30 minute drive back home, opposed to a 2 hour drive. It just makes sense! The only catch is that there are no direct flights from Denver to Buffalo, so you need to connect somewhere. You can fly Denver-Toronto on a non-stopper, but It's not worth the extra $300. (But my husband would disagree!)

Speaking of which, my parents and sister are on a plane right now to come visit for the weekend. I haven't seen them since January (too long!) and they haven't seen our new house or car yet, so I'm pretty excited about that.

On a random side note, I took my Colorado Insurance licensing exam today and passed! It took over 3 hours and was really intense and pretty difficult, but all the studying paid off! I'm apparently the first person in our agency to pass on the first try in the last 5 years or so. So now I'm an official agent!

[Krikit 1,164]

Congratulations, Huggles!

I only went back one page (I've been gone way too long to try to catch up any further than that. Sorry. ) so I apologize in advance for not commenting on what I've missed.

Those cupcakes look amazing, Sprailenes! I like to mix equal parts Fluff and cream cheese to make a fabulous fruit dip. yum

Ashen, I am so sorry to hear about your car accident. Make sure you don't sign off on any cheque from the insurance agency until you have spoken to a lawyer. It sounds like you have whiplash and that will haunt you for the rest of your life. I had the same thing happen and brushed it off. 20 years later I have a chronic neck problem which has cost me a fortune in pain and therapy. Congratulations on the job, though!

Okay, so the wedding is over, the happy couple are on their honeymoon, my relatives have all returned to their respective provinces/countries, and I am now back in VA. Except my husband's cousin passed from prostate cancer so we are heading to his funeral in NC today. The movers dropped off all our stuff at the new house and we immediately left for Canada and the wedding so I returned to a humungous mess. They've broken so many items that I cannot even bear to think about it because I have no time to bawl my eyes out. lol

The view from my new back deck:

[Sprailenes 47]

Thats a nice view. Nice looking greens.

I had the strangest sleep lastnight. I went to bed with a slight headache, nothing serious I could ignore it, but every single dream I had somehow incorporated this headache that I had. I woke up this morning and my head was still hurting so I just finally gave in, took an advil and now it's gone.

[Krikit 1,164]

Bet you're wishing you'd taken one last night. lol

If I was stranded on a desert island and could have only one thing.... it would be Advil.

[Kimbear 53]

Welcome back Krikit! Oh thats a nice view!! I did not realize you had finally found a place, you must be so relieved!

[Kayleigh+Kyle 0]

That reminds me, anyone who is traveling to Canada ANYWHERE near a border town, and by that I mean 2 hours from the border, or so... I strongly recommend flying to the nearest U.S. border city and then renting a car, or taking an airport shuttle to your Canadian destination. You will literally save hundreds of dollars by not flying to a Canadian destination. I can't remember if we've discussed this on VJ before or not.

My husband and I are going back to visit his family next summer for his sister's wedding. We weren't sure if one was able to rent a car in the US and drive it into Canada. His parents live an hour or so north of the Washington state border so having a domestic flight makes so much sense. But again, we weren't sure how taking a rental car over the border would go, and we don't really need a rental car for an entire week. Would anyone be kind enough to share their experiences?

Edited August 27, 2010 by Kayleigh+Kyle