Vacation Ideas Needed...Advice please.

[Income Tax Man]

Hello Canucks,

Coming soon in the first week of March I will be on vacation for one week. I want to do something fun and I am getting sick of this winter weather. My town got nearly 30cm of snow the other day and I really want to escape winter. I am 27 years old and my girlfriend is 30. Our relationship is relatively new but she lives with me.

Does anybody have any fun vacation ideas for under $3000 that both of us could enjoy. Is there anybody in my situation who has some advice? I really want to have fun most of the time and I would also like to spend some time on the beach. Should I fly? Should I drive? I live near Toronto and I have never been on a vacation before. Please share.

Thanks.

[Shwa Girl]

Welcome to Smart Canucks.

[vesper]

Hi!

Banff!! No one regrets going to Banff!

[itchy54]

Banff is lovely...but no beaches and there is snow
do you have passports?
if so go to a travel website and plug in your days....you could do Mexico, Cuba, Dominican r, Jamaica for your budget.
good luck

[frugal50]

for a first time traveller, i would do florida or california
stay away from mexico, cuba and over-seas.... it's dangerous and for more experienced travellers.

[Darth Penguin]

Banff is lovely...but no beaches and there is snow
do you have passports?
if so go to a travel website and plug in your days....you could do Mexico, Cuba, Dominican r, Jamaica for your budget.
good luck

the OP already has a travel site in his siggy......namely Beaches...

[DianneS]

Just got back from a week at an all-inclusive in Mexico. We went to Riviera Maya, to the Occidental Grand Xcaret (4.5 stars) for under $2,000 for two people including airfare, taxes, hotel, food, premium drinks, etc., etc. My first time in Mexico and first time at an all-inclusive -- it was fabulous. The resort, and general area, were very safe. Never felt at risk at any time during our travels or our stay. We flew Air Transat and found our deal through Redtag.ca Would do it again in a heartbeat!

[lucy16076]

Just got back from a week at an all-inclusive in Mexico. We went to Riviera Maya, to the Occidental Grand Xcaret (4.5 stars) for under $2,000 for two people including airfare, taxes, hotel, food, premium drinks, etc., etc. My first time in Mexico and first time at an all-inclusive -- it was fabulous. The resort, and general area, were very safe. Never felt at risk at any time during our travels or our stay. We flew Air Transat and found our deal through Redtag.ca Would do it again in a heartbeat!

I have been here as well ... very nice resort! Finding it difficult to find a deal for under $1000 pp this year ;( Must be sign of the times ?? Things are starting to look up? Went to this resort last year for $800 pp!! This year it's double that now for this week...I should be there right now but can't put the extra cash out right now Still looking....

[Income Tax Man]

Thanks for the great ideas everyone!

I heard Banff is a nice place to visit but I think to cold at this time of year. I am looking to escape winter.

I am looking into California. I always wanted to go there and the flight seems pretty cheap.

Anybody know of any good deals in Jamaica? I heard Mexico is too risky.

We both have our passports and about $1500 to spend each.

Thanks.

[frugal50]

even Vegas has some hot deals and the weather is very warm this time of year.

[anisa]

thailand, indonesia, malaysia, singapore.

awesome places to visit, and are a really nice mix of east/west when you are in the bigger cities.

hot weather, nice beaches, very affordable shopping and accomodations, and i have never gotten sick visiting these places, even eating streetfood.

there are very few unsafe places in other countries. i have never felt safer when in indonesia and thailand. and in thailand we stayed in bangkok which has a bad rep, but there is lots to see and do that is family friendly.

heck, we went to indonesia (bali) when one of the neighboring islands in indonesia was on the verge of civil war or something. lots of news about military action in the days before we left. it was the most relaxing and enjoyable vacation i have ever had!

[jeremyc]

If you've never been on vacation before and want to relax, I highly suggest going to an all-inclusive resort in the caribbean! It's not "dangerous" if you stay on the resort, and going to a place like Thailand or Singapore is very far for just a weeks vacation, and will be pretty strenuous (a lot of traveling around, and can get really expensive with eating out and cabs etc.)

You can stay at some very nice all-inclusive places for 1500 a person, and that includes your flight, transportation from the airport to the resort and back, and all your food and drinks for the week. The only extra money you need is for tipping the staff and if you do any excursions.

I myself have a trip planned to Dominican Republic in March. DR is my favourite place to go in the Caribbean - beautiful beaches, WONDERFUL people, good food. Especially if this is your first ever vacation, and you want to be on a beach, the all-inclusive route seems right for you. It's very relaxing not having to worry about day-trips, where you're going to eat, if you're safe etc. At these places you just hang out on the beach or by the pool all day, many of them have 24 hour food, and little 'downtown' areas on the resort with shops and clubs. You can do day excursions if you'd like to try your hand at scuba diving or snorkelling, deep-sea fishing, ATVing, horseback riding, ziplining, or (my favourite) a catamaran sailing trip! You book these through your resort, and most cost less than $100 per person, so very affordable.

I'd suggest going on sites like http://www.redtag.ca/ or http://selloffvacations.com/ and doing some browsing. Use the tools at the side of the homepage, enter the dates you have off, and select which country you want to visit. Make sure to look up reviews of resorts that catch your eyes (on a site like http://www.tripadvisor.ca/).

I always book through redtag, and have never had a problem. Make sure you look at the taxes on these sites though...they have a low price in big font, then below it it will say +$xxx taxes, so factor this in. It's great that you live in Toronto, since Pearson is a huge airport and has tons of flights! (Also you'll both need a valid passport to travel anywhere, so make sure yours is up-to-date or you won't be leaving the country!)

Best of luck and happy vacationing!

[anisa]

... and going to a place like Thailand or Singapore is very far for just a weeks vacation, and will be pretty strenuous (a lot of traveling around, and can get really expensive with eating out and cabs etc.)

actually, it's very do-able, and so cheap.

and believe it or not, they have resorts, LOTS of resorts, even 5 star ones that are still super cheap and very nice. i've done it all, finding my own hotel, eating at little spots around town, doing the 5star resorts and eating there, doing organized tours and hiring drivers to explore the isalnds, while traveling to those places. there are lots of options.

sorry, i was just sharing my personal experiences.

[erin9mmm]

...Well I wouldn't pick a Carnival Cruise.

[avoncallingu]

Actually, a Carnival Cruise might be just the thing - there might be some very good deals around. Try Vacations-To-Go or Cru-Con They are very good at finding deals - especially last minute ones - or Travelocity. On a cruise you have pre-paid your meals and entertainment and you don't have to re-pack your bags to get to other places.