Combining travel = saving $$$
I have a trip to Toronto in the spring and a separate trip to New York City in the fall planned for this year, but for some reason I never thought to combine the two trips to save on the cost of my flights. Now that I think about it, it seems like the most logical thing to do.
So I’ve been talking with my friend about doing Toronto and NYC in May. The cost of a Vancouver-Toronto/Buffalo-NYC/NYC-Vancouver flight arrangement would be around $720 after taxes/fees. Which is a killer deal. We would rent a car from Toronto and drive to Buffalo so we can check out Niagara Falls (never been there before), then fly from Buffalo to NYC. Not only will we be saving hundreds on air fare by combining the two trips, my accommodation costs in Toronto just got slashed in half by sharing a room.
And because my friend and I are huge baseball fans, we made sure to plan our trip around 3 baseball games (Astros vs. Jays in Toronto, Toronto vs. Yankees in NYC, and Phillies vs. Mets in NYC). Now to make sure I get to see Roy Halladay pitch… :)
I am beyond excited to be able to save money and make this trip happen. But it’s still going to be expensive.
Here’s what I’m thinking cost-wise:
Travel
$800 (including flights & 1 day rental car Toronto-Buffalo)
Toronto (3 nights)
$200 downtown accommodation
$200 food & entertainment (I have a lot of people to see, plus a ball game to watch!)
NYC (7 nights)
$600 downtown accommodation (could be much cheaper depending on how many other girls come, this cost is based on just the 2 of us for now)
$600 food & entertainment (including 2 ball games & a Broadway show)
TOTAL: $2,400
What do you think?
I think we’ll check out Groupon or other deal sites to save on entertainment and food costs. Plus my friend is a very frugal traveler, and has been to NYC before so I trust her to get us good deals. We will also utilize VRBO.com for our accommodation in both Toronto and NYC, since I had such a positive experience using the site for my trip to Hawaii. And because we’re staying in condos and not hotel rooms, we will have access to a kitchen to cook some of our meals. But I do want to experience some of the yummy eats in NYC too! And I’m not just talking about street vendor hot dogs.
$2,400 sounds like a lot of money, and it is. In fact, it kind of makes die a little inside when I think about it. But I am saving at least $700-800 by combining both trips together plus I have been wanting to visit NYC for at least 10 years now… and Toronto has been on my list since my last visit 2 years ago. I think because part of my trip to Toronto will be for work (freelance), I will be able to write some of it off.
In other travel-related news, BF and I are thinking really hard about a trip to Machu Picchu or Patagonia at the end of December 2011 into January 2012. Because my work shuts down for the week after Christmas, we were thinking we could potentially get away for 3 weeks if I’m allowed. :)
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Makes total sense to me.
It's what we're doing for Asia. A lot of countries in one shot so we save on the flight over there (most expensive) and then just pay incremental flights to each country thereafter.
Makes total sense to me.
It's what we're doing for Asia. A lot of countries in one shot so we save on the flight over there (most expensive) and then just pay incremental flights to each country thereafter.
The only thing I'd suggest is increasing your budget for NYC accommodation for 7 nights. Based on two of you, that's $1,200 for the week – I'm guessing you're planning to use a service like Hotwire (or similar) to get a good rate, but even so I think that's a little low. My husband and I stayed in Manhattan at the Mariott Marquis, which is a middle of the road hotel, and it was well over $300US a night for a regular room with a queen bed. If a bunch of you are going it's probably more realistic. It sounds like a fun trip!!
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Ahhh I just read this again and saw that you're using VRBO.com and using condos…disregard my other comment :D
My recent post Introducing Rory!
Acutually I was thinking that $600 was high. I have been to NYC a couple of times, once in Long Island City for $70 a night and the other on W 86th St for $80. I don’t rec staying downtown, or even Mid-Town because the costs are incredibly high and NYC has an amazing train/bus system.
The other advantage of not staying south of the park is that you get to hang out with “normal” locals.
The only thing I'd suggest is increasing your budget for NYC accommodation for 7 nights. Based on two of you, that's $1,200 for the week – I'm guessing you're planning to use a service like Hotwire (or similar) to get a good rate, but even so I think that's a little low. My husband and I stayed in Manhattan at the Mariott Marquis, which is a middle of the road hotel, and it was well over $300US a night for a regular room with a queen bed. If a bunch of you are going it's probably more realistic. It sounds like a fun trip!!
My recent post Introducing Rory!
Ahhh I just read this again and saw that you're using VRBO.com and using condos…disregard my other comment :D
My recent post Introducing Rory!
Acutually I was thinking that $600 was high. I have been to NYC a couple of times, once in Long Island City for $70 a night and the other on W 86th St for $80. I don’t rec staying downtown, or even Mid-Town because the costs are incredibly high and NYC has an amazing train/bus system.
The other advantage of not staying south of the park is that you get to hang out with “normal” locals.
Hey Krystal – Sounds like a great idea combining the trips! When I went to NYC over the holidays a few years ago we bought restaurant gift cards from http://www.restaurant.com/newyork.html
I can remember going to The Beakman resturant with a $25 certificate purchased online for $8. The meal cost us about $13 when the bill came to over $40.
You can even give a gift, so if say your parents or sister or boss wanted to treat you to a dinner it would be pretty inexpensive. I see on the site that some $100 cards are selling for $40.
My recent post Its That Time of the Month Again
Hey Krystal – Sounds like a great idea combining the trips! When I went to NYC over the holidays a few years ago we bought restaurant gift cards from http://www.restaurant.com/newyork.html
I can remember going to The Beakman resturant with a $25 certificate purchased online for $8. The meal cost us about $13 when the bill came to over $40.
You can even give a gift, so if say your parents or sister or boss wanted to treat you to a dinner it would be pretty inexpensive. I see on the site that some $100 cards are selling for $40.
My recent post Its That Time of the Month Again
Look for the option of driving to NYC instead of Buffalo. Its not too bad. About 6 and half hours (from Buffalo to NYC). You would anyways do a one way rental from Toronto. Instead of driving to Buffalo, drive all the way to NYC. That should bring down your air ticket cost with only marginal increase in rental cost (u might have to take unlimited mileage rental). Plus the drive is not boring at all – you get the small town college feel of Albany and there are quite a few factory outlets as well along the route.
We thought about driving all the way to NYC, but seeing as we have a limited amount of time, we think it's better to fly. I've actually traveled a lot in upstate NY when I lived in Michigan. I have a few old college friends that live around there so we might try to stay a night in Buffalo and have a visit. :)
Look for the option of driving to NYC instead of Buffalo. Its not too bad. About 6 and half hours (from Buffalo to NYC). You would anyways do a one way rental from Toronto. Instead of driving to Buffalo, drive all the way to NYC. That should bring down your air ticket cost with only marginal increase in rental cost (u might have to take unlimited mileage rental). Plus the drive is not boring at all – you get the small town college feel of Albany and there are quite a few factory outlets as well along the route.
We thought about driving all the way to NYC, but seeing as we have a limited amount of time, we think it's better to fly. I've actually traveled a lot in upstate NY when I lived in Michigan. I have a few old college friends that live around there so we might try to stay a night in Buffalo and have a visit. :)
Regarding the car rental, you'll need to see how much the "drop" charge is to leave the rental car in Buffalo. I rented a car in Calgary a couple of years ago and droppped it at the Vancouver airport and the drop charge was almost $200. Quite a shock. I knew there would be a fee but didn't think it would be that much.
The friend I'm going with actually did the same thing – fly into Toronto and took a car to Buffalo. The flight from Toronto-NYC is $191 and the flight from Buffalo-NYC is $71. With all the car rental expense, the cost is less than the difference between the two flights. Thankfully!
May be it is cheaper in Toronto to get a one way rental car. We wanted to one way trip on our trip to Vancouver to Whistler two years ago and return back by train. But the one way car rental fee was so high and gave up that idea.
My recent post How to reduce the cost of the vacation – Part 1
Regarding the car rental, you'll need to see how much the “drop” charge is to leave the rental car in Buffalo. I rented a car in Calgary a couple of years ago and droppped it at the Vancouver airport and the drop charge was almost $200. Quite a shock. I knew there would be a fee but didn't think it would be that much.
The friend I'm going with actually did the same thing – fly into Toronto and took a car to Buffalo. The flight from Toronto-NYC is $191 and the flight from Buffalo-NYC is $71. With all the car rental expense, the cost is less than the difference between the two flights. Thankfully!
May be it is cheaper in Toronto to get a one way rental car. We wanted to one way trip on our trip to Vancouver to Whistler two years ago and return back by train. But the one way car rental fee was so high and gave up that idea.
My recent post How to reduce the cost of the vacation – Part 1
Hi Krystal, It’s really nice idea to combine two best cities on each side of the border. But I think just 3 days in Toronto is not enough considering the attractions and activities during May. Also, you are planning to watch baseball game in Toronto. So at least add one more day for Toronto.
You can save good chunk of money by booking your flights, accommodations and car rental as a package.
For cheap baseball game tickets , visit <a href="http://www.stubhub.com” target=”_blank”>www.stubhub.com
For entertainment and attractions, you can save almost 50% by purchasing citypass, which covers admission to top 5 Toronto attractions. For more details on this, visit <a href="http://www.citypass.com” target=”_blank”>www.citypass.com.
I've actually been to Toronto quite a few times, and the main focus of the trip is NYC, so I can really only spend 3 days in TO. :) And we'll probably buy from Stub Hub, but it depends on the pitching match-up, which we won't know until a week or so before the game.
Hi Krystal, It’s really nice idea to combine two best cities on each side of the border. But I think just 3 days in Toronto is not enough considering the attractions and activities during May. Also, you are planning to watch baseball game in Toronto. So at least add one more day for Toronto.
You can save good chunk of money by booking your flights, accommodations and car rental as a package.
For cheap baseball game tickets , visit ” target=”_blank”> ” target=”_blank”>http://www.stubhub.com
For entertainment and attractions, you can save almost 50% by purchasing citypass, which covers admission to top 5 Toronto attractions. For more details on this, visit ” target=”_blank”> ” target=”_blank”>http://www.citypass.com.
I've actually been to Toronto quite a few times, and the main focus of the trip is NYC, so I can really only spend 3 days in TO. :) And we'll probably buy from Stub Hub, but it depends on the pitching match-up, which we won't know until a week or so before the game.
$600 looks to be a bit on the steep side for accomodations in manhattan–I actually use craigslist short term apartment rentals whenever I go to NYC–it takes a bit of weeding to sort through the spam, but I don't think I've ever paid more than $160 per night for an apartment rental (which would be half that split between 2), and it gets cheaper per night the longer you stay. There was a nytimes article a while back on bed and breakfasts too in nyc, for really good prices.
Also for food in the city, you can actually get by on not spending too much money on food at all–there are TONS of fabulous street carts (http://newyorkstreetfood.com/), and if you just look around a bit, you can find really good deals on food. I found this cute little hole in the wall in the west village, and 3 of us got apps, drinks, lobster dinners and dessert for a total of about $100. And those are their everyday prices :)
$600 looks to be a bit on the steep side for accomodations in manhattan–I actually use craigslist short term apartment rentals whenever I go to NYC–it takes a bit of weeding to sort through the spam, but I don't think I've ever paid more than $160 per night for an apartment rental (which would be half that split between 2), and it gets cheaper per night the longer you stay. There was a nytimes article a while back on bed and breakfasts too in nyc, for really good prices.
Also for food in the city, you can actually get by on not spending too much money on food at all–there are TONS of fabulous street carts (http://newyorkstreetfood.com/),” target=”_blank”> http://newyorkstreetfood.com/),” target=”_blank”>(http://newyorkstreetfood.com/), and if you just look around a bit, you can find really good deals on food. I found this cute little hole in the wall in the west village, and 3 of us got apps, drinks, lobster dinners and dessert for a total of about $100. And those are their everyday prices :)
Have you thought of bidding for your hotel on Priceline? You can slash your hotel cost by 1/2 by booking through there! Plus if you sign up at http://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/ and book Priceline / Expedia/ Travelocity through there you get 1 – 5 % back!
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Have you thought of bidding for your hotel on Priceline? You can slash your hotel cost by 1/2 by booking through there! Plus if you sign up at http://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/ and book Priceline / Expedia/ Travelocity through there you get 1 – 5 % back!
My recent post Good News & Bad News
That amount makes me die a little inside too! :( But it’s North American travel so it’s really $ :( (and NYC to boot!). What about shopping? How much are you planning to factor in for shopping? It’s so hard not to buy anything when you’re in NYC- especially if you head over to Century 21 :)
That amount makes me die a little inside too! :( But it’s North American travel so it’s really $ :( (and NYC to boot!). What about shopping? How much are you planning to factor in for shopping? It’s so hard not to buy anything when you’re in NYC- especially if you head over to Century 21 :)
hey there.
just a heads up. In my past experience, i haven't been able to take a rental car across the border. So unless you know of a different way (if so, i would love to know!) or a company that allows it, then you may need to look into alternative method of travel.
I think you can take an amtrax train from toronto to NYC
also look at flying Porter – they have cheap flights sometimes.
I didn't think you could take a rental car across the border either, but my friend that I'm going with did it the last time she was in NYC. In fact, she did the exact same thing – fly to Toronto, drive to Buffalo, fly to NYC. The flight from Toronto is $191 so it's not that bad.
hey there.
just a heads up. In my past experience, i haven't been able to take a rental car across the border. So unless you know of a different way (if so, i would love to know!) or a company that allows it, then you may need to look into alternative method of travel.
I think you can take an amtrax train from toronto to NYC
also look at flying Porter – they have cheap flights sometimes.
I didn't think you could take a rental car across the border either, but my friend that I'm going with did it the last time she was in NYC. In fact, she did the exact same thing – fly to Toronto, drive to Buffalo, fly to NYC. The flight from Toronto is $191 so it's not that bad.
You can take a rental car across the border. We went in Feb. for a weekend to NYC from Toronto. We decided to drive. The car rental for the weekend was about $170, so split between 4 ppl it was dirt cheap. We took turns driving and it was fun. As for the Hotel, we booked through Hotwire and ended up stayin at the NY New Yorker (landmark hotel), which is across the street from Madison Square Garden and 2 streets over from 5th Ave. The cost for the weekend was about $570 and this was the Valentines day weekend. Honestly for a week in NYC, staying in the Manhattan area, you will def. need more than $600 for the week. You can stay outside of the Manhattan area for cheaper I am sure. Not to mention, parking at the hotel was $35/day, since as we all know there is no parking in NYC.
You can take a rental car across the border. We went in Feb. for a weekend to NYC from Toronto. We decided to drive. The car rental for the weekend was about $170, so split between 4 ppl it was dirt cheap. We took turns driving and it was fun. As for the Hotel, we booked through Hotwire and ended up stayin at the NY New Yorker (landmark hotel), which is across the street from Madison Square Garden and 2 streets over from 5th Ave. The cost for the weekend was about $570 and this was the Valentines day weekend. Honestly for a week in NYC, staying in the Manhattan area, you will def. need more than $600 for the week. You can stay outside of the Manhattan area for cheaper I am sure. Not to mention, parking at the hotel was $35/day, since as we all know there is no parking in NYC.
Instead of craigslist for hotels, which scares me a little, try priceline. If you scroll down and go to the "auction" option, you can select a price that you want, specific location, and the number of stars you want the hotel to be. The only downside is that you get the first hotel that pops up, so there's no turning back, but you can save a ton of money! When our family went to Edmonton in the summer, we used priceline to get 4 star hotel rooms 15 minutes away from Banff for only $100 a night (We had a car in Banff, so we had selected a few neighbouring cities) (I selected $100 as my price, but next time I use it I will start lower and work my way up) The original price of these rooms were $200. There were two queen beds in these rooms, so there was PLENTY of room.
Hotels can do this because it's better for them to have a room filled in at a cheaper cost, than to have the room stay vacant for the night. Of course, if you book slightly closer to the date of your traveling you will probably get an even better value for your money. I have heard of people calling the hotel to bargain, but priceline makes it a little less awkward.
If you have troubles taking the rental car across the border, you could always use Greyhound or get a ride from a good Toronto friend or relative. We've dropped and picked up family and friends from across the border many times! It also saves rental fees, and all you have to do is chip in for gas
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Instead of craigslist for hotels, which scares me a little, try priceline. If you scroll down and go to the “auction” option, you can select a price that you want, specific location, and the number of stars you want the hotel to be. The only downside is that you get the first hotel that pops up, so there's no turning back, but you can save a ton of money! When our family went to Edmonton in the summer, we used priceline to get 4 star hotel rooms 15 minutes away from Banff for only $100 a night (We had a car in Banff, so we had selected a few neighbouring cities) (I selected $100 as my price, but next time I use it I will start lower and work my way up) The original price of these rooms were $200. There were two queen beds in these rooms, so there was PLENTY of room.
Hotels can do this because it's better for them to have a room filled in at a cheaper cost, than to have the room stay vacant for the night. Of course, if you book slightly closer to the date of your traveling you will probably get an even better value for your money. I have heard of people calling the hotel to bargain, but priceline makes it a little less awkward.
If you have troubles taking the rental car across the border, you could always use Greyhound or get a ride from a good Toronto friend or relative. We've dropped and picked up family and friends from across the border many times! It also saves rental fees, and all you have to do is chip in for gas
My recent post Candle Card
PS I've been to Machu Picchu- it's amazing! Good to get there before it disintegrates from the foot traffic :(
I want to go to Patagonia too, or Ushaia (the southernest place in South Amerca) but the flight there is definitely $$$. Lots of hiking for you though!
PS I've been to Machu Picchu- it's amazing! Good to get there before it disintegrates from the foot traffic :(
I want to go to Patagonia too, or Ushaia (the southernest place in South Amerca) but the flight there is definitely $$$. Lots of hiking for you though!