Canada

[landandword17]

Originally Posted by anji

Accommodation is £2769 at the moment (bar my tinkering!), all pay when staying and free cancellation.

Need to book ferries and the train from Seattle to Vancouver (credit note for this though about $120 business class)

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I up to 3.5K for breakfast inclusive rates would be doable for OP just based on what I've been researching too.

Side note but I found out that Amtrak releases fares 11 months out. The lowest fare bucket is released first and then they only go up and they sell. We've got VAN-SEA and SEA to Portland for steals 11 months out. $66 and $58 respectively for 2.

I'm finding Canada and Pacific North West a ''bargain'' compared to our Orlando trip.

[Mrs Toolman]

Thank you all so much. I think Trailfinders quote put us off. I think that we might book an all inclusive somewhere next year for our anniversary and then plan on Canada for the year after, starting 11 months out so that we hopefully get some decent deals. There really wasn't much availability on flights etc for next July as Canada seems really popular for next year.

[CarolynU]

Canada is very simple to book everything individually and I’ve never bought any kind of package.
I’ve booked Toronto with sightseeing excursions plus Niagara, Niagara on the Lake, City Bus Tour, Winery Tour, CN Tower, Turks and Caicos and Vancouver. All in the one tour and very simple.
I don’t find Canada cheap though.
This trip last week or so I flew Air Canada but I’ve also flown Air Transat and Wesjet.
All fine.

[Mrs Toolman]

Thank you all. At least I know it can be done. We are definitely going to look at it again for 2023. It's on my bucket list x

[Daisychick]

We had a Canadian trip booked for 2020 which we put back to 2021 and subsequently to 2022. We booked the flights and 1 hotel with Canadian Affair. Booking one hotel with a flight then made it a package holiday, for which we got an ATOL certificate.

We then booked our hotels separately. Due to the situation in 2020 they all let us cancel and refunded us, even the ones that weren't refundable rooms. For 2021 we have now made sure that they are all refundable rooms.

I don't see how booking the whole thing as a package is any more secure than booking separate refundable components.

Canadian Affair must have been competitively priced around the time we looked as we are always happy to book things ourselves, so it might be worth giving them a try.

I wouldn't let Trailfinders put you off. In our experience they are often wildly high with quotes. We priced up a South American trip with them back in 2018 and that also came out about £10k. We ended up booking it ourselves and the whole trip, including all our spending money, came out to £6k so not sure exactly what planet Trailfinders were on. It makes me laugh that they ask you your budget and then completely disregard it when giving a quote!

[katiec68]

Can you let us know what itinerary and hotels they quoted for you?

If you had any train travel included that would really bump the price up.

We go skiing so always book a package but if I was doing several centres it certainly would be easy to do it yourself.

Get some brooches and see what itineraries they recommmend and then see what takes your fancy.

Friends went and toured in a camper van and had a fabulous time.

Dont forget that July/August is their busy period so all the hotels will be expensive and booked up well in advance - although not £10k expensive!

Apparently Banff high street can look like that 8 way crossing in Tokyo during the summer months - it gets that busy!

To show you how busy it is there is a teeny tiny pandora shop on the high street - more like a concession and they are the top selling shop in the whole of North America!

[Mrs Toolman]

Yes Trailfinders also said about how busy everywhere was which was another thing that put us off. Didn't fancy driving to places only to find we couldn't park anywhere! We had originally discussed hiring a camper van but I wasn't sure I would like spending two weeks in a van - I have never camped (I'm a bit of a princess) 🤣

[landandword17]

Originally Posted by Mrs Toolman

Yes Trailfinders also said about how busy everywhere was which was another thing that put us off. Didn't fancy driving to places only to find we couldn't park anywhere! We had originally discussed hiring a camper van but I wasn't sure I would like spending two weeks in a van - I have never camped (I'm a bit of a princess) 🤣

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Hmmm. You have to wonder why they are talking themselves out of a sale

[grant_w]

We did an escorted coach holiday with Travelsphere.
I was a little sceptical, but was looking forward not having to drive or organise anything.
It was really good, we had 2 superb guides (a local driver and a Travelsphere guide), stopped the coach at any sighting of wildlife, and we were taken to lovely places that I would never have found on my own.

[littlefeet1972]

I would like to visit Canada but where would people recommend visiting never been so really don’t know where to start.