Travel Tips

[glenwilson]

One of the things we have found, especially in the US is if you are doing shopping, join any store clubs that you can. When you register you can use a hotel as an address as UK zip codes don’t work and use an email address that you don’t mind getting spam in.

In the US we have Safeway, Wallgreens and a few others and you get offers straight away that you don’t get if not a member. Discounts can save upto 50% with buy one get one free or general money off discounts. When we got ActivOn in Wallgreens in was say $10 but we then got a discount voucher on another one with $4 off. The we got another voucher with $4 off. Don’t be proud as the locals go around buying single items too. For Safeway you also get discounts on fuel too which can also add up.

On one trip to the US we saved about $200 with discounts.

At least we didn’t do what my Canadian cousins did and cut off the coupens that were printed on boxes and packaging whilst in the shop. No that was embarrassing!! Who says Canadians are nice.

In Europe we have a Carrefour card. On one trip to Calais for wine, beer, cheese etc we saved over €250!! We had to go around twice again as we got another two vouchers.

I know it sounds a bit cheap but when you are saving decent amounts of £/$/€ it is worth it.

 

[Redd Tedd]

At least we didn’t do what my Canadian cousins did and cut off the coupens that were printed on boxes and packaging whilst in the shop. No that was embarrassing!! Who says Canadians are nice.

Great tip Glen. I have an email account specifically for things like this (I won't give it away, just in case Laka starts sending pervy images! )

I think Canadians are nice to everyone other than Americans, they bring the purple minion out in them - that's just in my experience, I love Canada, but man they don't dig their neighbours over the border.

 

[glenwilson]

I went to Canada (Vancouver) first when I was about 10 - it was nice. Went there a few years ago, booked a supercar experience and it was torrential rain everyday we were in Vancouver. Didn't get to drive the cars (Lambo, GT-R, Ferrari and 911).

Rest of the time the weather was OK even in Hope (Rambo was filmed there) so Canada not my favourite destinations at the moment. Would like to do east Canada though.

Poutine though should be available everywhere!

 

[Redd Tedd]

Oh man - sry to hear that. That's a hell of a flight for that result.

I traveled around there for a while in my early 20's with a backpack (not a gap year I stress to add, I was working and just took a month out for this). I lstarted in Toronto and took short internal flights via a voucher scheme (unlimited hops internally for about £200 at the time!! ) I got so much jet lag I passed out in a bar that was a strip club near Vancouver airport one night (note - i did not know it was a strip bar when i went in ). This is how nice Canadians were to me - nobody robbed me, but they did help me back to my room! The next day I went down for breakfast and the staff knew my name and were just so damn polite and funny I just wanted to stay

The Mrs and I also went about 12 yrs back. Hired an RV from Vancouver and traveled around BC for a month. They had the worst torrential rain in BC in about 30 yrs I think. We couldn't do the Rockies as you could not get there via road (was this the year you went by any chance ). We loved it, and had a very close experience with a Black Bear in Whistler, it was literally 8ft behind us, walking up the street. It didn't care we were there and it just headed for a 'bear-proof' bin, tore the lid off and ate the contents. It was then chased through the streets of whistler by the 'bear cops' and ran through a cafe veranda to get to the woods again. I got all this on film, but I can't remember where I stored the DVD I burnt it to, honestly!

I'd move there tomorrow if I could think what to do to earn money...

 

[glenwilson]

That sounds like a couple of adventures! Would love to see a bear in the wild. I think your er strip club example sums up Canada, like Amaerica but polite.


We didn’t go there just for the cars but it was one of the best drives I have seen. You get an hour or so in each car on real roads on your own. We actually flew in to Seattle via Houston and stayed at Bellingham for a few days to do some whale watching. Had one of the best veggie and meat burgers I have had there. Then drove up to Vancouver and the off to Hope.

I have a few cousins there and probably a lot of second cousins as one seems to get through wives more often than Trump does. We have looked at taking the train across but it would be so much cheaper to fly. As we have the time we might just drive but need to get my knee sorted.

 

[General_Misery]

A friend and I took a two month Greyhound bus tour from NYC to California when we were 20. Fascinating to experience the huge differences in people, culture, nature etc. We stopped and visited everything from mega cities to small towns in the middle of nowhere to parks in the desert to Las Vegas casinos - probably one of the most interesting trips of my life. In addition, the US dollar was cheap at the time (1978) standing at less than half of the current value. Our only hassle was to produce some fake IDs in order to buy drinks etc in bars (”Oh yes sir, this what Swedish IDs look like ) - and it worked!

 

[glenwilson]

Not yet done a long road trip in the USA but have done quite a lot of it - 28 states so far. Some of the cities are great to see Philadelphia and Washington DC are our faves. So much to see and do in both of them. We have stayed in small towns in the USA and recently in Germany and France and it is more enjoyable than staying in the touristy places.

The 21 age limit is weird after starting <cough> to drink at 18.