So my girlfriend and i are planning a trip to vancouver. we want to fly out of Toronto (just the two of us) and are planning on leaving sometime early july. How much should the flights cost the two of us? Do we save money by being in the same country? Also, since this is our first major trip as a couple we are unsure of how much the entire trip should cost? I mean with Food, Recreation, lodging, travel(plane), travel(taxi) and travel insurance(should we get this!??!) we’re guessing it will be a lot of money. So how much should all of this roughly cost? Does our age/occupation make a difference (18/18 and students). If there is any expenses that i am missing please let me know! It would be a great help if you could link where you’ve gotten you information from, if possible.
Thanks!
You don’t say how long you plan to stay in Vancouver, that will make a difference to your total cost. But for one week plan on paying about $2500CAD total for air, lodging, food, taxis/bus/train, and entertainment for 2 people. For flights use Westjet, they have nonstop flights between Toronto and Vancouver for about $600CAD roundtrip incl tax per person. For lodging look at an apt rental, usually much cheaper than a hotel and you get a kitchen to cook some meals in and save money not eating every meal in a restaurant. Here is a good one for just $69CAD/night in July, its right downtown close to everything:
http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p244799
It doesn’t look like you missed any expenses unless you want to do souvenir shopping put that on your expense list. For travel insurance, its not as expensive as you think, you can pick up a policy that will cover you for most situations, travel cancellation, trip interruption, lost bags and medical/dental for about $50CAD per person for a one week trip or perhaps less.
I wish you had said if you’re Canadian or not. If you are, I could tell you that food will cost about the same in restaurants Vancouver as it does in Toronto and that you don’t need travel medical insurance because your Ontario coverage is good in BC. It’s not cheaper to fly just because you don’t leave Canada but it does mean you won’t need a passport to get on the plane. You can check airfares at any number of sites and I would recommend Westjet as usually having the best fares. I also like Flight Centre. Right now, Westjet shows a mid July return fare at around $630 per person. Sometimes it’s cheaper when you get closer to your proposed departure date, sometimes not. You have to watch the prices and when you see one that looks good, buy it. Fares can vary by quite a bit from day to day. July is high season for air travel or any tourism in Canada so prices for airfare and accommodation will be at their highest. Being a student might help. Only the airline you fly with can tell you if it gives student discounts.
The best way to cost out a trip like this is to map out where you want to go, where you want to stay when you get there, what you want to do. Make a list of where you want to be and research how much it will cost to do what you want to do there. Day one, fly to Vancouver. Stay at Blank Hotel. 3 meals. Day two, take ferry to Victoria, stay at Blank Hotel Victoria. 3 meals, ferry and bus fare, shopping. And so on.
You can search hotel prices by searching, perhaps “budget accommodation Vancouver”. Most attractions will have websites that tell you what they cost.
Age means very little to the airlines. If you have a seat, you pay! The price for flying can vary a lot. If you are flexible, you can save a bundle – prices could be anything from $400-1600 easily, each, depending on the day and time of travel. You don’t really save money being in the same country. Because of lower competition, flight prices are pretty high. If you can, go WestJet rather than Air Canada. The employees own the airline, and they seem to take much better care of you. OTOH, they have far fewer direct flights, so you might get to see the Winnipeg, and Calgary airports along the way, especially if you go for the low cost flight.
If you are staying in Vancouver, depending on where you stay, motels will be $100-200 per night. You might do better – I stayed at the Travelodge in North Vancouver my last trip there, which was okay, and a decent, but a ways from downtown. I had rented a car as I was touring, so it was okay, but public transportation would have been more difficult.
Food will be a bit more than Toronto – say 10% or so. Remember though, you are eating out for all 3 meals, so this will add up! For fast food, say $25 per day, each, but for restaurants, much more.
Recreation depends a lot on what you want to see. My last trip there I found a coupon book at the airport which really saved. The Aquarium is $21 each to see. Pretty expensive! It is worth it, but… if you can find a coupon, so much the better! There all kinds of parks and beaches that are free – I recommend the Capilano Canyon – trees as tall as the buildings in downtown Toronto, a fish hatchery, and so on – all free. Of course, there is the big Suspension Bridge that costs $27.95 to cross, each. Pretty much the same as the free park right beside it, although you do get to cross a bridge for the money. Yippee.
Some things are low cost. Definitely visit Gastown, the old part of downtown, and the Granville Market. Some like Chinatown, but there are so many Chinese in Vancouver now that Chinatown is almost anywhere. There are even a couple regular malls all in Chinese. There are Harbour tours, but part of the public transit system is the SeaBus – a foot ferry that crosses the harbour for the price of a bus ticket. A great deal! Especially if you use a bus to get there – you just use your transfer, and away you go.
There is a lot to see and do in Vancouver – check the web, highlight what you like, and then check fees. They can be crazy (like the suspension bridge), or more reasonable, like the Maritime museum ($11). I found the SeeVancouverCard – free entry to around 40 places for a flat fee: $125 for 2 days, $155 for 3, and $229 for 5. Might be worth a look.
http://www.seevancouvercard.com/
Depending on where you are staying I would say bring about a thousand bucks in cash and a visa just in case. You and your girl will love Vancouver!
If this is your ‘big’ trip together, may I suggest that you split the time travelling… rather than just going to Vancouver… explore the country. There are many interesting places to go, to see in between the space that you’ll be flying!
Try the bus, and the train. See the sights that you (and many other people) don’t get to see when flying. Can you name the provinces west of Ontario? Then why don’t you take a look at a map, and plan where you’d like to stop off!
Remember that ad about Tim Horton’s .. ? About someone who lived in Manitoba and went across country to see their son? Well, I always thought to myself.. hey, I gotta do that too. You guys are lucky.. in that you’re young and able…!
Do that. Visit the country! You’ll appreciate Canada so much more this way.
Expenses? Well, there will some.. but it’ll be cheaper than just flying across the country.