I've Moved!!!

Just to let anyone who might be reading on here, I've moved to my own website!! All future blog posts will now be on over there! Come check it out at www.smhepburn.com

Chillin' in the Couv Part 1: Getting there...

Hello fellow broke travelers!

I'm so excited to bring you the first part of a... I haven't decided how many parts yet to be honest... Anyways, the first part of a multi-part series about my recent trip to Vancouver, BC. Through trials and tribulations (and re-writing this about three times already) I've decided to split the trip up into a bunch of segments, so that I can actually cover how to have a cheap trip in one of Canada's most expensive cities.

The hardest part of any excursion, for me at least, is finding a way to get there. With the rising cost of fuel, all modes of transportation seem to be getting more expensive... BUT! Remember that article I wrote about getting a rocking rewards card? Well, that is how I got over to Vancouver.

My parents have been saving up on points for years, and for a birthday/Christmas present they cashed in and flew my mom, sister and I out west. Now, if you're Canadian you'll know all about Air Miles. These can only be cashed in with the Air Canada airline...

The few times that I've flown it's always been with WestJet (another Canadian airline that is AMAZING), so flying with Air Canada for the first time I was... Underwhelmed would probably be the best word for it...

Flying in Canada

When flying in or through Canada, there are basically two big airlines to chose from (there's another one, but I'll get to that later): Air Canada or WestJet. Air Canada is the classic way to travel in Canada, in that it's been around forever (celebrated it's 70th anniversary in 2017). However, in 1996 they were taken by storm by a new company, WestJet. 

Up until this point, Air Canada pretty much had a monopoly over air travel in Canada, and so prices were steadily increasing. WestJet offered a no frills alternative with ridiculously friendly service. I'm talking they flight attendants and pilots are hilarious and fantastic at customer service. 

Anyways, history lesson aside, we cashed in our Air Miles (an Air Canada rewards program) and hopped on a Jazz Air Canada flight. The Jazz line is Air Canada's way of competing with WestJet. Yes, it had in flight TV, but I'm pretty sure I've seen sardines in a can that had more room than we did. With two seats on each side and a three hour flight, it wasn't the most enjoyable experience. My sister and I were both crammed into one side, and neither of us are overly large people. I DID take a hilarious picture of this, but unfortunately I was experimenting with Snapchat at the time and it disappeared... Now I just stick with Instagram!

BUT! It was paid for with rewards points that came from everyday spending, so it is possible! On the way to Vancouver I had the window seat, so I could pass out for a little bit and I had a little bit more room. I do have to say that Air Canada came through with their movie selection. They had a ton of movies that are super new, and I'm not even sure if they were out of theaters yet. My sister enjoyed "Moana" on the way there. I, personally, am not a movie person. My mind wanders very easily and I usually end up having to re-watch most of it anyways. The TV shows left much to be desired, but again, I have weird taste in shows (I'm a documentary freak). I was pleasantly surprised by their... I guess radio stations that they had. Lots of variety and good songs.

This (below) is a pictures of flying over the Alberta Rockies, which, if you follow my Instagram (@globetrottingdink), you'll probably know is my favourite place. Once the Vancouver series is done, I'll for sure be covering them.

Hello Alberta!!

Anyways, I've covered the two major airlines for getting around in Canada, and they're both similarly priced. It's always a good idea to subscribe to your favourite airline's website, because there's usually some pretty wicked deals. There's is one newer bargain air line available in Canada now as well! Super exciting. I personally haven't travelled with them yet, but if you can get from one end of the country to the other for under $200 CAD (which is even less in USD) I'll take it!

New with NewLeaf!

NewLeaf Travel Company is the new and improved way to get to point A to point B in Canada. As it's a smaller airline there are definitely a some days of the week/month that there are no flights leaving from certain airports, so flexibility is key here. Also, make sure to check all the little fees, because if you start to check multiple bags things start to get a little expensive (think LITTLE company with LITTLE planes). So having a carry-on will reduce some costs for you. Their prices also change pretty drastically depending on the day of the week you leave, so be sure to keep that in mind!

On a whole, our travel to and from Vancouver was pretty uneventful (except that I accidentally spilled some of my hot chocolate on one of the pilots who was travelling at the front of the plane... OOPS!!).

Got any flight tips? Ins and outs? Share them in the comments!

Coming up May 29th: Cheap Accommodations in Vancouver!

Chillin' at the Sylvia Hotel

To Go Now or to Wait?!

Good day world!! 

Today I shall weigh the pros and cons of the age old question (or at least it is in my head) of "Should I go on this trip because it's cheap, or keep saving my pennies for something bigger and better?"

First off, I feel the need to point out that we in Canada no longer have pennies. It's weird, but it's happening. Second, I can't be the only one who is plagued by this question...

Up and away!

Putting it into context, you're cruising one of your favourite bargain travel websites (stay tuned to find out some!), and you see an awesome deal for an All Inclusive Caribbean Cruise. You're thinking of how you and your significant other could ACTUALLY afford this (I'm a DINK remember, so anything I find I usually have to double the costs), and how nice it would be to get away for a while. Even though this is far from your ideal vacation, you're still considering it.

Then, right next to the cruise, you see a trip to a country, let's say Iceland (I REALLY want to go there), that is out of your budget right now, but there's a chance that you could maybe afford it next year. You know, with all of the travel points you're saving up with your new Rewards Credit Card. 

The Dilemma... 

At this point, you're faced with a choice that all of us have probably had to make at some point in our lives, do you use up all of your savings and travel points towards the cruise, or do you keep saving in hopes that next year you'll have enough to go to your dream destination?

Option 1... The Cruise

So, here the cruise represents really any vacation destination that you think might be kind of cool to go to, but if you never made it there you wouldn't be too devastated. Now personally, I'm a get up and go kinda gal, so sitting around in the sun all day really doesn't appeal to me. But if it was offered, I would have a hard time saying no (and there have been offers...).

Why would anyone even consider this? Well, you get the instant gratification of vacation. If you're desperate, who cares where you're going, as long as you're going. I think it's safe to say that we've all hit that breaking point at one point or another.

Another valid reason would be if you plan on going with people. Oftentimes, these excursions come at a discounted rate, depending on the size of your group, and when it comes to picking a destination it's majority rules. This can either be very good, or very bad. For an introvert like me, unless there was a lot of free alone time, this sounds like hell on Earth! So it really depends on what kind of trip it is, and what your personal preferences are when it comes to being around a lot of people.

Option 2... Waiting for the Grand Prize

This option represents your dream trip. Wherever it may be, this is the jackpot. But... As with most things, it's very expensive and always seems to be in the very distant future. So, the big question here is are you willing to wait for the chance it will happen, or go for the instant gratification of the other trip...

The downside to waiting is... well... The waiting. The waiting and the doubt that it may never happen. Boo...

The upside? Well, if you pinch your pennies and make all of the right choices, you can have the trip of a lifetime. 

Want to learn how to save these pennies and get to where you want to go a little quicker? Well you've come to the right Broke DINK! Stay tuned for a budget-wise jaunt around Vancouver! Great prices and cheap/free things to do in The Couv!! 

Got a dream trip? Not sure how to get there? Leave a comment!! Let's share the dreams!!

Life looks pretty good from up here!

Get a Good Rewards Card!

Hello again world!

So, today I want to talk about Rewards Credit Cards. 

The first thing that needs to be said on this is DO NOT PUT ANYTHING ON CREDIT THAT YOU CAN'T IMMEDIATELY PAY OFF!!!!!!! Can not stress this enough. Any credit card you get, no matter how high the limit, is NOT found money. You will have to pay this back and then some!

Anyways, not yelling at anyone, just throwing the information out there with a passion. I, like many others before me, have fallen pit to this. Impulse control is a huge thing when dealing with credit cards. Just because something is a great deal and you have a high credit limit, doesn't mean that you need to buy it. 

Time to step off my credit card soap box and actually get down to the nitty gritty!

If you are wanting to travel, and travel regularly, a Rewards Credit Card is a must. I'm not going to get into specific cards here, because as a Canadian the cards I have access to are very different then the ones someone from another country would have. The main focus of this post is going to be on what to look for in a Rewards Credit Card.

The first question, which will marginally narrow your search, is what kind of rewards are you looking for? This may seem silly, but man are there a lot of options out there! Anyways, since you are here and reading this, you are probably looking for something that will pay out with some awesome travel opportunities. I know I am!

You want a travel card... Now what?

1. How many points will I get per $?

If you are already struggling to afford travelling, chances are a card or rewards program that will only pay out when you book on a specific airline or hotel chain is completely useless. Make sure that they will give you points for your day to day spending. It might be considerably less than what you would get if you were to book a flight, but every little bit counts.

That being said, always check the amount of points you get for each specific purpose. For example, if you found a card that gives you 1 point for every $100 you spend. Unless you are a big spender (unlikely if you're here reading this), you aren't going to get anywhere for a very long time. 

Or, if you are doing a cash-back option to put in a fund to travel later, you need to know the percentage the company will give you back. In this case, watch for laddering. Some cards will advertise a 5% cash-back, but the goods are in the fine print. 1% until you spend $1000 dollars with the card, 2% until you spend $2,500 with the card, and so on and so forth. Going this way it can take a very long time to get up to the 5%, and you might want to look elsewhere.

2. How many points does it take to get anywhere?

This one pertains to point cards specifically. If a card were to offer you 10 points per dollar spent, your first instinct might be to jump on it. But wait! How many points do they require to actually get anywhere? If you are planning on, say, a flight to somewhere three hours away and it costs you 100,000 points is there really any form of deal here? I'm exaggerating slightly for ease of  calculations, but there are similar scenarios out there. 

Personally, with a card that I used to have, after running it to the max and paying it off a few times, I found the rewards program on it. Now, theoretically, I should have enough to get something good right? NOPE! My thousands of dollars spent only got me a $50 gift certificate to a bookstore. With all that money wasted, I could have taken myself somewhere very nice.

3. Are there any blackout dates?

Is there really a use to accumulating lots of points to go somewhere amazing if you can hardly ever use them? Is there really a point in spending your hard earned money on a tropical vacation in the middle of summer at home? No! A few blackout days aren't unheard of, but some will obviously over-do it. This is a tricky little thing that you may have to delve into the fine print for.

4. Are there any fees?

Unless you make an executive salary, in which case you are most likely not a broke DINK, chances are you won't qualify for an executive/gold/1st class/whatever the heck you want to call it card. This can be disappointing at first, because they always have the better rewards programs, but there is a silver lining to this dark and rainy cloud.

The annual fees are ridiculous! Unless you plan on using your card a ridiculous amount and racking up your spending (remember my earlier warnings here!), these cards are often not worth the ridiculous fees that you have to pay for them. And that's if you qualify. However, some "normal people" credit cards are also starting to come out with annual fees, so be careful! If a card seems a little too good to be true, look into this to avoid a lot of heartache and even more debt down the road.

5. What kind of purchases are getting you points?

I briefly mentioned this before, but it's super important so I'm going at it again. There is no point in getting a travel rewards card, from a certain airline for example, that will only give you points if you buy with them. If we could afford to buy the airline tickets right from the airline itself, the rewards card would be a nice benefit, not a necessity.

No, we need a card that will also give decent points on purchases that we make every day (that we pay back right away of course). This is why reading all that tiny fine print is so important. The fine print will tell you all you need to know about the points you'll actually be getting with your new card.

So... Despite all the pitfalls and unknowns of credit cards, with all of the proper research they can be very helpful for getting you on your way to somewhere else! Got any tips or tricks when it comes to Rewards Credit Cards that I missed? Throw them in the comments and let the rest of the world know! We're all in this together!

Tune in again next Monday morning for more travel tips and tales on a budget from your favourite broke and globetrotting DINK!

Globetrotting with a Broke DINK

Hello world!

At this point you're probably wondering what a DINK is... Well! A DINK is an acronym for "Double Income No Kids." We DINKs are thought to be incredibly rich, sipping chardonnay by the pool and wiping our asses with $100 bills.

OK, so maybe that's a bit of an over-statement, but still! The cold hard truth of it is, a lot of us are young, struggling with low-paying jobs, and up to our eyeballs in debt from school, or just dumb choices that were made when we were younger (come on, we've all done it!). Most of us want to see the great wide world, but between bills and work, just can't seem to afford it or find the time.

Fear not fellow DINKs, for I have taken it upon myself to find ways that we can get out there and have the fun we should be having! And on a budget! That's right, I'm looking for ways for all of us to get out into the big wide world and avoid the dreaded "staycation" that I'm sure we're all a little tired of.

So hang on to your hats, this might be a bumpy ride around the world we're about to take, but in the words of Machiavelli, "The ends justifies the means."

My name is Susan the globetrotting DINK, and if you stick around I'll find a way to make your Mondays a little more fun with some rad cheap travel tips.

ALL ABOARD!