Tag Archives: frugal travel

Trip to Buffalo/Toronto and Money-Saving Travel Tips

Niagara Falls

Last spring, I went with my wife and son to Florida on our first vacation after our son was born to take advantage of the free flight as he had not turned 2 yet. We thought about heading down to Florida again this year for the nicer weather, even though we would have to pay for our son’s flight. However, due to an over abundance of caution relating to the Zika virus, we wanted to avoid areas with mosquitos being that Mrs. LRC is pregnant. Mrs. LRC’s brother has been telling us to visit him up in Buffalo so we figured we’d take him up on the offer and go to Toronto as well. Driving to Buffalo is doable but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that with a pregnant wife and a toddler in tow. Plus, flights to Buffalo from NYC can be pretty affordable and being that we only had a week, I didn’t want to spend that much time driving.

The Flight

I am not a travel hacking aficionado but I have accumulated a good amount of points which can be used for flights. However, many flights I found using points required layovers which would be a hassle for a flight that should only take an hour. And did I mention I was traveling with a toddler and pregnant wife? We opted to take JetBlue which had flights for $59 each way. We used an app called “Hopper” to determine if that would be the best price or if it might drop even more. At $59, I didn’t think it could get much lower but it was good to get confirmation. You can also go to the Kayak website which also has a fare predictor.

Lodging

We stayed in hotels in both Buffalo and Toronto for free using Chase Ultimate rewards points. You can transfer these points to various airlines as well as hotels. When I signed up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, I received 50,000 points after spending $2,500 (it has been increased to $4,000 now). I also have the Chase Freedom card and the Chase Ink Plus which is why I have a decent stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. During our stay in Buffalo, we stayed at a Hyatt Place hotel, which only required 5000 points a night and I think that was an excellent value. I mean the sign up bonus alone would have given me 10 free nights and the hotel costs about $120 a night. In Toronto, we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express using points. Both hotels offered a nice and free breakfast where we filled up so we usually had a light lunch. Some travel hacking bloggers often write about fancy luxurious hotels you can stay at with points, but fancy hotels rarely offer a free breakfast. I want my hotel to be clean and to have the essentials but I don’t need to live in the lap of luxury. I want to spend most of the time doing stuff OUTSIDE of the hotel.

Activities

I hadn’t been to Niagara Falls since I was a child so I was looking forward to seeing breath taking views, as well as see my son’s face when he say it. He thought they were pretty awesome too, but then he got distracted by some small rocks on the ground. The Niagara Falls Observation Tower offered great panoramic views of the falls. Our visit was free with the exception of parking. There are activities like Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds, but since it was still on the chilly side being that it was only April, we passed on them. We also saw the falls from the Canadian side on our way back from Toronto and it definitely offers a different perspective. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and started to drizzle a little after we arrived. Nevertheless, it was still an amazing sight to behold. There did seem like a lot more “touristy” things to do on the Canadian side like a huge Ferris wheel, a tower which I’m sure offers a great view of the falls, a haunted house, wax museum…if you’re into that kind of stuff. Other things we did while in Buffalo were to check out the downtown area which has been revitalized. Canalside along Lake Erie would be a great place to do some boating or biking if the weather was warmer. There are free concerts, festivals and a variety of other events held there, but mostly in the warmer months. We also checked out the lighthouse, the naval and military park and visited my wife’s alma mater while in Buffalo. And of course, if you’re in Buffalo, you have to eat buffalo wings, so we went to the famed Anchor Bar.

Little LRC liked those buffalo wings!

Little LRC liked those buffalo wings!

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

In Toronto, we went to the Ripley’s Aquarium which is located right next to the CN Tower. Surprisingly, it was open until 11:00 which was great because we needed to fill an evening with a family friendly activity. There is a discount for AAA members and also a discount if you buy the tickets online in advance. While driving to the Aquarium, which is also right next to Rogers Centre (where the Blue Jays play), I was stuck in a lot of traffic because the Blue Jays’ game was starting at that time. Good thing I wasn’t wearing my Yankees T-shirt though. I noticed plenty of signs at parking garages charging $30 but I found one charging $12 and it was only a block or two farther away. If you need to park in a metropolitan area, make sure to use the BestParking app to find the best price. Prices vary widely even on the same block! We were only in Toronto briefly, but we also walked around the Entertainment District, had dim sum in a suburb outside of Toronto, and went to St. Lawrence Market.

If we were in Toronto for longer, I think buying a CityPass would be well worth it. The CityPass in Toronto costs about $60 and includes attractions like the CN Tower, the Aquarium, Zoo or Science Center, Casa Loma and the Royal Ontario Museum. You’d be close to breaking even if you went to two of the attractions so if you are interested in a couple of them then you’d definitely save. CityPass also has deals in a couple of other cities as well. We originally wanted to go to Tampa and the CityPass there included all the activities we’d be interested in and we would have saved over $100 per adult in admission costs.

Summary of tips to save money while traveling:

-Sign up for credit cards that give you bonuses for travel. However, if you are doing this, make sure you pay off your balance in full and don’t spend more than you normally would spend, otherwise the bonus points aren’t worth it.

-Use the Hopper App or Kayak to determine if the price of the flight your booking is a good one

-Use the Best Parking app if you need to park in a garage so you get the best price

-If you are a AAA member, check to see if you can get a discount at an attraction or at a hotel

-Consider buying a CityPass if the attractions that are included in the city you’re traveling too are ones that you’d be interested in going to.

-Consider staying in a hotel that offers free breakfast

Also, check out this infographic from Personal Capital which has a couple of other great ways to save money when you travel:

View post on imgur.com

How do you save money when you travel?