It’s hard knowing when the best time to find great deals on airfare could be. Rumor is that if you log on at the wee hours in the morning, that you can secretly score unbeatable deals on air travel that no one thinks to look for. But who has the time (and sanity) to stay up that late until we find something great? That is why there are companies who make it easy for us travelers to find good deals!
BootsnAll.com's Easy to Use Search!
I know that flying into LAX can be pretty spendy sometimes…and I was especially worried since it is the beginning of the school season and students are flying back to school and such. However, I heard about this great site, BootsnAll.com that has a great airfare page where I could find cheap flights super easy. I decided to check it out and sure enough, I wasn’t disappointed. With extremely easy to use drop-down boxes and search options, within 30 seconds or less I was comparing prices for up to eleven, top-notch airfare sites like Expedia.com and Hotwire.com. With these different windows popping up right in front of me, I had instant access to compare prices between websites so I can choose to most convenient for me.
I highly recommend using an airfare searching site like this one that allows you to compare between different sites and the offers each one has. I was pretty impressed with the different options I got because I had prices everywhere from $240 for round trip, all the way up to $265 for round trip. There are a lot of hidden deals within these sites that you won’t find unless you search and compare!
If you’re looking for a quick getaway trip that’s affordable, travel efficient, and full of experience, (and you’re somewhere around the Northwest), traveling into Canada is one of the best things I’ve ever done as a traveler!
I had never really thought of taking a quick, weekend trip up north, just because when I think of trips and vacation, I want to go BIG. But going into Canada, when you’re already located in the Northwest United States, is such an easy trip to plan and make!
First, I decided that I would take a quick, two hour plane ride up to Seattle, Washington, where I would from there take a taxi to the Anacortes/San Juans ferry port. Honestly, I think out of everything the taxi was the hardest (and second most expensive next to airfare) detail on this trip! A one way adult ticket (ages 19-64) on the WSDOT ferry going to Friday Harbor was only about $12.00! Even if you are driving up and taking a vehicle, it starts at about $50.00.
The ferry ride was awesome too! Just the experience of sitting aboard this HUGE vessel was really cool. They have a great cafeteria, gift shop, and bar too. 
My mother and I played cards for most of the trip, walked around the outer deck, and met some great people.
Arriving into Friday Harbor was pretty exhilarating. I almost felt like I had been on an actual cruise and I was landing in a foreign country in Europe. Friday Harbor is a great little place, where everyone seems to know everyone, and where there is plenty do to!
The Lodge at Lakedale
First, got a taxi to this beautiful lodge called Lakedale Resort at Three Lakes where you had a few different options for lodging. You could camp out and stay in tents, you could camp in luxury and stay in their provided canvas tents, or you could totally spoil yourself and stay in their beautiful lodge that made you feel extraordinarily special. We chose to spend one night in the canvas cabins, and two nights in the lodge, just so we could get as much experience as possible! Can you believe they even offered Airstream lodging? They were pretty darn nice too!
The Canvas Cabins at Lakedale
The lodge provided a great complimentary breakfast each morning that included everything you could possibly imagine for a wonderful breakfast. They have a little store right outside of the lodge for any resident staying in any of the types of lodging that includes drinks, a wide variety of foods, and tons of games, toys, and activities for all ages! (They also provide firewood for any campers in need)
If you’re traveling with kids, the lodge’s employees put on crafts, cooking classes, and games each day for the little ones. They were so enthusiastic and loving towards all the kids!
After traveling throughout Friday Harbor (on moped) and visiting all the cool shops, restaurants, and ice cream parlors, we made our way back onto the ferry for our next destination to Victoria B.C. That ferry ride was just as easy, but just a little longer. If you’re going during the right time, however, the longer ride is well worth it because orcas are really popular during the June-July months!
When we got to Victoria’s harbor, it literally felt like we were stepping off the Titanic. With the Empress Hotel in site, tons of flags and people, and a beautiful harbor to pull in to, Victoria really knows how to make its visitors feel welcome! We also got their during the weekend of B.C. Day, which is a complete party!
With tons of street markets, a really cool underwater aquarium, a wax museum, tons of Irish and English pubs with a great variety of ales, and of course, a breath-taking European atmosphere that convinces you that you aren’t in Canada. 
Our lodging in Victoria was a simple hotel that was in the heart of downtown and within walking distance to everything we possibly needed—restaurants, bars, coffee shops, a movie theatre, and the harbor. But then again, most of the hotels in Victoria are close to everything you need too.
We went up to Victoria’s most historical landmark, the Craigdarroch Castle that was built around 1887 for Robert Dunsmuir. It was a gorgeous place full of so much history and beautiful artifacts.
Another good thing about visiting a Canadian province like British Columbia that is so close to the US is that American dollars are usually always accepted! At least at all the shops and restaurants they usually are. This doesn’t apply to the reciprocal, however, so don’t try to use that Canadian money when you come back home.
We had great deals on our entire trip, but we could have totally done it for much cheaper if we did more research and less lodging and taxi driving. It would be so easy to stay in a cheaper place in Victoria, camp out on one of the islands, and find cheaper transportation like a bike or moped.
I strongly encourage you to create an easy, impulsive journey that is cheap and almost winged! It really is a good time!
Where are the best places to travel if you are looking for a little more then your average adventure? I have traveled many places and these are the top experiences that come to mind…
The first place I traveled and had an awesome adventure was Hawaii. On the island of Maui my family and I went zip-lining! Now I do not know if you have ever been zip-lining but it is anything but typical! You are connected to a metal wire referred to as a zip-line that is strung through the forest by trees and poles. You hold on to a handle and glide through the trees. I remember we started at the top of the trees and landed towards the bottom of the trees. I am afraid of heights but I held my breath and did it anyways and it was incredible!
The other experience that comes to mind is Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, California. If you have never heard of Magic Mountain it is a roller coaster theme park. It has some of the scariest roller coasters I have ever been on! The whole park is filled with out of this world adventure! I remember my favorite ride it was called “The Viper!” It has the world’s tallest vertical loop of 14 stories and go up to 70 miles per hour!
So next time you want to step outside the state for a real adventure I recommend these two destinations!
