A site for solo travellers

 I found a new site for solo travellers that has a newsletter you can sign up for.  Its

solotravelerblog.com

I also found a few new solocruise videos that you can get on 

cruisecriitc.com

I recommend the one with 8 tips for solo cruisers as I pretty much do everything he has recommended

Hope this helps

Marcia

its been a long time without travel and annoying too

 Like most people I haven't travelled during the pandemic.  I have basically been dealing with airlines, travel agents, hotels, hotel booking sites and cruise lines trying to get credits and or refunds.  With the airlines Air Canada and KLM I got credits for a re-book at a future date. The process took a long time for both airlines but they did issue the credits and I have rebooked KLM for next June. 

The travel agent Crucon.com was good about getting me a re-booking - lift and shift with RCCL but then RCCL cancelled again and left me in the lurch one more time.  I am waiting for the FCC.  I won't book another cruise with them with the credit until I am sure they are back sailing.

The booking sites - Booking.com was a disappointment, not helping at all with the cancellations of hotels. I lost about $300 on a hotel in Amsterdam and one in New York.  Yes I had booked a non-cancellable but way before the pandemic and I think given the closures they should have offered a refund. 

Expedia.ca on the other hand was great - I got a credit for a non-refundable hotel (The Manor Amsterdam) and am using it in June.  I have booked all my hotels with them for June (all refundable just a few days before I leave).

MSC was quick to give a 25% more credit on the FCC and I will use it for a future cruise once they are saling again.

Hotels ... The Manor Amsterdam gave me a credit to use for up to a year, and so did the Leo Hotel in NYC, but Hotel Fine Seasons in Amsterdam didn't even give me a credit for the taxes that they promised to do .. so I will not use Booking.com or Hotel Fine Seasons again.

I hope you all have had good experiences with getting credits and refunds... 

Stay Safe

Marcia

Globus tour uk feb 2020

I am on a Globus tour to Ireland, Scotland and England. It was on sale for 1899 can with no single supplement.  I did direct air Canada flight to Dublin that was included in the price with an upgrade fee as normally the flights are Icelandic air.
When I got here I bought a 3 day leap card ...19.5o euro.  A deal as it includes the air link airport bus.

I am staying at the Hilton kilmainham. It’s a bit far from city centre. It takes 20 minutes with bus 13 or 40 to get to Nassau street.
 The hotel is good
The reception let me check in early at 11 am but my first room had a faulty tv and no hot water.  However the man at reception changed my room on day 2 and the new room is excellent.

So far I have seen...
National art gallery. ...very good and free.
Natural history museum...small but free

Tip 1
  Stay in city Center so you can walk everywhere.
Tip 2.  Get a leap card if your not downtown

Hope this helps
Marcia

sites for booking last minute travel

Again I found a good article on smartertravel.com. This time its about sites they think are good for last minute travel.  The link to the article is

https://www.smartertravel.com/find-last-minute-travel-deals/?source=91&u=DED129A403&nltv=1089_b&nl_cs=51886455%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A1089_b&mi_u=DED129A403

I have used Travelzoo and the major sites but there are some new ones that I will try out
Hope this helps
Marcia

Sites for booking airfare

Smarter travel again has a good article … this time on the 12 best sites for booking airfare - I have used some of these sites but often find going direct works better on WestJet and Airtransat.  Its not always the cheapest on Air Canada directly.
the link is
https://www.smartertravel.com/the-best-flight-booking-sites/?source=91&u=DED129A403&nltv=&nl_cs=51828259%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A&mi_u=DED129A403
copy it into your browser.
Hope this helps
Marcia

Article link on travel sites with Senior discounts

As I mentioned before I really like the articles on smartertravel.com.  This article is about the best travel brands/companies to go to for senior discounts
https://www.smartertravel.com/top-websites-for-senior-travelers/?source=91&u=DED129A403&nltv=&nl_cs=51828256%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A&mi_u=DED129A403

I personally have signed up for Road Scholar, but as a Canadian this article makes a lot of reco's where you need to be a member of ARRP... which in Canada is CARP,  Canadian association of retired persons.  Not sure if the deals are the same in Canada.
I find Holland America is the best cruise line for senior discounts, but it doesn't have a lot of activities like Royal Caribbean which has all ages and lots to do.
Hope this helps
Marcia

How to save money on the Heathrow Express

I am often asked how to save money on basic travel when in a city. The fastest way into London from Heathrow is the Heathrow express from Heathrow's various terminals into Paddington Station. I usually stay near Paddington as its quick to and from the airport and usually a little bit cheaper in that area.  To save money on the Heathrow express book a few months earlier on line. The standard fare on a weekday is 22 pounds but I just booked for February a one-way from Paddington to Heathrow and the cost was 7.50 pounds. So you see you save a lot by booking early.  I like that you can travel at any time on that day but it is non-refundable.  To book go to heathrowexpress.com and look at the visitor prices.  Note print out a timetable.  You must use a credit card and the only thing I don't like is they save the credit card on file.
Hope this helps
Marcia