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max_boost
03-02-2006, 10:15 PM
I've never really been anywhere, ever, farthest I've been was Vancouver. LOL But I'm closing shop for two weeks this summer and I'm having a really hard time trying to plan my trip right now. To be honest I'm not really quite sure what I want to do, other than eat good food, do some sightseeing and just have a good time.

If you guys can post some of your vacation experiences, how much it cost, where you went, the activities, perhaps that might help me out in my decision. :dunno:

Some destinations I had in mind were:

London/Paris
Hongkong/Singapore/Japan (too hot in the summer?)
Las Vegas/Los Angeles
New York/Atlantic City

Thanks.:thumbsup:

Godfuader
03-02-2006, 10:19 PM
Just came back from New York and LA for reading week. It is not that pricy if you plan right. LA, LV, San Diego, Tijuana has enough stuff to do for a couple weeks, but if your budget is higher then definately head overseas.

t-im
03-02-2006, 10:26 PM
Hong Kong is soo hot in summer...that's all I have to say about that...and that airfare is about $2000 RT in Summer

I'm planning on spending the majority of my summer in New York City..but I haven't been there in awhile so I couldn't tell you too much - I expect airfare to range from $450-650 cad.

LA is always fun, and you can get cheap airfare alot of the times (320 including tax RT on AC or Westjet)..lots to eat + shop and just relax..I'm probably heading down mid August..

Another destination you might want to consider is Florida (Miami, Bal Harbour, Ft. Laud + Orlando)..

I spent about 3 weeks there last May and it was a blast!

I spent the majority of my time in Ft lauderdale + Miami (SoBe), spent maybe 3 days in Bal Harbour (kinda boring besides the 'posh' mall across the st and lounging around the resort) Orlando for a day (went to Disney World just for the sake of it)..

I didn't really do "too" much in terms of activities/sightseeing..I laid on the beach, shopped around and ate a shitload of food!..but it was a nice getaway..

Oh, and for Paris: I just booked my little cousin a ticket there and it was $2000 cad RT @ the begining of July - so pretty pricey

max_boost
03-02-2006, 10:58 PM
I figure if I stayed closer to home I can get more bang for the buck and it won't break the wallet. Thanks for the good post t-im :D

Godfuader
03-02-2006, 11:31 PM
Originally posted by max_boost
I figure if I stayed closer to home I can get more bang for the buck and it won't break the wallet.
If you plan on doing just the states, then all you need is priceline.com. I got the Hilton for $47 (vs. $189) and rentals are cheap on there too. For the states, almost everything you want to do, you can get a discount for. I travel to the states frequently, and it hardly breaks the bank. Just have to know where to look for cheap/free stuff.

max_boost
03-03-2006, 03:37 PM
^^^

Wow that is awesome man. Plus with the exchange rate right now, it's a great time to go South.

Quick question, do you have to book well in advance for the hotels and car rentals in order to get the cheap deals? Or can it be a last minute sort of thing?

I think I've decided to go to Vegas for 4 days and then off through California to see Hollywood, Disneyland, Universal Studios etc. I'm excited now, first real vacation. LOL

t-im
03-03-2006, 05:17 PM
Originally posted by max_boost
^^^

Wow that is awesome man. Plus with the exchange rate right now, it's a great time to go South.

Quick question, do you have to book well in advance for the hotels and car rentals in order to get the cheap deals? Or can it be a last minute sort of thing?

I think I've decided to go to Vegas for 4 days and then off through California to see Hollywood, Disneyland, Universal Studios etc. I'm excited now, first real vacation. LOL

I personally like to book in advance (a few weeks) just because of availibility..it sucks to not have any availibility and to be frantically searching for a semi decent hotel.. - but I have Starwood Platinum status so they will usually bump someome for me haha

Same with cars, just check online (travelocity is good because they list out all the car rental companies and you can compare)..and look out for weekday specials, or AMA whatever deals..

Are you thinking of flying to Vegas then drive to LA? or vice versa?

max_boost
03-03-2006, 05:53 PM
We are flying to Vegas, staying for 4-5 days in Vegas, renting a car and driving to LA, doing the whole Universal Studios/Disneyland thing, shopping etc...heading up to San Fran if we have time and flying back from there.

Any suggestions for good eateries in LA? Gf has been to Vegas, so she knows that place....where is a good hotel that is near good shopping?

szw
03-03-2006, 05:59 PM
Hey man, here are a couple vegas restaurant threads.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=4896521&page=3&fpart=1&vc=1
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=4862366&an=0&page=1#Post4862366

have fun

ZorroAMG
03-03-2006, 07:33 PM
Max, you HAVE to eat at Nobu in the Hard Rock hotel in Vegas. It is expensive and trendy but the food and service are AMAZING. you get like 3 people waiting on you....it's seriously worth it....

t-im
03-03-2006, 08:38 PM
Originally posted by ZorroAMG
Max, you HAVE to eat at Nobu in the Hard Rock hotel in Vegas. It is expensive and trendy but the food and service are AMAZING. you get like 3 people waiting on you....it's seriously worth it....

:thumbsup:

Nobu at the Shore Club in Miami was good.

max_boost
03-03-2006, 10:10 PM
Awesome. Looks like there is lots of Vegas advice, if there are any LA/San Fran suggestions, please post them as well. :thumbsup:


Nobu is the famous sushi place, correct?

shakalaka
03-03-2006, 10:19 PM
Can't go wrong with London or even Paris for that matter. If money aint a issue I'd say go for that. Since i moved to Scotland for studies I am pretty close to everywhere. Planning on going to london in a month's time, and prolly gonna hit up Paris as well in the easter breaks. Might go to Italy and stuff too. I reckon since I am here this far, might as well see all the good stuff. But deffinately you can never go wrong with London.

Godfuader
03-03-2006, 11:14 PM
Originally posted by max_boost
^^^

Wow that is awesome man. Plus with the exchange rate right now, it's a great time to go South.

Quick question, do you have to book well in advance for the hotels and car rentals in order to get the cheap deals? Or can it be a last minute sort of thing?

I think I've decided to go to Vegas for 4 days and then off through California to see Hollywood, Disneyland, Universal Studios etc. I'm excited now, first real vacation. LOL

I was in Hollywood last week and managed to get all my deals relatively last minute. Have you used priceline.com (http://travel.priceline.com/default.asp?rdr=1) Basically how this works is that you pick a destination, pick the part of town (Hollywood, Downtown, LAX, etc.), pick the star rating, and choose a price you would like to pay. They get your credit card and bill you immediately if they find something that meets your requests. catch: you dont know the hotels name till you get it. They dont really have shitty hotels, i got the Hilton and the Crowne Plaza both under $75.
Cheat Sheet: "biddingfortravel.com" is a forum that tells you how to bid on priceline and what type of hotel to expect.
In LA you have to check out Hollywood, I can tell you how to park directly under the kodak theatre (oscar central) for $2/4hrs. Drive thru Beverly hills on Sunset blvd. Check out Santa Monica Beach, Venice beach, and cruise down Malibu. If you like the arts, check out the Getty Museum (best views of the city) and Walt Disney Concert hall.
If you need specifics on other things like car rentals, accomodations, theme park discounts, i have all the research done. let me know :thumbsup:

max_boost
03-03-2006, 11:36 PM
Wow that is awesome. I'll contact you in late June when it's closer to departure. :thumbsup:

ninjak84
03-04-2006, 09:21 AM
If you're doing Los Angeles, be very careful about how you plan your transportation, especially if you're only there a short time. You can get stuck in traffic for half a day if you aren't careful.
LA is a great place to have fun. Just relax. If you act like a tourist, they'll treat you like a tourist.

Oh, and stop at Mann's Chinese Theatre if its your thing

vincent-h
03-08-2006, 02:43 PM
also once your done the researching and you wanna see some agent pricing or information feel free to give me a holler for some free info here and there.

gotta tell the truth though its hard to beat the net now-a-days but there's always a way i'm sure.

I don't work commission so i rahte ryou come in and burn my time and we can chit chat about info or whatever if your tired of jsut sitting in front of the computer clicking away.

a warning about some online booking too it isn't always 100% guaranteed. What happens is they say they will confirm your booking within 24 hrs. (online system sends message to a backend agent) if the price isn't there they can decline the price quoted and say not available.

Just be sure to always make sure you get a full confirmation number and no where on the itinerary says on request or waiting confirmation. you shoudls ee confirmed confirmed confirmed.

Just some travel heads up when booking/shopping online.

also if you call any real agent be sure to get the prices tax in some agents say 99 or whatever plus tax and slam u with like XXX taxes when the time comes to pay and ur stuck cuz everythign else is sold out.