Market Fares

Aeroplan: What is a market fare?

If you’ve used Aeroplan before, you know that when you look for a redemption (especially within Canada) you’ll often be presented with two options: Fixed mileage Market Fare What is the difference between these two fares and should you ever book a market fare over fixed mileage? Fixed Mileage: The classic reward Fixed mileage is […]

Is Redeeming Points REALLY FREE?

Let’s face it. People are addicted to FREE stuff. And in this post, I’m going to talk briefly about what FREE really costs. FREE vs. SUBSIDIZED When it comes to points, it really helps to change how you think about FREE flights. Personally, I prefer to use the term subsidized travel. When I talk to […]

Opportunity cost: The hidden cost of points

Something that isn’t always discussed when talking about redeeming points is opportunity cost. It seems seductive to use points to get a FREE flight and sometimes we get excited without actually counting the cost. What does a point really mean? Let’s take a deeper look. The many different loyalty programs There are many different kinds […]

Booked: Hawaii with a side of luxe.

Last year I jumped on the fantastic value of the Marriott Travel Package (RIP). I won’t go over the old package details as it has been outlined pretty clearly on other sites and it’s no longer available. In short, you could convert Marriott points to airline points and get a 7 night stay certificate for […]

Can you leave the airport during a 6 hour layover?

One of the most stressful parts of long-distance travelling is getting through an airport. There are so many moving parts and hurdles to cross just to get on a plane that in many cases, if you have to transfer, leaving the airport can seem like an unnecessary complication. This is is why many people try […]

How you can turn an airport into a cruise terminal

In a previous article, I talked about how leaving an airport on a long layover is not only legal, doable, and less burdensome than you think, but also how leaving an airport for a few hours on a layover can be totally worth your time. In this article, I’m going to focus on how an […]