And yes, that’s everything included: airfare, accommodations in two cities, car rental and even state park passes for the duration of our trip. It had been a dream of ours since we met to see Lake Louise in Banff, Canada and most importantly, be right in the middle of all the action.
Your first step is likely going to be airfare, since airline prices can go up and down within a matter of days. So if you see a price you like, go for it. I religiously use Skyscanner for all of my airfare, because they have a few different tools that make it super easy to get the best prices on the best dates. If I have no specific date in mind, but I’ve already settled on a destination, I’ll search by destination and the app will give me a list of the cheapest dates to visit. In our case, we were able to score a $258 plane ticket to Calgary for late October with WestJet. When you’re looking at getting the best price possible, you’ll have to compromise on a few things, including city of arrival, airline, baggage fees, etc. We decided to fly into the city of Calgary, rent a car at the airport, and make the one and a half hour trek to Banff where we'll be staying for the first four nights. And though we had never flown WestJet before, they had decent reviews and our carry-on is included-- which was a huge plus in our book. When you choose to fly into less-touristy cities, it can cut down on the price a ton. You have to weigh your options and cut out things that aren’t necessities. Luckily, we didn't mind making the extra journey to our desired destination.
You might assume that renting a car (especially from the airport) is going to be more expensive than ubering, but when you plan on being out all day, it’s definitely the way to go if you want to get the most out of your trip. We decided to rent with Enterprise for four days, and only spent $108 total ($54 each)
For accommodations, we wanted to stay in Banff most of the trip. We booked four nights at a resort overlooking the mountains, and only 25 minutes from Lake Louise. In total, this cost us $361. Our last night will be spent in Calgary, since our flight leaves early the next morning. Our last night was just $36 in an Airbnb, and super close to the airport. ($198.50 each) Keep in mind, that in order to reduce the price of your accommodations, you'll have to be open-minded about potential places to stay. Ask yourself: How often am I going to be in the room? It could be the difference between spending $300-$400 per night on a fancy four-bedroom cabin you're only going to sleep in vs. $100 for something simple that serves its exact purpose. Though I can appreciate an exotic accommodation overlooking a breathtaking view, it's usually more important for me to save an extra few hundred to be able to spend elsewhere during our trip. Always remember, you're going to get a much better deal opting for Airbnbs over hotels. I swear by this mindset. (If you REALLY want to cut down on the price and you don’t mind sharing a room with others, look into booking a hostel. They typically run starting at $15 per night, but this is ideal for the solo traveler)
Later on, we found out we have to obtain state park passes for four days, so we can travel freely from park-to-park while we’re there. At $20 per day, this brings us to $80 total ($40 each). This struck me as a great deal, since a lot of our exploring in Banff will include hiking, kayaking, picture-taking and sight-seeing.
It took a lot of researching, planning and budgeting to plan out the trip of our dreams for half the price we thought it would cost, but we cut out what wasn’t important to us and we made room for what was. I know that another important aspect is being able to take off of work for longer-duration trips, but i've always been a huge advocate of making sure they overlap a weekend to avoid taking too many days off. And of course, always use PTO if you have any left for the year.
Per person, this trip cost us only $550.50 each, not including spending money. But hey, it's certainly a good start. Hopefully I can help anyone who longs to travel the world, but doesn't think they can afford it. Happy traveling!
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