'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Instead of hopping on a plane to travel, Michael Downie opts for the train.
"You have your bedroom, you get three meals a day, and you just look out the window and watch the country go by. You get to experience all of it," said Downie.
For the YouTube travel blogger, the journey is the trip itself.
With the spring break travel season approaching, those looking to flee the cold, wet Canadian snow for sunnier skies will likely be met with a hefty price tag for their getaway, with inflation and increased demand pushing costs up.
But Downie said there are cheaper ways to travel if you know where to look and if you're not afraid of the unconventional.
The Vancouver resident has travelled by train to most parts of Canada and the United States by Via Rail, Amtrak and the Rocky Mountaineer.
Most recently, Downie went from Jasper to Vancouver by train, as part of Via Rail's route called The Canadian which departs from Toronto and arrives in Vancouver four days later. The 24-hour stretch from Jasper to Vancouver costs as little as $190 for an economy fare or as much as $4,250 for the more luxurious option.
While on the tracks, Downie said he enjoys weaving in and out of the Rocky Mountains, stopping in Kamloops and participating in wine tastings on board the train.
"When people go somewhere warm for their vacation, and they come home and they lost their luggage, it's stressful," said Downie. On the train, "you just get to sit down, rest and relax as the train rocks back and forth. And you miss (the scenery) when you fly."
If you do choose to fly this spring, Barry Choi said those looking for a deal should avoid the week of March break if possible.
The personal finance and travel expert suggests travelling outside peak times instead, say, a week before or after. If that's not an option, Choi said travellers should consider destinations that aren't as expensive, like Portugal rather than Spain, or countries in the Middle East instead of those in Europe.
And once you're in the country, you can reduce costs by thinking more about your accommodations, noting those in the downtown core of cities cost much more than staying 15 or 20 minutes out.
"You always have to think outside the box," Choi said. Even simple things like looking for museums and attractions with free entry or loading up on groceries so you're not eating out for every meal can save you cash on your journeys abroad.
Really, it's about managing your costs as flights and hotels have become more expensive, and as travel dynamics have changed post-pandemic, Choi said.
"If you're trying to snag that last-minute deal to some far-off destination, it's just not going to happen," he said. "Most of the time if you're looking for a last-minute flight, airlines will charge even more because they know you need it."
It's important to pay attention to sales and vacation packages instead, said Choi.
Choi also recommends setting yourself up with a credit card that will earn you points toward travel.
"If you want to fly to Italy, you should start collecting Aeroplan points now," he said. Say you're not sure where you want to go, then choose any program, like American Express Membership Rewards or Scene Plus. Some credit cards also come with a "generous welcome bonus" if you can meet the minimum spending requirements.
To budget for your trip, prepare a rough estimate for what you'll spend on flights, hotels, food and entertainment, then work backwards, he said. If you're planning a trip that will cost about $3,000 and want to go in 12 months, you need to save $250 per month, for example.
Saving for travel rather than impulsively booking a trip is important, but what's more important is ensuring your debts are paid off beforehand, said financial educator Jessica Moorhouse.
"If you have really expensive credit card debt, that should be your priority because it can be a huge drain on your finances," said Moorhouse. Once that's paid off, you should also consider saving for an emergency fund which typically covers your cost of living for six months should an event occur where you can no longer work, like being laid off from a job.
Building upon Choi's recommendation to save little by little each month, Moorhouse suggests opening a separate banking account with higher interest rates for savings. Besides growing your money, keeping your savings in a separate account prevents you from spending it impulsively, she said.
While social media feeds are bound to be filled with travellers showing off their getaways this upcoming travel season, the fear of missing out shouldn't be a reason you're willing to risk your financial stability, said Moorhouse.
If you have that chance to go on a trip and you can't afford it right now, chances are there will be more opportunities to go in the future, she said.
"It sucks to go on vacation, come back home and continue paying for something that already happened. But if you find yourself in that situation, make a plan to pay it off by the end of the year at the latest."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2023.
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.