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Back from Vacation!

August 1st, 2013 at 09:38 pm

We're back from vacation to Vancouver and Victoria (Canada) - it was GREAT! Not cheap, but we'd set aside the money for the trip.



Favorite part of the trip: cycling around Stanley Park (had the bikes for a half day - $50), picnic lunch (about $10), stopping at the large Second Beach pool ($8 for the three of us).

Least favorite part: food in Canada is so expensive! But we ate some great food. We cooked in a lot of the time, had picnic lunches, and a few meals out. The best meals out were in Victoria - we ate at Red Fish Blue Fish right on the pier and breakfast at a place called Jam. Highly recommend both!

F's favorite part: the hour and a half we spent petting goats at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria. (which followed the hysterically funny goat stampede where they run into the petting enclosure).

Museums are also expensive in Canada. I am really appreciating the free museums in the UK!

We spent $30 on souvenirs: a cuddly toy beluga whale for F (who studied them in 1st grade) and a very sweet tea set from the Empress Hotel in Victoria (also for F). Our other souvenirs were lots and lots of photos!

Our lodging: apartments we got through websites like airbnb and the last night was an airport hotel that my mom paid for with her hotel points (which she never uses and offered to us - that was nice!).

But, as I said, the real key to the trip was to set aside the money before the trip (not try to pay for it with credit!) and have a budget.




Posted in Budgeting, Frugal Living | 8 Comments »

8 Responses to “Back from Vacation!”

  1. PatientSaver Says:
    August 1st, 2013 at 11:24 pm 1375395898
    1375395898

    We want pictures!

  2. Buendia Says:
    August 2nd, 2013 at 01:57 am 1375405021
    1375405021

    I am feeling very smart - managed to put in photos!! What a gorgeous place - if any of you are from British Columbia, I'm jealous!

  3. LuckyRobin Says:
    August 2nd, 2013 at 06:35 am 1375421725
    1375421725

    I like Vancouver, but man, Victoria has got to be my favorite city to spend time in. The food can be expensive, but there are some little eateries tucked in here and there that are really cheap, too. We always asked the hotel employees where they ate nearby that was good and those places were invariably cheap. We always stayed in a hotel with a kitchen so we only ate out one meal a day. I love the attractions up there. The Undersea Gardens was probably my favorite, with the Butterfly Gardens coming a close second. Did you go on a horse drawn carriage ride of the city? Those are so much fun and we learned so much about Victoria's history.

  4. PNW Mom Says:
    August 2nd, 2013 at 06:39 am 1375421961
    1375421961

    Sounds like a wonderful vacation....looks like you had some beautiful weather too!

  5. Kiki Says:
    August 4th, 2013 at 04:37 am 1375587471
    1375587471

    I was on vacation in Vancouver last August and LOVED it. And the residents I spoke with kept saying I was lucking out as it rained only once in the ten days I was there. And it was just a sprinkle. But it was gorgeous.

  6. baselle Says:
    August 4th, 2013 at 05:30 am 1375590602
    1375590602

    Granville Island and its market was my fav in Vancouver. Gorgeous. And I enjoyed Stanley Park.

  7. PatientSaver Says:
    August 4th, 2013 at 01:02 pm 1375617745
    1375617745

    Looks beautiful. Thank you.

  8. Looking Forward Says:
    August 15th, 2013 at 05:57 am 1376542659
    1376542659

    Thanks for sharing. Smile Looks like you and your family had a wonderful time.

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