Tag: Budget

6 Days in Rio de Janeiro Budget Breakdown

Well.

This wasn’t supposed to be a trip we were going to book but….. that flight price?

LOL. I wasn’t missing that.

My boyfriend was in Jamaica and I called him from Toronto and said ‘THERE IS A FLIGHT TO RIO FOR $500 LETS GO‘ and he said sure. So, here we are. My boyfriend and I are going to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for this insanely good price.

Below is a photo of the budget breakdown I keep on my Excel spreadsheet:

Let me start with the crazy good flight deal I got.

I booked this trip with American Airlines.

Can’t even count how many times I have flown with AA, not to jinx it, but I’ve pretty much only had good experiences with them and I hope that continues with this trip.

Have to put a screenshot here to show you how little I paid for this roundtrip flight.

So cost of flight = $527.46 roundtrip.

Now, yes, there are some layovers. We have a stop in JFK + Sao Paulo on way there and on return Sao Paulo + Dallas. Most people would be like – fuck that – but not me. I am going through with it.

This was the best flight price I’d ever seen to get to Rio and yeah, I dove in head-first. Luckily, my boyfriend dove with me. I will have company for this 🙂

Because I am extra as hell, even for this short amount of time in Rio – I wanted two different hotels.

The first hotel is called Casa 48 Guesthouse.

We will be in this hotel from November 23rd to November 26th. We actually land early early morning on the 24th, but this hotel was so cheap that we booked it for the night before so we could go check in immediately. Get some rest.

The room we chose is the Suite with Balcony.

I think the hotel isn’t particularly fancy pants, but the view looks incredible, the reviews are good and the price is most definitely right. AND, breakfast included.

Total cost for for the three nights at Casa 48 Guesthouse is $195.00 – so $97.50 per person.

Now, the second hotel?

That m-fer is definitely fancy pants okay?

As soon as I saw photos of this place back in April on a random IG page, I NEEDED to stay there.

The name of this hotel is La Suite by Dussol.

We will be staying in this hotel from November 26th to November 28th.

The room we booked is the Standard Suite with Balcony and Ocean View.

Breakfast included, even that cutesy floating one in the pool you can get them to set up for you. Insane views. The room looks beautiful and overall, it was just so nice-looking we had to book it.

Total cost for for the two nights at La Suite by Dussol is $502.00 – so $251.00 per person.

We do have two excursions booked for this trip.

The first is ‘Get to Know Rio Main Attractions‘ and we booked this on AirBnB experiences. We wanted this to be nice and simple, ensuring we see Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf mountain. Not some crazy expensive price, it was $90.00 per person. If you are interested in this tour, click here.

Also, that same day in the evening, we are going to watch a soccer match! I had seen this as a tour option on someone’s TikTok and totally had to book it for my boyfriend and I. We are big soccer fans and I mean, hello? Brazil + Soccer? HELL YEAH.

This tour cost $126.61 per person and it includes a drink before the game and tickets to the match on November 25th: Fluminense v Coritiba at the famous Maracanã stadium.

If this is something that would also interest you, click here.

I made my budget for this trip $500.00 Canadian / 1819.00 Brazilian Real.

I truly have no idea if this will or will not be enough for Rio?? It doesn’t look like food and drink are expensive, but as always, with me you just never know.

Hopefully the going rate of caipirinha’s isn’t too crazy.

The total budget for this trip is $1592.57 Canadian.

Could it be less? Of course.

Rio has plenty of budget stays and we didn’t have to do a tour…. or a second hotel.

But that’s just not me.

YOLO.

See you when I get back……

  • Mirna

3 Days in Newfoundland Budget Breakdown

Another one of those ‘OMG THIS FLIGHT DEAL‘ situations.

How I ended up in Halifax last month, and now exactly how I am ending up in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

I said a long time ago that if Canadian flights got cheaper, I would see more of Canada. This is my THIRD destination for the year. Thrilled.

Below is a photo of the budget breakdown I keep on my Excel spreadsheet:

Let me start with the crazy good flight deal I got — that I hope I don’t end up regretting (part 2, this worried me for Halifax as well with Flair).

I booked this trip with Lynx Air.

I have never flown with them before. They are cheap, but, I’ve heard mixed reviews about their timeliness and cancellations.

Literally have to put a screenshot here to show you how little I paid for this roundtrip, DIRECT flight.

So cost of flight = $106.21 – roundtrip, direct, with a personal item only.

This is the amount per person, as I am going with my mom and dad on this trip. So for three of us it was $318.63, as seen above.

Insane deal to me, flying to the opposite side of the country.

I flew on my last trip with a personal-item-only and found it to be pretty easy. For this one I think it will be the same. It is only two nights.

For our stay, we wanted a nice and cheap AirBnB as close to the center as possible.

My mom and I especially love walking everywhere….. need to be close to stuff to walk/eat/see.

This place had lots of reviews and it looked nice and cozy with two bedrooms. Nothing too fancy pants, but in a great location and clean.

The link for this AirBnB is here, if you’re interested. I will do a full review when I return.

For two nights the cost was $236.22, therefore divided by three my cost was $78.74.

For the first time in a very long time – I have a rental car on my trip. We saw that it was like $35.00 each way to and from the airport, but a car rental on Expedia for Friday to Sunday is $174.13.

I mean, I’m not THAT good at math, but that seemed like a WAY BETTER option than just paying for taxis. Fun fact, Newfoundland is the only Canadian province with no Uber. Super.

After the amount of $$ I spent on Ubers in Bermuda, not trying to repeat that.

Therefore the car rental is $58.04 per person.

I didn’t book any excursions for this as I plan on just gallivanting with my parents in the rental car and eating lots of good food. I budgeted $200.00 for spending money.

Doesn’t look like St. John’s is super expensive? Again, because I live in Toronto I guess that can be debated. I always compare it to the cost of food/liquor here.

Plus, I’ll be with my mom and dad this time so yaaaaaaaaay for them paying for things for me.

I love being an only child.

The total budget for this trip is $442.78 Canadian.

Not sure that two years ago I would have been even able to even get a flight to Newfoundland for this price? Being able to spend this little to see another part of Canada is so awesome. I feel very lucky.

See you when I get back……

  • Mirna

3 Days in Halifax Budget Breakdown

This was one of those ‘OMG THIS FLIGHT DEAL‘ situations.

That is how I ended up booking a solo trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

I said a long time ago that if Canadian flights got cheaper, I would see more of Canada. This is my second destination for the year, I went to Vancouver back in May. Success.

Below is a photo of the budget breakdown I keep on my Excel spreadsheet:

Let me start with the crazy good flight deal I got — that I hope I don’t end up regretting.

I booked this trip with Flair Airlines.

I have never flown with them before. They are cheap, but, I’ve heard mixed reviews about their timeliness and cancellations.

Literally have to put a screenshot here to show you how little I paid for this roundtrip, DIRECT flight.

So cost of flight = $97.85 – roundtrip, direct, with a personal item only.

YES. I AM SO SERIOUS.

From Toronto, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia. One of the best flight prices I’ve ever gotten.

This will not only be my first time flying with Flair Airlines, it will also be my first time flying with just a personal item. I figured since it is still warm-ish outside and I’m only there for two nights, my very small backpack will be just fine.

Because I am going alone and wanted to keep this as cheap as possible, I opted for the ‘private room in AirBnB‘ option.

I have done a private room in an AirBnB before in Chicago, Prague and Paris – they were all good experiences, so why not again?

The reviews for the place were perfect, it looks clean and also it is in a good location. I’ve had some message exchanges with the host, she seems lovely as well.

The link for this AirBnB is here, if you’re interested. I will do a full review when I return.

For two nights the cost was $178.48.

I didn’t book any excursions for this as I plan on just gallivanting on my own and eating lots of good food. I budgeted $250.00 for spending money.

Checking out the restaurant costs in Halifax, it doesn’t seem to be as pricy to go out and eat there as it is in Toronto (or was in Vancouver). I don’t intend on really going to party or drink either, so I think the budget will suffice. Will see.

The total budget for this trip is $526.33 Canadian.

Some years ago, you wouldn’t have been able to even get a flight to Halifax for this price. This is one heck of a good budget for a trip to another side of Canada.

See you when I get back……

  • Mirna

4 Days in Bermuda Budget Breakdown

Clearly, after visiting The Bahamas I thought to myself, ‘hmmmm let me find somewhere even more expensive!‘

I am heading to the island of Bermuda this time.

Below is a photo of the budget breakdown I keep on my Excel spreadsheet:

My mom and I booked this flight back in March because we didn’t have a trip together this year and felt it was necessary to escape to a beach.

I thought the price was pretty good? I still can’t believe that this flight is HALF the time it took me to get to Vancouver, in my own country. That makes no sense, but whatever, I’m happy it is a quick trip to a beautiful place.

So cost of flight = $520.00 – roundtrip, direct, with carry-on luggage included.

I’m not even going to get into the cost of places to stay on Bermuda because it can get pretty wild. My mom and I wanted to keep this as cheap as possible, so we can spend money on food and beach instead.

Spoke to a couple of my Bermudian friends to make sure we would choose a decent location that was accessible on the island though.

The area we ended up choosing is called Paget.

My place to stay in New Orleans was pretty basic, and this one looks like it will be too.

It is small, has good reviews, but looks clean and has a nice view of the sunset.

The link for this AirBnB is here, if you’re interested. I will do a full review when I return.

For three nights it was $648.00, so $324.00 per person.

We didn’t book any excursions for this trip. We plan on just spending the entire time checking out the beaches, and maybe eating, if the budget fits things like sustenance. (Can you tell I’m traumatized from the cost of things in Nassau?)

For the spending money I chose $500.00. That is $350.00 USD and I doubt it will be enough for here, but I figured it was a good place to start.

Will report back on if this was even close to being enough when I return. Pray for me.

The total budget for this trip is $1344.00 Canadian for me.

Again, I doubt the spending money will be the actual amount. I expect it to be more. I know I will see some random seafood restaurant and wander in there with no regard for my wallet.

See you when I get back……

  • Mirna

3 Days in New Orleans Budget Breakdown

The level of excited for this trip is out of this world.

I have been waiting forever and ever to go to New Orleans. As much as I love Chicago and it is one of my favourite places on the planet, my American friends tell me that New Orleans may be good competition for that. I finally get to find out. I finally get to eat all the good stuff!

Below is a photo of the budget breakdown I keep on my Excel spreadsheet:

I happened to see this flight deal back in February, and I though it was pretty darn good so I told my boyfriend LETS GOOOOOO. Another bonus was that there was no layover in Atlanta required to get there, because I rather go through four root canals with no painkillers than do that ever again.

What I didn’t know at the time of booking was that this was also Essence weekend in New Orleans? Therefore, I believe I got an exceptional deal for that happening + it being a long weekend in both countries.

Cost of flight with Air Canada = $503.00 roundtrip, per person

With is being Essence Fest weekend, and a long weekend, the cost of stays was pretty high. I still wanted to stay somewhere that would be accessible to the shenanigans though.

We had found one AirBnB but they booked it within two days, I should have acted faster.

There was another one I was able to score. It is very simple, but it had great reviews and checking the address vs. what we wanted to do? Seemed like a good location. I also don’t intend on being inside this place very often, as my time will be spent eating and drinking, possibly getting into some debauchery…..

For two nights it was $341.01, so $170.50 per per person. That works for me.

Here is the link to it, when I return I will give it a full review.

Before I even booked a place to stay, I booked a food tour though!

You can see where my priorities are.

We booked the ‘New Orleans Cocktail and Food History Tour‘ and the cost was $387.56, therefore coming to $192.78 per person.

I am probably MOST excited for this. I can’t wait to try a bunch of food and cocktails.

If you are interested in this tour, click here. I will give a thorough review when we return.

For spending money I went with $500.00 CAD which came to $350.00 USD. I have no idea if this will be too little or too much? With me you just never know if a random trip to a strip club will happen or if I want a bottle at a night club. It’s like Goosebumps, I choose my own adventure.

The total budget for this trip is $1367.28 Canadian for me.

I know that sounds wild for just a weekend away, but, I have a great feeling it will be totally worth it. I hope I don’t get addicted to New Orleans.

See you when I get back!

  • Mirna