My husband and I would like to take a trip across Canada. We are seniors and our budget is limited. Does anyone have any cost saving ideas? We are not sure if train, car, or trailer would be the best idea. What about Hotels? Any ideas would be appreciated.
Seriously consider going by train. CN, I believe it is, has a cross Canada trip by train from Vancouver to Nova Scotia. You would sleep in a sleeper car and eat in dining car. Not sure what it costs now, but a few years ago, it was only 400 per person and as seniors you may be elegible for discounts. I love my country and believe you will too.Try the NAARP for advice as well.(North American Association for Retired People)
Hostels cost less than hotels/motels, but might be noisy. You'd be able to buy groceries and cook in them, saving $. Now the Canadian $ is worth more then the US $, and everything is more expensive in Canada. I'd bring in what I could in food, if traveling by car.
The above advice is good; check with AAA; they have tours that are fairly inexpensive. My husband and I always seek out small B&Bs. They include a nice breakfast in the price, and I find them much more enjoyable. Some colleges offer dormitory boarding.
If you belong to a civic organization like the Rotary, sometimes members open their homes to visitors from other areas. Also Google Elderhostel; they have trips and accommodations and lots of interesting things.
Senior Citizens in our town go together by bus. Singles usually chip in for room rental when possible to share and married have their own room expense but in a group, you get advantage of group prices. I would check with your local senior citizens center to learn more.
Also, we traveled by tour bus and getting off every hour to two hours to view places helped keep one from getting too stiff in the joints and you could take lots of good pictures with your camera and choose your own eating place when not included. Seats are very comfortable, but the law re:bathroom usage on a bus is nix. Only in emergency can it be used on the road. Too risky for an accident to happen. Some tour bus plans include meals at certain places and is in the whole price. There's seat rotation on these buses and if you're lucky, you can obtain a front seat for the day. Also, you don't have to be concerned about breaking down somewhere or if there's money enough for emergency situations.
We also went by train to New Orleans and the stop overs while waiting for the next train could be lengthy and time wasted. Train routes somehow do a lot of backtracking before destination arrival and boy do you get tired, but I suggest sleeping quarters all the way as the passenger seats do not provide much leg stretching room for lengthy trips.
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