To reserve or not reserve

One of the most common questions I have been asked is, "Did you make reservations, or are you just going to going to find places to stay as you go?"  This is closely related to the second question, "Have you been planning this for a long time?"

Well, we rented out our house, and as of August 1, we will be leaving Sioux Lookout, travelling across Canada, through a good chunk of the United States, up through most of Central America, not returning home for eleven and a half months.

I rather like knowing where I am going to sleep at night...kind of takes the stress out of things.  So yes, we have reservations.  62 of them in fact.  On a spreadsheet.  With confirmation numbers.

14 campground reservations for this fall in Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes.  3 one-way flight reservations.  4 month-long reservations for quality properties on VRBO, 12 reservations for hotel-type properties on airbnb, hotels.com, booking.com, and expedia.  One 4 day car rental. 4 short stays with friends and relatives.  A reservation (or rather a commitment) to work and stay at a kids camp in Costa Rica, and 24 campground reservations for our epic US/Canada West Coast journey. We will also need to make a few ferry reservations, and reservations for state, provincial and national parks that are not yet available for booking. Google is my friend.

11 years ago when our union negotiated the first contract with ornge, I photocopied the self-funded leave of absence clause from the Ontario teachers and asked our bargaining reps to include it in our collective agreement because I hoped to travel "some day".  8 years ago when we bought our lake house, we committed to paying our mortgage quickly so we could afford to take the pay cut to fund this trip.  3 years ago, I began making 25% payroll contributions to a trust fund.  This fund now contains 75% of my regular pay and will be our source of income for the next year while we travel.  So yes, we have been planning this for a while.

Our most expensive campsite reservation is for the San Francisco RV Resort for $77 USD/night.  It's high on a seaside cliff.  Site dimensions are 12x36ft.  Need more than 36 ft (including vehicle length)?  That will be $100 USD/nt.   Runner up is the Capillano RV park in North Vancouver for $70 CAD...but the location is awesome...just across a bridge and less than 3 km from Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium.



There is a vague mathematical formula at work, I'm sure.
Campsites = 1/3 cost of a local hotel.

The Hampton Inn Thunder Bay might be $120...campsites at Towbridge Falls in Thunder Bay =$40.  A decent hotel in San Francisco or North Vancouver will set you back $250-300, so it makes sense, I guess, that campsites in places with high real estate costs are pricey.

In contrast, our cheapest hotel is the Tequila Sunrise B&B in Guatemala City.  $32/night for a family of four and it includes pancake breakfast. The property also includes shared kitchen facilities for cooking other meals. It is secure and located in a safe area.  I hope.



I was pleased to book flights from Costa Rica to Guatemala for $32. Double that with taxes of course, but still, it beats a 3 day bus ride, which would have cost $89/pp.

We also have a Thursday night reservation for a suite at the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino in Vegas for $36.  This includes unlimited family trips up the tower (normally $15/pp).  It's cheaper to stay there than to go up the tower or stay at the RV park. Crazy.  The same hotel costs triple on the weekend.



Finally, our best value property of all has to be the Pasajcap Resort in San Marcos, Guatemala.   Designed and managed by Pierre, a French Architect, it is minimalist with all white, wood, and stone.  It has floor to ceiling windows with jaw dropping views of Lake Atitlan and two volcanoes.  At $800 for the month of March, this 2 bed/1bath condo costs just $25/night.  I live on the lake with a fantastic view of Sioux Mountain, and I cannot believe this place.  So exciting.





So yeah, I've been planning for a while.

I'm off to work my last night shift.

by the zipline...