Canadian Money Forum banner

Snowbirds...where to start.

15K views 51 replies 22 participants last post by  Eder 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I was layed off recently and starting to think about doing some traveling to warmer climates. I have very little experience traveling outside Canada.

I'm looking at either a long road trip through southern U.S. or a couple months further south.

My problem is the high cost of accommodations. Staying at hotels for $100.00/night doesn't make much sense.

So what's my starting point to get decent accommodations at reasonable rates.

If I go with the road trip, I was thinking AirBNB...only problem I could see with this is that you have to stick to a strict schedule (most places offer no refunds unless you cancel 5 days in advance).

If I opt for longer term at 1 specific place outside U.S., what would be the recommended way of getting accommodations? (appt rental, time share rental, bed and breakfast ??) . Any recommendations for web sites?

How did existing snowbirds start out when planning their trips south?

Cheers!
 
See less See more
#46 · (Edited)
Snowbirds - Great accommodation and travel destination ideas.

I love this thread. It has me dreaming.
There are lots of good ideas here for different travel lifestyles.

We've taken this Class A everywhere from Mexico to PEI to Florida Keys etc for years. No bed bugs,schedule,bad food or limits to your stay. Noisy neighbor? Just start engine & leave.
I love the US....Florida Keys snorkel/fishing,Utah mountain biking, Texas gulf area kite boarding, Vegas poker rooms, Palm Springs golf/biking, San Diego restaurants,Glacier Park area...all amazing.
Look for a small used 22 to 24 foot Class C. Fair mileage, comfortable travel and lots of overnight options from free to expensive.
If you're going for a couple of months you could look into extended stay hotels. These normally have a lower per-night rate if you book longer periods, and they have kitchenettes in the rooms so you don't have to eat out all the time.
Sites like VRBO, there are often longer stays available at a discount.
Canary Islands
For example, Costa Teguise on Lanzarote. ....$57 per day.
European vacation packages
Europeans have access to excellent packages.
In general look among the known-to-be-cheap countries, like Spain, Portugal (for their islands), and of course the balkans such as Croatia, perhaps Greece.
You could use their web sites like lastminute.com as a starting point.
I searched for hotels on Majorca and (within minutes) found Naika, which are apartments. Buy your own groceries, make your own food, etc. A studio apartment costs $41 per day.
For long term vacation I would go to Southern Spain/Portugal. You may rent apartment/townhouse for 250 EUR/month... Beautiful, civilized countries and excellent weather
If you're handy, there are lots of options of converting a cargo van on the cheap. You could also pull a small pop trailer if you have a car capable of towing, but they're not as convenient as get up and go.
Lots of people buy a used Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey or even a Caravan (Class B?). Pull the seats out and either will fit a 4*8 sheet of plywood. This is enough room to make a 4*6 foot platform bed with room underneath for all your storage.- clothes and camping cooking gear.
Six months residence on a different cruise ship every year would suit me just fine.
For long motoring trips in the US, I would just drive my car and book motel rooms.
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. You can get a nice apartment for about $1500 US/month. Warm weather, golf, beach and a good social life with lots of other Canadians and Americans staying in the area. The two winters before that I spent in Santiago, Chile. More of a city life, and less English spoken but a lovely place to go for an extended stay, and apartments are about $1,000USD/month.
For travel destinations, I'd like to try everything above. :)

For road trips in the US, I see Class A, B, C RVs are all mentioned above.

I'll add another suggestion. When I retire, I would like to try a truck pulling a travel/RV trailer, which I discussed in this thread.
Retirement Travel - Truck and RV Trailer
 
#5 ·
I would say that what Eder proposes is a lifestyle choice. Some people love the whole RV experience, others don't. Some love it, even if it is not the best choice purely from a cost perspective.

My sister and brother-in-law have a fifth wheel RV they purchased new. I don't know what they paid, but it's fairly high-end and maybe came in at about $100,000. Then add about $70,000 for the big diesel pickup to pull it. Most years, they haul it from Ontario to Florida and park it in quite a nice RV park and have the benefit of what I think RVers call "hookups", internet, etc. They pay about USD1,100/mo. for the privilege.

That RV sees little use for the rest of the year. They pay to store it, insure it and maintain it. They pay for the extra fuel (above passenger car consumption) to haul it. It's a depreciating asset.

I would guess that, taking into account the capital tied up, the depreciation, the operating and "moorage" costs, etc., they could probably fund a 2-month stay in quite nice rental accommodation if they did not have their fifth wheel. But, as I say, the whole RV thing seems to be a lifestyle thing and that's what attracts them. They have the financial means not to care that their choice is an expensive one.

Eder's rig is a bit different, but many of the same principles apply. No truck needed to pull it, but many one sees in southern US and Mexico driven by Canadians have cars pulled behind. Some people do not care to drive a 50-foot bus to the local Publix to pick up a few groceries. It has also struck me that with no car available, if the bus or motorhome needs engine or other service, one is a bit stranded. I some places I guess a rental car is a prospect.
 
#6 ·
Or just use Booking.com and select when and where you want to stay on the day. No need to book too far in advance.

For the most part, US is much cheaper than Canada for places like Super 8 and so on (although the conversion rate might nullify that a bit), but it depends how upmarket you want your accommodation to be.
 
#7 ·
If you're going for a couple of months you could look into extended stay hotels. These normally have a lower per-night rate if you book longer periods, and they have kitchenettes in the rooms so you don't have to eat out all the time.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/HotelsList-Florida-Hotels-With-Monthly-Rates-zfp622827.html

Or, on sites like VRBO, there are often longer stays available at a discount. I pasted an example below but there are lots, just put in your dates and sort by price. Or just set a hard ceiling in your filters and sort by whatever you want!

https://www.vrbo.com/707387
 
#8 ·
These are directly from my personal wishlist. I grabbed some rough prices by entering May 1 - May 15. In general look among the known-to-be-cheap countries, like Spain, Portugal (for their islands), and of course the balkans such as Croatia, perhaps Greece

Idea #1: Canary Islands

For example, Costa Teguise on Lanzarote. A quick search on booking.com shows Molino de Guatiza, 8 minute walk from the beach, at $803 or $57 per day ... I repeat, fifty-seven dollars a day. I didn't even optimize this search. Weather in May is about 20 to 25 C.

A few years ago I spent a week like this in Lanzarote, in an apartment that cost approx $50/day (the Canadian dollar was higher) or almost what I paid for my apartment in Canada. It was heaven.

Idea #2: European vacation packages

I discovered this when I was in London. Just as we here in Canada have incredibly good package vacations to Cuba, Europeans have access to excellent packages to places like I mentioned above, and many others. You could use their web sites like lastminute.com as a starting point.

I searched for hotels on Majorca and (within minutes) found Naika, which are apartments. Buy your own groceries, make your own food, etc. A studio apartment costs ... if I'm not having a stroke ... 343 GBP = $567 or $41 per day. I think the weather would be 15 to 20 C.

Always check tripadvisor for the reviews. Both of the properties I mentioned here are decent looking apartments.

So there you go ... take your pick. Two examples, $57/day or $41/day, for apartments located close to the sea, in western countries (and a LOT safer than southern USA)

This is assuming you book far in advance, and there's an art to this, and of course prices will be higher in the ideal seasons with the best weather.
 
#9 ·
How I envy you retired people! I'm still at the office at 9 pm (not focusing on work obviously) and you could be planning a trip to somewhere warm. My parents are in Cuba right now ... I'm very happy for them.

In all seriousness, southern US is not a very nice place to go. The US also has some ugly tax rules you must be aware of; if you exceed a certain # of days in the US (substantial presence test) you will have all kinds of tax problems because you will be a "US person"! No joke.

Skip the US. Go somewhere nicer... check out Cuba vacation prices, to start with
 
#13 ·
In all seriousness, southern US is not a very nice place to go. The US also has some ugly tax rules you must be aware of; if you exceed a certain # of days in the US (substantial presence test) you will have all kinds of tax problems because you will be a "US person"! No joke.
Lol... based on what ? That might be news to the hundreds of thousands of Canadians that go to Florida and Arizona every year. I myself will be spending half of February in southern Georgia and I can assure you it is a damn fine place to get away from Canadian weather.
 
#11 ·
If you're gonna pay for flights in the US, hotels, taxis and other transportation to get around, then I'd consider the small RV option for sure. You'll have to do the math on costs, but for me having a vehicle at my disposal is well worth paying a bit more for. For showers, most big truck stops you can buy a shower and do laundry on the cheap, and some will include it for free if you buy a certain amount of fuel.

When you're done with the trip, you could sell the RV and get some money back. If you're handy, there are lots of options of converting a cargo van on the cheap. You could also pull a small pop trailer if you have a car capable of towing, but they're not as convenient as get up and go.
 
#20 ·
Good suggestions
No need for even a cargo van, lots of people buy a used Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey or even a Caravan. Pull the seats out and either will fit a 4*8 sheet of plywood. This is enough room to make a 4*6 foot platform bed with room underneath for all your storage.- clothes and camping cooking gear. Leaves 2 feet at back for Porta toilet. Available at Canadian tire for about 50.00 that use special bags and or kitty litter. No odour - empty daily - use for nights or emergency. Have curtains to pull for night time. Some people add a sink with water hookup to a water storage bottle. Cooler for food or buy perishables daily.
As suggested showers in campgrounds or truck stops. Can camp in national forests, on the street, parking lots. Occasional stay in motels to really clean up.

Not for everyone for sure. Look on you tube for how to.

Sprinter van or cargo van is for hedonistic types if you want lots of room. :-D

I know a pair of career, 50+, school teachers who travel all over North America in a converted Sienna. They have camped on the street in downtown Vancouver in it
When not travelling, the seats go back in and they use it for day to day car.
 
#22 ·
Good god we are talking about a retired person traveling...not a group of feral hippies. It's not supposed to be punishment. Get a real rv with at least an ice maker ,washer & dryer, 10,000lb cargo capacity and go glamping...don't forget the Harley...you earned it. (dont go to rv parks anywhere they are dumps...think State Parks, UNESCO sites, ocean front kite board areas.)
 
#47 ·
I guess I must be a feral hippy LOL...Almost 60, wife is early 40s, this is how we've been traveling for the past six months throughout the US Southwest and now Mexico, with the goal of reaching Patagonia in December 2018.
Vehicle Natural environment Sky Car Landscape

We camp out on secluded beaches, deserts, sierras, small pueblos, and in the most incredible places only accessible via 4x4. Once every couple of weeks, we splurge in a hotel, and if we like a particular location, we look for a cheap place for a few weeks on AirB&B, but I must say that after a few days in a brick and mortar house, I miss climbing up in my rooftop penthouse. While sometimes we wouldn't mind all the bells and whistles of an RV, our set-up is right for the kind of off-the-beaten path travel we do: this is the lifestyle we enjoy, and it has nothing to do with cost. It keeps us busy, challenged, and mentally and physically healthy , and I hope we can continue well into my 60s. In fact, we regularly meet people in their late 60s and 70s who are still overlanding like we do.
 
#24 ·
This is just a thought. When we bought our rentals, we bought a smaller work trailer to carry reno materials, equipment, etc. It cost about $3,300 tax included. The person that owns the business told us about one man buying one the same size as ours (12? 13? feet) with two windows in it. He used it to move his kids back and forth to university in southern Ontario, but also put a bed in it so he never needed a hotel room when travelling. These trailers can be pulled by an appropriate personal vehicle at very little extra cost. Build a bed platform, with storage below, add a few solar panels and a battery or two, you could be good to go. They have both the full back doors that open wide (into a screened gazebo maybe?), a side man door, and interior lights. Exterior is metal, interior is wood..

Could be an inexpensive way to discover if you care for the travelling/RV type retirement, without a $100,000 price tag. It could be parked in your driveway the rest of the year without storage fees or extra insurance. If you decide you don't like it, sell it as a work trailer, every smaller contractor uses them.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Six months residence on a different cruise ship every year would suit me just fine.

For long motoring trips in the US, I would just drive my car and book motel rooms. They are dirt cheap in small towns.

These days with Welcome Centers and GPS units, you can find suitable accommodation pretty easily along the way.
 
#28 ·
My friend's parents rented a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo in a really nice gated community($2500 a month) in Florida for 3 months and they have been having friends come stay with them at a cost of $350 a week for the other bedroom as a way to cut their costs but they are all in same boat not sure how to approach the get away for the winter plans.I probably would rent a place for a couple months in various locations to discover what you enjoy the most.For me if I had a $100,000 RV my husband would still have to drop me at a nice hotel at night so that life is not for everyone.
 
#30 ·
I'm with Eder. Wife and I were looking for an RV a few years back after early retiring. Started looking at small ones but we were planning on spending a few months a year in it. Ended up buying a 40' class A. These nice motorhomes have multiple TV's, surround sound, walk in showers, laundry, king size beds, etc etc. Plus great to drive and you can tow a vehicle to use. Just like being at home. Why work your butt off for 40 yrs and then do without if you don't have to ?
 
#31 ·
If you decide to go with the USA, please remember that if you exceed the substantial presence test then you will have to start filing US tax returns. There can be huge penalties if you fail to do so, and it's going to be expensive when you find a tax expert to start consulting with.

You are a "US person" with tax obligations if you are physically present in the US at least
a) 31 days during the current year, and
b) 183 days during the 3-year period that includes the current year and the 2 years immediately before that, counting:
All the days you were present in the current year, and
1/3 of the days you were present in the first year before the current year, and
1/6 of the days you were present in the second year before the current year.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/substantial-presence-test

Don't rule out the Caribbean, South America, warm parts of Europe, the balkans
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top