At TakeOffeh.com, we know a few things about travel. About travel companies. And especially about why travel pricing changes constantly.
We've also been places. Between us, a few hemispheres are covered.

So go ahead! Ask us your burning travel question.
If we don't have an immediate answer, we will do our best to find out.

Who won the Jamaca trip?I didnt know where else to ask.

Pam from Sussex

Why are flights to Barbados (e.g. Air Canada) so much cheaper than going to Antigua?

Elizabeth from Toronto

Itravel 2000 posted on their website that there will be no last minute deals this winter stating that their suppliers have reduced prices already. Is this "Truth" or "Fiction".

Leslie Wilson from Victoria

I'm planning to fly from Edmonton to Manchester or London next year. When is a cheaper time to fly, September or May? How early I should start looking at flights? Thanks!

Lisa from Edmonton

Would like to go to Waikiki Dec 17-31 need cheap flights and hotels for four people (1 under 18). Any suggestions. I have over 30,000 air miles but they have no flights avaialble at that time.

Rita Schmid from Saskatoon

Is there a website that monitors flight pricing that will inform one when his or her chosen flight drops in price.

Greg from Bow Island

Hi, we are travelling around in the east of canada. Do you know where we can see some mooses or bears? Thanks Anna and Lea

Anna and Lea from Stockholm

Hi, we are travelling around in the east of canada. Do you know where we can see some mooses or bears? Thanks Anna and Lea

Anna and Lea from Stockholm

When booking a airfare/hotel vacation package, is it typically possible to extend the stay on your own and return on a different return flight by the same airline or charter company? Put another way, I'm thinking of wintering somewhere south, so booking [especially a last minute] package may provide a good deal on the flights alone, with the hotel portion almost as a "bonus". Except the return portion would have to be at some later date.

Garth from

Great question. As a general rule if you purchase a “ Package vacation “ form a traditional tour operator such as Sunquest, Air Transat, Sunwing and so on your air dates are firm. The reason is, they coordinate the number if rooms in destination at their chosen hotels, with the number of seats on each flight. As a result you will rarely see “Flight Only” as has been the case years ago to most southern destinations. Some of the operators have started selling one way fares – so you may want to look into that. If it were me ...and I had your time constraints I would take the package, “no show “ for your return and buy a one way north bound at a later date. Risky but hey…you have time on your side…( Buy the way this is not my recommendation for you..simply something I would do). Alternately I would recommend you buy an “ al a carte “ package from a wholesaler such as Holiday House ( available via you Travel Agent ) where by you can build your vacation package based on your needs. As Holiday House is owned by Thomas Cook there sister company is Sunquest and often features more traditional Hotel featured in packaged vacations such as RIU Resorts, Azul, etc….


Hope this helps…enjoy your winter !!!

We would like to visit Italy if only $99 one way.
How much is tax???All together 7 days stay in italy, what is the total for one person within the month of July or August. Tks.

Phoebe Lanktree from Toronto

Thanks for your questions. The fares which we provide are truly time sensitive and are for the specific dates as identified when we bring you these deals. Having said that as we are not travel agents, I would suggest in order to search out your specific request you contact a professional Travel Agent and they will certainly be pleased to assist you. As flights fill up easily in July and August, it is very doubtful there will be sell-offs during this time.

Hi. I'm looking at the Iberstar Laguna Azul in Cuba in October. The taxes were 280 dollars last week as compared to 120 dollars this week. Is that because of the advertised special of no fuel charge?

Tony from Toronto

I will assume the Tour Operator is either Signature vacations or Sunwing. If my assumption is correct then yes it would be because of the reduced fuel surcharge. Check on TakeOffeh.com for the details as there are some restrictions one of which is you must book by June 10th. Click here for details.
Pretty good savings.
John Kirk

What about xmas getaways? They are always so expensive. When should I start looking?

Frances from Calgary

Great question Frances !
Thousands of Canadians across the country ask the same question year and year out ! The answer , you are not going to like it - It all depends. If you know with absolute certainty you need to be away over Christmas, and you know the destination and resort you would like to stay at…book it sooner than later to avoid disappointment. That said if you can wait and are not too picky on the resort or even the destination for that matter, it may be worth a shot to wait until the first or second week of September to book. As a general rule Tour Operators get a sense of how the winter is selling for them a couple of weeks after school returns in September. At this point they determine how they will need to adjust their pricing based on a multiple of factors including, advance sales, the number of seats (packages) available in the market place from the peers and so on. In Some smaller markets such as Halifax, Regina or Kelowna, they do not have the “ too much supply and not enough demand “ issues which exist in the larger markets, so chances of dramatically reduced pricing at the last minute are slim as peak departure dates will sell out early. It is not a business for the faint of heart to be sure. So if you can wait and take the risk … being from Calgary you may get lucky however if you MUST get away over Christmas, better book up and pay the price to be assured you get what you want. It may sound crazy, however sometimes there is a price advantage if you actually depart on December 25th.
John Kirk

Who collects the taxes we pay on travel? Sometimes they are higher than the cost of the ticket!

John from Aurora

Taxes and fees are a somewhat murky area in the travel industry composed of a hodge-podge of government taxes, tourism taxes, embarkation taxes, airport fees, security charges, passenger service fees – to name a few. There have been calls for these charges to be more transparent and equalized across suppliers. Check out our Off The Record on the subject: Don’t Be Fooled – Fees, taxes & surcharges are not created equal.

My husband and I are planning a longer holiday next summer. Maybe Italy. When should we start looking at prices?

Debbie from Toronto

If you are looking for a package, most of the tour operators are ready with summer product inventory in December of the previous year. They usually offer some really good incentives at that time to encourage early bookings.