Canadian Travel Hacking

Month: May 2015

  • B.C. based HitchPlanet brings together carpooling and hitchhiking

    Have you heard of HitchPlanet?

    hitchplanet-logo.bda937e69155

    The ride-sharing service has increased in popularity since it began and has now expanded to 80 different communities across B.C., as well as areas in Alberta and Washington State.

    By using Hitch, everybody saves money.

    Return trip from Vancouver to Whistler

    Hitcher Driver
    Bus $50
    Hitch $35
    Savings $15
    Gas cost $40-60
    $ per hitcher $30
    Gas cost
    with 2 hitchers    		 $0
    As a hitcher, you’d save you about $15 on a bus ticket since your cost of using Hitch is only around $35 (the gas contribution to the driver).

    As a driver, the 120km between Vancouver and Whistler cost around $40-60 in gas (return). By taking 2 hitchers and asking each to contribute $30, your gas is covered!

    Any contributions exceeding the gas money help drivers cover hidden costs, such as car insurance and maintenance.

    The service is free to the drivers, but passengers are required to pay a small fee for their seats.

    The company is still growing, but he says they’re attempting to provide incentives to potential drivers to post trips that are a minimum of 50 kilometres so the service can grow from city-to-city.

    It seems like a great idea – filling empty inventory.

    Does anyone think this will catch on?

  • Forget backpacking, meet a couple Pet-sitting around the world

    This is a great story! Meet travel bloggers Charli, 28, and Ben, 34, both from Norfolk, are one lucky couple living the house-sitting dream, having stayed in Las Vegas, Australia, Costa Rica, St Kitts and Nevis, New Zealand and Canada via the website trustedhousesitters.com.

    wonderlasters

    The majority of homeowners sign up to the site because they have a pet who needs looking after – and all the evidence suggests that animals are much more comfortable being cared for in their home environment.

    Trusted Housesitter’s Marketing Director, Laurence Bresh explains: ‘The pet owner saves a large cost on kennels, while sitters save a small fortune in accommodation while travelling.

    ‘Research shows that pets are much happier in their own base, keeping to their own routine, than in a kennel or a cage.’

    No money changes hands – rather, homeowners and sitters pay a small monthly fee, with the exchange of services proving to be a win-win for both parties. The length of the placement can vary from a few days to a few months.

    What a great idea for a young couple if they love pets.

    Check out their blog, wanderlusters.com.

    Would you ever pet-sit in a foreign country? 

  • Aeroplan Enables Members to Donate Miles to Relief Efforts in Nepal

    Aeroplan has committed 1 million Aeroplan Miles split between three Canadian organizations that are responding to the call for aid for the tragic earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25th.

    aeroplan

    The three organizations are part of Aeroplan’s Beyond Miles program:

    Aeroplan would like to ask its members to join us in supporting these organizations in their efforts in helping the people of Nepal recover from the devastating event. Visit www.aeroplan.com/donate for more information.

    In addition to a corporate donation of 1 million Aeroplan Miles, Aeroplan Canada and its parent company Aimia will match its employees’ individual contributions worldwide to the Red Cross until May 25th.