The simple answer is that people spend too much money on travel IMO, and I want to try to help through experience. I put my boots (flip flops) on the ground and tell you what I saw, and you can take it from there if you choose. I have my Gmail and WhatsApp contact icons on the home page if you have a question and the best part is that it is free unless you decide to buy me a beer. What a deal, right!?
As a boomer, trying to relearn or in most case learn new technology, I ask myself this question every single update WTF but, at the end of some travel days, I really enjoy posting. I took several banking classes over the last seven years but nothing technical. I didn’t need to understand how things worked like my 18-year career in Telecommunications.
People asked me, why don’t you get back into Telecom. The answer is simple, I am a 3G guy living in a 5G world of internet. All I needed to do confirm my career was coming to an end was to study for my CCNA certification. To this day, I still do not properly understand IP addresses which is the absolute basics of understanding the internet. Damn kids, get off my lawn!
Secondly, people judging my social media posts had become extremely old:
Why do you need to post everything?
I shake my head every time I read one of your posts!
Why does everything need to be political?
I don’t post everything that happens in my life.
People have responsibilities and cannot travel like you.
People will never travel like you is my absolute favorite!
As you will start to understand or may already know me, I love to travel, find and share good deals. Now you need to visit NorthAmericanDarrell.com if you’re interested instead of Social Media posts. I plan to still use social media to direct people to posts but the choice will be theirs to click the link.
Another reason for creating NorthAmericanDarrell.com is a lot of my work and personal travels have been solo. I have things that I have always wanted to share with people, and it does not matter if you’re friends, family or complete strangers. Some posts my save you money and others are posts that I think may give you an edge in your travels if you choose. Again, you get to decide to visit so quit your bitching on grammar and spellcheck as well.
In closing, one of the last things my mom said to me was, “Live Life to the fullest” and she would often add “If they don’t like it, they can kiss my ass”. It would drive me and my sisters crazy, but little did we know, she was absolutely right, and we all say it now.
I even got a tattoo “Live life to the fullest” on my leg and I can promise you that a “you can kiss my ass” tattoo will happen someday too. I miss you everyday Mom, I will do the best I can to show people on this website to “Live life to the fullest” and if they don’t like it, they can kiss my ass!
PRO TIP! There are third-party companies that will try to help and take a cut, make sure you are on the official websites listed below for each Country!!
Within the United States, Delta, United, American, JetBlue, Southwest, and All U.S. Airlines Now Offer Automatic Refunds for Travelers Under DOT’s New Policy. Similar policies are on European airlines as well.
The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) latest refund rule is officially here, bringing air travelers across the U.S.—on airlines like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Allegiant Air, and Sun Country Airlines—some much-needed protections. This new rule ensures you’ll get your money back if your flight is canceled or significantly delayed, and extends to mishandled baggage and service failures on board.
Here’s what travelers flying with these airlines need to know about how the new rule works—and how it’s set to improve your travel experience.
Automatic Refunds for Cancellations and Major Delays
If your flight is canceled or significantly delayed, you’re now automatically entitled to a refund. For domestic flights, a delay of more than three hours qualifies, while international flights need a delay of over six hours. No extra steps are required, whether you’re flying American, Delta, United, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, Spirit, Frontier, Hawaiian, Allegiant, or Sun Country—the refund is processed automatically.
Under the DOT’s rule, airlines are obligated to issue refunds directly to your original form of payment. They must follow a strict timeline: seven days for credit card transactions and 20 days for other payment methods. This new approach eliminates the wait and the need to chase down refunds.
Canceled Flights: Clear-Cut Refunds
If Southwest, Delta, JetBlue, United, Alaska, Spirit, Frontier, Hawaiian, Allegiant, Sun Country, or any other U.S. airline cancels your flight and you choose not to take the airline’s alternative flight options, you’re entitled to a full refund for the unused portion of your ticket. The DOT’s rules guarantee that airlines honor this commitment, so passengers aren’t stuck paying for a trip they didn’t complete. Keep in mind that the refund only applies to the remaining portion of your journey, not any segments you may have completed before the cancellation.
Refunds Now Cover Major Delays and “Significant Changes”
In the past, it was unclear what counted as a “significant delay” for refund eligibility. Now, the DOT has removed the guesswork. With American Airlines, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska, Spirit, Frontier, Hawaiian, Allegiant, Sun Country, or any other U.S. carrier, if a domestic flight is delayed by more than three hours or an international flight by more than six, you qualify for a refund.
The DOT also recognizes situations where flights change in ways that disrupt your travel. This could include changes like switching departure or arrival airports, adding extra connections, or even downgrading a passenger’s seat class. These “significantly changed” flights are now covered under the refund policy, ensuring that airlines are responsible for major adjustments to your itinerary.
Getting Your Money Back for Mishandled Baggage
Lost or delayed baggage is a frustration no one wants to deal with, and the DOT’s rules now add more protection. If your checked bag doesn’t reach its destination within 12 hours on American Airlines, Delta, United, JetBlue, Alaska, Spirit, Frontier, Hawaiian, Allegiant, or Sun Country domestic flights (or 15-30 hours for international trips depending on flight length), you’re entitled to a refund of any checked bag fees you paid. This change holds airlines accountable for timely baggage delivery, so you’re not left paying for a service you didn’t fully receive.
Refunds for Unavailable In-Flight Services
In-flight services like Wi-Fi, seat selection, or entertainment can make flights on carriers like Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, Spirit, Frontier, Hawaiian, Allegiant, and Sun Country more enjoyable. Now, if you paid for these services but they didn’t work, you’re entitled to a refund. This requirement means airlines must refund fees for any in-flight service that was unavailable or non-functional, ensuring you get value for what you pay for.
Future Protection for Medical and Government Restrictions
Starting in May, passengers flying with U.S. airlines who are restricted from travel due to government mandates or a medical diagnosis of a serious communicable disease will also receive a credit. This airline credit will remain valid for five years, though airlines may ask for documentation. This rule offers future protection for those unable to travel due to health or regulatory reasons, adding an extra layer of peace of mind.
Within the European Union Here are the laws (<–click official link) and bagged a few hundred dollars on my last trip knowing the laws!
EU air passenger rights apply:
If your flight is within the EU and is operated either by an EU or a non-EU airline
If your flight arrives in the EU from outside the EU and is operated by an EU airline
If your flight departs from the EU to a non-EU country operated by an EU or a non-EU airline
If you have not already received benefits (compensation, re-routing, assistance from the airline) for flight-related problems for this journey under the relevant law of a non-EU country.
EU means the 27 EU countries, including Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint Barthélemy, Saint-Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands, but not the Faeroe Islands. EU rules also apply to flights to and from Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
Maybe fly home from a different city and save money?
I use this strategy to check if it is cheaper to book two one-way trips instead of a round trip every time I book a flight. It works!!
Example:
You’re flying from Phoenix to Dallas.
(Keep in mind Dallas has two airports to save even more money).
Check the one-way flights each way instead of round trip. Maybe you want to visit Austin or San Antonio and fly home from there?
This theory also allows you to take advantage of using different airlines each way too as round-trip travel booking normally uses the same airline.
Keep in mind some airlines have better baggage rules too which may also change the overall cost of your flight. Greedy bastards!
The below article from Clark Howard clearly explains a few other reasons too!
Booking air travel can be tricky these days. The airline industry continues to push fares higher and higher while passengers look for ways to keep them grounded.
Money expert Clark Howard says if you’re flying domestic (this doesn’t necessarily apply for international flights), a new strategy for airline customers to save big for 2025 is to avoid the traditional practice of shopping for round-trip itineraries.
One-way flights often offer a cheaper opportunity to fly to where you need to go, Clark says.
And it all starts with the click of a button: When you visit a search site like Google Flights or Kayak and you choose one airline in the search results, it will automatically show you the return flights for that airline as well.
“But often the fare may be cheapest one way on American or cheapest the other way on Southwest. Or maybe cheapest on United one way and JetBlue the other, and on and on and on,”
Here are two reasons why shopping for one-way flights is now the way to go:
Reason #1: Airlines Are Hiding Their Best Domestic Fares on One-Way Itineraries
“When you buy a fare one way or shop one way, you’re going to see lower prices than if you look roundtrip,” Clark says. Of course, this might not always be the case every single time due to seasonal sales and whatnot, but the point is that you should be checking one-way fares just as you would normally check round trips.
You don’t have to be a tech whiz to research the latest fares online, but it pays, especially in this current airline environment, to have a basic understanding of how to search for cheap fares on the web.
“This doesn’t necessarily apply outside the United States, because a lot of fares outside the U.S. are set where round-trip tickets are cheaper than two one ways,” Clark says. “In Europe, sometimes it is cheaper, but I digress on that.”
Reason #2: Flight Modifications Could Now Cost You Big
Another reason why you might want to check out one-way fares is that there’s a new refund rule that airlines have interpreted to the disadvantage of passengers, Clark says.
“If an airline has a big schedule change on one of your flights, the airline will refund your whole ticket and say, ‘We’re sorry, we had this big schedule change.’ You’ve got to start over,” Clark says. “So what happens when they do that and you had a great fare? You’ve now lost it,”
Looking for the Best Deal? Search Different Airlines
Not only do you want to shop for one-way tickets arriving to and departing from your destination but you want to look at several different airlines.
“When you shop, it’s going to take you a little bit longer, but the savings can be enormous if you’re a free agent,” Clark says. “If you’re not captive to one particular airline [and] you’re looking for the best deals, you’ll want to do your fares one way.”
Although budget airlines typically showed the cheapest flights, I saw fares from other airlines as well, along with the type of aircraft, which is another Google Flights feature that can help determine your choice.
Until I visited Europe in the middle of 2024, I had no clue how amazing and popular train travel is within Europe. I probably still do not have a grasp on it as I have only been to two train stations in Vienna, Austria. The central train station in Vienna, Austria Wien Hauptbahnhof (click blue link) was as big or even bigger than a lot of the Airports in Canada and the United States. There were several levels, entrances, and train companies (local/international) and I got lost more than once.
I purchased a Europass for 25% off to use for a trip scheduled for March 2024. The pass that I chose was $380 USD for ten days that can be used over a two-month period. This was perfect as that is less than $40 for a full day of train travel depending on which routes I choose.
I created a dream trip at the top of the post which shows the routes I would take if possible. It will be impossible to take all of those routes but if I can even reach half of them, it would be spectacular.
Below is some of the research I did to create this dream train router:
The best of Italy stop location Milan, Rome, Florence, Naples and
Discover the Mediterranean stop location Barcelona, Nice, Genoa, Rome
Portugal and Spain stop location Porto, Faro, Cadiz, Granada
France north to south stop location Versailles, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon
Journey to the Adriatic Villa Opicina – Rijeka a direct, regional train has been operating from Villa Opicina in Italy to Rijeka in Croatia, cutting through the southwestern corner of Slovenia along the way.
Chase the sun in Cornwall Exeter – Penzance England might not seem like the most obvious place to catch some offseason warmth – but Cornwall is one of the sunniest regions in the United Kingdom, enjoying a mild climate well into the autumn.
The quiet side of Italy’s coastline Bari – Lecce The stretch of Italian coastline from Bari to Lecce may not be as famous as Cinque Terre or Amalfi, but if you look closely, you’ll find plenty of pristine beaches, dramatic cliffsides and ancient towns to explore
Explore Portugal’s southern coast Lagos – Vila Real de Santo António Portugal’s southern coastline is a summer hotspot for travelers across the world. But our favorite time to visit is after August, when crowds disperse but temperatures stay comfortable enough to swim.
Slow down in seaside towns Perpignan – Girona Many travelers opt for high-speed rail when crossing from France into Spain. But, in doing so, they miss a spectacularly scenic railway line that stretches along the dramatic Mediterranean coast and winds through the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Discover a wild Baltic island Greifswald – Świnoujście Embark on an island adventure when you travel from Greifswald, in northern Germany, to Świnoujście, in Poland’s far northwestern corner.
An Andalusian adventure Seville – Cádiz Wandering through Seville is an experience to be savored, especially after summer, when temperatures drop to 24 and 25 degrees Celsius. With history around every turn and mouth-watering cuisine, it’s a perfect place to begin a Eurail adventure though southern Spain.
This is the latest pass I purchased for USD 550 and my favorite by a long shot. Wizz is a discount airline based in Budapest, Hungary that flies to 52 different countries within Europe, UK, Ireland, Iceland, and the Middle East including the Maldives. The obvious hitch here is that you need to get to one of those countries to start using the pass which can be difficult depending on the time of year. I have only used the pass a handful of times for that reason, but it has easily paid itself off with one of the five flights I have already taken. I was able to find a flight from Los Angeles to London Gatwick for $109 on Norse Airlines (click link) which within itself is amazing! I was also able to fly home using a buddy pass which was amazing too!
I am headed back to Europe to use the pass again in March 2024 for 42 days. Keep an eye out for updates as my bucket list for that trip is plentiful and will include the Euro pass train ticket (click link) I bought too.
Below is a summary and link from the Wizz website (click link):
The Volaris Pass is my favorite because, well, it’s Mexico and who doesn’t love Mexico? This is the second AYCF pass (Frontier, Volaris, and Wizz) that I purchased. I am guessing that I was one of the first to buy the pass as I waited until one minute after midnight on the first day it went on sale to take advantage of the half-price promotion. I paid 3999 pesos which is approximately $200 today. The regular price is now listed in American dollars for $499. The best part is that the renewal gets me the promotional price.
Volaris Annual Pass includes all our domestic and international routes. Seats are based on availability.
INVEX credit card benefits do not apply to flights booked with Annual Pass.
For domestic destinations you can book your flight from 24 hours before departure.
For international destinations you can book your flight from 3 days before departure.
The earlier in the day you search for your next flight, the more likely you are to find available seats.
Explore our wide variety of destinations! Being flexible and searching for flights for different routes will make it easier to find availability.
You can use the Volaris Annual Pass to book flights on any date of the year. You only have to follow the booking restrictions for domestic and international destinations.
Your flights do not include carry-on or checked baggage, only one personal item.
You can only book one way direct flights without connections.
Seats to fly with the Volaris Annual Pass are subject to availability on each route.
Volaris Annual Pass is personal and non-transferable.
The Volaris Annual Pass holder must be at least 18 years old.
You must cover the TUA and taxes on every flight booked with Volaris Annual Pass.
When booking a flight, the charge can only be paid by credit or debit card.
Volaris Annual Pass is automatically renewed every year. You can cancel it directly from your profile. The fees for periods already paid, even if they have not been used, are non-refundable.
This is the first all-you-can-fly (AYCF) pass I bought back in 2023 and paid USD 499. I was working four days a week including weekends which was perfect as there we a lot more empty seats during the week for me.
Frontier did not know what they were getting in to, so they started the price very high. The ran early bird specials at lower prices and gradually raised the price will all passes renewing at $2000. They then started selling Summer and Winter passes for cheaper and eventually dropped the price to $299
This is the least favorite of the three AYCF passes (Frontier, Volaris and Wizz) simply because it does not offer the best destinations. I plan to keep renewing it at $299 as it helps me get to around the United States perfectly and I have had decent luck finding open seats when needed.
Below are the destinations that I have visited with the pass so far:
As the Rocky Point bike rally wraps up, my landlord makes all her guests menudo, tacos, and coffee to prepare for the long ride home. Some guests came from as far as 19 hours away in Mexico for the rally. What an amazing experience!
A legend in my mind is the best way to describe it, I just think differently than most people!
I was born in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, and raised in the early eighties when life was simple. We rode our bikes and played outside, and we did not have the internet like kids today.
Canada was the only thing I knew until my first vacation to Southern California and Mexico in my early teens. My first memory of travel was falling asleep under the Christmas tree with the paper airline ticket after reading it 100s of times. Yes, they used to have paper carbon copies of your actual legs of an airplane return trip, wild! Just like now, I would tell anyone who cared about my travels (most didn’t and still don’t) that I was going to California and Acapulco, Mexico (some things never change, LOL)!
We drove all around Southern California into Las Vegas and then flew to Acapulco with those initial memories engrained in my mind forever. I fell in love with traveling to America and Mexico!
Unimaginable at the time, I would later in life live in Southern California, Las Vegas, and now Mexico.
Looking back, I had a plan, and no matter what happened along the way, I would selfishly follow that plan whether I knew it at the time of my decisions. The makings of a solo traveler!
After graduating high school in Edmonton and trying a few things, my first break happened. I wanted to work with satellites for some unknown reason, so I enrolled in Telecommunications at the Northern Alberta Insitute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton. It would take me three years to complete my two-year Telecommunications associate’s diploma. I was not the most dedicated student, to say the least, plus my favorite bar was just across the field, Ezzies.
The week before graduating from NAIT in December 1995, I would interview with Canada’s largest Company, Northern Telecom. Looking back, it was a miracle as I was in the bottom half of my class. I aced the interview, and it was the biggest break in my life! I was going to make $13.80 an hour from the part-time $5.50 I was making in 2005, life was good!!
I needed to relocate to Calgary and started on January 4th, 1996. Within a couple of years, I was traveling back and forth to our Richardson, TX head office which is a suburb in Northern Dallas. It seemed that I was going there every month making contacts while falling in love with the American dream. I would board a plane in freezing Calgary and three hours later, I was wearing shorts! How awesome was that!!
After traveling back and forth, I met someone, she was a flight attendant which again was another sign of things to come. Eventually, I was offered a job in Richardson, TX, given a work visa and traveling full time.
Work would have me crisscrossing the United States and eventually internationally. My girlfriend would follow me and also fly me anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted. Holy shit, my dreams were happening! I still thank her to this day when I ask for free flights, LOL. Thankfully, she has a great life raising twin boys along the way!
Little did I know but these events would severely warp my crazy traveling mind into what it is today. A travel junky that cannot stay put, and always looking for a deal. I was turning into NorthAmerican Darrell!
My next break was getting a job was PayPal after 18 years at my first job out of college. The job fell in line with my strong beliefs in managing money so I could eventually travel. It was a great company but a shitty call center job, but it showed some money management skills.
I would get yelled at via email, chat, or on the phone by people being broke-ass douchebags not being able to manage their money. I could have also easily moved up and might still be employed, but I just didn’t have the piss and vinegar needed. I had health insurance and investments in place and was burning time for the #Freedom50ish traveling dream. To this day, I get pissed off when people use CAPS in a chat or text.
Fast forward, I was laid off for the second time by a greedy corporation. Northern Telecom after 18 years in 2014 and now PayPal 7 years in 2024, 25+ years of service gone after both cleaned house.
Life started to hit me like a ton of bricks, and it showed. I was living in a messed-up America where politics were eating me alive. I felt it didn’t matter who I voted for in 2000 or 2024 to fix it either. Thankfully, I was satisfied with the outcome of the 2024 election.
Here I am in 2024, unemployed, 52, single AF. I was somewhat financially stable and able to travel whenever and where I wanted, again. I started looking back on previous decisions in life.
Almost everyone had kids, and grandkids, worked 9-5, took their one-week all-inclusive vacation, and spent the summers at the lake. They were living the life we were taught to live by generations. You’re supposed to get married, have 2.5 kids, live in a house with a white picket fence, pay a mortgage, be in debt, retire, and then die.
Statistically, if you’re a man, you die when you’re 73 if I am lucky to make it that far. That gives some people 5-10 years of retirement depending on their health after working their whole life. I watched it happen over and over in my Telecom career while losing so many family members at a young age as well.
Should I have kept my houses in Edmonton, Atlanta, and Charlotte where I had some stability? Instead, I settled into my, small, turnkey, mortgage fee condo that I Airbnb in AZ.
My first 2400-square-foot Edmonton house that I designed and built did not have a mortgage. I was able to pay cash from my work travels. I would have been set with no mortgage surrounded by my friends and family living like a normal person. I didn’t even use one of the four bathrooms FFS!
Who is their right mind to move on from that situation?
I could have also settled in other amazing cities that I worked in long term (Calgary, Dallas, Southern California). What about all the other shorter stops along the way (Las Vegas, Austin, San Antonio, Mexico City, Acapulco, Brazil)? I had corporate condos for months at a time, met some women, and friends, and had a good job opportunity to possibly settle down. I kept on trucking down the road.
Should I have gotten married to a woman that I let slip away? This is how most of my friends, family, and co-workers along the way played life, like generations before them.
There were so many amazing situations in their way and still think about all of them from time to time. I am slowly convincing myself, that as we get older life is a mirage, and see it the way we want.
I have always wanted to blog about my travel years of work and personal travel. This is the second attempt so here we go, again!
