Wizz airlines all you can fly!
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):
Wizz Air offers an “all you can fly” pass for an annual fee of $55012. This pass provides unlimited one-way and round-trip flights to any of Wizz Air’s international destinations, including routes throughout Europe, parts of North Africa, the Middle East, and the Maldives1. Passengers can book flights 72 hours before departure, choosing from available routes at the time3.
Here are the places I have been on the Wizz AYCF pass including two I had to cancel due to illness:
London
Varna, Bulgaria
Budapest, Hungary
Vienna, Austria
Abu Dhabi/Dubai, UAE
Maldives – cancelled
Barcelona, Spain – cancelled
Volaris all you can fly (AYCF) annual pass
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.
TIPs from the Volaris website: Volaris Annual Pass and https://youtu.be/nPVBNEWbAoo
- 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.
- You must book all your flights through www.annualpass.volaris.com
- Your flights do not earn Spin Premia points.
- 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.
- See terms and conditions here.
Here are the places I have been on the Volaris pass:
Lima, Peru twice
Mexico City
Guadalajara
Cancun
Puerto Vallarta
San Jose, Costa Rica twice
Guatemala twice
GoWild! The Frontier all you can fly pass!!
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
Below is a summary and more can be found in this link: GoWild! All You Can Fly Pass™ | Frontier Airlines
The Frontier GoWild! Pass is an annual pass offered by Frontier Airlines. It costs $599 for the first year and is valid for travel between May 1, 2024, and April 30, 2025. There is also a Summer GoWild! Pass priced at $499 for travel between May 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2024, and a limited-time offer for the Fall & Winter GoWild! Pass at $299 per year1. The pass provides unlimited flights, but booking for domestic flights is only available the day prior (10 days prior for international flights). Passholders are still responsible for taxes, fees, and add-ons
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:
Los Angeles three times
Baltimore
Las Vegas twice
San Diego twice
Dominican Republic
Virgin Islands
Denver
What is Geoarbitrage? A Beginner’s Guide
What is geoarbitrage? I’ve tried to explain it to family and friends, but I struggle to explain the concept. I am guessing it is probably because you can’t explain something to people who don’t want to understand. It is not a part of their overall plan so why should they care, fair? Why should they be different than everyone else if they are happy? My thought is that they may not don’t know any other which is why I started this website. Some people may want something different if they knew it was possible. I can promise you, it is possible if you put your mind to it just like everything else.
Personal connections, cultural inspiration, and practicality away from home all while saving money! Waking up every day to prices you have not seen in decades and perfect weather. Yes, please!
Short of handing them a copy of The Four Hour Workweek – there’s no getting through to some people. I have experienced that life is too short to work, pay bills, retire, and die no matter what happens in between. Again, my life is just “different” but yours can be different too as the sky is the limit!! ✈️
The Basics of Geoarbitrage
In the United States and Canada, we associate cheap with having little value. If it’s too cheap, it’s too good to be true mentality. While we all love a good deal, anything too cheap is generally not worth it or there is a catch. This is a common occurrence around the world, or is it?
Yet, what’s cheap to someone earning in a hard currency, like US or Canadian Dollars, is quite different from what’s cheap for someone earning in a soft currency – like Mexican Pesos for example purposes.
I remember being baffled when my Ukrainian Family balked when I told them how much I was paying for my hotel room when I visited. I felt like I was getting an incredible deal for one night. They thought I was getting ripped off and could live the whole month with that money. We were both really confused!
An Example of Geoarbitrage
Examples are the easiest way to understand exactly what is geo arbitrage. You probably drink coffee. I know I do every morning, two cups. You’ve also probably been to Starbucks, once a year for me.
Maybe you frequented a few coffee shops like Timmys, Second Cup, or the many pop culture internet cafes opening in North America. Often, a decent coffee costs $3-7 USD, a breakfast pastry is $3-4 USD which is fairly standard pricing post-COVID.
I had a favorite coffee shop in Lima, Peru next to my Airbnb in Mira Flores (click links) which is the nicest area of Lima. I went for my walk which you can do comfortably year-round in Lima. I’d start with a mocha and treat every morning as I am not normally a big breakfast person. I’d walk for 2-3 hours to get my 10K daily steps in to start the day along with hundreds of others. Then I’d order my fancy coffee and a treat which could be anything from carrot cake to a cheese bun.
Guess what my bill was every day without tip (~10% in Lima) for a fairly fancy mocha, a small breakfast treat, and often times a fresh-pressed, organic juice. Less than $5 USD depending on the treat!
If you were to purchase the same items at a Starbucks or similar style coffee shop in the United States or Canada, I’d estimate the bill would come out to $14 USD give or take a few dollars. $4 for the mocha, $3 for the breakfast pastry, $6 for the fresh juice, and then taxes and a 20-25% tip as that’s how baristas roll. That’s Paying one-third the price for the exact same goods. You can also have an ocean view and not wear a heavy jacket, or long johns after warming up your car for 30 minutes!
Visiting Lima twice, I never did my laundry or shaved my mug. My weekly laundry was less than two dollars with overnight service folded and ready for the drawer. I had a local barber which I find in every low-cost city that gave me a hot shave and a trim for less than $4 a visit (FOUR USD). Those prices hardly cover the laundry pod or shaving cartridge FFS which allows you to make the worker’s day with a good tip. Win-Win!! (click link).
Taking Geoarbitrage to the Extreme as that is what I do!
I have experienced that the most popular locations for individuals with USD, Euros, Pounds, or whatever currency is strong at the moment to take advantage of geo arbitrage in Asia, Eastern Europe, Central America, and many others listed on the Country’s menu. Many living the lifestyle only live in these areas full or even part-time for Family reasons and a lot of them do it on social security or their CPP, hell yeah!!
Imagine this…
You have a brand-new studio apartment furnished with every amenity you desire is found in your stunning studio: air conditioning, a full kitchen, hot water, and often a great balcony view for your morning coffee or evening nightcap if you choose.
Outside your front steps, your community features a stunning resort-style pool to help endure the hot days. You wake up and walk to the gym ten minutes from your pad. Free weights, machine weights, pool, sauna, steam room – the works as the gym is like a resort, too.
You stop off at a restaurant after the gym to grab a big, garden-fresh salad prepared right in front of you and a freshly squeezed juice that wasn’t shipped two months ago and full of pesticides that cost $25+.
Lunch is downed while you work or take care of whatever else needs to be done even if it is nothing. You walk home to drop off your laptop and then walk to a North American-style or local restaurant for dinner.
After dinner, you meet up with some EXPATs or local friends for drinks at a bar within walking distance of your pad. Depending on the bar, a local or even fancy beer can cost less than a couple of dollars.
Then it’s off to sleep. No alarm clock set. You wake up the next day. Rinse and repeat. You never think about money, and you buy what you want – when you want to. You legitimately can’t overspend your budget. It’s damn near impossible in most of these places as long as you’re not a drunken sailor which again, is another story.
How expensive is this lifestyle?
In a place like Thailand, Vietnam, Peru, Columbia, Philippines (see my list of Countries) you can live like this, like a king, for $1,000 – $1500 USD a month! Many have done it for $700-800 a month if you want to eat and drink your coffee at home and live outside the city. There’s no need to budget or pinch pennies when you can live for less than $1,500 USD a month. That may even be less than your pension for a social security check if you are retired or have a seasonal job back home to go back to half the year.
Another example…
For $500 a month with a 6–12-month lease (slow travel), you can easily rent an apartment in parts of Asia that has a swimming pool, and a gym with top-notch equipment and machines. That leaves $1000+ spending money!
How much for the equivalent in Canada and the USA for this retirement plan? Imagine, you can spend half of your time in your home country and half of your time be a Geoarbitrage. The choice can be all yours!!
Best Countries to visit!
When I thought about creating a website, I wanted it to have a few basic things:
Document past travel ✅Current travel blogging ✅Cost effective travel ideas ✅ Inspire to travel ✅
I am probably in the top percentile of people my age who use social media. It was a fad that never really went away for me until now. I would constantly post my travels which most people do as well. It just got to a point where I was just tired of the bullshit that came along with posting.
Starting NorthAmericanDarrell.com was always the answer but it was never a reality until January 2024.
The learning curve has been massive for me but I have enjoyed it so that is all that matters. I have broken down my places visited into Continents, Countries, and cities with a few exceptions like “Islands”.
Now that the structure of the site is developed, I can just blog as memories come across my mind.
The below list shows the best Countries to visit; I have been to the following:
1-Thailand, 7-Peru, 10-UAE, 11-France, 12-UK and 14-USA.
My current trip as of January 2024 should take me to:
2-Greece, 3-Indonesia, 4- Portugal, 8-Italy, 13-Bora Bora and, 15-Spain.
That should make it 12 of 15! Big dreamer – let’s see how it plays out!
Missing but achievable except the last one as I have zero interest in going to India!
5-Sri Lanka, 6-South Africa and 9-India.