travel planner

Dropping pins, one adventure at a time!

Determining my next adventure is 75% based on cost, 20% dropping a new pin and 5% alcohol to pull the trigger. I know, you don’t need to drink to have a good time but it sure the helps me get off the fence!  

I hope some of you get inspired by my blogs and get off that fence too!

I have a world map on my condo wall in AZ that has pins dropped for all of the places in the world that I have visited. 

Some I have visited for work, pleasure or even layovers like in the case of Moscow, Russia. My Moscow visit was on the way back from the Ukraine and it was not comfortable to say the least. Although, I did dig the woman in their fuzzy hats was my distinct memory, LOL.  Like Ukraine, I was fortunate to visit before the war.  What a terrible situation!

 

Since there are 248 countries in the world, I will do my best to list them:

North American: Canada, United States, Mexico.

Central America: Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Costa Rica, St. Croix USVI, Jamaica and Bermuda. 

South America: Peru, Chile, Argentia, Uruguay and Brazil.

Europe+: France, Hungary, Austria (7-10 more Countries soon)

Ireland/UK (Scotland coming soon) 

Asia: Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan. (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos soon)

Middle east: United Emirates.

Africa and Antarctica: Nada

* I will add to this list on my next trip: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and 7-10 European countries.

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Airline compensation – know the laws!

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 IcelandNorway, and Switzerland.

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Saving money booking one-way tickets!

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.”

So, searching for one-way plane tickets is how you help your wallet. Our guide on how to save money on Google Flights is a great place to start.

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.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s recently enacted law that forces airlines to refund passengers pronto for significantly changed or canceled flights has resulted in an unforeseen consequence for deal-savvy customers.

“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.

 

 

 

wizz small

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):

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

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

frontier

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

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!!

Top Islands in Asia!

I have been to 4 of 10:

1-Samui, 6-Palawan, 7- Phuket and 8-Cebu.

I missed out on 3-Borocay and 10-Siagaro while in the Philippines.

(It just gives me more reason to visit there again).

I will visit 5-Phu Quoc while in Vietnam in January!

2-Lankawi, 4-Sri Lanka, and 9-Bali all on the radar!

adicting

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.

Street Food! Vietnam #1!

One of the best things about traveling is street food and trying the local beer!

I don’t care if you are in your hometown, Province/State trying a new food truck or traveling internationally eating from a food cart pulled by a donkey. They are all amazing, so try them at least once.

Mexico street tacos are where it all started for me and, still try new ones to this day and also have my favorites in many cities. I have only been to three on the above list: Mexico City, Bangkok, and New Orleans, and can remember meals like it was yesterday!

Below is a list of destinations that make my mouth water. 😋😋

Mexico City has many vendors selling anything from: Tacos, burritos, Tamales, sweet corn, Quesadillas, and sweets. I have a favorite restaurant in so many Mexican cities that I visit when in each town.

Bangkok along with the rest of Thailand was so awesome too! You could get anything from frog legs, chicken feet, snake, cow tongue, brain, and tofu. 🤮 My go-to was always Pad Thai, coconut soup, Tom kha gai, Tom yum, Tom XYZ (forgot), and of course spicy noodles with chicken.

New Orleans Cajun food is spectacular! Jumbo red beans and rice, Jambalaya, Po’boys, and crawfish (you’re supposed to remove the vein and head—nope). I ate them all by mistake. 😆

This brings us to Vietnam, number 5 on the above list! 

The food street food has been spectacular, I have already found my favorites but try at least one new place every day so far keeping in mind most street food meals are a few dollars.

I found a coffee shop my first morning and I have been going back every day since and today is day five. The owner knows that I love the iced coffee and tea and refills them as needed for the same price, 87 cents! Yesterday, I sat there for three hours and listened to the hockey game and surfed the internet and my bill was under a dollar if you can imagine.

If you know Vietnam food, you know Pho is one of the best things since sliced bread!  It was the first thing I wanted when l arrived and found the absolute perfect spot.  Today, I chatted with the owners who educated me on other dishes and where to find them in our neighborhood.  Their Pho was 2 for 2 and tough not to go there every day, no promises.  Here is Huang and his family Pho master piece:

I did have two other decent variations but will not be cheating my Pho-king Family:

I did not try the below but took a picture of some dude’s lunch like an obsessed Pho’ierdo:

Last but certainly not least, I have had the best Bahn Mi sandwiches and spring rolls, but they were in my belly before I thought to take a picture.  I had a nice recovery today ordering more while visiting the Ben Nghe Street food court

 

This place does not mess around as you can see from the above YouTube and pictures I took!

 

I could have pasted more low-quality screenshots, but I think you get the idea, it was badass! 

I settled for three items a la carte: Fresh and deep-fried spring rolls, a couple of pork skewers, and a couple of local Tiger beers including a $1.50 ice-cold draft! 👌

 

Vietnamese food has overtaken Thai and Mexican as my favorite food other than Ukrainian which by default is #1!