Hey friends!

Here's all my travel updates, travel deals, trip reports and more:

BIG WINNER: Congratulations to Leslie M. from Toronto who won $250 to book any hotel on Plannin.com!

I’m working on more giveaways in the future and they’ll always be announced in my newsletter first, so make sure my emails don’t go to your junk folder!

…oh guess what, there’s already another giveaway comin’ at ya!

WIN A TRIP TOP ARUBA: I've partnered up with Daily Drop to give away a trip to Aruba! I am SO excited for this!

Here’s what the winner will receive:

😎 A 5-night stay for two in a premium view room at the Aruba Marriott Resort

✈ $2,000 to help cover flights and other miscellaneous expenses

🍹 $250 food and beverage credit

⛵ One free activity for two (choice of sunset sail, UTV tour, or snorkel sail)

This is the ultimate tropical paradise! 🏝 (and feel free to take me with you if you win 😆)

➡ Enter here: https://www.dailydrop.com/giveaways/aruba-beach-resort-giveaway?via=aly-smalls

You’ll get subscribed to the free Daily Drop newsletter. It's my favorite resource for learning how to earn and redeem miles and points! (they’re also the best resource I’ve found for Canadian travel credit cards and points).

The winner will be announced in the Daily Drop newsletter on May 13th! Good luck!

PACK: I recently tested out a new carry-on bag and…I. Am. In. Love. It’s affordable (bought it off Amazon), it’s a flexible hard-shell, and not clamshell (I don’t think I’ll ever go back).

It fit perfectly in the overhead bin, and it comes in avocado green (or other colors if you’re not into that).

I’ve updated my Travel Toolkit Page with all the details on this bag (it’s the first one listed under Luggage & Bags).

CRUISE DEALS: Have you heard of the website Vacations to Go? They have a feature called the ‘90-Day Ticker’ which gives you an insane list of crazy markdowns on cruises that are departing in the next 90 days.

When you’re on the main homepage, just click the green button in the top left corner, here’s a snapshot of some current deals (not sponsored).

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FLIGHT DEALS: FareDrop is going crazy right now sending me all kinds of notifications for business class seats to Europe this Summer.

The flight I’m currently looking at is a lie-flat fare to Santorini, Greece via Paris.

It’s on sale for $2900 cad (which is $2100 usd) for lie-flat seats to Europe in peak travel season!!

According to Google Flights data, these flights usually cost closer to $6,300 for this time of year. Whoa 👀

Have you been to Greece or want to go? Reply to this email - I would love to know any thoughts you have!

​Here’s the link to FareDrop - it’s free to sign up for economy deals, but if you want to be notified about Business Class deals, there is an annual fee.

A little birdie told me they do run 50% off sales a couple times a year, though!

I would recommend signing up for the free version to be notified when the premium version goes on sale!

RESORT REVIEW: I recently stayed 7 nights at the RIU Palace Pacifico in Nuevo Vallarta.

I think this resort offers incredible value for an adults-only property.

Everything is brand new and fresh from the recent renovations, the beach is massive and perfect for sunning and swimming - and the close proximity to Bucerias allows you to enjoy an outing or two into a local community for culture, food, shopping and fun!

​Read my full review here (warning…it’s a long one 😅 but I’ve divided it into lots of sections)

The full blog post includes:

• all kinds of tips I gathered throughout the week to make your stay extra smooth
• whether or not paying extra for Elite Club is worth it
• a full dive into what I thought about the food
• what I think are the best excursions to take
• best way to get to the resort ($14!)
• ...and more!
• ​Read all about it here!

Oh and the trip wasn't sponsored, we paid our own way.

Also stay tuned to my YouTube channel for the full video (should be published by the end of the week).

That’s all for now,

Aly

Some of my emails contains affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase I may make a small commission. I only share information about things I know, love and trust!

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