Destinations

From Bali to Rio De Janeiro: When to buy, when to fly advice for dream destinations

Cheapflights.com’s experts rolled up their sleeves and dug up budget-stretching details and tips, including value windows for scoring flight deals, for the 15 destinations topping everyone’s travel to-do list.

Published

9 years ago

July 19, 2017

ZestMag.com Staff

The world is a big, beautiful place with tons to explore, so it’s no wonder travelers end up making lists of dream destinations, otherwise known as bucket lists. But a bucket list is no good without a plan to tackle it affordably.

Cheapflights.com‘s experts rolled up their sleeves and dug up budget-stretching details and tips, including value windows for scoring flight deals, for the 15 destinations topping everyone’s travel to-do list.

We started by surveying avid travelers to find out which experiences they would rank as trips of a lifetime, compiling a de facto national bucket list of travel goals. From the heights of Machu Picchu to the soaring views over the Grand Canyon, this is truly the ultimate list for a lifetime of travel.

Here are the details for turning travel dreams into travel plans for the five most popular dream destinations:

Visit Machu Picchu – Make time to explore Machu Picchu, the ancient “Lost City of the Incas” that was built atop a mountain range 7,972 feet above sea level. Located in the Sacred Valley 312 miles from Lima, Peru, Machu Picchu is possibly the best example of Incan architecture. Only 2,500 visitors are allowed each day to visit this remote sacred sanctuary set atop grass terraces cut by nature along the mountain’s slope, so planning ahead of time is key. Most visitors start the journey by flying from Peru’s capital, Lima. After indulging in some of the best food in the world – at restaurants like Central and Maido, which topped the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017 – fly to the Andean city of Cusco to spend the night and start to acclimate to the higher altitude. Then, take a train followed by a bus to reach the UNESCO World Heritage site. Peak season is May through October, which coincides with winter and the dry season.
Where to fly into: It’s generally cheaper to fly into Lima and then book a separate flight on to Cusco, which also gives you a chance to get acclimated and, if your schedule is flexible, affords the opportunity to time your travel to Machu Picchu for the best weather window. Check out flights on local airlines as they often offer better deals from Lima, even last minute, than you’d get by connecting Cusco on your ticket from the U.S.
When to fly: The last two weeks of August offer the lowest average airfare.
When to buy: Look for bargain buying windows in the last week of March and the last week of May.

Hit the beach in Hawaii – Located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, each of Hawaii’s six islands offers a unique beach experience. Whether you opt for Honolulu and Waikiki Beach in Oahu, the trendy beaches of Wailea, Maui, the untamed beaches of Molokai, the charmingly laid-back Lanai, the stunning black sand beaches of Hawaii Island, or the picturesque Napali Coast in Kauai, there’s a beach to suit every budget. Try to time your visit for low season, which is mid-April to early June and September to mid-December.
Where to fly into: Choose your own adventure. But there are some great deals to be had for Hilo and Kona (both on the Big Island), as well as Honolulu.
When to fly: Hilo may be a particularly good option if you are looking to stretch your summer as some of the best fares of the year are for travel in October. For Kona, October is also promising. But for extra saving potential, travel in late April or early May. If a winter escape is on your mind, consider Honolulu. It’s the gateway to all of Hawaii, so you’ll have the most choice of flights, and average airfares from mid-January through early February are among the most affordable of the year. (It’s also worth knowing that a number of airlines are upping their service to Hawaii in the coming months, which may bring extra low fares in 2018.)
When to buy: For Hilo, last-minute bookers rejoice as you may well be able to score October’s low fares by booking in September. Score spring flights to Kona on the cheap by booking in November or December. Partial to Honolulu? Look to book as early as September to score a good winter fare but there might be some last-minute deals, especially for a getaway in early February.

See the northern lights in Iceland – It might take more than one trip to Iceland to chase the Northern Lights, which appear between September and April. Since the Northern Lights can only be seen at night, fill your days with adventures like exploring Thingvellir National Park or soaking in the Blue Lagoon. (Tip: when you arrive on an early morning flight, pre-book a bus ticket that includes entry to the nearby Blue Lagoon to soak away jet lag. The popular geothermal spring books up quickly as do its special floating massages). While it’s possible to join organized Northern Lights tours that depart from Reykjavik, you might have better luck heading away from the capital. You’ll see much more of the country by driving the 828-mile Highway No. 1, a ring road that connects some of the island’s most popular attractions. Try to stay at least a handful of nights to up your odds of seeing the Northern Lights and check The Icelandic Met Service for the northern lights forecast. Numerous package deals and stopover programs via Icelandair also afford travelers the flexibility to make this a two-for-one adventure as you can include a stay in Iceland of up to seven days as part of a trip to another destination.
When to fly: Travel in the second half of January for great deals and the potential of catching the northern lights.
When to buy: Look to score those January flights in the last two weeks of August.

Take in the views at the Grand Canyon – While many folks drive or opt to do a helicopter fly-over (some helicopter companies even land in the bottom!) to see the Grand Canyon, one of the most interesting ways to get there is via the vintage Grand Canyon Railway. Follow in the tradition of folks like U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and actor Clark Gable on this two hours and 15 minutes ride from Williams, Ariz., to Grand Canyon National Park, arriving just steps from the Canyon’s South Rim. One of the most thrilling (and affordable) ways to take your breath away at the Grand Canyon is to walk the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge that extends 70 feet past the canyon’s edge in Grand Canyon West, an area of the canyon that is on the Hualapai Native American Reservation. The skywalk is a vertigo-inducing 4,000 feet above the canyon floor and is strong enough to support 71 million pounds.
Where to fly into: If you’re heading to the Grand Canyon West (home of the dramatic Skywalk), consider flying into Las Vegas. If you prefer to visit the South Rim (and seeing some great sights on the way), fly into Phoenix instead.
When to fly: Looking at Vegas? You can beat the summer heat and find affordable flights by aiming to visit in late January or at the end of November or early December. Prefer to fly into Phoenix? Average airfares and temperatures are both optimal in late November/early December.
When to buy: For Vegas, look to book in late July or early August for flight deals in late January travel or in mid-September for travel in late November or early December. For Phoenix, book in mid-July for a visit right after Thanksgiving. If you miss that window, look to book in late August for an early December trip.

Eat your way through Rome – You don’t have to walk far in Rome to find an excuse to stop and savor the flavors of Italy. From standing at corner coffee shops sipping espresso to indulging in refreshing gelato to sitting down to an opulent Michelin-starred dinner, there is no place quite like Italy. For seafood, head to the nautically themed La Rosetta near the Pantheon and, for Roman classics, head to Acquolina. For a splurge, head to the three Michelin starred La Pergola at Rome Cavalieri. There’s an extensive wine cellar with 50,000-plus bottles of wine, a cigar lounge, a candlelit terrace with views of the Eternal City and some of the most sublime suppers around. No trip to Rome is complete without visiting a bar or two. Sip a Bellini, an Italian cocktail that is one-part white peach purée and three-parts Prosecco, at the Hassler Bar at the top of Rome’s Spanish Steps. Aim for an Italian getaway April to mid-June when the weather is moderate as are the crowds.
When to fly: The best airfares, on average, are during the first week of May so get ready for springtime in Italy.
When to buy: Make sure to start looking for the above deals in late January.

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Destinations

Underground discovery: From Heathrow, commute using the Underground to reach central London

You arrive in Heathrow, the main airport in London, and – like many tourists – you need to head to the center of London for your accommodation. You have many options, like catching a taxi. But you can just take the “regular” train, the so-called Underground.

Published

4 days ago

June 14, 2026

M.D. dela Cruz Tan, MDC

So… you arrive in Heathrow, the main airport in London, and – like many tourists – you need to head to the center of London for your accommodation. There are, of course, a number of transportation options, from grabbing a cab to taking the express train.

There’s an option that isn’t always advertised: that is, for you to just take the “regular” train, the so-called Underground.

Special thanks to Ms Kayla Garcia for this tip, of course.

@outragemag New to #London and traveling from #Heathrow to the city center? No need to overspend via #taxi or #expresstrain; just take the #LGBT #Underground ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the underground is, as the name suggests, underground. From the arrival area, follow the signs leading to the “Underground”, which is around five minutes walk from where you’d exit after collecting your luggage.

Ikalawa, be careful: it’s basically on the same area as the Express trains, so if you erroneously entered their area, you’d be forced to spend more.

Ikatlo, yung bayad, nagbabago depending sa exact location you’re going to, and time, too. But naglalaro lang sa 6 pounds pababa… usually. Which is much cheaper than the Express trains by a lot. Add na lang to shopping ang natipid… unless anak ka ng politician na male-maletang pera ang dala mo while undergoing your tax-funded UK education…

And ika-apat, you may buy tickets from those machines at the entrance of the station. But this is London, cashless is usual. Pay using PayWave; tap mo lang credit or debit card mo, keri ka na.

Kung rich ka and money is not a problem… avail ka ng less local mode of transportation, kaya mo yan. But for those who believe commercialization of service sucks, and – in the case of transportation – bettering public transport makes better sense than shelling out cash to make rich people in the transportation industry even richer, then… here’s how many locals travel to and from Heathrow. Huwag na pretentious and avail na…

And off we go for more LGBTQIA+ rampa…

Destinations

Off to Bulacan only to be underwhelmed (and stressed) at The Beef Deli-Malolos

#LGBT checking #steakhouse The Beef Deli-Malolos in #Bulacan, only to be underwhelmed and stressed.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 3, 2026

M.D. dela Cruz Tan, MDC

Now and then we head outside of Metro Manila to check some of the culinary offerings of wherever we end up at. This is why we know that Silang in Cavite has a LOT to offer (even if it may be considered provincial, and even more than, say, Las Piñas that is part of Metro Manila). And this is why we know that Antipolo has 24-hour venues even if Quezon City or the City of Manila “sleeps”.

The intent to discover affordable yet not-bad steaks – in particular – was what led us to The Beef Deli – Malolos, which claims to offer meats “from Australia to your plate” in Bulacan.

@outragemag #LGBT checking #steakhouse The Beef Deli-Malolos in #Bulacan ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is easy to find naman… particularly for those with private vehicles. It is at the vicinity of the entrance to NLEX lang din, so you can access it if you’re getting off or about to enter the expressway (as we did).

Ikalawa, the venue was masikip, tight. Largely, this was because of not-ideal lay-out that seemed to prioritize being able to accommodate more customers than customer comfort. While there, expect ingay, too; you’re seated too closely to other customers you can eavesdrop.

Ikatlo (and I took this down in my notes, too), the service was REALLY slow. We had to remind the waiters to: set our table (we were seated for a while already), provide us with cutlery, and give us some water. It didn’t help that the two servers who approached us did not know what’s in their menu.

Ika-apat, the food was… hit and miss, with more misses than hits.

The Sweet & Beefy Spaghetti (₱650) was… more sweet, less beefy. Imagine Jollibee’s spaghetti, now make it even sweeter, and you’d get an idea of what was given to us. Particularly since there’s less beef here, and more sausage slices. The accompanying bread also tasted burnt, not grilled.

The Absolutely Meatzza Pizza (₱550) was not just not as meaty (considering its name), but was also too sweet, with a tinapay-like dough.

For the steak, we got the two-for-the-price-of-one Premium Ribeye (₱1,560), cooked MR. Here’s the thing: the steak was okay naman, as it seemed properly seasoned and properly grilled. But when served to us, it was already cold, like it waited in the kitchen. So natulog na ang mantika when served, and slight kadiri na in the mouth.

We didn’t finish the food, so we had them wrapped.

Now, to add drama: when we arrived home, we found that the steak we asked to wrap wasn’t in the take-home bag. I, personally, was annoyed; we didn’t exactly have a good experience there, and then… they didn’t even pack what we already paid.

I contacted the number of the company that’s listed online, and – this is a great part – I received a proper response. I was told that, after some tracing, the leftover food was found. I was also told that, without charging me, they will have the leftover delivered to us the next day.

Yes, after reheating the leftover steak, they had it delivered to us… without charging us (as if I should be thankful for that, LOL). And NOT that I was expecting anything else, but the meat was all they sent; overcooked (due to reheating) stale steak that we didn’t get to enjoy anymore because of The Beef Deli – Malolos. No apology for the bad experience via some kind of compensation like… a serving of French fries man lang.

The place is okay-appearing naman, TBH. But Bulacan has a lot of venues to check, so we’re giving this a hard pass for revisiting na muna. And so off we go in search of more lafangan venues…

The Beef Deli – Malolos is located at G/F Unit 7-10, Andan Enterprises, Inc, 3598 MacArthur Hwy, Malolos, 3000 Bulacan Province. For more information, contact 0905 283 8461 or email beefdelimalolos@gmail.com.

Destinations

Checking the historic Charlie wanton resto in Mandaluyong

For those craving noodle soups, tambak ang options in Metro Manila. But one of the old faves is Charlie Wanton Special in Mandaluyong City. We #LGBT checked if it’s worth visiting.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 29, 2026

M.D. dela Cruz Tan, MDC

For those craving noodle soups, tambak ang options natin, truth be told. From David’s to Noodle Park to Wann Mann to Tim Ho Wan… the options are now endless. But – let this be said – the olden ones continue to charm. And among these is Charlie Wanton Special in Mandaluyong City.

When driving from Sta. Ana in the City of Manila to Greenhills in San Juan City, we always pass by this resto in Mandaluyong City that was established in 1958, though the original location was in Florentino Torres Street in Santa Cruz, Manila. That it is widely known is an understatement – e.g. good luck getting a table if you go there during rush hour (usually during lunch, or early dinner).

Anyway, we headed there when an opportunity presented itself. And… how was Charlie for us?

@outragemag #Wanton with nostalgia at #charliewantonspecial in #Mandaluyong during this #LGBT ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is in the middle of nowhere… in a manner of speaking. It is one of an extremely small number of restos in a long road that’s mostly residential, and there’s no public transportation there. But – exactly because the resto is known – it isn’t hard to find, as it’s very Google-able and Waze-able.

Ikalawa, the place is – in a word – unpretentious. Don’t expect fancy when there. The place is “divided” into sections – i.e. the glass-enclosed kitchen where the noodles are being made (you can watch the making, by the way); the dining area (which can accommodate over 70 pax); and the small events place. You get old wooden furniture, old cutlery, aged plates, and so on.

Ikatlo, the workers looked haggard when we were there… though this may be because they’re overwhelmed with the number of customers. I’d say don’t expect to be given special attention; this place is an order-eat-pay-go venue.

Ika-apat, how’s the food?

As served, the Chicken Mami (₱235) and the Beef Wanton Mami (₱305) looked abundant. We received extra bowls of sabaw, which were necessary because the noodles per bowl were a lot. Oh… the chicken sabaw was thicker, while the beef sabaw tasted like humba, complete with that star anise taste.

We had concerns taste-wise:

the beef strips were soft, yes, but the mami with the beef didn’t taste beefy at all;
the wanton in the same mami was okay-tasting, but didn’t taste fresh; and
the chicken strips weren’t malansa, but the mami with the chicken was tasteless.

The Bola-bola Siopao (₱130 for special) was aesthetically nice to look at, mainly because of its size. Sadly, that’s that. Taste-wise, it was weird. The dough was dry, and the meat was, aside from also being dry, had a malansa taste. It was hard to finish, sorry.

For the Siomai (₱120), we got three gigantic pieces. It was forgettable, but – after the siopao – at least the meat used here didn’t taste malansa.

Many people come, and will continue to head to Charlie. No surprise there since this can be a comfort zone for some. Kami, however, we don’t believe nostalgia alone makes any place deserving of being blindly supported. And so off we go in search of more lafangan venues…

Charlie Wanton Special is located at 265 Haig St. Daang Bakal, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila. For more information, contact (02) 7718 1880.