General information:
– Location
– Best time to travel
– Time difference
– Language
– Religion
– Food & drink
– Safety
Travel Documents:
– Passport
– Tourist visa
– Airline or other travel tickets
– Departure tax
Traveling to and within Canada:
– Flights
– Canadian Domestic Flights
– Car
– Camper
– Camping
– Bus
– Buspass
– Train
– Boat
– Taxi
Health:
– Do’s and don’ts
– Feeling ill?
– Vaccination
– Medication
– What to bring
Practical info:
– Money & Banks
– Tipping
– Electricity
– Telephone
– Internet
– Film & Photography
– Canada tourism
General Information:
Location:
Canada extends over a length of 7000 km from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, and is bordered by the USA on the south. Approximately 90% of the Canadian population live in the southern parts of the country. Canada derives its name from the native Ameicans, who used the word Canata which means settlement or village. The total land mass area of Canada is 9,215,430 km2, making it the second largest country in the world, after Russia.
Best time to travel:
Canada has three different climates: a country, a mountain and sub-arctic climate, which means that that temperatures throughout the year are varied. In the summer there are warm temperatures around 25 degrees with sunshine. But in the winter, both the northern and central parts can be icey cold with average temperatures of -10 degrees and lots of snow. There is not really a ‘best’ time to travel as such, each season has its advantages and disadvantages, but generally June through September are preferred times to take a trip to these regions. From September to October, the autumn arrives and the fall colors are stunningly beautiful! In winter the low temperatures and snow can make travelling very difficult.
Time difference:
Canada has multiple Time Zones. East Canada is GMT -4 during the summer. Or the same as ET, East Coast Time, in the USA.
Language:
In Canada, English and French the official languages. In the province of Québec people speak Québécois, a French dialect, but poor or no English. Furthermore, Inuktituk, the language of the Inuit is spoken, whereby Inuit the name is by which the native people of Greenland and Canada identify themselves. The content of a sentence in the Inuit language is often expressed in the form of a word.
Tip: Take a (mini) course French before you go to this neck of the woods, as very little English is spoken in the province of Québec, even amongst young people.
Religion:
About 42% of the population is Roman Catholic, the majority of French descent. Around 25% are Protestant and 13% have no official religion. Other common religions are Islam, Buddhism and Judaism.
Food and drink:
The French-Canadian traditional cuisine features hearty dishes such as meat and fish pastes, stews and desserts. Maple syrup is made of Canadian maple and processed in many savory or sweet dishes. The Canadians are very proud of their maple (it’s featured prominantly in their National Flag). The European setllers learned many new dishes from the Native Americans, by using new ingredients like deer, bison and wapiti meat, but also by using different types of berries such as loganberries, a cross between blackberries and raspberries.
Poutine:
Poutine was a strange dishfor us. It’s not every day you come accross fries that are sprinkled with a kind of cheddar cheese and topped with gravy. Poutine is a quick bite to eat, especially available in Quebec from street vendors, restaurants and even McDonalds. Next to the original version, there is the Italian poutine: French fries topped with pasta sauce. We let you be the judge if it tickles your fancy.
Beer:
Canadians love beer. The two national brands are Molson Canadian and Labatt Blue.
Note: If you are under 21 years of age, you will not be allowed in bars and nightclubs that serve alcohol. These proprieters cary the Licenced Premises title.
Apportez votre vin:
Not all restaurants are licensed in Canada. But if you do like to have some wine with your meal, it’s possible by bringing your own. These restaurants are known as Apportez votre vin restaurants. You hand the staff your wine upon entering the establishment, and they keep it cool for you and serve it during dinner; at the end you pay a small service fee, a tip, or corkage fee contribution.
French pea soup: yellow pea soup with diced ham or bacon
Doughboys: dumplings that are (sometimes) boiled in the pea soup
French-Canadian Creton: spicy pork pâté
Beans with maple syrup and Creton: beans with maple syrup and spicy pork pâté
Tarte au Sucre: sugar pie
Pudding au Chomeur: poor man’s pudding: inverted cake with caramel
Tourtière: spicy pork pie.
Safety:
According to the Canadians, we needn’t have worried about leaving our camping gear visible in the car, not even in the bigger cities. It is very uncommen to break into cars. An you know what? The were right, we weren’t brokn into, but that could have just been luck. Nevertheless, it is always better to keep an eye on your belongings and to never leave your valuables, documents and money alone in your room, but to make use of your hotel safe if it there is one!
Tip: Scan your passport, visa, vaccination certificate, health cards, insurance papers and other important documents, send them to your webhosted email address and place them in an e-mail folder. This allows you to access them at any time you might need them!
Travel Documents:
Passport:
The passport needs to be valid for at least another 6 months* upon arrival in Canada.
Tourist visa:
For a maximum period of three months no tourist visa* is required.
*Rules and regulations may differ per country, check with your Embassy or Consulate or visit the following link below.
Link: Visa information
Tip: If you fly via the USA, even if you do not make a stopover, you are required to get an ESTA, an electronic travel permit. Children always require a passport and ESTA travel permit as well.
Link: ESTA
Airline or other travel tickets:
It’s always advisable to print out your airline e-ticket or other transportation tickets and bring it with you when you travel.
Tip: In some countries you are required to show a proof of your departure date, showing your return ticket or other transit ticket leaving the country is then obligatory.
Departure Tax:
There is no departure tax in East Canada.
Travel to and within East Canada:
Flights:
It is often possible to fly direct to Montreal and Toronto.
Tip: Flights with a change over can sometimes be a lot cheaper. Also, for a small fee it is sometimes possible to take a stop over for a few days at the place of your change over.
Note: It is wiser not to buy separate tickets with different airlines for connecting flights. Because if your plane arrives too late (reason does not matter), you are then considered a ‘No Show‘, which can lead to cancellation of both your outbound and return flights. Sometimes the the airline can be lenient, and not charge too high costs to rebook your flight, but mostly they’re not, and then you have to pay high costs!
Link: Air Canada, Air Transat
Canadian Domestic Flights:
Airtravel is by far the quickest way to cover large distances, therefore the supply of omestic flights is quite big in Canada.
Average Travel Time:
Toronto – Montreal: 1.10 hrs
Toronto – Calgary: 4.05 hrs
Toronto – Vancouver: 5.00 hrs
Link: Air Canada, Air Transat, Westjet
Car:
Are you fond of your freedom? Then the best way to explore this magnificent country is by car and stay in hotels, motels, B&Bs, or on campsites. The longest road in the world is here, the Trans Canada Highway, which runs from St John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia, a total of 7,306 km!
Note: People drive on the right hand side of the road; unlike most other Comnwealth countries.
Tip: Many hotels in major cities have their own parking. Parking fee is around 10-35 dollars a day. Oten they have Velet Parking, where an employee picks up the car and parks it for you, be sure to tip.
Tip: An international driving license is not required
Camper:
If you’re not in the moode to move your belongings to and from the car to your accommodation, then it’s also possible to rent a motorhome. You can travel around with ‘your’ own house and stay on campings!
Tip: Hard suitcases are almost impossoble to store in campers.
Tip: You’re better off to book Campers well in advance. Travelling this way is very popular, and because of that the the smaller types often become unavailable due to high demand. One way rentals are possible, but beware of any (high) drop-off costs.
Note: Watch your credit card limit. Often a deposit is taken from your card, rather than reserving it, and they need to refund it when you drop off your camper, or at the end of the month, but this can have impact on how much you can spend on your card.
Camping:
National parks often have multiple campaing sites with different features compared to the provincial park campgrounds. There are also plenty of private campgrounds. These are sometimes more expensive than other sites, but have the advantage that it is possible to book your place in advance.
Note: During Canadian national holidays and peak seasons campaings tend to fill up quickly.
Link: National Parks
Bus:
Travelling by bus can be pretty comfertable. The network has connections to all larger Canadian as well as American cities. To take the perfect route / tariff, you can choose between different local as well as national providers. Seats aren’t really spacious, but often have reclining seats. Some busses are equipt with little TV-screens, so you can watch a movie. However, the choice of movie lies with the bus driver, not with yourself.
Average Travel times:
Toronto – Calgary: 58 hrs
Toronto – Vancouver: 66 hrs
Link: Greyhound Bus
Buspass:
In case you want to travel in an affordable way, and see a lot, then the Greyhound Discovary Pass is an easy way to travel where you want and according to your own schedule.
Link: Greyhound Discovery Pass
Train:
Travelling by train is easy and well worth it. With Via Rail (the national train network) it’s possible to choose between over 400 destinations, either per intercity or transcontinental network.
Average travel times:
Toronto – Montreal: 5 hrs
Toronto – Quebec, with a change over in Montreal: 9 hrs
Toronto – Ottawa: 4 hrs
Toronto – Vancouver: 3 days and 3 nights
Link: Train
Boat:
Boat excursions in Canada can be an unforgettable experience, think of the Maiden in the Mist at Niagara Falls, whale watching in Forillon or Tadoussac, or canoing in Algonquin.
Link: Maiden of the Mist, Niagara Falls
Link: Whale watching in Forillon
Link: Whale watching in Tadoussac
Link: Canoing in Algonquin
Taxi:
Taxis go by the meter in Canada.
Health:
Medical care in Canada is excellent. However, it can be really expensive and you often need pay cash, and hope for your insurance to re-imburst you.
Do’s and don’ts:
Tapwater is genrally pretty safe to consume, though it can taste very different than what you’re used to back home. Bottled water is cheap and available everywhere.
Tip: Suffering from Jetlag? Join the rhythm of local life as soon as possible, that way you will acclimatize quickly and get rid of your Jetlag.
Feeling ill?:
Dehydration can be prevented by drinking regularly (bottled water). ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) is a powder mixture sold in readymade bags, containing salts and sugars that can you can dissolve in water to restore moisture balance.
Tip: We have a plastic ORS spoon that you can use to measure exactly the amount of salt and sugar one needs. This will save you from dragging the finished mixture with you everywhere, whilst you easily make it yourself if necessary. Furthermore you can also order and drink tea with sugar, or drink a broth.
Tip: If you have a high fever, are vomiting, or have mucus or blood in your stool, consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Vaccintations:
Vaccinations are not needed for Canada.
Medication:
Do you take medication? If so, make sure you always carry your medical passport with you (a yellow booklet). Such passports contain information about your medicines and a written statement by your doctor.
Tip: Ask your doctor about your condition and the generic name of your medicine in both Latin and English. As such it is easier to understand for customs what kind of medications you are carrying with you.
What to bring:
– First Aid Kit
– Disinfectant gel
– Painkillers
– ORS or ORS scoop
– Thermometer
– Tick remover
– Anti-motion sickness medicine
– Your own medication (+ the name of your drug substance)
Practical Info:
Money and Banks:
The currency is the Canadian Dollar (CAD). You can take out money from any ATM with a Cirrus or Maestro logo, or a Mastercard or VISA logo if you’re using a Credit Card.
Link: Current exchange rates
Tipping:
Wages are quite low in Canada, so people often depend on tips. The ususal tip is about 10% including hairdressers and cab drivers. Room maids expect CAD 1 p/day and porters CAD 1 p/suitcase.
Tip: Always check your bill before tipping, usually a service charge has already been added.
Note: You have to pay taxes on meals, hotel stays and other services, between 4 and 15%, as well as a 7% GST tax (Goods and Services tax). Make sure that the service charge has not been added last, otheriwse you’re tipping for getting taxed.
Electricity:
The current is 110-120V.
Tip: Take a universal electricity plug with you on your trip, so you can recharge your camera, phone, laptop, etc.
Telefoneren:
The international country code for Canada is: +1.
Internet:
Internet cafés can be found anywhere.
Tip: It’s often possible to call via internet as well.
Film & photography:
Take plenty of memory cards for photography and film equipment along, as these might not be easy available.
Tip: Take an external hard drive with you to save your images on. Think of it as a backup should anything happen to your memory cards.
Tip: Take not one, but two universal electricity plugs along with you. This way you can charge multiple things at once, like your phone, camera and video battery pack or notebook.
Canada Tourism:
Link: Canada Tourism Website