Canada travel tips

After booking your flight to Canada, it’s time to start sourcing useful tips that will help you make the most of your time away. Whether you’re looking for the best travel insurance deals, the perfect packing list, or have concerns about bear safety, this is the guide for you.

SEE ALSO:

- Our customers’ top tips for visiting Canada

Best money-saving tips in Canada

When it comes to travelling, it’s important that you outline a budget beforehand. Hidden costs, frequent taxi trips and excessive tipping can all cause the cost of a Canada holiday to add up. Although you shouldn’t compromise on your hotel and flights, you can save money if you plan carefully.

Travel in the off-season

Canada’s most popular holiday seasons are summer and winter, making spring and autumn typically cheaper times to travel to Canada on holiday.

For more information, visit our best time to visit Canada guide.

Find the best travel insurance

Travel insurance shouldn’t be an afterthought since it can help you decrease your out-of-pocket expenses in the event of an illness, travel disruption or emergency.

he cost of medical treatment in North America is renowned for being expensive, so the risk far outweighs the cost in this instance.

Find out more about booking travel insurance with Canadian Affair.

Consider booking accommodation outside of the bigger cities

Another great way to save some money is to book accommodation outside the city centres or in nearby towns as you can score a better nightly rate.

You can then just go on day trips to see the most popular attractions, either by using transport or looking at a Canada car rental.

What to wear

Winter in destinations such as Vancouver is fairly mild, while winter in cities like Winnipeg and Toronto can be much harsher. Take a look at our Canada weather guide and this list of essentials we’d recommend you pack:

• • Passports, travel documents and ESTA visa
• • Hiking boots
• • Trainers
• • Jeans/comfortable trousers for walking
• • Jumpers and t-shirts for walking
• • T-shirts, long-sleeved tops and light layers
• • Fleece/warm coat
• • Gloves and woolly hat
• • Casual and smarter clothes for the train and cruise
• • Underwear
• • Toiletries
• • Camera

SEE ALSO:

- What to pack for the Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska Cruise

- Four seasons in one suitcase

Bear safety

When visiting Canada’s National Parks, avoid leaving food out as you may attract resident grizzly and black bears.

Dispose of any rubbish, use airtight containers when storing food, and try to avoid cooking close to your campsite.

If you’re travelling to Churchill and hoping to see polar bears, we’d recommend going on a bear watching holiday. This is the safest way to see these majestic animals and you will allow you to take a far closer look.

SEE ALSO:

- The Bear Necessities of Canada: An Insider’s Guide to Bear Watching

Driving across Canada tips

With its stunning scenery and incredible wildlife, it should come as little surprise that driving in Canada is one of the most popular ways to get around. From the enormous Rocky Mountains and blue depths of Canada’s lakes to the bustling cities and open expanses of the prairies, driving by car is the best way to see them.

Top tips for driving across Canada:

• • Do your research by planning your route (and familiarising yourself with some French phrases if driving in Québec!)
• • Canadians drive on the right-hand side of the road
• • Montréal is the only place in Canada that does not permit right-hand turns on a red light
• • There are unique rules for driving in certain Canadian provinces or regions, so you should look at researching these, e.g., in Ontario a driver caught speeding at 50 km/h above the speed limit will have their car confiscated
• • Using a sat nav will not only help you avoid getting lost, but a lot of roads do not have signage on them, so this type of device will also show you the speed you should be travelling at

SEE ALSO:

- Top Tips for Driving in Canada

Emergency numbers in Canada

Hopefully, you won’t need to use emergency numbers during your holiday to Canada, but they’re always worth noting down!

For emergencies, dial 911, and for non-emergencies, you can call 311 in some areas like Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Halifax and Winnipeg.

Now you’ve read our travel tips, why not take a look at our Canada car rental options and start planning your holiday with Canadian Affair?