Canada is the world’s second largest country and the wildlife, scenery and contrast of natural beauty against urban living make it one of the best destinations that you can choose for a road trip to remember. Due to its sheer vastness, when planning your Canadian adventure you will have to consider a whole lot more than just sorting cheap car rental. Here are five things to think about before you set off.
Research
Canada is made up of 13 provinces and territories -10 of which are accessible by car. These territories are a mixture of well-populated cities like Toronto and Ontario, the Rocky Mountains, glaciers, dramatic coastline and snow fields. As each area differs quite significantly, it is natural that some will appeal more than others. Depending on how long you have for your trip, you might find that you have to concentrate your attention on particular regions. A popular route is through the west of the country where you can embark from Vancouver, head past the glaciers of Alberta and on to the mountain city of Calgary.
Choose your route wisely
If you have all the time in the world then the Trans-Canada Highway will provide you with the tarmac that will guide you on an almost complete tour of the North American country. The entire route is almost 5,000 miles so you may choose to branch off and use the other handy routes, which guide you to each and every charming stop off.
Plan your activities
Canada is renowned for its national parks and every one has an untold amount of activities for you to partake in as you so wish. You can ski, snowboard, white water raft, mountain bike – the list goes on. If any of these activities are your main reason for visiting the nation – do some research to make sure that you are going at the right time of year to guarantee that you will be able to tick the activities off your list.
Brush up on your Canadian laws
Driving in Canada isn’t anything to be worried about; in fact it is much like driving in the United States or the UK. There are a couple of things worth noting; firstly, distance is measured in kilometres not miles, so make sure that you take that into account when planning your itinerary. Speed limits can be quite low so keep those eyes peeled for signs – the last thing that you want is a glove compartment full of tickets when you drop off your hire car.
Book where to bunk-down
It doesn’t matter whether you plan on camping or staying in swanky hotels, you need to make sure that at the end of a long day, you aren’t driving around as the sun sets looking for somewhere to sleep – this is when arguments happen! There is a fantastic range of great value accommodation, so once you have that route mapped out, book in where you are staying to avoid hassle, stress and not having anywhere to rest your weary head after a long day of driving!
Follow these tips and you are sure to have a road trip to remember!