Canada is a fantastic place to backpack around. There are thousands of acres of untouched lands just waiting for you to explore. With a friendly local populace that is quite liberal and diverse, it’s a welcoming place to go.
Traveling there can be difficult with the vast expanses needed to cover. If you don’t own a car, you might be wondering what it will take to make a trip to Canada for some backpacking. This article will cover the basics of what forms of transportation are available.
If you own a car, you still might want to take a look at these options. Using some of these might save you the expenses of gasoline. Also, it’s good for the environment to use public transportation. As a backpacker, we must take care of the nature that surrounds us.
Canadian Immigration Requirements
Before you hop on the nearest bus to Canada, hold on for a second and begin to plan your trip. Unfortunately, you can no longer travel over the border to visit. Now, the Canadian Government requires a visitor visa.
This visa is a simple document to get processed, but be sure to do it a while before you leave for Canada. It takes over thirty days to come through, even though it’s an online document. It also requires a fee of around 75 USD.
Other than this, you’ll need to be able to prove where you’re going to be staying for your duration, so make sure to have an answer ready, which can be especially unique for a backpacking trip. You’ll also need to prove that you have the finances for the trip, so be sure you have what’s required.
Flights
Flights may or may not be a good option for you. When traveling in North America, flights aren’t exceptionally cheap. It’s smart to shop around, depending on your location. The cheapest flight we were able to find was out of New York at 128 USD.
Another reason why a flight might be the best option for you is the distance. If you want to go backpacking in a place like British Columbia or Newfoundland, the air is probably the way to go. Consider saving well for this flight option. You’ll save a lot of time, too.
Rentals
Renting the right car is important, but the issue is taking it into Canada. This shouldn’t be a problem, however. This bus rental NYC company mentions that it won’t be a problem to take their cars over the border as long as you return it to the original location.
Backpackers probably aren’t going to need their car consistently. Therefore, it would be wise to find a place to drop off the vehicle. Unfortunately, many companies charge higher fees when dropping the vehicle at a different location.
Certain services will let you drop off the car in Canada without an extra fee. Take some time to look and study whether this will be good for you. It also ensures transportation will be readily available for you to obtain wherever you are when backpacking. The limitations of flights and buses are that they only go to major cities.
Greyhound Buses
Taking a bus from the US to Canada is one of the cheapest options, starting at approximately 50 USD to take a bus from New York to Toronto. There are plenty of pros and cons to using the Greyhounds for backpacking.
The pros of this method are that it’s good for the environment compared to renting a car or flying. Also, if saving money is one of your concerns, busses are much more economical. Any extra luggage you want to take with you will be considerably cheaper to pay for as well.
Unfortunately, there are cons such as you are limited to getting a bus to a big city, much like taking an airplane. They are limited in scope as well, only allowing you to leave from a few places. Buses take a long time to get from point A to B.
Travel Safe!
Each form of travel has its pros and cons. Take your time to carefully consider your options before heading out on your next trip into the wild. Make sure to get your travel visa, so immigration doesn’t turn you away. Travel safe and enjoy your venture into the wilds of Canada!
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