I know it’s been a while. We haven’t travelled outside of the country this year. We decided for this trip that we would travel from Bellingham, WA to Victoria Island without plans or reservations.
This was pragmatic because:
- Our last trip to Victoria Island was unexpectedly cancelled due to airline politics.
- Concerns about COVID restrictions impeding our entry into Canada
- I watched too much of the Border Security: Canada’s Front Line reality TV show and was worried we wouldn’t be allowed in because of a technicality
Bonus Learning 1: If you book a multi-destination flight and miss any portion of the flight, the rest of the flights are cancelled. Last time, we booked Albuquerque to San Francisco to Victoria, BC to San Francisco to Albuquerque. But we moved to Tennessee. A roundtrip flight from Tennessee to San Francisco was cheaper than the change fees for our original flight, so we booked that flight not realizing that our flight to Victoria would automatically be forfeited when we didn’t board in Albuquerque.
Bonus Learning 2: We were pulled aside at the border crossing. Border Patrol were suspicious because we didn’t have any reservations and had almost everything we own in our car. They told me to calm down because I was nervous, but they had 5 different people grilling me about our intentions, our nomadic lifestyle, the last time I smoked weed and why I had a card explaining my 5th amendment rights in my wallet (thanks Noah). After the interview, they searched our car and let us go after showing them a receipt for a prepaid non-refundable AirBnB reservation in Idaho 9 days later. All this to say that it IS much more difficult to travel without being able to provide an itinerary.
What was the most surprising thing about Vancouver Island?
Eva: How long the island was [6 hour drive from south to north]
Ehren: How beautifully natural and green it was. Long drives really helped me appreciate the surroundings. Other than Victoria there weren’t a lot of large towns. The other thing that surprised me was $113 for the ferry each way for our Prius and 2 people, but it’s definitely best to pay ahead on bcferries.com (can choose cheaper ferries and it moves you through the queue quickly).
What would you change about this trip?
Eva: It’s not the best place for last minute travel, but everyone there expected you to have online reservations and things get cherry picked over.
Ehren: I wouldn’t have stayed 2 days in Victoria. I would’ve stayed out in the smaller towns and outlying areas instead.
Scale of 1-10, how easy is it for a US Citizen visiting for the first time to communicate and find the things you need?
Eva: 10. There’s a few quirks linguistically, but it’s something you can understand. No problems finding anything.
Ehren: 10, apart from the worries about getting across the border which doesn’t effect communication and finding things.
How long would you optimally stay there (+/- how long we stayed)?
Eva: If money were not an object, I could see staying there indefinitely
Ehren: If money were not an object, I might like to stay here for 3 months. Not ready to settle down anywhere yet.
Could you move/live here?
Eva: Yes, very realistically. Cost and citizenship are the only things that would keep me away.
Ehren: Yes I could. I think it would be a very relaxing and breathtaking place to live.
What did you learn about travel?
Eva: Land border crossing are different than entering a country via airport. The people in the airport are more “Move along” where the people at the border are more “Why are you here?”. The way it’s managed is completely different.
Ehren: The effort, expense and availability when travelling without destinations is much more cumbersome and troublesome which eats into your budget and available time.
Anything else you want to add?
Eva: Our experiment to go without reservations is something that could’ve worked better in communities that aren’t as tech reliant. Where word of mouth can help guide your choices, which I expect to find more in developing countries.
Ehren: I’ve read a lot of travel books where, without reservations, people have the flexibility to stay or go when it suits them. But it’s not always that easy these days. With technology, it’s too easy to research and make reservations and countries are suspicious if you don’t. I would love to live that way, but I don’t think it’s as convenient for us.
Quick Fire Favorites:
Restaurant:
Eva: Tofician Café in Tofino, great quiche
Ehren: Varsha Indian Food in Victoria was inexpensive and a cool atmosphere
Hang out Joint:
Eva: Puerto Vallarta at Fisherman’s Warf in Victoria
Ehren: Liberty Cafe near the BC Museum in Victoria
Best Shopping:
Eva: China Town in Victoria
Ehren: China Town in Victoria
Point of Interest:
Eva: Cowichan Bay (excellent canoe tour)
Ehren: Duncan Totem Trail, highly anticipated