Speaker 1: You're listening to The Travel Podcast. Travel Podcast. Today's most exciting travel destinations. Brought to you by people with a real passion for travel. Great holiday ideas. Real reviews. Practical advice And all the best deals in one simple podcast. The Travel Podcast. Now, here is your host, Steve Witt.

Steve Witt: Hey everyone, and welcome to The Travel Podcast, where we aim to inspire you with some brilliant news, views, and behind-the-scenes look at some of the most amazing destinations in the world. I'm Steve Witt, co-founder of one of the UK's biggest and best travel companies, and as always, I'm joined by our rotating team of travel experts. They all work in travel and they all love to travel. Most importantly, they're passionate about traveling the world. Today, I'm joined by both Matthew and Jules. Welcome guys.

Matthew: Hello.

Jules: Hello.

Steve Witt: Today, we have what I think is probably one of our most exciting podcast to date. Now, over the past episodes we've been lucky enough to travel the world. We've been to places like Lapland, Vegas, we've trekked, we've been also to great places. And myself I've been lucky enough to travel the world. But today, when Matthew told me where we were going, I was super excited because this is actually one of my favorite places in the world. So I'm actually going to feel quite at home. So Matthew, before I introduce our guest for today, where are we going?

Matthew: We're heading off to Western Canada today. So, again, it's a place I've been very fortunate to go a few times myself and absolutely love it. Love the people, love the destination. Our guest today is Jane from Canadian Affair. I affectionately call her Lady Jane, very good friend of the show as well, who has unbelievable knowledge of Canada as a whole. But especially with Western Canada. So Jane can give us a bit of background about yourself?

Jane: Yeah, sure. So, my love affair with Canada started back in 2004. I was very fortunate enough that I accepted a position at Destination British Columbia, which is the tourist board, and I was based here in the UK. So, I used to travel to Canada up to three times a year, mostly around British Columbia and also our neighboring province, Alberta, so I've got some amazing memories that are certainly going to last a lifetime, and it's also nice to share those experiences with you all today.

Matthew: Thanks very much. And I think, like you said, for those who maybe don't know Canada that well geographically, Western Canada really is considered British Columbia and Alberta. So, I know you've obviously got, like you mentioned, such great knowledge and experience of being out in British Columbia especially, but also the sistering province of Alberta, so would you be able to just give us a quick overview of Western Canada in five minutes? It can be a bit longer, I know you love to talk.

Jane: I will try and keep it down to five minutes. So, just overall, Canada is the world's second largest country and it's 41 times the size of the UK. So, when we're talking about Canada's West, it's also referred to as Western Canada or Canada's West, which is British Columbia and Alberta, and the majority of British people will travel to those provinces first. So, Canada's not just a destination you go to just once, it's so vast people will go back.
The big draw for Canada's West is by far, obviously, is the Rockies, it's that bucket list experience, and there's many ways to travel around. So, just starting from departing from the UK, you have British Airways and Air Canada that offer year-round flights from London Heathrow, and then you have the WestJet service from London Gatwick. But you've also got regional flights that are offered by KLM and Aer Lingus from other UK airports, so you do have a wealth of choice of airlines from different airports. And you're looking at a travel time about nine hours to Western Canada, and the majority of people might fly into Alberta, like Calgary, which is their international airport, and fly out of Vancouver in British Columbia.
So, people touring, they tend to travel over by car, motor home, rail, escorted touring, and they are, motor home fly-drives are the most popular because it gives people that more freedom of what they want to see and do. Just traveling round the province, the scenery changes very dramatically, so you don't feel like you're in the same country, in a fact. You can go to parts of British Columbia which is desert, which you would have never thought that possible. You can be in bear country and see so much wildlife, and then the next day you can be in the ranch lands where it's very green and very flat.
So, touring around these provinces are very popular, and the maximum length of stay tends to be anything between 14 and 17 nights. The seasons as well change. I mean, for example, I was in Alberta last year and we were in Banff in September, beautiful sunshine weather, it was very much wearing your jeans and your tee shirts. Then we went to Lake Louise and we enjoyed the first day of snowfall, traveling up the Icefield Parkway to Jasper. We encountered every type of weather possible in one day.
So, it's very important for people when they are traveling to Western Canada is layers is very key. Once you're in the [inaudible] of British Columbia it can be very, very warm, but once you get to the Pacific it could be a bit wetter, so preparation is always, making sure you pack those layers, a good fleece, a good rain mac because you're going to encounter all seasons during your trip.

Matthew: Perfect. Well, thank you very much for a little bit of a highlight then, obviously, like Steven mentioned earlier, both himself and myself have visited Western Canada, both Alberta and British Columbia. My most recent trip was a ski trip to British Columbia. Very fortunate. Obviously, Jane, you also joined me on that trip. So, we're just going to go into now exploring our own experiences, and also highlight some of the great things the destination can offer. And like I said, my one was skiing and I absolutely love Canada for skiing over Europe just because of the guaranteed snowfall.
One of the things that I was blown away when I went to Banff a couple of years ago was actually the food and the quality of food. And it was the same in British Columbia, when you're up in the mountain there's such a variation of types of food you can get and the quality, versus you can in certain resorts in Europe get, again, some great good, but a lot of times when you're up the mountain it's very samey. So, one of the things I think, really it was a massive highlight for me was the food, which is something I wouldn't really normally typify as a ski resort highlight. I don't know what you felt because I know, Steve, you were with me in Banff. I don't know how you felt about that?

Steve Witt: It was one of those weird things because it's such a different experience skiing in Canada to Europe and I loved it, have to say, I absolutely loved it. But it's so different. And you're right, the food was out of this world. Skiing for me in Canada, first thing that struck me was the snow is very different, which sounds a very weird thing to say, doesn't it? But it is totally different snow. It's more like skiing in caster sugar, so that was really weird. Really nice.
Also, the resorts are very, very different. I think we went in a busy time to Banff skiing, and it was so quiet, wasn't it? There was no queues, the ski slopes were so quiet in comparison to Europe. Really long runs, really wide, really picturesque, far more picturesque than Europe. Nothing against Europe, I love skiing in Europe, but I think skiing in Banff was one of my favorites.

Matthew: I know. I totally agree. And how clear the slopes were compared to in Europe. In peak season, we were going in March around Easter time, in Europe it would be absolutely rammed, whereas in Canda the slops were very open. But then it's also that the winter in, especially during the week in Canadian ski resorts, or even North American ski resorts in general, aren't as busy as they are in the summer. The destinations in the summer in North America are ridiculously busy, it's like their most popular season, especially with Banff and Jasper. I know Jane you mentioned the Icefield Parkway road between Banff and Jasper where a lot of people will go on in the summertime to go and see the Icefield. So, I think that is a massive highlight of skiing in North America, especially Banff and BC is how clear the slopes are, especially if you've got family, I think.

Jane: I think there's just so much more terrain and it has such a longer season, that's why it's not so busy, where Europe has a shorter season, so really it's condensed. And the snowfall, usually you only get good snowfall for two or three months so there's more of an urge to get there, whereas Canda the ski resorts open officially in December and don't close, some of them, to May time, like Banff and Whistler. So, that's the beauty of it, so you get good quality skiing. Yes, you're traveling further but you're getting the quality while you're there.
And what you said, Steve, about the caster sugar snow, you've got powder snow, you've got fluffy snow, you've got wet snow, you've got what I call popcorn snow, there's so much different types of snow because the weather changes because Canada is so big. So, that's the beauty of it, once someone's been to ski in Canada once, they do tend to go back because they've just got, they can have a decent week's skiing and also tie it in with a city break as well, or a trip to Hawaii, do a beach and ski holiday.

Steve Witt: I found skiing in Canada far more relaxing as well. None of that pushing and shoving. And the resorts, certainly in Banff, you have a hub base where you've got your restaurants and everything, but then you go up on the mountains and it's just so quiet and clear, but none of the stress associated with skiing in France, where I was a couple of weeks ago, for example.

Jane: Yeah, I found that too. I've been fortunate, I have also skied in France and I just think, for me, because I learned to ski in British Columbia and I was very lucky to go every year, I just got used to the small ski classes as well, it's like six or less. You have super group lessons that are three or less. My partner and I, we used to travel to British Columbia every year just after New Year, and we used to book a ski lesson and it would just be us two with a ski instructor because it was after New Year, people had gone back to work, so during the week it was just so quiet, and it's just a great time for people who have never skied.
What an amazing place to learn. As you said, it's very quiet, it's very peaceful, it's relaxing. A lot of ski lessons, in some resorts they start about 10 or half 10, which is a nice time, so you get all the skiers that want to be up on that first lift at 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning. And a lot of the beginners areas aren't at the bottom of the mountain as well, so you actually go up a gondola, which is really nice, so for a beginner you get to see more of the mountain, and there's a big learner's zone, so you're not skiing at the bottom.
People skiing in groups with different abilities, there's always an easy option down, so you can all go up the chair lift together and you can take whichever run you wish, and then you can all meet up again, so you're not really skiing on your own, and that's how all the resorts have been designed, so people can ski together but take different runs down depending on their ability.

Steve Witt: And I know it does depend on where you go skiing, like Banff is a town but you don't ski in Banff itself, do you? You have to go and get a shuttle bus to go to one of the ski slopes. Which when I was told that I was thinking, "Oh, that's a bit of a faff." But the reality was it was great, didn't bother me at all once we got there. And because you were going to these very, very different slopes and resorts each day, it was a fantastic experience.

Jane: And you have that also in France, don't you? You can ski into other areas and you have that base. Jasper's the same, it's like half an hour for Jasper town center, Marmot, and it's one of probably the best places to ski in Alberta. There are a lot of ski in, ski out resorts as well over the border in BC, so you can just ski out from your hotel or your chalet and you're straight on the mountain.
But as you said Banff offers so much terrain and it's very popular with families because it's just a short two-hour transfer from Calgary International to Banff, which is ideal for families. And in Banff town you're right in the national park, you've got so many restaurants, so many choices to eat, so many non-ski activities as well, not far just outside Banff in Canmore. So, it is perfect for families, it's very, very popular.

Steve Witt: Now, I know when Matthew and I went to Banff there was a group of 40 of us, I think it was, so it was a great trip and I was amazed that half of the group did not want to go skiing, and I was a bit worried that they weren't going to have anything to do. And like you just said, Jane, there's actually an abundance of things to do, wasn't there? I know, Matthew, what were some of the things that people were doing?

Matthew: Snow shoeing, going Skidooing, some of the group when we went a couple of months ago, well, we went this year in March, we went Skidooing and snow shoeing as well. You've also got husky rides, you can go and do ice walks in Banff, some of them went to do. We did zip-lining in Whistler in the winter, so you're going between two valleys and there's snow all around you, so that was stunning, a great, great experience. I can imagine it'd be a bit more hair raising if it was snowing at the same time.
But yeah, I think it's, like you mentioned, especially with Banff where in the summertime that is their main season. They have so much to do activity-wise in the winter, they just have learned how to then move that into the winter. So, if you want to do running, you're now doing cross-country skiing on the same tracks, or you're going out with the Ski-Doos, or you can go on, they've got some of the piste bashers which they then retrofit to take passengers who don't ski, so they can take you up the mountain to go and snow shoe somewhere where no one can ski, unless you're hiking into the back country.
So, I think it's just they've got it spot on. In Europe, the different, they don't really have as much going on because they're little villages which just focus purely on skiing and that's the main reason why people go there.

Jane: And you also have this [crosstalk] Yeah, sorry.

Jules: Sorry, someone that's not been to Western Canada, I was just wondering how are you comparing the two ski resorts, the European ski and the Canadian ski? What's the price difference when you're actually, in terms of lift passes and that sort of thing. Is it comparable?

Jane: I would be completely ... Traveling to Canada will be a bit more expensive than Europe. We're so close to Europe, it's so easy for us to get there. But one myth people have, when you ski in Europe people tend to buy their lift tickets, their ski lessons, their rentals while they're in resort because it's just one price whether you buy it through your, Not Just Travel agent, or you buy it so it's one price. With Canada it's different. We get discounted prices for the lift ticket, the rentals, so it's actually cheaper to book it with your Not Just Travel agent to take advantage.
Now, there's always really good offers, so if someone's looking to travel to Canada for the forthcoming winter season, I say book it before August because that's when you take advantage of the really good deals that are in place, and that will be traveling with Air Canada. So, the resorts do, I've been many times for 10 nights and I've only paid for seven, so I've only paid for seven nights accommodation, seven night lift ticket, seven night ski hire, seven days ski lessons as well.
Always speak to your Not Just Travel agent when you are thinking about it because they'll know the best time to book, so you can take advantage of the really good offers in place. You're not going to get those offers if you go and book it yourself. Canada really work with the travel trade because Canada's so vast, we want to make sure when you do go we're making sure we're booking the right ski resort for you that has the needs that you need for your trip.

Jules: Brilliant. So, as well as Banff and the skiing, and Alberta that you've mentioned, what other areas of Western Canada would you recommend for a newbie to Western Canada?

Jane: For a newbie, my favorite is Fernie, which is in British Columbia, it's a four-hour transfer from Calgary. So, for me, this is where, when I was learning to ski, this is where it all came together, but it's a ski in, ski out resort. It has four big, open bowls. It's great for all levels, really lovely, green, Steve was saying those really nice, wide runs. But you go there, it's much quieter, you have a local town that's 15 minutes away and there's a shuttle bus that takes you there, which is a really cute Canadian town.
But what I like about Fernie, it's ideal for any level of skier. You can actually ski their back country, which is very popular. You see the helicopters in the morning that drop the dynamite to do controlled avalanches. But just the property, the accommodation you have in Fernie, you have the condos, which have you fully-equipped kitchen, you've got your washing machine, your dishwasher, so it's ideal for families. And you've also got more of your hotel rooms all have hot tubs, so that's one of my favorites for first time because there's so much terrain and it's so nice and quiet.
Another popular one is Big White, which is in the Okanagan Valley. That will include an internal flight, so from Calgary to Kelowna, which takes about 40 minutes. Big White has won so many awards for their kids' program, so there's lot of kids' activities in the evening, so it gives mom and dad a bit of a break, and you know your children can go off and do these activities and you don't need to be with them, there's staff there that are trained. And all the accommodation there is condo-style.
The most popular in British Columbia will be Whistler, which hosted the 2010 Winter Games, so you still see the rings are still there, which is amazing. But there's in total 13 ski resorts in British Columbia, so you really are spoiled for choice. We all have our favorites, but it's really understanding from your clients what type of skiing that they want to do, how long they want to ski for. If they're traveling with children, you also have to bear [inaudible] the travel time to get there as well.

Jules: Brilliant. So, there's obviously lots of skiing that we can do there. In terms of other places to go and visit, and other activities to enjoy, what else would you recommend in Western Canada?

Jane: If we're still talking about more like the winter, I would really encourage people to think about doing twin-center holidays. Vancouver's not far from Vegas, Hawaii. Honeymooners that like to ski we're seeing more of a demand, they'll come over, do a ski honeymoon and then maybe go off to Hawaii or go down to Vegas. Another option is to be on the west coast of Vancouver Island. In February you get bit storms come in, so it's very popular for four days' R&R, so if you've done a bit of a ski honeymoon you can go there, you can be on one of the beach-side properties watching the storms come in. That's very popular too.
Vancouver, where it's positioned right on the west coast of Canada, going south you've got Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, you can incorporate it and do a twin-center quite easily.

Steve Witt: One of the things I did, I think the first time I ever went to Canada, I actually did a day trip to Canada from Seattle. I was on a work trip to Seattle, and so I took the high-speed catamaran across to Vancouver Island, and amazing day trip. So, that was great but, obviously, you can do it in reverse, so if you're in Canada, pop down to Seattle, and if you're a geek you'll love Seattle because it's home of all the big IT companies, your Microsoft, people like that, but that's a great city to go to. There's so many things to do. You can take the flying boats as well down to Seattle, that's a great experience.

Jules: What's a flying boat, Steve?

Steve Witt: A seaplane, sorry.

Jane: I think Seattle is, it's another gateway as well to Western Canada, so it's always worth, people that want to, as you said Steve, want to go spend a couple of days in Seattle and you can either get the Amtrak train up to Vancouver or fly on the, you know, you've got the Victoria Clipper, or you can float plane as well. There's so many different options. And Vancouver Island itself, it's the size of England. Going over to the west coast, Tofino and Uclulet, great place to see mink whales in March and April time, you can see the black bears from May time just wondering along the coastline, so there's lots of things to do.

Steve Witt: Have you been to Tofino?

Jane: I have, yes.

Steve Witt: One of my most-

Jane: I've been lucky enough ...

Steve Witt: I was going to say ...

Jane: Amazing.

Steve Witt: ... one of my most favorite places in the world.

Jane: This may sound strange, I don't like sand, I'm not a beach person, but what I love about Tofino, you can walk along the coastline, the sand's very flat, so when you walk it doesn't kick back on you. So, that's why it's the only place I like where it has sand. You see the rocks as well, big rocks in the water surrounding it. You can just walk for miles. Twilight, the film, was filmed there as well, so they did a lot of scenes.

Steve Witt: Never knew that. I was staying on Vancouver Island, down in Victoria, did a couple of days up in ... stayed in Parksville on the way up, which is like the Sunshine Coast for the Canadians, apparently, and then Tofino for a couple of days. Stayed in a log cabin right on the beach, sort of place where you chop your own wood. And it was a bit of a surreal experience, it was Easter time, and so we were wrapped up, log fires type things, and then families from Canada would come across and go swimming in the sea in their wet suits, or dry suits, probably, just a cool thing to do. Surfer's paradise. Such a cool place to go.

Jane: Oh, most definitely. Yeah. If you're thinking of including Tofino, Uclulet in your itinerary, you need to book early because you don't have a wealth of accommodation there. That's the beauty of it because they don't want to make it mass market, so there isn't that many properties to stay. September's a very busy time for people to go, but it's not packed. When we say busy time, it's not like you're walking down the street and there's hundreds of people coming towards you, people go off and do hiking, which is very popular there, and obviously you go out on the boats and you can see the whales and the bears, which is such a unique experience.
So, definitely, you need at least three nights stay if you're going over to Western Canada and western Vancouver Island, for sure.

Steve Witt: Definitely. And the whale watching is unbelievable. It's one of the coldest things I've ever done, but one of the best things.

Jane: But you see more types of whales, see, when you're in Tofino, so that's the beauty of it. It's worth getting all laid out, isn't it? To go out on the boats about three hours to see. If you get a chance to see mink and gray whales, it's just such a highlight. Not many people get to see them.

Steve Witt: And you spoke about fly-drives. We drove a lot while we were there because it's really the only way to get around, but it's so easy driving. We hired a VW Beetle and we just drove around, and it's so easy. The roads are so wide, everyone's so laid back. You're driving for hours and hours, and quite literally, we stayed in Parksville overnight on the way up, great hotel, and we thought we'd get up in the morning, beat rush hour, silly thing to do because there isn't really a rush hour, but thought we'd drive up. We were driving up to, I think, Hornby Island to go sightseeing, one of the islands there, which is a great thing to do. But we thought, "Beat rush hour, we'll grab a coffee somewhere en route." Don't ever make that mistake driving around Canada. Literally, we drove for four hours and didn't see anything, as in no shops, no nothing. So, grab your coffee before you go, that's the tip.

Jane: It always is. I always say to people if they are doing a fly-drive do pick up one of the British Columbia maps and also Alberta maps, you can find them when you arrive at the airport, there's an always an information desk, so pick them up. The maps are very clearly signed, so where it's yellow that's a main road. Don't go off a main road unless you know where you are heading towards. I haven't officially got lost, but once we decided we would take a shortcut and we ended up three hours away from where we needed to be.
So yeah, the key is always to stick to the main roads, they're well sign-posted. But yeah, always pick up your coffee before you leave in the morning. That's always a good tip.

Steve Witt: I could talk for hours just about Vancouver or Vancouver Island, amazing place to go. I'm just going to tell a quick story about the people of Canada. Now, people of Canada are possibly the friendliest people on Earth, I think. Until you've experienced it, it's difficult to describe, but we stayed in this hotel in Parksville, loved the bottle of wine we had for dinner one night, didn't make a note of it. Got up in the morning, went to the wine shop to get some wine to take to our log cabin, thought we'd buy the wine we had for dinner. Couldn't remember what it was.
While we were looking at the shelves, the person in the shop asked us what we were looking for, we said, "Well, we had this wine the other night, can't remember what it is." They went away, phoned the hotel, tried to find out for us. The maitre d' who was serving was at home in bed, they rang him at home, found out what it was, found out they don't have it in stock, so rang round every other wine store in the area to find out where we could get that wine from. That's the level of customer service they go to.

Jane: I mean, I just think they're jammy. They know that they live in such a wonderful country, they grow their own fruit, wine, the food is all produced locally. Wines, there's over 200 wineries in British Columbia in a 12-mile stretch, I mean, what's there not to love? And there's also the micro breweries. So, if you like your wine, you like your beer and your ales, it's a great holiday that you get to sample them all. And I always say, make sure you have room in your suitcase to bring wine back because it's very hard to buy Canadian wine back in the UK, purely because most of it gets consumed so there's not enough to export over to the UK.
So, while you're there, please don't try your normally French or your New Zealand wine you normally have at home, always try local wine. My favorite's a pinot gris, is [inaudible] pinot gris, so any time I have colleagues going over to Canada I always ask them to pick me up a couple of bottles.

Steve Witt: So, Jane, you mention micro breweries, now, I have experience of this in Victoria, and there are lots, aren't there? And they do these great, if you go to them, they normally do these little like, I forget exactly what you call them, tasters, so a little platter of taster of the beers. Great thing to do. You go round and choose three or four different tasters in each ... There is a name for them, isn't there?

Matthew: Yeah, it's a float.

Steve Witt: Float, there we go.

Jane: We were just on our ski trip, we were in Steamworks, which has the micro brewery on site, so Matthew and many of the Not Just Travel agents certainly sampled a few while we were there. But it is a good way because you can also, the server's very good at asking you the right questions, knowing what type of beer or ale that you may drink at home and recommending ones for you to try. A lot of these micro breweries, tasting is free, so same with the wine tasting as well, they don't actually charge you to taste, but you always end up leaving with a couple of bottles with you, why not?

Steve Witt: While I was in Victoria, I did a cycling tour of the micro breweries.

Jane: Oh gosh, that's ...

Steve Witt: Which is interesting. It starts off well. Don't plan anything for the rest of the day.

Matthew: Talk about Victoria, though, obviously the beer is great, [inaudible] it's a very picturesque place, but I loved Fisherman's Wharf where you've got the floating houses.

Steve Witt: Yes.

Matthew: And the colors of the houses are unbelievable. You also have the friendly seals, so if you are not one for boats and you don't want to go out and see some wildlife in the sea and you've in Victoria, go to Fisherman's Wharf, it's a little tip. And then you'll normally, not guaranteeing it, but you'll normally see some friendly seals will come up and pop their heads out, say hello when you're walking around the area. But I think as a destination Victoria is stunning. Very walkable. You can either cycle and do your beer tour or, what me and my friend did, we walked. We were more sensible and did a little micro brewery hopping around tasting a lot of the local beers when we were out there on a trip. Highly recommend, like Jane said, always try the local. Ask them if there's anything locally done or anything within BC, if they don't have anything from the town, but the food and drink is unbelievable.

Jane: [crosstalk] Could I just ask a quick question, Matthew? Did you go to Canoe Bar when you were in Victoria?

Matthew: I can't remember. It's a bit of a ... I say it was a bit of a blur.

Jane: It's a blur.

Matthew: It wasn't a bit of a blur because of the drink, it's we flew out and went straight from the UK to Victoria, which was probably the shortest flight I've ever been on and, again, I almost fell asleep but didn't because it was that short, landed. So, we were there for only two nights but we were still trying to acclimatize, so it was a bit of a blur of where we went because we were just getting used to the timezones. I'm going to say I probably did.

Jane: It's very well-known. It's got a great micro brewery on site. You can get the aqua bus there, so if you're lucky you'll see the seals popping up. It's about 15 minutes walk from the downtown area of Victoria and it's definitely worth a place to go and visit. Great food as well if you like sharing platters, so lots of choice.

Steve Witt: So, I flew to Vancouver and then hopped on the probably the same flight Matthew mentioned, the really short flight across to Victoria, a great way of getting there. There's also a great ferry that goes from Victoria to Vancouver.

Matthew: I've done that.

Steve Witt: It is an amazing trip.

Matthew: It is. I highly recommended you at least do it one way. And try and get it during either the morning, I'd say probably the morning because depending on what time of year you're going the water may get a little bit rough as it goes later into the day. But also you want to do it during daylight because you're going through all these little islands which, technically is some of it you'll be able to see America, a lot of the islands there are actually American territory, but it is unbelievable and you see these houses on it. But highly recommend that journey. It's about four hours the ferry ride. And if you're not-

Steve Witt: Grab a coffee, wrap up warm and sit up on deck.

Matthew: Yeah. And if you're not driving, the public transport there's very good. We jumped on a bus from Victoria up to the ferry, and then once we arrived just south of downtown Vancouver we got on a bus to then get on the metro lines, the train which then dropped us downtown and we could walk to our hotel, so it was very easy and smooth and we got amazing views on the journey back, so highly recommend that as well.

Jane: So, with the BC ferries you can also travel driving on with your car. But if you are going as a foot passenger, what we tend to do is book you with Pacific Coach Lines, so they will pick you up from your hotel and then drive you to Tsawwassen, which is the ferry port, and then it's a 90-minute sailing over to Victoria, and then they will drop you off at the bus station, which is right behind the Fairmont Empress Hotel, which is right in the inner harbor, so it's a real good door-to-door service for your clients. So, we always recommend that they do it that way, and then they don't have to worry about how they would get on a bus to go here, there and everywhere, it's just all done for them.
Another option was the float plane, the float plane between Vancouver and Victoria, it takes 30 minutes. And that's, if you're just a day tripper, that's a perfect way because then you spend more time in Victoria.

Steve Witt: So, Vancouver, I took the ferry from Victoria across to Vancouver, and that is one of the coolest cities I think I've ever been to. I loved it. So much culture and such a diverse range of architecture, some amazing hotels, you've got the harbor, you've got so much going on. You can go out to see Stanley Park and so much to do. You could spend your entire time there, I'd imagine, but Jane, I'm guessing you've been there, what would be your top recommendations for Victoria?

Jane: For Victoria? My top [crosstalk] Vancouver? Stanley Park. I can literally spend a week in Stanley Park. I'm a walker and I'm a cyclist too, so on every time I go to Vancouver I will always walk around the seawall, which is about 7K, and on another day I would also cycle it. When I take the bike into Stanley Park, I also visit the Vancouver Aquarium, which you can spend ... If you want to go there, I would say probably not go first thing in the morning because you have a lot of local children and school groups. It's very educational, about educating the children, honoring life, also plastic waste, so you do get a lot of groups in the morning, so I always tend to go in the afternoon.
You've got a big swimming pool in Stanley Park, a big outdoor pool, you've got a big children's zone, lots of different cycling and hiking trails that you can follow, they're all well signposted. And the views around Stanley Park as well, it's amazing, and that takes you into English Bay. There's a great bar there called Cactus Club, they have quite a few in Vancouver but that one is my favorite because of the views it gives you of English Bay, [inaudible] Beach, Stanley Park as well.
And it's quite a residential area as well so, as you said, architecture, you see different types of properties just across the road. And if you like to people watch like I do, you see all the runners go past, the roller bladers, the cyclists, so that is really a great spot. And you're not far from Robson Street, which is where all the shops are, so it's like a 10-minute walk from there onto Robson Street.
So, Vancouver itself is so walkable. Stanley Park's my top, number one that I will always visit. The other one is Grass Mountain, which is over the north shore of Vancouver. So, from Downtown you can catch a bus, a sightseeing bus up to Grass Mountain, and it's home to two orphan bears, Grinder and Caller. If anyone has internet at home I urge you to go on Grass Mountain's website, they have a webcam. The bears are awake, they've just come out of hibernation this week. Grass Mountain's filled with snow, you'll see they've just popped their heads out wondering why there's no one around. But there is a small team that's still up Grass Mountain making sure the bears are okay, so I do urge you, do go on and have a look. The pictures they've posted up are actually super cute.
And from May time you can actually enjoy breakfast with the bears, so you'd be one of the first people up Grass Mountain and you're in a yurt, and you can have breakfast and you're actually overlooking the enclosure of the bears so you can get to see them. And you actually see them being fed their breakfast too. They are orphan bears, sadly their mother was killed, so they were taken up to Grass Mountain. It's the first one in BC, the first bear refuge. There's another one in Kicking Horse, just nearer the border of Alberta. But yeah, I've been following them this week to see. They're not that active at the moment, they seem to just have their eyes awake and having a bit of a nosy.

Steve Witt: I know the feeling. So, have you been to, is it Capilano suspension bridge?

Jane: Yes, I have. And that's a great experience to do as you're going up to Grass as well because you pass Capilano on the way to Grass. It's only 10 minutes drive between the two. For Capilano, get there early. It can get very busy. It is one of the top attractions, top five attractions to do in Vancouver.
So, I always say: grab your coffee, get on that bus at Canada Place, that's the cruise ship terminal, go up to Capilano, so get there for 10:00, and then you can spend at least two, two and a half hours at Capilano. And then, you can pop back on the bus and go up to Grass, see the bears, and then take full advantage of the nice restaurant on top of Grass, have a spot of lunch and get the great views of Downtown.

Steve Witt: And you mention coffee, I've mentioned coffee a few times, coffee is a bit of a pastime in Canada, isn't it?

Jane: Oh, for sure. There's so many different coffee houses. So, you have Second Cup, which is probably their version of Starbucks, there's also lots of local, independent coffee shops as well, so really try. Whatever you see [inaudible] just go and try, they'll even give you a sample of their coffee as well if you want to try it.

Steve Witt: And the big one that I always remember is Tim Hortons.

Jane: Oh yeah, they like the, what are they called? Timbits.

Steve Witt: Yes.

Jane: So, they're very famous for their donuts. One of the Not Just Travel guys actually brought a box of them for us, we demolished quite quickly. So yeah, wherever you go you always will see a Starbucks and a Timmy, it's know at Timmy's, Timmy Hortons. You will never be far from one of them in Vancouver.

Matthew: And you mentioned Canada Place, which is where when I was in Vancouver, a great experience is doing Fly Over Canada, which I highly recommend as well. And there's also the cruise terminal for anyone who potentially is doing a cruise from Canada up to Alaska and back.

Jane: Yeah, it's a great ... Canada Place, you've also got the Olympic torch is there. It's also the start of the walkway to Coal Harbor into Stanley Park, so for clients who like to walk that's a great starting point, should you just follow the coast into Stanley Park and out through English Bay. Your cruise ships you'll start, obviously they're now canceled at the moment, but they will start their sailings from May time. So, if you're staying at the Fairmont Waterfront, if you're up early in the morning, you're in that outdoor pool, you can see the cruise ships come in about 6:00 in the morning.
It's so easy to get around. And I always say to people, "Put on a good pair of trainers and just go and explore."

Jules: Jane, that sounds great. So, you spoke about ferries and fly-drives, now, there is a particular train that I am really super keen to go on, that Rocky Mountaineer. Have you been in it?

Jane: I have been on it a few times. I sound one of those jammy Canadians now. Yeah, Rocky Mountaineer operates seasonal, so it normally starts, obviously this is a slightly different year, but normally they start their schedule round about mid-April to mid-October, and it operates during daylight hours. So, you will overnight in a hotel, and it operates through Canada's West, so it's between Banff, Lake Louise, over to Vancouver or from Jasper over to Vancouver, and it operates vice versa.
It's a wonderful way for those clients that don't wish to drive and just like to take the more scenic. It's award-winning train, the service on board is exceptional. There's two different classes, you've got your Gold Leaf, which is the bi-dome, so you sit upstairs and you have the restaurant cart downstairs, and the food is all made fresh on the train. So, there's a big team, so when I say big team there's about five chefs, so each carriage has its own dining cart where the chefs prepare all the feed. So, when you board in the morning you pick from the venue what you'll like and it's made fresh for you. Unlimited food, you don't starve, that's for sure, when you get off that train, it literally is like Michelin Star food. All local produced as well.
And the other option is Silver Leaf, which is the single dome and the food is part-cooked. You still have a choice, you have about four different choices, so you're given a menu in the morning and you have your meals at your seat. The service is the same whether you're on gold or silver, the difference is the food [inaudible] in Gold Leaf that you're sitting upstairs, and for your breakfast and lunch you'll sit downstairs.

Matthew: [inaudible] mentioned that goes from Banff, Jasper down to Vancouver or vice versa, and it looks phenomenal. I think it's another, like you mentioned a bit earlier where we were talking about doing multi-center, in a way, where you can combine doing the train journey between somewhere like Vancouver up to Banff, enjoy Banff and then go down to Calgary. And for me, I would do it to try and add in the Calgary Stampede which is a world famous, number one rodeo showcase in the world where it looks phenomenal.

Jane: Yeah. I mean, whether you're traveling by train, or motor home, or hiring a car, if you're looking to go to the Calgary Stampede we say do book at least 10 months out. Many either make the Calgary Stampede their beginning or the end of their trip because, obviously, the flight left from Vancouver and out of Calgary. But yeah, the Stampede is where the city literally comes to a halt. It's just full on. It actually carries on for about two weeks.
There's lots of music, local bands, there's a lot to see and do, so everyone is wearing cowboy boots, hats, that is very much the staple uniform for those two weeks. All businesses seem to close, they tend to do a little bit of work in the morning and that's it. So, it really is that once in a lifetime experience, the Calgary Stampede.
I would definitely say if you are looking to do it, book it early. Accommodation can get quite tight during that time. If you're thinking of hiring a motor home, we serve a campsite in one of the many RV parks in and around Banff and Calgary.

Steve Witt: One of the other things that we did while we were in Calgary, we went to, I'm going to call it an ice hockey game, just for the benefit of this so everyone knows what I'm talking about, but don't call it ice hockey while you're in Canada. You'll get a funny look. You just call it hockey there.

Matthew: Just hockey.

Steve Witt: Just hockey. That was one of the best things ever. Such a great thing to do.

Jane: Yeah. When we were in Vancouver, the concierge at the hotel got us some tickets and we went. I can never see the puck. I don't know if I'm the only one, but the puck moves so fast. And I think at one time when you watch it on TV they actually put a little light on the puck so you can actually see it. It's quite interesting, ice hockey. It's very stop and start. I used to watch it at Streatham Ice Rick in south London as a child, but there's players come on and off, it tends to be quite a heated game. But yeah, it's good fun.
And the fact is, while you're in Canada just ask at the hotel, your concierge, they have the best contacts. They tend to put little notes up in the hotel if there's any local games happening, they'll be able to say if they can get tickets for you. We only paid $40 for our tickets. We saw the Knucks, which is the Vancouver local team, and we booked the tickets on the day, so you don't necessarily have to book them in advance, you will be able to buy them quite reasonably while you're in Canada. But it is worth going, it's a different, certainly quite a different scene than what I'm used to watching the rugby, that's for sure.

Steve Witt: I think I can honestly say I had no idea what was going on, but it was great to watch.

Jane: Me neither. We pretend we knew what was going on. I think at one time we were cheering the opposition. But yeah, you get families, and it was just great fun. As you said, everyone was super friendly, just going to the bar and getting drinks, everyone's like, "Oh, where are you from?" They were educating us on the hockey. We didn't feel out of place even though we didn't know what was going on. Everyone was very friendly and was educating us about what was happening and who was who.

Steve Witt: So, we could literally talk about Western Canada for three or four podcasts in a go, or just even pick a city and keep talking about it because there's so much to talk about, but we'll have to come towards wrapping it up. But Jane, obviously you've been a number of times, if you were sending someone there for the first time, what might be a good starting point, do you think?

Jane: A good starting point, if you're looking at traveling to Canada's West, it's just making sure that you factor in the time. The average length of time is 14 to 17 nights to Western Canada. Talk to your Not Just Travel agent. A key itinerary that I would always recommend would be flying in to Calgary, then it's a two hour transfer to Banff, spend a good three or four days in Banff. Then pop over to Lake Louise, which is 40 minutes away. You can either do that as a day trip, or if you wish to overnight at the Fairmont Lake Louise, very famous. You can wake up and just see that emerald lake.
Then travel up the Icefield Park back to Jasper, spend at least two nights in Jasper. Whether you're looking at hiring a car, if you want to jump on the Rocky Mountaineer I would recommend doing the train that takes the rainforest, the Gold Rush, it takes your through Canal to Whistler. Spend a couple of nights in Whistler, and then travel down, back down on the Rocky Mountaineer to Vancouver. That would be my highlight trip for sure. And taking that train, that route, you're seeing more diverse landscapes, and also you're going through the highest peaks of the Rockies as well.
Coming into Vancouver from Whistler you go down the Howe Sound, which is absolutely stunning. It's one of the most scenic places in the world, so I'll definitely recommend that. And then, if people want to go then you can [inaudible] Alaska, go up to Alaska, that'd be another seven days. Or maybe hop over to Vancouver Island on a float plane, go over to Western Canada.
So, there's a lot to do. Most people do a lot of research when they're going over to Canada, they know what to do, but you always need help in making sure that you're not rushed. That's the key thing, do not rush the trip because you don't want to come back and think, "I wish I spent longer there", or, "We should have gone here, we didn't factor that in." So, always speak to your travel agent, it's very important. They are the experts and they're the ones that can put together that once in a lifetime trip for you.

Steve Witt: Thank you Jane. It's like you're on message today, it's fantastic.

Jane: Well, I just know myself, I holiday as well in Canada. I took my sister just last year to Vancouver for a week and I was the tour guide, and I speak to people when I'm there, I speak to British people and say, "How did you book your trip?" And I see, "Oh, well, we decided we'd do one night here, one night here, one night here and we felt so rushed. And now, speaking to other people, we wish we'd done this." So, speak to your travel agent and let them put together your itinerary for you. Take your time planning it because to see the bears and see the whales, and consume the wine, [inaudible] and see the Rockies, you don't want to miss any of that, you really don't.
It's always best to research, speak to your travel agent, and you'll have the most amazing time. You really will. And you will want to go back and explore other parts of Canada too.

Steve Witt: Brilliant. Thank you very much, Jane. And Matthew, you've been a number of times before, any top tips from you?

Matthew: I'd say the same as Jane really in the fact that put down what you really want to go for because there is so much to do you potentially may not be able to do it all in one go. So, if you've only got a set amount of time to be able to go, highlight what you really want to see and then work towards getting all of that in but not being rushed.
I'm fortunate enough, I've been a few times, so I've gone back and each time I've gone back and done something different so, for instance, I'd go back and I'd go to Vancouver Island and explore that more. I've done Vancouver a few times now, I've done skiing, I'll probably go Vancouver Island and then go up into Northern BC, or I'd also look to try and do a road trip between Alberta and get on the Rocky Mountaineer, and really get into that Stampede.
But highlight what you want to do and then work that way, because what I've just said, what my idea is, I wouldn't be able to do that in one trip, so I'll have to narrow it down and make that decision.

Steve Witt: And Jules, I'm going to put you on the spot. You don't know I'm going to ask you this, but what have you learned from today having never been to Western Canada before? What's your takeaway from this?

Jules: Yeah, it's been so insightful. Thank you, guys. And I can really tell by the way that all of you speak about your own personal experiences and journeys that it's a really exciting place to go and visit. I didn't know about all the different wildlife and all the different ways that you could get around, so yeah, it's been really educational. So, thank you so much and I'm super excited to get my own itinerary together now.

Steve Witt: Brilliant. Thank you, Jules. So, thank you, Jane, for joining us today, you've been awesome.

Jane: Thank you. Thank you for inviting me.

Steve Witt: You are welcome. So, if you're listening to today's podcast we'd love you to leave us a five-star review on your chosen podcast app, iTunes or whichever one you're using, because it helps share the word and let's everyone know what we're doing. So, leave us a five-star review, we'll be very grateful. That's it for today, and hopefully you'll join us for another episode soon.

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