Exploring big, beautiful Canada over the winter holidays? Making the trek home to visit family abroad? Or heading overseas to add another check to your travel bucket list? These real-world holiday travel suggestions can make your planning run smoothly and turn this trip into one of your best!
Planning Your Trip to Make the Most of Your Time
Visiting Mexico, Jamaica, Europe, and other locations requires some planning, as does exploring Canada during the holidays. Here are seven tips to help you enjoy your Canada vacation or your trip overseas.
Buy your airline tickets early.
Air travel for the Christmas holidays takes pre-planning, especially if you choose to fly. With high fuel costs, inflation, and hospitality and airline industry employee shortages, airline travel costs are an investment, even more so if multiple family members are flying. Generally, the earlier you buy your tickets, the better the price.
Canada is host to 18 major airports, so explore the locations available to you. The country re-opened its 55 smaller international airports, which should help alleviate some travel issues. Be sure to keep up to date on your flights as your travel date gets closer, and be prepared fortravel delays.
Purchase travel insurance.
Most travel insurance policies have your backand your other body parts too. In fact, these short-term policies protect more than your health and are a good idea given the frequency of post-pandemic travel woes. A basic plan travel insurance plan will cover medical emergencies, trip cancellation, trip interruption, delays, medical evacuation, and lost, damaged, or stolen luggage. Some can also include rental car damage and any pre-existing health conditions. Consider travel insurance when touring a country where your health insurance won’t cover you, when trip logistics can be complicated or when you’ve invested a substantial amount in the trip, especially if many of your charges are non-refundable.
When planning holiday travel in Canada, consider distances.
As the second largest country geographically in the world, distance is no small matter when exploring Canada. The country delivers variety from its multi-cultural cities to nature-bursting Nova Scotia and the winter resorts. Once you are outside major cities, like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and others, with their public transportation systems, you’ll need a car to get around. During the holiday season, reserve your transit mode ahead of time, as Canada has been experiencing a rental car shortage.
Consider destinations that fit your personality or are not in their high season.
If you and your family are adrenaline-seeking winter sports enthusiasts, the mountains of Canada are calling you! Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Mont Tremblant in Quebec, and Lake Louise in Alberta are three of the country’s 296 ski resorts, and they offer much more than just skiing. Tobogganing, fat-tire biking on ice and snow, helicopter flights, and visiting ice castles are some of the non-skiing activities available at these three resorts.
December isn’t a big season for tourists traveling to Canada, so aside from ski resorts, you’ll find reasonable rates on accommodations, but smaller towns may offer fewer activities.
Take advantage of Canada’s outdoors…safely.
Hiking, snowshoeing, snowmobiling—even dogsledding—get you outside and in the thick of Canada’s beauty. Dress appropriately, pack water and snacks, and take your fully charged cell phone—but know that it may not pick up a signal. Most importantly, share your plans with a friend or the park office in case you get lost or need help. Then hit the trails with the family. Be sure the temperature is warm enough, you’re dressed in layers, and you have plenty of daylight as the days are short in December.
Be on the lookout for wildlife sightings. Elk, moose, bighorn sheep, wolves, lynx, red fox, white-tailed deer, otters, snowshoe hares, and birds, including eagles and owls, can be seen at different locations in the country. But keep your distance to be safe. Check online or with local authorities on how to safely spot the animals in their habitats and enjoy hiking the glorious outdoors. Not up for a wildlife encounter but love nature? Get sighting guidelines on the aurora borealis and location recommendations for viewing the amazing northern lights.
Consider celebrating a Canadian French Christmas
If you visit Montreal and Quebec, French is often spoken. But don’t let that stop you because Christmas is a terrific season to visit. Montreal’s charms can’t be ignored among its Christmas markets, performances of The Nutcracker, unbelievable food, craft beers, and stiff competition for the best hot chocolate. Quebec’s old world allure glistens under snow and Christmas lights. You’ll find outdoor ice skating, its German Christmas Market, and seasonal lights through the historic Faubourg Saint-Jean-Baptiste neighborhood and the lively Grande Allée.
As for speaking French, a greeting of “Bonjour” shows respect in these areas. You will be able to get by as these areas are accustomed to tourists and many residents are bi-lingual.
Plan for currency conversion to save time and money
If you’re travelling to Mexico, Jamaica, or Europe over the holiday and plan to use cash, avoid expensive add-on fees charged by most airport kiosks that convert currency. Instead, consider sending your spending money ahead of time with Western Union online or through our money transfer app. You can easily send a money transfer overseas and pick it up at your destination.
For this holiday season*, Western Union has a special offer—a $0 Transfer Fee** for new customers making their first transfer in the app or on the website!*** Just one more reason to use Western Union’s convenient and reliable money transfer services for your holiday season spending.
*Promotion is valid only until February 28, 2023.
**FX gains apply.
***For new customers exclusive to Western Union.
