Oh Canada...
20 Apr 2026 11:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glindaI need some help/advice. (I definitely still know at least a few fannish Canadians right?)
So I’ve been thinking about going on holiday later this year, maybe end of September, beginning of October. Originally I’d planned either coastal Spain or bimbling around the low countries on an inter-rail ticket. (My local airport flies directly to Schipol, trains from there around Europe are easy.) There is - as of like a week ago - an absolute shitshow going on with the new post-Brexit passport controls/biometrics for UK travellers with the current advice being to get to the airport at least 3 hours early. And look, this may all be sorted by September, but I got caught in the post covid/Brexit nonsense on a work trip to France a few years ago - fucking running with a giant rucksack of Camera kit through Charles De Galle airport from passport control to my gate with a gate agent - and I’m not keen to repeat the experience. So between programmes the other day I pulled up seat61 intending to look at fun inter-rail options via Eurostar because, so my internal monologue went if I need to be at the airport that early I better be flying transatlantic at least. And like fuck am I going to the states while Trump’s in office…
…Yeah.
So back in 2008, when I worked in a call centre and used to plan train adventures between calls to keep myself sane, one of my favourite ‘and while I’m dreaming I’d like a pony’ plans was to do the ‘Canadian’, through the Rockies, across the prairies, across a fair chunk of Canada really. I spent way too long looking at pictures taken out the domes of the viewing carriages along that route. It was out of my budget, and oh goodness, I could not cope with the logistical uncertainty - the train shares tracks with freight, which has priority, so when it’s late it’s not minutes it’s hours, even now with the adjusted compensatory timetable they still recommend you don’t book onward travel or flights for at least 24 hours after your expected arrival time. But all these years later, I can afford it - not the fancy ‘prestige’ option, but the tiny individual sleeper cabin? A couple of nights in Toronto and Vancouver at either end to explore those cities and act as a buffer zone? Totally do-able.
Given the state of the world right now, neither Japan or Australia feel entirely feasible right now - I was never going to be willing to fly via Dubai, it was always going to be via Singapore, nonetheless - the logistics are just beyond me right now. But Canada. I could do Canada. And I’ve wanted to do that specific train journey for a very long time. I’d half planned to get my other bathroom re-done, but the thought of taking that money and turning it into a new bathroom suite when there’s so many places I’ve never been and things I’ve never done, just feels so pointless. I want to knock a destination off my life-list.
So Canadians - or just folks who’ve spent time in Canada - what’s your advice? What am I missing/not taking into consideration? Which direction do I go: East to West (with a detour to Vancouver island) or West to East (with a detour to Montreal?) What time of year? (I was thinking Autumn colour but I’m persuadable. However, I remember Chicago in February, and my friend C’s other bridesmaid flew in to meet us from Manitoba, and nothing she said made me want to do Winnipeg in winter…Would Spring be a better choice?) Should I stop off along the way? If so, where? Have I, in fact, lost my damn mind?
So I’ve been thinking about going on holiday later this year, maybe end of September, beginning of October. Originally I’d planned either coastal Spain or bimbling around the low countries on an inter-rail ticket. (My local airport flies directly to Schipol, trains from there around Europe are easy.) There is - as of like a week ago - an absolute shitshow going on with the new post-Brexit passport controls/biometrics for UK travellers with the current advice being to get to the airport at least 3 hours early. And look, this may all be sorted by September, but I got caught in the post covid/Brexit nonsense on a work trip to France a few years ago - fucking running with a giant rucksack of Camera kit through Charles De Galle airport from passport control to my gate with a gate agent - and I’m not keen to repeat the experience. So between programmes the other day I pulled up seat61 intending to look at fun inter-rail options via Eurostar because, so my internal monologue went if I need to be at the airport that early I better be flying transatlantic at least. And like fuck am I going to the states while Trump’s in office…
…Yeah.
So back in 2008, when I worked in a call centre and used to plan train adventures between calls to keep myself sane, one of my favourite ‘and while I’m dreaming I’d like a pony’ plans was to do the ‘Canadian’, through the Rockies, across the prairies, across a fair chunk of Canada really. I spent way too long looking at pictures taken out the domes of the viewing carriages along that route. It was out of my budget, and oh goodness, I could not cope with the logistical uncertainty - the train shares tracks with freight, which has priority, so when it’s late it’s not minutes it’s hours, even now with the adjusted compensatory timetable they still recommend you don’t book onward travel or flights for at least 24 hours after your expected arrival time. But all these years later, I can afford it - not the fancy ‘prestige’ option, but the tiny individual sleeper cabin? A couple of nights in Toronto and Vancouver at either end to explore those cities and act as a buffer zone? Totally do-able.
Given the state of the world right now, neither Japan or Australia feel entirely feasible right now - I was never going to be willing to fly via Dubai, it was always going to be via Singapore, nonetheless - the logistics are just beyond me right now. But Canada. I could do Canada. And I’ve wanted to do that specific train journey for a very long time. I’d half planned to get my other bathroom re-done, but the thought of taking that money and turning it into a new bathroom suite when there’s so many places I’ve never been and things I’ve never done, just feels so pointless. I want to knock a destination off my life-list.
So Canadians - or just folks who’ve spent time in Canada - what’s your advice? What am I missing/not taking into consideration? Which direction do I go: East to West (with a detour to Vancouver island) or West to East (with a detour to Montreal?) What time of year? (I was thinking Autumn colour but I’m persuadable. However, I remember Chicago in February, and my friend C’s other bridesmaid flew in to meet us from Manitoba, and nothing she said made me want to do Winnipeg in winter…Would Spring be a better choice?) Should I stop off along the way? If so, where? Have I, in fact, lost my damn mind?
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Date: 20 Apr 2026 12:38 pm (UTC)DO IT.
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Date: 20 Apr 2026 11:19 pm (UTC)Apparently there is still no onboard wifi! Though, I went inter-railling in the pre-smartphone era so I do have form for long train journeys sans internet, but nonetheless, so weird that it's still an issue.
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Date: 20 Apr 2026 12:41 pm (UTC)One thing to remember about autumn in Canada, especially the prairies, is that for the last few years it's been Absolutely On Fire And Miserable. As someone who gets that wildfire smoke as it blows across, it sucks and I am a decent ways away from most of it. Obviously I am not psychic enough to say how this year, or next, will be, but considering the last three years have their own extensive wiki pages, I am expecting hazy skies and the stench of unwanted woodsmoke again.
Other than that, the Maritimes are also lovely and worth a visit.
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Date: 20 Apr 2026 11:58 pm (UTC)There's so much of Canada I want to visit, the Maritimes are very tempting though, I might get to use my Gaidhlig in Nova Scotia!
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Date: 25 Apr 2026 07:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 21 Apr 2026 03:22 am (UTC)Note that a detour to Vancouver Island on the western end of things is a *lot* shorter than a detour to Montreal. Toronto to Montreal is 5hrs by train, give or take.
If you were to fly to Toronto, take the train to Vancouver, and then fly back east, my understanding is that a lot of Vancouver-UK flights have a stopover somewhere in the maritimes for refuelling so perhaps you could sneak in a day or two in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick as a long layover if the budget stretches that far (and to break up a flight that would otherwise be about twice as long as your flight over).
More than one Youtuber has done the Canadian trip, if you haven't done so already I would suggest watching a couple of those as research. Also more than one of the Canadian-themed subreddits has posts about the experience as well.
And lastly if you wanted to meetup at the Toronto end of things... *waves*
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Date: 21 Apr 2026 03:44 am (UTC)You're right that the UK-Australia route is utterly miserable at the moment - my sister-in-law is British, and she is now living in Australia but got stuck in London for an extra week because so many flights were cancelled. Fortunately she could stay with her mum but it was a big scheduling mess and she ended up with a miserable 22-hour layover in Singapore.