Planning A Trip To Canada⎪Ad

*Disclosure – This is a paid post in partnership with e-visa.

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As a family, we do enjoy U.K. holidays. With very young children it was so much easier to pack everything that we needed into the car and road trip our way to a lovely destination in either Britain or Wales. Now that the children are growing up we are starting to think about going abroad for holidays. Looking at destinations for next years summer holiday got me thinking about where we would like to go and where would be most suitable for us as a young family. Both Craig and I have always wanted to visit Canada, so we looked into it a little further.
 

Flight Times

I was surprised that the flight time is only about 8 hours 15 minutes non-stop. Although this is still a long time on an aeroplane,  it is much less than I first imagined.
 

You Will Need An eTA

I was surprised to learn that although British citizens do not need to apply for a visa to visit Canada for short periods of time, you do need to apply for a Canada eTA. ETA stands for Electronic Travel Authorisation. The eTA replaces the need for a visa for short stay and holiday purposes. Obviously an eTA does not cover every trip to Canada and a visa is still required for some trips. Your eTA Canada is valid for 5 years so you do not need to apply for an eTA every time you visit. Another great thing about eTA is that it is linked to your passport, so once the eTA is issued, you do not need to keep producing paperwork at customs and airline check-in.
 

What Is There To Do In Canada?

There are so many things that we would like to see and experience in Canada.
Toronto would be my first port of call because I would have to pop in and see my friend Jackie and her husband John whilst there!
 

AGO – Art Gallery of Ontario

Apparently, this is one of the biggest art galleries in North of America. Sprawled over 45000 metres of space and displaying around 95,000 works. The art spans all the way from the first century to the present day and you are guaranteed to find something to intrigue all ages.
Photo credit Jackie Junk Boat Travels

Speaking of art, the brain product outdoor exhibit looks like fun to follow. I love that it also supports a foundation and raises awareness of brain health and Alzheimer’s.

Photo credit Jackie Junk Boat Travels

St. Lawrence Market

St Lawrence Market is a famous market renowned for its amazing choice of food vendors. It was named worlds best food market by National Geographic in April 2012 and is a must for all food lovers wanted to experience something different.
 

Banff National Park

Banff national park is Canada’s principal nature reserve and is home to huge herds of elk, bighorn sheep and around 65 grizzly bears! Banff is part of the Canadian rocky mountain parks UNESCO world heritage site and has the picture-perfect turquoise glacier lake Louise, rocky mountain peaks and fantastic drives and trails passing through so you can experience all of these until your heart is content.

 

Northern Lights

Canada is perfect for experiencing the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. Although it is possible to see the Northern lights from anywhere in the extreme north of the planet, Canada is perfect as there is very little light pollution from towns and cities allowing you to fully experience the natural phenomenon in all of its glory.
 

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is made up of three separate waterfalls which span the American Canadian border. The largest of the three and probably the most iconic is Horseshoe falls which are in Canada. The American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls are both situated in the U.S.A. Combined there are over 85000 cubic feet per second of water cascading over 50 metres into the canyon below and the waterfalls have a green hue caused by the high saturation of salt and minerals in the water.
 

Churchill

Churchill is a small town located in Hudson Bay, Manitoba, and is known as the polar bear capital of the world! It is perfect for anyone that would like to experience wildlife in their natural environment. You can even swim and snorkel with beluga whales! Sounds amazing.
 

Butchart Gardens

Butchart gardens in a photographers paradise. 55 acres of beautifully manicured gardens are home to over 900 varieties of plants. Split into individual gardens including the rose garden, the Mediterranean garden, the sunken garden and the Japanese garden. There are also water features and carousel rides to keep all of the family enthralled. You can even finish off a long day strolling with their legendary high tea.

Have you been to Canada? Was the eTA application an easy process for you?

*Disclosure – This is a paid post in partnership with e-visa.