Canada Motorhome trip

ceeandcee
ceeandcee Forum Participant Posts: 37
edited April 2019 in Overseas Campsites & Touring #1

HI Everyone

My wife and I are planning a trip to Canada this August - does anyone know if there are currently any discussion groups covering this please?

If not, can anybody who has experienced a similar trip please offer any advice. We are planning an initial visit to Vancouver Island to meet up with relatives for a week prior to hiring a motorhome in Vancouver to tour Whistler, Kelowna, Lake Louise, Jasper, Banff and anywhere in between. We have 14 nights approximately and could end up in Calgary for the flight home or do a circular tour back to Vancouver. Any advice including possible itineraries, organised tours, sites, the motorhome itself, etc., would be very gratefully received.

 

Many thanks

 

Clive and Carole

Comments

  • Broadside
    Broadside Forum Participant Posts: 125
    100 Comments
    edited April 2019 #2

    Hi Clive and Carole. We did a similar trip to the one you are considering, way back in 2001. It was fantastic and we still talk about it. We booked most of it up on line, flew into Vancouver, went whale watching off Vancouver Island and saw the Killer Whales and picked up the motor home from Vancouver. When we arrived to collect the motorhome they said that they had 'upgraded' us and when they bought the motorhome out, it was huge but what a fantastic motorhome it was with every thing in it you could think of, mains water - flush toilet, (you connect up to the main sewer when on site) or can be used as a portable as UK) fixed bed, huge fridge/freezer, huge shower and a huge 6lt. Chevrolet  engine, automatic. It took a little 'getting used to' but once we were out of Vancouver and on the State Highway 1 which is the main highway (dual carriage way) running across Canada, then ever thing was fine. There was very little traffic on this road and it was a pleasure to drive on it. Basically when on this road you just keep going as it takes you into Calgary through the most scenic and most beautiful country you will ever see. We stayed on about three sites on the way to Calgary (seeing bears with young on two of the sites) I remember we stopped at Revelstoke, Lake Louise and Banff on the way to Calgary and instead of 'doing the loop' to Whistler we drove through Calgary and into the Prairies to find a small town that my Grandfather had emigrated to in 1905 before turning back to Calgary where we dropped off the motorhome and stayed in a hotel in Calgary for a few days before flying home. A fantastic trip in a beautiful country, I can not describe the beauty of the Rockies, it will be something you will never forget.  When we went we found it quite inexpensive (fuel 70p per gallon) but not sure what it is like today.

    A few tips, as you drive into the foothills of the Rockies you think 'Wow' ' but after another hour you are lost for words as it just keeps on getting bigger and better. We found we had to use both the heating (sites near the snow line of the mountains) and the air conditioning and there were not enough blankets to allow for this. 

    The motorhome was handed over to us completely empty of fuel so I was panicking coming out of Vancouver before I found a fuel station. 

    We had to pay extra to both leave the motorhome at Calgary and to fly back from Calgary.

    We took about 2.5 weeks to do this trip but we wish we had allowed more time.

    We loved Calgary, a young and vibrant city with so much to see and experience but be careful not to go during the stampede. (we went in June)

    Writing this has bought back many memories of this trip and I wish I could do it again.  Have a great trip, if you require a 'driver' please let me know.

    . 

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
    1000 Comments
    edited April 2019 #3

    https://www.canadianaffair.com/

    we went to Canada twice with this company and not disappointed. first was Toronto then car and B&B's no plans just drove. second went Vancouver then the places you mentioned through the rockies. again it was in a car but pre-booked hotels and loved every minute. this company does motorhomes and arranged tours. take a look and order one of there brochures. Jealous. frown

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited April 2019 #4
    The user and all related content has been deleted
  • ceeandcee
    ceeandcee Forum Participant Posts: 37
    edited April 2019 #5

    Wow!  Thank you so much everybody - brilliant stories. Well, to make you even more jealous, today we actually booked our trip!!

    We are flying to Vancouver where we will stay for two nights before picking up a car and taking the ferry to Victoria for two nights. We are then driving to Nanaimo and meeting up with relatives who will hopefully take us on trips over a few days. We then take the Nanaimo ferry back to Vancouver, drop off our car and pick up our motorhome from Canada Dream. We then have 14 nights before flying back from Calgary. From what you have all said we are now a little concerned that we aren't giving that enough time - eek!, what to do?!

    Thanks again, we will report back at the beginning of September once home but we don't want to think about that quite yet.

    All the best

     

    Clive and Carole

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