Travel tips

Money is always a factor for planning a trip. Most travellers set a budget for an upcoming trip, but how many of us actually stay within our budget? It’s common for people to get home from a trip only to check their credit card bill and see that they went over budget.

While there is not much that will keep Canadian snowbirds from heading south for the winter, a low Canadian dollar is making them think twice about their winter travel plans. It is also causing some concern for the southern regions in the United States that depend on snowbirds and tourism to fuel their local economies.

There has been a lot of talk about the impact of the low Canadian dollar on people’s travel habits this year, and this talk has spread to areas in the United States that are popular among snowbirds and vacationers alike.

Starting March 15, 2016, a new travel screening process will begin, impacting some visitors to Canada. The new rule affects people travelling by air from visa-exempt countries. These travellers have a new entry requirement – an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) – for boarding a flight to Canada. The new rule impacts travellers from most European countries and a few other countries.

Even though it’s in the same country, Vancouver can feel like an international destination for travellers from Ontario or from the eastern regions of Canada. Considering the state of the Canadian dollar, travelling to Vancouver is a great option for Canadians to get away without actually leaving Canada. You can feel as if you’re on an international trip without ever crossing the Canadian border.

Canadian tourism is booming once again, just as it did in the early 2000s, when the dollar was at a similarly low level. The cheap exchange rate has Americans once again heading north, where they can get more bang for their travel buck, especially those who live close to the Canadian border and are only a short car ride away.