We love Vancouver. Trust us, if the rent was a little cheaper, we doubt anyone would live anywhere else. But the Pacific Northwest is one of the most beauiful places in the entire world and not exploring a little of it while you’re here is a complete and utter shame.
But we get it, we’re all poor students who can barely scrap enough money to buy Coppertank’s Triple Long Island Iced Tea and all our spare time goes into learning coding or whatever can make us a touch more employable. But trust us on this too – it’s totally worth it.
So here are our suggestions to get your butt out of Vancouver.
Join a club:
A ton of clubs do a lot of traveling. The VOC and Ski and Board Club both run trips within and outside of Vancouver.
Visit the Island:
Vancouver Island is worth the trip. Victoria is BC’s capital and basically popping at the seams with everything a hipster would need. Tofino (#therealwestcoast) is on the west side of the Island. As Canada’s Surf Capital and an adventurer’s dream, it’s worth heading up.
Check out the Sunshine Coast:
North of the Lower Mainland is the Sunshine Coast. Whether you’re looking to tan on a boat all day or want to explore the great outdoors, the Sunshine Coast is where it’s at.
Whistler:
Whistler has three things that you should see: 1) Whister Blackcomb –the mountain that has amazing hikes during the summer and incredible skiing during the winter. 2) The surprisingly good range of resturants. 3) The absurd amount of Australians there.
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Head east:
The Canadian Rockies are something you should see at least once in your life (and not from a plane). At the border of BC and Alberta, Banff is a tourist favourite and Jasper National Park is right next door. Lake Louise is amazing. If you like the outdoors, the Rockies offer some of Canada’s best.
Hello America:
Whatever your feelings on the current administration, the American West coast is worth a trip. Seattle and Portand are both reasonably close and just south of Oregon there’s a really nice place not a lot of people know about – California.
Use YVR:
Flying is stupidly expensive in Canada, so be savvy with your ticket buying and use apps like Kayak to get good rates.