After months of
planning my family and I finally set off on a five-week coast-to-coast Canada
vacation to introduce my family to my home country on its 150
anniversary of Independence.
After decades of travelling
around the world I have come up with a formula for obtaining the highest
quality accommodations and travel at the lowest possible prices.
Traveling with a family
in a western country can be extraordinary expensive.
I always say success is
not only making money but keeping what you have. Which means not splurging on
unnecessary expenses while at the same time enjoying a first-class trip.
Prior Research:
To start off with I
searched the Internet intensely for the best airline deals on this very long
trip halfway around the world. I finally settled on Cheapoair who had a package of around $750
per person round-trip from Denpasar, Bali to Vancouver, Canada.
I researched home exchanges which I found to be
very successful in the past. Exchanging our four-bedroom luxury home
in a beachfront complex for homes
and apartments around the world including Canada and Croatia on previous trips
has been very successful. This will save me literally thousands of dollars on
this trip alone.
I also used my
membership in the largest international travel organizations Skal, which I’ve been a member of for 10 years
to search through their database to find hotels and attractions run by fellow
Skal Members in every major city and town I visited.
Be extremely careful with
AIRBNB. Make sure you read the testimonies and there’s more than adequate
photos, because I’ve had some disappointments in the past including a Flat in Paris
which was an absolute disaster.
Packing 2- 4 weeks ahead:
Packing for trip that
includes cars, trains, boats and planes can be exhausting.
One thing I found was
you certainly do not want to carry large bags if you’re going on trains and
short haul flights.
So a full four weeks
before our trip we packed all of our suitcases and allowed one small carry-on
suitcase and one backpack for each of us. We took one large suitcase which
would be left in Vancouver, our first stop, and used for clothing for the first
ten days and to bring back in anything we buy.
The reason for
starting to pack four weeks ahead is to find out what items we need because buying
items such as Sweaters, T-shirts, is a lot cheaper in Bali than Canada.
Day One Disaster: Mom Can’t Fly:
My mother always told
me not to plan too well and to allow for problems.
Nothing could have
prepared us for the first major problem which was the airline Xiamen Airlines running five hours late.
We arrived at 11
o’clock at night for a 12.30 AM flight and were told that there was a five hour
delay. They offered us the option of staying in the Ibis hotel for the night which
we took as opposed to driving 30 minutes back home.
Their excuse was bad
weather which I looked up and there had been no cyclones in the area of China where
we were headed so I questioned their excuse.
Then we always make
sure we are the first line to ensure that we can secure the best seats
available especially emergency seats if available. Unfortunately when I
requested emergency they stated that I had to speak Chinese so that I could
adhere to Chinese commands from the captain who obviously was Chinese. That
made sense.
Mother Cannot Fly:
Weeks before booking
the flight after reading carefully some testimonials about the airline and its
first stopover in Xiamen, China we sent a copy of the ticket to our agent and
asked him to check on these requirements, especially for my wife who is a an
Indonesian citizen. He assured us that we would not need any visas for our
stopover 12 hour stopover in China. So we did our homework.
Unfortunately while
trying to check in 11 o’clock at night for the delayed flight at 6 AM we were
advised that my wife could not fly because she did not have a visa for Xiamen.
They didn’t care. So
the question arose how we handle this. If the boys and I did not fly we lose
all of money.
Needless to say a
very stressful way to start the trip.
My wife was in tears
after we decided she should catch the first flight that does not require a visa.
Day Two Tearful Goodbye:
So the next morning
she saw us off still not having a confirmed ticket.
During this flight
and even after we arrived in Xiamen where I booked a hotel suite for the 12
hour layover I was stressed to the max.
I received an email from her that she
had booked a flight and she would arrive in Vancouver three hours later than by
going directly to Hong Kong removing the need for a visa at an extra cost of
almost $2,000.
The hotel in Xiamen
at only $90 for two bedroom suite was a godsend as it gave us a chance to relax
until we received the good news that mom was underway.
When my boys and I
arrived in Vancouver we took a few photos and then went to immigration.
They pulled us aside
and advised very nicely that we should have sought a short-term visitor’s visa
for the two children who were Australian.
Immediately I had visions of another disaster
came to mind. But I’m happy to say that the Canadian immigration was very
pleasant, because I’m a Canadian and allowed us to pass.
For our first night in
Canada we booked the Airport Executive
Hotel which has a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and were happy to
find that the rooms were very accommodating with stunning views of the airport and
the mountains of Vancouver.
A few hours later I
went back to the airport and met my wife and all finally all was good.
I will take legal
action against the agency that was hired to secure our visa and make his life
hell when I get back to Bali.
Day Three: All is Good:
This next morning we
were met by our host for first home exchange which included her Mercedes.
We
first requested that we take her home and take the car which as part of the
exchange and drive into Vancouver to organize a visa for my wife for the return
trip. But instead we took the subway avoiding traffic.
After short time to the
Chinese Embassy we were picked up once again and went to her home to be
acclimated to the exchange.
Her home is a perfect
example of pictures do not do it justice. It is a gorgeous modern four-bedroom
huge home in a very first-class neighbourhood of Vancouver suburbs Richmond.
The home had
everything including first-class air conditioning, four person Jacuzzi, the
right to use bicycles, basketballs and is a short distance from Steveston village, a first-class neighbourhood.
Our hosts and
hostesses were more than accommodating and all our trip’s problems were
forgotten quickly.
We did not stay the
first night as our exchange was for two days later and instead later that day
we headed for Victoria
where my mother lived for many years and worked as a nurse plus had her own Costume
shop called Elsie’s Costumes.
They sailed on the very modern B.C. Ferries over to Victoria enjoying some spectacular scenery.
Days Four and Five:
The first two nights
we stayed in a beautiful AIRBNB two bedroom suite with a gorgeous ocean view.
The wind was blowing
rather strong the first day and although it was a beautiful sunny day the 15°
temperature did not agree with my family.
That night we strolled into Victoria Harbour and again unfortunately the wind was very cold. A hot meal warmed us up and we enjoyed a wonderful relaxing sleep.
My wife and I walked
down to the beach at dawn and we would soon realize that this time of year is the
longest days of the year with the sun coming up at 4 AM and not going down
again till 10 PM.
That and jetlag can disturb your sleep patterns for the first
few days.
Later that day again
using my connections with the Skal organization we are given heavily discounted
tickets to visit the famous Butchart Gardens.
At first I was concerned that the two young boys would be bored looking at flowers but the whole family thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I highly recommend anybody the gardens to everyone.
The gardens which were set up over many
decades by a wealthy family in a former stone quarry are as good as any I’ve seen
throughout the world and make for some lovely photos.
Celebrating Canada’s
150 anniversary from “Sea to Shining Sea”. Days 5-6.
