Bonjour de la Colombie-Britannique! (Hello from British Colombia!)
15 things I learned on my first international (& solo) vacation (to Canada):
1. No, Canadians don’t drive 100 mph. It’s km/h. A kilometer is .621 of a mile. Fun times learning that while driving on bridges over the Pacific Ocean.
2. You can ride the world’s highest gondola here! It’s half incredible. Half terrifying. Equal parts both.
3. Temperatures in Canada are in Celsius. 0°C is to 32°F. Perfect Canadian sleeping temp: 16°C. Perfect Canadian driving temp: 22°C.
4. There are so many Aussies in Canada!
5. Driving along cliffs in the outer lane on a one-way road overhanging the Pacific Ocean by yourself at 90 km/h is straight terrifying. Praying is 10/10 highly recommended. So is an SUV.
6. The sport of Bobsled is WILD. And hiking up a bobsled training mountain in high heels is not recommended.
7. Snow in Canada is measured in CM, which is entirely very confusing with lots of big numbers.
8. You need to book a rental car with snow tires if you’re driving from Vancouver International Airport to ski resorts during snow season, otherwise you’ll be nicely surprised with an approximately $500 snow tires add-on-bill at the rental car station LOL.
9. Encountering a crazy situation on an underground airport transit channels your strong inner blonde who doesn’t take heck from no one!!
10. Go to the doctor before you leave the country if you have a borderline sinus infection. Unless you wanna out-pocket $300 to the local foreign doctor’s office and have to submit an invoice to your insurance upon your return to the United States LOL.
11. Solo trips are actually quite dangerous and the risky decision radar needs to be firing on all cylinders.
12. The weather is a serious force not to be reckoned with. Respect it.
13. There are some really dope people out there with awesome stories if you’re down to converse with strangers.
14. You’re stronger and braver than you even thought you were. You enable yourself to experience that when you meet situations that push you to your max limits.
15. Life is way more fun when you’re living on the edge.
This was the most adventurous week of my life in all the best ways.