Driving, Camping and Working in Canada - Advice needed
Replies: 5 - Last Post: Feb 3, 2013 4:55 PM Last Post By: WeepingAngel
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Driving, Camping and Working in Canada - Advice needed
Hi Guys,Ive used the forum a lot in the past, but this is my first time posting a question as its usually already been answered on here!
Me and a friend are planning to arrive in Canada/Vancouver this Summer (around April), we plan to buy a Van upon arrival and drive up to Banff and other national parks and further into the north.
Along the way we want to find some casual work, maybe agriculture/picking jobs or hospitality, and try and see as much as possible during summer whilst living out of our van and camping.
Towards the end of Summer, we plan to find Hospitality jobs/bar jobs somewhere with a good ski season, possibly Whistler? and move into a shared house/hostel and work throughout the snow season, hopefully saving some money for the new year and getting as much free time as possible on the slopes.
I wanted to see if any has any advice on the practicalities of this trip, as we dont have anything planned at the moment, and this is very much in the ideas stage.
1. How easy will it be for us to drive with a British driving license in Canada? And how easy will it be to get a van on the road and what are the costs involved? (ie Insurance, Road Tax, average cost of fuel, average cost of vehicles)
2. Has anybody got experience travelling and working in Canada during summer? I have a good index of Agriculture work (http://www.pickingjobs.com/canada/british-columbia/) Any advice on good seasonal/year round jobs that we could do to keep fuel in the car and food on the table, but not contracted to more than a few weeks/months at a time to allow us to travel.
3. We hope that whilst passing through national parks in Summer we can get contacts for snow season work as we pass through and meet people etc. However, if anyone has any advice on jobs that will allow us to ski, such as work with free ski passes, or specific resorts they would recommend for lots of seasonal hospitality work, that would be great!
Also, if anyone has any general advice regarding this trip please let us know, any help/advice is greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Josh, Manchester, UK
czachur at gmail dot com
3
have you handled you drivingr in surance requirements prefer chrysler dodge plymouth 3.3 engine not the 3.0 ones i have bought used for 2000 plus getting full brake jobs have set me back total extra 1000 but since then have put 25000k on them no worries not sure re work but sure looks tough thouigh my gkds went to fort mc murray ALTA for work loads of jobs , up that way, good pay aswell4
Hey there,First of all, I'm a Canadian from Calgary that's been dating a Brit for two years, I think I can be of some help. When he moved to Canada initially I remember him saying that he was given a Canadian driving license automatically from having a British one. Apparently your driving exams are harder than ours. Don't quote me on this, but that's how I remember it going. He also bought a crappy second hand Integra for about $2000, check out Kijiji.ca. Last time I was in the UK I remember thinking your fuel cost is high, ours usually sits around $1-$1.50 per litre. Insurance is dependant on the person and the vehicle, so I can't help you out there. A piece of advice, you will probably want a car that will last you the extent of your stay, though it is possible to live without a car in Canada it can be a huge pain in the ass, especially if you live on a ski resort. Our country is more spread out than the UK and we don't have a train system like you. There are Greyhounds and our cities have transit, but it can be expensive and depending where you live, very unreliable.
Though I don't have experience in the summer work, try out workexchange and the Parks Canada site. I'm sure you'll find what you need. Lots of camp grounds do seasonal employment and work exchange has tons of people looking for ranch hands, this might not pay but it's a free place to stay and food!
As far as winter jobs go, you have tons of options. Our ski resorts are literally packed with young people on work visas. Check out the websites, it really isn't hard to find work with them. Lots of my friends have done this and it's great. Pretty low pay, but you ski for free all season, you meets people from all over the world, and usually your amenities are covered. If you are looking to live closer to Calgary try out Sunshine, Lake Louise, Castle Mountain, and Norquay. I can't say much about living near Edmonton, or Vancouver. If your heart isn't set on living on a ski resort I would definitely recommend living within a major city and finding some bar work. The tips can be incredible, and if you're into the bar lifestyle it's pretty fun work. Not to mention, in my experience British accents seem to be magnets for tips hahaha. You'll make enough money to live (especially with room mates) and still get out to the mountains a few times a month.
Best of luck!
