7 Canadian Travel Tips for Families

7 Canadian Travel Tips

If your vacation this year takes you a bit Northward, then these 7 Canadian Travel Tips are sure to come in handy. Hitting the road with your family and heading across the border to Canada is a great adventure. Canada is a great travel experience for Americans thanks to the good dollar exchange rates, as well as the beauty of the country as a whole.

Order your passport early. Yes, you will need a passport to cross the border into Canada. A traditional passport request can take up to 12 weeks to receive. Usually you will receive within the first 8 weeks, but you should plan well in advance. If you are in a rush, you can pay a premium to get your passport quickly. The extra cost however is large enough for me to want to get this done as soon as possible instead of at the last minute.

7 Canadian Travel Tips

Have a dollar to dollar conversion app handy. Nothing is more confusing when making a purchase than a currency exchange rate. Do a bit of research ahead of time to learn more about what the current rate is, but always have an app on your phone handy so you can understand what you are really spending at that shop or restaurant.

Learn a bit of French before you travel. While no all Canadian Provinces are French, many areas of the country are fluent in French. Find out if your destination is a French speaking one, and devote some time to learning a few simple words and some basic conversational French to help your communication while traveling. English is a second language for some, but widely spoken throughout so this is more for fun than necessity.

Know what you can and cannot cross the border with. While some foods are fine to cross into Canada with, others are not. Take the time to find out what is safe to cross the border with so you don’t end up with problems at the border crossing check point.

Learn border crossing procedures. If you are driving into Canada, you’ll definitely want to learn a bit more about what to expect at the border crossing. When you arrive it will go much faster if you know what to expect of them, and what they expect of you.

Understand weather patterns and pack appropriately. Canadian weather can vary widely. Take the time to check out statistics for the time you will be traveling as well as he area you’ll be traveling to. When you understand you can pack appropriately. When in doubt, pack light and loose layers that mesh well together.

Find out if you will have roaming charges on your phone. Before you cross the border find out what roaming charges are for your cellular service. Even just a few feet across the border can mean large fees nobody wants to pay. There are often special plans you can buy to cover your time across the border without running up a gigantic bill.

7 Canadian Travel Tips for Families

These Canadian travel tips are a great start to enjoying a beautiful country full of culture, beauty, wilderness and technology.

23 Comments
  1. Lois Alter Mark says

    These are all great tips. I’m actually visiting Canada this fall, and can’t wait!

  2. Robin (Masshole Mommy) says

    Great to know for people planning on going up north! This is super helpful!

  3. mykidsguide says

    These are great tips! Learning about the currency and the exchange rate is important. You definitely want to understand how much you are spending.

  4. Pam says

    My relatives want to visit Canada one day. I will send them this post so they will do it right when they get to go!

  5. Jeanine says

    I live in Canada so I’m so happy to see this! Everyone should come visit, it’s a great place!

  6. aimee fauci says

    I read so much about Canada that I think it would be so nice to travel there one day. Not sure when I’d be that far up North but when and if I am I may just stop in.

  7. Heather D. (@GirlGoneMom) says

    I have only been once. I loved the city of Montreal!

  8. Good tips for traveling in Canada. I’ll keep these in mind this summer for my Canadian vaca

  9. Liz Mays says

    I would really like to do another trip to Canada. I took French in college but I’ve lost a lot of it over the years.

  10. Life as a Convert says

    These are great travel tips. Having an up to date passport is important.

  11. Lady Lilith says

    These are some great tips. I am sure traveling to Canada will be more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing.

  12. Toughcookiemommy says

    I’ve never been to Canada so this post is very informative for me. I will definitely keep these tips in mind when I do decide to plan our Canadian vacation.

  13. Tiffany Collins (@Naturalycracked) says

    Traveling is something I don’t do much of as it makes me nervous. Both boys are at such different stages that I worry something will go wrong. I love this list of tips and with Canada having so much to offer I really should get out there and explore. Thanks for sharing!

  14. Mama to 5 BLessings says

    I have only been to Canada 1X, just across the Niagara Falls border. It was beautiful and so much to do and see!

  15. Pam says

    Roaming charges can really do you in when you are traveling so that is something you really need to figure out before you go on vacation. I love Canada and would love to visit again.

  16. Ann Bacciaglia says

    These are great tips. Canada is a beautiful place to go and explore. I live in Ottawa and there is always something great to do.

  17. Paula Schuck says

    We have so many beautiful things to see and so much to do here. These are awesome tips.

  18. Lisa Rios says

    These are all great ideas indeed. These are very important advice to care for, before planning to travel with a family. Understand weather patterns, knowing dollar conversion rate and learning a bit of french are very important indeed. Thanks a lot for sharing these tips.

  19. Veronica says

    I have never been to Canada, but I would love to go

  20. Aisha Kristine Chong says

    I wish to go to the place some day – seems wonderful!

  21. Amanda Ripsam says

    I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario Canada. I live in a small town in Otsego Michigan now but I have had plenty of experience of board crossings. You’ll also want to pack light, The exchange rate app is a great idea I never would have known there was a app for that but reading your post I know there’s a app for currency exchange.

  22. Melissa Vera says

    I have never been to Canada but it is one of the places to visit on my bucket list. Thanks for these tips.

  23. The Mid-Atlantic Foodie says

    We plan on driving into Canada this year, so I’ll be keeping these tips handy!

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