Canada Trip.co.uk

Today is Canada Day! It’s Canada’s 144th birthday and as with every year, the country celebrates in style with fireworks displays, aerial displays, parties and a whole host of events taking place across the country- and to make sure Canadians get the chance to take part – they also have a national holiday to help make sure everyone has the chance to enjoy the day!

Canada Day is however, for the benefit of those who aren’t entirely familiar with the day, is not an ‘independence day’ – Far from it in fact! It is the birthday of Canada. The commemoration of the 1st July 1867, when the enactment of the Constitution Act 1867 was brought into being – uniting three British colonies into one unified country; Canada. Originally the day was called Dominion Day, but when Canada gained its full independence from the United Kingdom in 1982, its name was changed to Canada Day.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Canada for today, you’ll be witness to patriotism we rarely ever see in the UK, and strangely we never seem to be given the opportunity to express. The Canadian patriotism is something that fills me with a happiness.. A country and its people, proud to be who they are and where they are – and for me at least, i believe the Canadian patriotism is at the perfect level – it’s loud and proud, but not offensive or overly in peoples faces – an example where a country in the world has simply got things right. But then, we are talking about the only country in the western world not to actually go into recession in the most recent financial crisis – so it’s not unfamiliar territory for Canada to be the ones who got it right!

So what if you aren’t in Canada? Well, you may jut be in luck. A couple of months ago you may remember me featuring this, as a heads up towards the event. Canada Day has come to the UK. Canada Day London is the biggest celebration for Canada Day outside of Canada, and like everything Canadian, 110% is put into ensuring the event is filled with a massive schedule of events, and Canadians and tourists who visit Canada will find some familiar logos around the place – one of the biggest being Tim Hortons! – Tim Hortons Coffee and Doughnuts are coming to London, so if you can get yourself there.. Make sure you do! (more…)

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Posted in Airline Travel, Alberta, British Columbia, Canada Trip.co.uk, Destinations, Flights/Car Parking/Hire etc, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Skiing in Canada, Travel Planning | No Comments »

If you want to go to Canada for as little as possible the first thing you’ll need to look for are low cost, but good quality flights. After all, you don’t want to get onto a plane for the trip across the Atlantic and just sit staring at the seat in front of you for 8 hours right?

We have, since we set up almost two years ago, always recommended Canadian Affair for flights, where you can get return tickets to Canada for as little as £318 including taxes.

Canadian Affair charter Thomas Cook flights, as well as Air Transat so you you have the piece of mind when you book that you can choose flights by which ever company you’re most familiar with (though Air Transat is my personal favourite). There’s two reasons for us always recommending Canadian Affair. The first being we ALWAYS book our flights to Canada with them – and have now been on 18 flights over the last 7 years, so we have huge experience with them. The second being – they are simply, the cheapest place to book flights to Canada from the UK. I know.. i search every few weeks, always looking to book my next trip!

Thomas Cook 757 at Toronto

Even if you may have heard of Canadian Affair before, there are deals that many people miss, so I’d always recommend checking out their Special Offers page before you start entering dates – so you can ensure you get the best deal before you book your tickets.

With most people, and understandably, the biggest factor is getting the cheap flights to Canada, but there’s more to Canadian Affair than simply being the cheapest flights to Canada! They strive to give you the best customer service possible, for example in the numerous times i have needed to contact them via email, they have always responded the same day – and on a couple of occasions within 30 minutes of me actually submitting my query!

They also provide you with choice. If your closest airport is Manchester and you want to get flights from Manchester to Toronto or flights from Manchester to Ottawa, you can! Likewise you also have the choice of getting your flights from Gatwick to Toronto and flying back from Toronto to Liverpool if you wanted.

Canadian Affair offer flights from the following UK airports: Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle and Exeter. Their destinations include Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal and Edmonton, but they also do package holidays to various resorts around these locations (such as Niagara Falls) in addition to their flights.

Remember to have a look at our full review from last year on Canadian Affair, details in it are for a trip we took in 2009 but service has only got better since then: Travelling to Canada with Canadian Affair in 2010
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Posted in Alberta, British Columbia, Canada Trip.co.uk, Flights/Car Parking/Hire etc, Montreal, Niagara Falls, Niagara, ON, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Ottawa, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver | Comments Off

If you’re looking to step back in time, this is a perfect place to take the family. Think Beamish, and you’re on the right track, however instead of it being an old english town, it is an example of what live was once like in the late 1800s and early 1900s .. and as it says – How the West once was!

Heritage Park Historical Village is a historical park located in Calgary, Alberta. The park is located on 127 acres of parkland on the banks of the Glenmore Reservoir, along the city’s southwestern edge. As Canada’s largest living history museum by number of exhibits, it is one of the city’s most visited tourist attractions. The park is branded as a living history museum since it features a village that was recreated to appear as it might have in late 19th and early 20th century Alberta. Many of the buildings are historical and were transported to the park to be placed on display. Others are re-creations of actual buildings. Most of the structures are furnished and decorated with genuine artifacts. Staff dress in historic costume, and antique automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles service the site. Calgary Transit provides regular shuttle service from Heritage C-Train station. (more…)

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Well, I was looking through my list of places to feature – and I came across this.. and I have no idea why I haven’t featured this place before! The Calgary Tower is such a major landmark, and attraction in Calgary that really I should have mentioned this a long long time ago!

Officially opened June 30th 1968, the ‘Tower’ has become the City of Calgary’s most famous and identifiable physical landmark. One of the first Towers of its kind, the Calgary Tower offers the best view in Calgary and is a must-see on any tourist’s itinerary.

Throughout the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, a flame burned at the top of the Tower, making the Calgary Tower the World’s Largest Olympic Torch. The torch is still lit today for special occasions, like Canada Day and during the Calgary Flames race for the Stanley Cup, sparking fond memories as well as a certain civic pride in all Calgarians. (more…)

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It’s Monday! It’s also March tomorrow, so how about we stop thinking about those post-Christmas diets now hm?

If you haven’t been to Canada yet, you’ll almost certainly walk into restaurants and find something on the menu called Poutine. Now, don’t be scared of its particularly unique name! Poutine is actually something that most people in the UK can relate to.. We have all (well.. most of us) gone to the chip shop and got either Chips with Gravy, OR Chips with Cheese .. Well .. although technically it wouldn’t be technically correct – if you had cheese and gravy on the same tray of chips, that is almost poutine! Now, i say almost because for it to be truly poutine, the cheese needs to be cheese curds, not just your normal cheese.

As you can see from the picture, poutine is definitely not the most elegant looking of foods, but lets face it, it beats the looks of mushy peas now doesn’t it! Besides, Canadians have always been known for their no-nonsence approach, and food in my opinion should always be about flavour, and not looks. (more…)

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Posted in Alberta, British Columbia, Canada Trip.co.uk, Montreal, Muskoka, Niagara, ON, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Places to Eat, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver | No Comments »

Well, it’s Friday again, and since the weather reports are conflicting – some saying we’re in for huge quantities of snow, and others saying we’re in for nothing – i thought i’d shine a light on somewhere which you could think of visiting next time you’re in Calgary, Alberta ~ Calgary Zoo. Hopefully, by thinking about heading here it’ll prevent you from getting too down about the weather!

The Calgary Zoo is located in Bridgeland, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, just east of the city’s downtown and adjacent to the Inglewood and East Village neighbourhoods. It is accessible via Calgary’s C-Train light rail system, by car via Memorial Drive and by bicycle and footpath via the Bow River pathway. A large portion of the zoo is located on St. George’s Island in the Bow River. So, yes, it is a Zoo which is located in the middle of a river!

Calgary Zoo was one of the very first zoos set up in Canada in 1929 and being Canada’s second largest zoo is home to over 1,000 animals (not including individual fish or insects of course!) and 290 different species.
Like all good zoos, the zoo is split into several themed areas, so that you can wander around – and rather than seeing a whole range of animals from all over the world at the same time, you can visit Africa, the Canadian Wilds, and Australia to name a couple. (more…)

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Of all the animals in the world, the wolf is probably one of the most popular animals.. to at least those who love wildlife. In history it was both man’s best friend and one of man’s hated competitors. In the UK, wolves are extinct.. hunted until every last one had been killed. However in Canada, these awe inspiring animals still survive, and if you go to the right place at the right time you may even be able to experience the haunting howls of these superb creatures.

Gray wolves are slender, powerfully built animals with large, deeply descending ribcages and sloping backs. Their abdomens are pulled in, and their necks heavily muscled. Their limbs are long and robust, with comparatively small paws. The front paws have five toes each, while the back paws have four. The forelimbs are seemingly pressed into the chest, with the elbows pointed inward, and the feet outward. Females tend to have narrower muzzles and foreheads, thinner necks, slightly shorter legs and less massive shoulders than males. Wolves are very strong for their size, possessing sufficient strength to turn over a frozen horse or moose carcass. (more…)

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Posted in Alberta, Algonquin Provincial Park, Canadian Wildlife, Muskoka, Ontario | 3 Comments »

Well, as much as we all hate to say it, summer is coming to a close. The good thing though is that obviously those who love to ski – it’s coming up to that time of year again! So, since Canada truly is one of the world-class skiing destinations, the next several articles are going to concentrate on skiing destinations! So, first up, one of the best known skiing destinations in Canada; Banff.

Banff is nestled in the heart of the Canadian Rockies in spectacular Banff National Park, which is a holiday experience on its own! Expect to be overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of this region, from the awesome mountain peaks to the wild elk roaming freely down Banff Avenue to the Buzzing town centre.

When you come to stay in Banff you can enjoy three incredible resorts aptly named “The Big 3″: Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Area, offering a world of choice all within a short distance of each other and to the town. Each resort offers a different terrain and a totally different experience within the National Park, though staying in Banff you are more likely to spend more time in Sunshine Village but we recommend you try them all.. plus night skiing at Mount Norquay! (more…)

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It’s the 1st of July 2010 – and that means its Canada Day!!

Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada), formerly Dominion Day, is Canada’s national day, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united two British colonies and a province of the British Empire into a single country called Canada. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as internationally.

Frequently referred to as “Canada’s birthday”, particularly in the popular press, the occasion marks the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec) on July 1, 1867. Although Canada is regarded as having become a kingdom in its own right on that date, the British Parliament kept limited rights of political control over the new country that were shed by stages over the years until the last vestiges were surrendered in 1982 when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian constitution. (more…)

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Posted in Alberta, British Columbia, Canada Trip.co.uk, Nova Scotia, Ontario | No Comments »

I’ve been doing my rounds as normal, and I’ve just spotted this, so here’s a micro article that i HAD to publish right away about an offer that Canada’s Official Tourism website is offering, using our number one recommended flight operator Canadian Affair!

Action packaged 13 night Alberta adventure exploring the home of the Canadian Rockies.

The Wild West is a 13 night fly drive taking you on an exciting circular tour of Alberta. Starting and ending in Calgary, home to the marvellous Stampede, you’ll discover the wonders of Drumheller and the flatlands, onto Edmonton the provincial capital city and home to Canads’s largest shopping mall, before heading onwards to explore the wondrous National Parks of Jasper and Banff where you’ll have plenty of time to get outdoors and get active! This is an adventure not to be missed for all ages and all interests. Giddy up and get booking!

Price is 13 nights from £849pp fr £346 per child between 1 May – 12 Oct 2010. (more…)

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