O Canada! - Page 4

jesh · 7th July 2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrennaHowar

Yeah do it Toronto is an awesome city. Kind of reminded me of Melbourne.

BTH i didn't really enjoy Vancouver. The main reason Canada is so amazing is the countryside. They have amazing national parks.

Phew, finally someone saying something positive about Toronto

I love Melbourne so that's reassuring to hear!

TheWedgie · 7th July 2009, 10:18 AM

Gonna be a bit of a rush for us, but we have 2 days in LA, 2 in Vancouver, 5 in Whistler, 2 in Calgary, 2 in Toronto and 3 in NY.
With a day travelling between each (so probably half a day extra in some places, depending on the flight times).

Not sure if we'll do Calgary, or just use those days in Toronto/NY - I'd love to see more of Canada, but don't want to be rushed...

Would have loved to splurge the cash (and time) on a sleeper car for the train across (Vancouver-Toronto), but when a 4.5hr flight costs the same as 4 days in a train seat, no dice.

THE_SHIZZ · 7th July 2009, 11:09 AM

Do you have a link to the train website? If im there for a while that sounds like a bit of fun

TheWedgie · 7th July 2009, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE_SHIZZ

Do you have a link to the train website? If im there for a while that sounds like a bit of fun

http://www.viarail.ca/

We were looking at 'The Canadian', earlybird prices were ~$450 for Econonmy seating. Probably wouldn't be that bad, but on the time frame we have I'd rather spend 3 days in Toronto/Calgary.
It's not much more ($570ish I think) for their 'rail pass' thing, for 12 days of travel in a 30 day period, so that could be worth looking into.

remi · 8th July 2009, 8:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWedgie

Gonna be a bit of a rush for us, but we have 2 days in LA, 2 in Vancouver, 5 in Whistler, 2 in Calgary, 2 in Toronto and 3 in NY.
With a day travelling between each (so probably half a day extra in some places, depending on the flight times).

Not sure if we'll do Calgary, or just use those days in Toronto/NY - I'd love to see more of Canada, but don't want to be rushed...

Would have loved to splurge the cash (and time) on a sleeper car for the train across (Vancouver-Toronto), but when a 4.5hr flight costs the same as 4 days in a train seat, no dice.

I just did 9 months in Toronto, so for those wanting some ideas let me know what interests you and I'll try point out some spots. I hope you're there for anytime now to October. October-April gets snowy, cold, not so much fun.

Wedgie, to be honest, cut out Calgary. Give some extra time for Toronto. You need a day trip from Toronto to do Niagara Falls. There's easily a few days of stuff to do in Toronto. Or even give more time to NY if you want. NY needs a week at least depending on the things you want to do. Cool idea for NY is getting tickets to see the David Letterman show (they're free; check out the website).

PHAT_pudding · 9th July 2009, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by remi

October-April gets snowy, cold, not so much fun.

haha and this happens to coincide nicely with when i'll be there. heading over in feb for a month. staying in vancouver for 9 days, then going to toronto (via air) for 2 weeks, then heading back to vancouver via the train and then flying out.

although i have no idea what to do in the time between. obviously skiing like a maddog! but is there plenty of things to do in the coldest months? the canadians don't all close their doors and begin hibernation do they? haha

Wacky · 9th July 2009, 8:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by remi

Wedgie, to be honest, cut out Calgary. Give some extra time for Toronto.

As much as I love Calgary, I only go there because of family - there isn't much else to do. Edmonton isn't much better either, but they have the West Ed Mall as something going for them. Again, if it wasn't for so much family there, I wouldn't go - at least not in the winter months....in non-winter months they are a bunch of super-active people doing every outdoor activity you can imagine.

Super Maggot · 10th July 2009, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcr

Yup, I worked at Big White for the ski season, then we hired a car and checked out other places in Canada. Kicking myself I didn't stay on in Vancouver though, still had plenty of time left on my visa.

My friends and I were looking at going to canada at the end of the year for a ski season. We were thinking Banff or Big White. Did you do yours through OWH?

We were going to try and avoid those programs but it's seeming like a good idea at the moment. Any tips for people wanting to find jobs and accomodation themselves?

eskyhead · 10th July 2009, 6:16 AM

www.localsknow.ca

This page is on T.V. over here quiet a lot, seems to be pretty good for things to do and see.

eskyhead · 10th July 2009, 7:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Maggot

My friends and I were looking at going to canada at the end of the year for a ski season. We were thinking Banff or Big White. Did you do yours through OWH?

We were going to try and avoid those programs but it's seeming like a good idea at the moment. Any tips for people wanting to find jobs and accomodation themselves?

Big White is cheaper all round, you can get your season ticket ahead of the season opening and save money ( early bird prices ) .

You can also get cheaper places to stay in Kelowna ( 40 minutes away )

I live in Kelowna so if you want I can find out places for you to stay, I know there is one backpackers around here. Job wise there isn't much going unless you wanna work in Tim Hortons, McDonalds or those kind of places.

remi · 10th July 2009, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHAT_pudding

although i have no idea what to do in the time between. obviously skiing like a maddog! but is there plenty of things to do in the coldest months? the canadians don't all close their doors and begin hibernation do they? haha

Simply put, no there isn't a lot to do in the coldest months. Toronto had a very lively night life, bars, clubs, indoor type stuff. Major outdoor stuff would be ice skating, ice hockey etc. As a general rule the daily maximum and minimum between around November-March had minuses everyday. I bought a decent coat for about $150 which was almost too warm, so getting around outdoors wasn't too bad if you were wearing the right clothes.

May-October it is a lot more lively, outdoor patios (beer gardens) are everywhere. I'd still recommend Toronto for at least 3-5 days anytime of year as there's plenty to see still.

bcr · 11th July 2009, 2:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Maggot

My friends and I were looking at going to canada at the end of the year for a ski season. We were thinking Banff or Big White. Did you do yours through OWH?

We were going to try and avoid those programs but it's seeming like a good idea at the moment. Any tips for people wanting to find jobs and accomodation themselves?

I did go through OWH. It's a bit pricey, but worth it. At the start of the season, I knew plenty of people who didn't have a job organised who struggled to find something. In the end they all did, but it could take up to a month or longer, don't expect to get there and find a job on your first day. Book a bed in the hostel too, if finding a job is hard, finding accommodation is even harder. We were told before we left finding accommodation was easy, it was a lie, it was bloody hard.

Thankfully though, I had a job lined up through OWH, so when I started the job, I got put in staff accommodation which was really nice. We were in a 3 story condominium type thing, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, lounge room ect. for $450 per month. As I was staff, it got taken straight out of my pay each month. There is 6 people in each condo so it was too cramped either.

If you're Big White staff you will get your season pass for free too. You will also get food discounts around the mountain. At "Happy Valley" they have a cafe/restaurant type thing where you get 50% off your food if you show them your staff season pass. Definitely helps getting food discounts seeing as you won't be paid very much.

Oh, and don't stay in Kelowna, it's so much better staying on the actual mountain.

Kryten59 · 14th July 2009, 11:38 AM

I went with 2 friends in 05/06. No job, no accomodation bar a few nights in the hostel.

We arrived in December, and it was a bit of a mad rush to find a place to stay and a job but we managed to get a 3 br place in Crappy Valley with 3 other people from the hostel, so 6 in a 3br townhouse but it was brand new and everything worked.
I found my first job in the supermarket, but gave that the arse in favour of working for the Happy Valley lodge. Don't work in the supermarket, it's run by a Yank who (i assume he's still there) is a bit of a prick.

I had an awesome time there and think you'll love it.

If i was to do it again i think i would have tried to sort accommodation out before hand, moreso than a job. I found jobs were there to be found if you were persistent, whereas there is a much tighter market for places to live. Plus, you do take $4,000+ with you which should at least last you the season if you stay off the blow and hookers.

And as said before, stay on the mountain, not in Kelowna. Take a decent camera, and make sure you go snowmobiling, that was awesome

will_ong · 14th July 2009, 1:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Maggot

My friends and I were looking at going to canada at the end of the year for a ski season. We were thinking Banff or Big White. Did you do yours through OWH?

We were going to try and avoid those programs but it's seeming like a good idea at the moment. Any tips for people wanting to find jobs and accomodation themselves?

Hey mate,

I went through IEP last year. From memory it wasn't all that expensive.

I lined up a job and accommodation at COP (Calgary Olympic Park), an hour from Banff. The job was ok - yelling "pizza" and "frenchfries" to three year olds most of the time. The perks were pretty good. We got a free season pass for COP - which is fine if you ride park or pipe, utterly worthless if you don't. We got free tickets at a lot of the Banff resorts (Sunshine Village, etc) and pretty good discounts at a few resorts further away (Fernie, Castle Mountain, Kicking Horse, Revelstoke, Pano).
Accommodation was organised for us - 30-odd aussies and kiwis all living in the same block of townhouses.

It's not living in a resort, but I think you'd get sick of the same old stuff if you lived on mountain.

miguel_sanchez · 26th August 2009, 10:02 PM

Anyone else going over this season? I've got a job lined up through OWH at Big White, just waiting on my work visa to be approved (hope it doesn't take too long to get back to me, only sent it off 2 weeks ago

). Excited about it, but also nervous as i'm going over by myself!

7th July 2009, 10:18 AM	#47
TheWedgie Reputation: Over 9000 Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: South Australia Posts: 2,621	Gonna be a bit of a rush for us, but we have 2 days in LA, 2 in Vancouver, 5 in Whistler, 2 in Calgary, 2 in Toronto and 3 in NY. With a day travelling between each (so probably half a day extra in some places, depending on the flight times). Not sure if we'll do Calgary, or just use those days in Toronto/NY - I'd love to see more of Canada, but don't want to be rushed... Would have loved to splurge the cash (and time) on a sleeper car for the train across (Vancouver-Toronto), but when a 4.5hr flight costs the same as 4 days in a train seat, no dice. __________________ ugbox.net \| OCAU Emergency Services Club This post is the personal opinion of the poster and may not necessarily state or reflect those of SA Ambulance Service, SA Department of Health, or First Care Medical. It does not constitute medical advice, and should not be taken three times a day with meals. May cause drowsiness - do not drive or operate heavy machinery after reading.

7th July 2009, 11:09 AM	#48
THE_SHIZZ Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 2,477	Do you have a link to the train website? If im there for a while that sounds like a bit of fun __________________ OCAU Fishing Club Member #6

10th July 2009, 6:16 AM	#54
eskyhead Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Kelowna B.C. Canada Posts: 639	www.localsknow.ca This page is on T.V. over here quiet a lot, seems to be pretty good for things to do and see.

14th July 2009, 11:38 AM	#58
Kryten59 Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Melbourne Posts: 429	I went with 2 friends in 05/06. No job, no accomodation bar a few nights in the hostel. We arrived in December, and it was a bit of a mad rush to find a place to stay and a job but we managed to get a 3 br place in Crappy Valley with 3 other people from the hostel, so 6 in a 3br townhouse but it was brand new and everything worked. I found my first job in the supermarket, but gave that the arse in favour of working for the Happy Valley lodge. Don't work in the supermarket, it's run by a Yank who (i assume he's still there) is a bit of a prick. I had an awesome time there and think you'll love it. If i was to do it again i think i would have tried to sort accommodation out before hand, moreso than a job. I found jobs were there to be found if you were persistent, whereas there is a much tighter market for places to live. Plus, you do take $4,000+ with you which should at least last you the season if you stay off the blow and hookers. And as said before, stay on the mountain, not in Kelowna. Take a decent camera, and make sure you go snowmobiling, that was awesome

26th August 2009, 10:02 PM	#60
miguel_sanchez Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,120	Anyone else going over this season? I've got a job lined up through OWH at Big White, just waiting on my work visa to be approved (hope it doesn't take too long to get back to me, only sent it off 2 weeks ago ). Excited about it, but also nervous as i'm going over by myself!