How to Plan a Road Trip Through Canada

canada map image by Vladislav Gajic from Fotolia.com

Driving through Canada on the TransCanada Highway is one of the most stunningly scenic drives in the world. It's also the longest highway in the world and can take a long time if driving the whole 4,860-mile route from Victoria, B.C. to St. John's, Newfoundland. This depends on if you're going through one province or all of them. But as with any long road trip, preparing is essential when dealing with your itinerary, budgeting, emergencies, sights to see and road conditions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Planning Tips

Things You’ll Need:

Internet Google Earth Money Digital camera Emergency supplies
Internet
Google Earth
Money
Digital camera
Emergency supplies

Step 1

Figure out how many miles you'll be traveling on the TransCanada Highway. Use a more detailed chart that calculates not only how many miles through selected towns and cities but also how many days or hours it'll take you.

Step 2

Download Google Earth on your computer and use its satellite maps, road markings, restaurants and hotel listings to plan out your itinerary. Or, find other TransCanada Highway maps online easily findable through a Google search.

Step 3

Look up official websites for the cities you'll be visiting during your road trip to Canada. Google them or find a comprehensive list of sites on the TransCanada Highway official site.

Step 4

Set up your budget for the trip. Use the online maps to scope out the places you'll be staying while on the trip. Multiply the length of your vacation with a daily rate of camping, a motel or an expensive hotel to get average cost.

Step 5

Work out your budget for meals while on the trip. Eat lunch in an expensive restaurants rather than eating dinner in one. Consider taking your own food along in an ice chest or eating in fast food restaurants to save money.

Step 6

Figure how much gas you'll need based on your car's mileage. Buy gas in the larger Canadian cities where it'll be cheaper than in the smaller cities.

Step 7

Buy or take along a digital camera so you can take picture of Canada's awe-inspiring scenery. If you prefer to use film, you can still buy it in most stores that sell photographic equipment.

Step 8

Study the websites for each Canadian city and town to see what might be happening in entertainment. Frequently festivals, fairs or other fun activities are happening throughout Canada that you'll want to partake in. If you're bringing along kids, have DVD's, video games or books on hand.

Best Canadian Stopovers

Step 1

Stay and visit Victoria and Vancouver, B.C. when starting out on the highway in Victoria. Vancouver, B.C., of course, was the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. This part of Canada contains some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world.

Step 2

Stop and take in the highest point of the highway called Kicking Horse Pass. It's located at the Alberta-British Columbia border. The elevation is a daunting 1,643 meters.

Step 3

Take extra time to explore the city of Montreal in the province of Quebec. Here, you'll find more metropolitan things to do before returning back to more scenic territory heading through the eastern provinces.

Tips & Warnings

Prepare for possible emergencies while on your trip. Bring along flares, reflector triangles, jumper cables and even an empty gas can in case you run out of gas. Pack a first-aid kit into the car just in case there's an accident or other unforeseen event that causes injury. Take along a shovel and ice scraper in the event you run into winter weather up in the higher elevations of Canada. If traveling in winter, it'll be inevitable. Check road conditions before you get to some of your future Canadian destinations. You can avoid roads with ice and snow if you have Wi-Fi in your car and access these sites for up-to-the-minute updates.

Prepare for possible emergencies while on your trip. Bring along flares, reflector triangles, jumper cables and even an empty gas can in case you run out of gas.

Pack a first-aid kit into the car just in case there's an accident or other unforeseen event that causes injury.

Take along a shovel and ice scraper in the event you run into winter weather up in the higher elevations of Canada. If traveling in winter, it'll be inevitable.

Check road conditions before you get to some of your future Canadian destinations. You can avoid roads with ice and snow if you have Wi-Fi in your car and access these sites for up-to-the-minute updates.

Resources

Article Written By Greg Brian

Greg Brian is a freelance writer who took his diverse writing skills to the Internet in 2007. He currently writes for various prestigious websites. He earned an Associate of Arts degree in business management from Trend Business College in 1993.

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