Throwback: Travelling Across Canada By Train

Since we first left the UK back in November 2016, we have had countless incredible adventures. As I have previously been particularly hopeless at writing about them, I figured I'd use all my spare time on the ranch to reminisce.

Below, you will find the story of our train journey across Canada back in August 2018.

The Journey

We flew out of London Gatwick Airport into Vancouver International and flew back from Toronto Pearson Airport two weeks later. We split up that time as follows:

• 3 nights in Vancouver, BC

• 19 hour train from Vancouver, BC to Jasper, AB

• 3 nights in Jasper, AB

• 39 hour train from Jasper, AB to Winnipeg, MB

• 2 nights in Winnipeg, MB

• 33 hour train from Winnipeg, MB to Toronto, ON

• 2 nights in Toronto, ON

Life On The Train

We made the journey across Canada with a company called VIA Rail. They have several routes around Canada to choose from and we took their "The Canadian" train which travels from Vancouver-Toronto and takes approximately four days.

You can choose to do the journey all in one go or make multiple stops along the way. When we boarded the train in Vancouver, there were several people doing the whole stretch. We are definitely glad that we took advantage of the breaks.

VIA Rail have various comfort levels on board, however as we were saving for our eventual move to Canada we decided to opt for the economy class. This included one personal bag to have in the carriage and one piece of hold luggage to be stored below the train.

In August 2018 two tickets to travel 4,466km cost us just CAD$1,012.20/£585.23. Internal flights in Canada are very expensive, so we were more than content with this.

Life in economy was interesting at times to say the least. Our seats only reclined about two-thirds of the way meaning we couldn't lie flat and we definitely learned the hard way on our first leg that it gets very cold on the train overnight.

Without the privacy of a sleeper carriage, you are also subject to the sleeping habits (or not sleeping habits) of your fellow passengers.

Another thing to note is that VIA Rail does not own the tracks they travel on and therefore have to give way to all freight trains that come through. Canadian freight trains can stretch for literal miles and are slow to pass. Our Jasper-Winnipeg leg was originally meant to take 32 hours meaning we had 7 hours worth of delays.

All that said, we were very impressed with the food offering on board and the views from the glass roof observation deck were pretty spectacular at times.

Vancouver, BC

Where we stayed: The Buchan Hotel

What we did:

• Activated my Working Holiday Visa - the primary reason for our visit -so I was able to work when we returned eight months later.

• Fought jet lag - a ten hour plane ride to go eight hours back in time is no fun for anyone.

• Tried our first ever Tim Horton's and poutine.

• Got lost after walking through Gastown and ended up on the Downtown East Side, a socially deprived part of Vancouver that the city tries to hide from tourists.

• Visited Granville Island

• Walked along the seawall and around Stanley Park

Favourite journal quote:

"Rich had read that it was a hipster style market, very insta-w**ky" - About Granville Island (pretty accurate description, and to this day is one of our favourite places in the city)

Jasper, AB

Where we stayed: Twin Pine Inn & Suites (actually in Hinton, not Jasper)

What we did:

• Visited the Miette Hot Springs - twice!

• Explored the Athabasca Glacier.

• Spotted our first Elk at Pyramid Lake.

• Were terrified about plunging to our death at the incredible Maligne Canyon.

Favourite journal quote:

"Rich agreed to try the 21 degree plunge pool with me, which although refreshing, felt like we were being stabbed with tiny knives." - At the incredible Miette Hot Springs, the 39 degree pool is much more our style!

Winnipeg, MB

Where we stayed: Mere Hotel

What we did:

• Took 3am showers (some of the best of our lives!) after our 39 hour journey and slept until noon!

• Sampled local beer and cinnamon buns at The Forks indoor market.

• Had a beautifully sobering visit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Favourite journal quote:

"We took a long walk home through the city, stopping first for me to make friends with the local geese." - Daytime drinking, enough said.

Toronto, ON

Where we stayed: Hilton Toronto

What we did:

• Enjoyed our fanciest hotel - ate too much after wangling our way into in the executive lounge and got some late summer pool time.

• Had date night at the CN Tower rotating restaurant and "Sharks after Dark" at the aquarium.

• Had our first taste of a Canadian sports bar and our last taste of poutine for eight months.

Favourite journal quote:

"Rich happily stood on the glass looking down into the depths of hell below, but I was a bit of a chicken and mostly hovered by the edge." - My thoughts on the glass bottom viewing platform at the CN Tower.

Final Thoughts

The two weeks we spent travelling across Canada by train were stressful, frustrating and, at times, we went for days without WiFi! On the other hand, it was exciting, surprising and allowed us to see so much of the country.

This method of travel is truly the definition of "it's not the destination, it's the journey" and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone considering giving it a go.