I need suggestions to know Canada in a cheap way since I have the air ticket free. <BR>Me and my husbund will go in August or September and want stay for 15 or 20 days. <BR>Cheap Hotels ? <BR>by car , bus or train ? <BR>What see ? <BR>All suggestions will be welcome. <BR>Thanks <BR>Claudia <BR>

Hi Claudia, <BR>What area of Canada are you planning on visiting? Where are you flying to? and what type of things do you like to do? Do you want to see mostly cities or do you want to see the country side? <BR>Let ius know and we can help. <BR>Renting a car is usually expensive. The bus would probably be the cheapest transportation. <BR>Most of the big cities have hostel where you can stay at a good price. <BR>Good luck. <BR>

Hello Lee <BR>I´m planning to know the west coast. <BR>I´m from Brasil and I´ve heard something about a train wich cross Canada from east to west. Do you know it ? <BR>Then I´ll can stay a few days in Montreal and Quebec and the others in west coast. <BR>I want see the montains , Lake Louise , Banff , Vancouver , Calgary and to do a short hike <BR>Maybe I do a english course in Boston before go to canada. I don´t yet. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Hi Claudia. <BR>I don't know too much about the train, but I think it is very expensive. I will try to find out more for you. It takes a few days to get out west. If you only have a short time here, you may want to just stay in the west. I live near Toronto, so don't have too much information about cheap places to stay out west. But I did stay at the YMCA in Banff once. It was the cheapest place I could find. I took the bus from Vancouver to Calagary and stopped overnight in Banff. <BR>I do think the bus would be the cheapest and you are allowed to make stops overnight. <BR>I think your english is very good. <BR>Lee

HI Claudia, <BR>I just did some checking and found some web sites you can look at. <BR>The train site is www.viarail.ca <BR>The bus site is www.greyhound.ca <BR> <BR>Good luck.

Thanks for my good english Lee , but I´m not good to speak and understand so I want to improve it. <BR>I´ll read more about Canada and after I´d like to contact you again. OK ? <BR>If you find something about the train please send me a mail. I love travel by tran. <BR>I´ll look for about YMCA. <BR> <BR>Thanks a lot <BR>Cláudia <BR>from Rio de Janeiro , Brasil

Thanks again. <BR>The sites are very good. <BR>I couldn´t find the train cross yet but I realized that the price will be impossible for me. <BR>Do you know a fare plane from east cost to west cost ? <BR>Can I go by bus or train from Boston to Quebec ? <BR>

Hi Claudia. Lee is giving you good advice. I have visited Western Canada, mainly the Canadian Rockiesl. <BR>True, the area around Banff and Lake Louise is expensive. Hotels and motels are priced high. <BR>When I go I try to find cheaper accommodations. For the area around Lake Louise, I stay in the town of Field, British Columbia, which is within Yoho National Park. It is about 15 miles from Lake Louise. <BR>The National Park office has a list of private homes that rent rooms to tourists. You can also find some on this link: <BR>http://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/field/accmdtns.htm <BR> <BR>The reference to the Burgess Shale is correct because it is a world famous layer of rock that contains rare fossils. <BR> <BR>Jasper National Park also has a list of private homes that rent rooms to travelers. <BR> <BR>You can get a good idea of what rooms will cost you before you leave home. <BR>And I would not go without confirmed reservations in the summer. <BR> <BR>I know that there are several very nice campgrounds around the area. But unless you have the right equipment, especially sleeping bags, you would not be able to camp out. It can get very cold at night in those mountains! <BR>I think you will find parts of British Columbia very scenic. And Victoria, the capital of the province is a nice city to visit. You could find cheaper accommodations in Victoria by looking for Bed and Breakfast lodgings. <BR> <BR>The British Travel Authority has a printed list of accommodations for the whole province. I don't think they list them all, but there is a long list. <BR>I know you said that you don't speak English well. If you will send me by email your full address at home, I will be happy to call Tourism British Columbia and ask them to send you a list of accommodations. I will also call the Alberta travel bureau as well. <BR>So if you wish me to do that, email me. <BR>

OOPS Make that British Columbia!! <BR>Left out a key word.

Hi Claudia, <BR>Bob Brown's advice is excellent. He will be a big help to you. He is very knowledgable and knows much more about the west coast than I do. Do not hesitate to send him your address. He will do all he can. <BR>I didn't know that there were private homes that rented out rooms, but it sounds like a great idea. <BR>Airfares can also be expensive, but the charter fares are the cheapest. Just be aware that they are non-refundable and no changes are allowed. <BR>I will find out more about the flights for you. I will send you the web sites for the different Canadian charter airlines. It's very late at night and I must get to bed! But I will get you the information later.

Hi Claudia <BR> <BR>There are good one way fares from Vancouver to Toronto/Montreal or Halifax. Your best bet is to see a travel agent when you arrive in Vancouver and if you are flexible with dates of travel, you can get a reasonable airfare to Montreal approx. $299.00CAD plus taxes( or lower.!) The charter companies are Air Transat, Canada 3000, Royal and starting soon Roots Air. The YWCA on Beatty Street in Vancouver is good choice for Vancouver in the summer. Good Luck

For the train info. <BR>http://www.viarail.ca/ <BR>For the bus info. <BR>http://www.greyhound.ca/ <BR> <BR>Have fun researching.

Hi Claudia, <BR>I live in Manitoba, which is in central Canada, on the Prairies. If you have 15 to 20 days in Canada I would advise you pick an area of Canada, and I guess you have by saying you would like to see the west coast. If this is your plan, I would recommend flying into Calgary and starting your trip from there. Like Lee said, I too believe that the train is really expensive, and if you decide to stay outside Banff (which is very pricey) staying instead in Cochrane or even in Calgary, you would need a car to drive back and forth. We made a week-long trip last summer from Manitoba to Calgary and Banff. In fact, renting a car and travelling from Calgary, through Banff, up to Jasper (another park going into the Province of British Columbia) is some of the beautiful that I have ever encountered. <BR>Keep in mind that Canada is a HUGE country, and it takes a long time to get from place to place. <BR>Feel free to email me at the above address if I can be of help or if you have questions about Manitoba at all. <BR>Have a great trip! <BR>