Summary

The article discusses the challenges and realities of traveling from and living in Canada due to its remote geographical location and the associated costs, contrasting it with the ease of travel and lower expenses in more central locations like Turkey.

Abstract

The author reflects on the surprising realization, upon leaving Canada, of how geographically isolated the country is, making international travel time-consuming and expensive. Despite Canada's reputation as a top place to live, the intense visa processes and financial barriers, such as costly flights, make it difficult for both Canadians and foreigners to explore different cultures. The article highlights that even short domestic flights in Canada are pricey, whereas in other parts of the world, such as Turkey, one can fly to various countries and cultures for a fraction of the cost. The author also points out that the standard two weeks of holiday for Canadians is often consumed by long-distance travel and jetlag, leaving little time for actual exploration. Moreover, the high cost of living in Canada makes it challenging to save money for travel. The author concludes that for those prioritizing travel, residing in a more central location is more practical and cost-effective.

Opinions

The author believes that Canada's geographical isolation significantly hinders affordable and convenient travel.
There is a perception that the dreams of many to immigrate to Canada are often unrealistic due to the financial and bureaucratic hurdles.
The cost of living in Canada is considered high, which, coupled with limited vacation time, makes it difficult for Canadians to travel extensively.
The article suggests that living in a central location, like Turkey, provides better access to a variety of cultures and countries at a lower cost, making it a preferable choice for travel enthusiasts.
The author expresses that the Canadian lifestyle, with its limited holiday time and the need for long-distance travel, is not conducive to a travel-focused life.

CANADA | TRAVEL

Canada Is In the Middle of Nowhere

It’s something that we didn’t really realize until we left.

People that we meet are shocked when we tell them that we are from Canada. They are mostly shocked because they can’t understand why we aren’t there.

Canada has a reputation around the world of being one of the best places in the world to live. Most local people that we meet have dreams of going to Canada.

Sadly, most of those dreams are far-fetched and unrealistic.

Never mind the intense visa processes that people have to go through, but saving up enough money for a flight to get there is at the top of their problem list.

Until we left North America, we never really realized how out in the middle of nowhere Canada is. I mean, as Canadians, to even try to travel to a place that offers a different culture, we have to fly 5–6 hours to Mexico. Beyond that, we have to fly over the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean, and that can take anywhere from 8–12 hours and more, depending on the part of the country you start in and if you are heading East or West.

I mean it takes 5–6 hours (and more to some places) to fly across the country! Never mind trying to leave it.

Compare this with where we are now in Turkey. From Istanbul, you can fly 2 hours North, South, East or West and encounter dozens of different countries, (not to mention three different continents,) each having its own culture, language and food.

There is also the fact that flights around these parts start at just 20 Euros! Yes, while in Varna, Bulgaria we met a man who flew there for the weekend from Tel Aviv, Israel because his flight was just 29 Euros. We also spoke to other travelers that had come from France for 35 Euros.

Compare that with flights from just Vancouver to Calgary (not even 1/4 across the country) that clock in at a minimum of $100 and are more likely closer to $200 and above. To fly from Calgary to Toronto you are usually looking at $300-$400 minimum.

Throughout our travels, we have run into hurdles that would make most people slink back to their home countries to sort out the details. But for us, flying back across the Atlantic Ocean does not only take a lot of time, it takes a lot of money, something that we don’t have a huge stockpile of.

People ask us all the time why we aren’t living in Canada when it is the dream of so many to do so. In the beginning, we would try and just explain that we wanted to see the world and meet people from different cultures, which is still true, but over time we have also realized that trying to live in Canada, plus making traveling a priority in our lives, is near impossible.

First of all, most Canadians only get 2 weeks of holiday from their jobs. When you fly across the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans to go somewhere, you usually suffer days and days of jetlag. This comes out of the time that you have for exploring, and in some cases, you won’t completely overcome your jetlag until close to when you are going back home.

Second of all Canada is a very expensive country to live in. It’s difficult to make enough money to save for anything, let alone traveling.

For those of us that want to make traveling a huge part of our life, living in Canada just doesn’t make sense. It’s much better to be in a central location like where we are now, where we can access many parts of the world easier and cheaper.

When I thought about writing this article I started thinking of other countries that are very remote and expensive to get to. Some that come to mind are New Zealand, Iceland, and Australia. However Australia is still close to Indonesia and many other countries in Asia, relatively speaking.

Plus, of course, there are numerous island nations in the middle of the various oceans which are very remote as well. But at least most of them aren’t freezing cold! Ha!

Of course, there is also Antarctica but the only people down there are pretty much just scientists.

As funny as it sounds to say, when you really think about it, Canada really is in the middle of nowhere.

Relatively speaking.

Thank you to Sahil Patel and your editorial team of Yana Bostongirl and Dr. Preeti Singh for this great publication!

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