TRAVEL
Don’t Visit Canada Because of These 7 Reasons
I thought Canada was a nice place to visit
We hear all nice things about Canada, right? It’s so peaceful and the people are super friendly. It’s all true! But nothing’s perfect, right?
Here are 7 reasons why you should NOT visit Canada! 🇨🇦
01 Tax Surprise
Shopping is no fun when you receive a rude surprise at the cash register.
When you see something labelled for $10.99, tax isn’t included!
When you take your item to the cash register, be prepared to slap on 13% for the tax in Ontario. That’s the total you’re paying.
It will be different for each province, but you will pay tax.
I told you it wasn’t fun.
02 Tips is A Thing
Yes, leaving tips after a meal is a very debatable topic. Whether you care about it or not, you do pay tips in Canada.
Not satisfied with that long wait, rude service, and delayed food order? Yep, you will still need to leave a tip.
It’s a good thing to remember when you’re dining at a restaurant.
Don’t be that person walking out of a restaurant with an upset server running after you!
By the way, you will pay tax too. So now you will pay tips and tax! 💸
03 Is It Possible To Be Too Polite?
I can confirm that Canadians are super polite. I love it, I really do. But when time is of essence, it can border on annoying.
Take this classic situation as an example.
Two people are both approaching a door. John holds the door and gestures for Bob to go ahead. Bob then shakes his head and tells John to go in first.
They literally spend a few minutes going back and forth until one of them finally succumbs. This is really not preferred if someone is in a rush!
For all we know, there could be two or even more people trying to get through the door.
P.S. This happens at a 4 way stop sign while driving too!
04 One Word: Winter
I probably don’t need to explain a whole lot about the annoying points of a Canadian winter. We have to deal with frozen car doors, snow storms, and overall dark and gloomy weather for a good chunk of the year.
I barely go outside in the winter!
Sure, fresh snow on the ground can look very pretty. Then there is the reality.
Shovelling 40 cm of snow isn’t exactly good entertainment. It’s kind of back-breaking to be honest. Or you can always invest in a snowblower!
However, if you are a winter sports enthusiast, then you’ll be happy with all the white stuff here in the winter.
05 Large Clothing Sizes
I’m a small person and I find most of the clothing sizes in Canada to be too big. The pants are always too long for a short person like me.
I also don’t want to pay extra to get it altered and I don’t know how to do it myself either. If you are petite, you may find it hard to find your clothing size!
If you read my other story, I mention that I wear kids’ clothing sometimes.
They fit well! Haha! 🥸
06 A Car Is Essential
Canada is big. There is lots of space everywhere. That being said, you need a car to go anywhere most of the time! If you’re lucky, you can expect a 5 to 10 minute drive to get to a mall or restaurant.
Going to a good hiking trail that is away from the city almost always mean a half hour drive.
I totally understand why people love living in downtown. You can get by on foot, by subway, or by bike!
If you’re not downtown, you’ll need to figure out your mode of transportation when you’re touring the city. Thankfully, there are a lot of other alternatives!
07 Small Malls
Compared to malls in Asia, malls in Canada aren’t very big. Many of the malls here in Toronto are about 2–3 floors of stores.
The West Edmonton Mall in Alberta is large. But besides that, the malls are really not too massive.
In contrast, I have gotten lost in maze-like malls in Asia. Even if I have been there multiple times, I always discover a new wing of stores somehow!
Take Malaysia for example. Low Yat in Kuala Lumpur is a technology and electronics plaza (not store) that is at least 4 floors tall, filled with any kind of gadget you could desire. It’s smooshed with electronic stalls and stores.
It’s incredible — definitely a dream for techies!
Do any of these reasons stop you from wanting to visit Canada?
Don’t misunderstand, Canada is a beautiful country and there are plenty of nice things to do.
You may just want to think twice about visiting in the dead of the winter!
Unless you love cold weather and winter sports of course! Or maybe you just want to see some snow. 😀
Since joining Medium, I’ve been making about $40 a month. This is increasing slowly, but surely! If you’d like to boost your engagement and earnings, consider joining Medium to read unlimited articles! It’s $5 per month, which is dirt cheap considering the prices of things now.
You can sign up today with the following link! You will also be directly supporting writers (including me) by signing up. And I’ll receive a small commission. Happy reading!
If you enjoy my stories and would like to support me, please consider buying me a coffee. Thank you!
