Glenn and I recently made a run for the Canadian border.

We were still reeling from having to cancel yet another overseas trip due to COVID and were looking for an adventure to sooth our wanderlust.

Canada had recently opened their land borders to vaccinated Americans and were no longer requiring a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. So, we decided to load up our campervan “Laverne” and do an epic Canadian road trip!

Traveling in Laverne enables us to minimize contact with others, especially since almost all of our desired activities are outside. Other than a quick trip into a grocery store now and again, we can limit our in-person interactions thereby reducing COVID risks to ourselves and to the communities we visit. This felt like a responsible way to travel for pleasure.

We ended up leaving several days sooner than expected for fear that the Canadian government would soon change their mind about letting Americans across (especially since the U.S. still has not reciprocated by opening our land borders to vaccinated Canadians).

So, we left in a hurry and didn’t really have a plan beyond making it across the border — which required proof of being fully vaccinated, a negative COVID test taken within the last 72 hours and a clear plan for how we would quarantine/isolate ourselves for 14 days if we got exposed or sick (bearing in mind coming back into the U.S./going home would not be an option at that point).

Once across the border we took a deep breath, looked at each other and said, “now what?!?”

To make a long story short…a few days later we found ourselves traveling for ~16 hours by ferry through the Inside Passage.

The British Columbia (BC) portion of the Inside Passage stretches from Port Hardy on Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert in Northern BC, a distance of over 310 miles (500 kilometers). It is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages that weave between various coastal islands. The full route extends from Alaska down into northwestern Washington State in the U.S.

The ferry ride is a beautiful wildlife cruise with whales, porpoises, sea lions and eagles to view while passing gorgeous fjords and forested islands. In some places the snow-capped mountains along the passages soar almost straight up 3,500 feet. Toward the end of the journey the Grenville Channel narrows to just 1,400 feet and I felt like I could almost touch the trees on either side as the ferry slipped through.

Based on my experience with this trip, I would recommend a few things to others considering making this journey:

• If riding with BC Ferries, pay the extra money for the reserved seats in the lounge. This is the only place on the ferry where you can see out the front of the ship. It has a great view and gives the best vantage point to spot whales.
• If we were to do it over again, we wouldn’t spend the money on a cabin. There was too much to see outside and I didn’t want to waste time inside the cabin! So, unless taking a nap or a shower is a “must” in your book, I’d suggest skipping that expense.
• I’d consider taking the ferry from North to South, instead of South to North. By the time we got to some of the narrower channels closer to Prince Rupert the sun had already set and we couldn’t see the scenery. I was sad to have missed it.
• Ferry food is what you might expect…so bring some snacks!