We are not joking when we say that you can travel to Canada even if you are on a low budget. Although it is true that in some parts of daily life in Canada the cost of living can be quite high, if you plan your trip in advance you might be surprised with how affordable it can be to travel to Canada. You need to be both financially and logistically organised and, where possible, talk to other people – friends or family who have travelled to Canada before. Remember that order, planning and optimising your resources are vital factors to bear in mind if you want to travel for the best possible price. In this article we will give you very valuable information to help you plan your trip on the best possible budget. We will tell you about different aspects of Canada and will give you information that will show you travelling to the country is not necessarily as expensive as you thought before reading this article.

Requirements for your trip:

We will start with the basics:

If you are British and are interested in travelling to this destination, you are no longer required to present a visa thanks to the eTA program. Nevertheless you need to obtain your electronic travel permit (ETA Visa) before boarding your plane.

Choose your flight at the best price:

The second thing you need to do is to find and compare the price of flights. To do this you can use specialised flight comparison websites, which often show significantly reduced prices. This will save you money which you will be able to use for other aspects of your trip or when you are living in Canada. Specialised websites like kayak.com, google.com/flights, momondo, expedia.com, adioso.com can be very reliable sources for finding ways to travel at the best prices, as well as the possibility to find the best places to visit, rent accommodation or transport. We will go into more detail on this below. We would definitely recommend these websites to compare flight prices and dates and the prices normally adapt to all types of budgets.

Insurance:

Don’t forget to buy travel insurance, because medical assistance in Canada can be very expensive. The best thing to do is to look on the internet for medical travel insurance that suits your budget. We would recommend the Assist Card, which is an insurance that has several rates available based on destination you wish to visit and the duration of the trip. Remember that if you own any finance products, like credit cards, these sometimes include medical travel insurance, which you will also be able to use if needed, saving yourself a bit of money.

Your luggage:

Another thing you need to remember is to travel light, since excess luggage is normally penalised with, sometimes excessive, charges. Pack only what is strictly necessary for the length of your trip and inform yourself about the places you are going to visit, so that you know what clothes and useful items to take with you. This is a very important part of organising your trip, not only to save money, but also to be more comfortable and practical. Sometimes the climate can be very cold, so you need to take the best clothes to protect yourself as much as possible. Consult the internet for information regarding the weather and seasons in Canada so that your stay is not negatively affected or you get caught unawares.

Accommodation:

In terms of accommodation, you can always save a lot of money as long as you reserve well in advance. Websites like Trip Advisor or Trivago, are excellent alternatives for comparing options and to see the experience of hundreds of travellers who have been to this destination. If you prefer backpacking, Airbnb or websites like Couchsurfing are great options for cutting costs, because they give you the choice to rent in a group or even share lodgings with people all over the world. In the case of traditional hotels, you will find significant differences, so always surf the web until you find the best alternative for your budget. Work for accommodation or camping are good options if you are on a very low budget or are a more daring traveller. If this is the case, your accommodation would be almost free.

Food:

To finish up our recommendations, we would like to talk about how you can save money on food. Remember that, depending on what you eat, you can spend more or less money. The cheapest option is to buy in supermarkets and to prepare your own food in your accommodation.