We are family of 5 starting to plan our ski trip to Big White for Christmas 2009. After skiing at BW this year we travelled the rockies and back to Vancouver then south to do a lot of the west coast as far as San Diego, finishing with a cruise to Alaska. Next time we would like to see more of Canada across to the East but are struggling with the most affordable way to do it . We are coming from the west coast of Australia and would love to finish off with a visit to New York .
Can anyone suggest any possible itinery, we would have about 4 weeks to play with once leaving Kelowna and considering it would be early January and full on winter we assume driving might not be advisable.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Best way to get from Kelowna to east coast Canada
You really want to go to NY in January? Be advised that New York does not get that much snow then, but it does get quite a bit of rain and ugly overcast weather! (If it does snow, NY turns to slush almost immediately). Coming from BC, the cheapest way would be air (I like Westjet from YVR, or Alaska Air from SEA). Also check out VIA Rail Canada, but I'm sure that would cost more - much more beautiful though. To rent a car for that distance you'd have to be a millionaire because of drop charges. I have been in Montreal in the middle of a snow storm and it was very beautiful and Air Canada flies in all weather (not so for US carriers).
If you are willing to cross Canada in January i wouldn't woory about the weather in NY too much. Driving acroos canada is not too bad in the winter but be cautious if you have no experience driving on snow and ice. The Rail system is a little expensive but you will definatly enjoy the scenery. If you chose to drive be aware of unpredictable weather. The praries can be perticularily harsh. From Edmonton to western Ontario you can expect to drive the whole way on snow packed slippery highways. Don't worry to much though, we drive like this all the time. As much as I hate to put down my own home town, you may want to fly over Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Not a whole lot to see but fields of snow unless you want to go try some snowmobiling. Make sure you get stops in Vancouver, Montreal and the maritimes as these are some great places to visit. Have a good time and good luck.
Hi, flying would be the most practical option, however it is also expensive. Renting a family size vehicle may be a reasonable option, but consider the winter driving in Canada, not the best time to drive across the country. You may find a better deal booking a rental car directly from Australia, like a holiday car. I've been told that it's more economical to travel through the USA ie. train, plane and car travel would be much cheaper but then that may defeat the purpose of seeing Canada. Greyhound offers good deal within Canada and is clean and safe but a little boring.