Or The Wild Coast as tourism posters call it… The coast around Tofino (more touristy) and Ucluelet (more traditional) is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is a bit of a drive from Vancouver, but a beautiful drive across the island with a Dutch shop early on that sells liquorice. The weather on the west coast can be unpredictable, but don’t let that stop you from visiting the most beautiful parks, beaches, wildlife, surfing, hot springs and much much more.

Salt Spring Island is the opposite from the west coast. It is sunny, pleasant, more developed and has many beautiful beaches, great camp sites, B&B's, cheese farms, breweries, cideries, and all of it can be explored by car or bike.

You’ll find beauty all through the rocky mountains and okanagan valley, and your trip can be as luxurious and or as rustic as you make it. There's everything from five star hotels to backcountry campsites, and everything in between. Some campsites are accessible by car/RV, others require a short or long hike with your camping gear. The most popular driving route starts out east from Vancouver, passes through the BC wine region in the Okanagan, continues further east towards the spectacular Banff national park, up the famous icefield parkway, and back to Vancouver through Revelstoke, Kamloops and Whistler. If you plan on doing this trip, we have many recommendations for campsites, hikes and other activities, and eating/drinking along the way!

There are too many beautiful hikes to list them all, but two of our favorites are Skyline (4 day hike), Garibaldi/Panorama Ridge/Black Tusk (different 1/2/3 day options), and we have a long list of hikes on our to-do-lists.

Four hours drive east of Vancouver is the Okanagan valley, BC's main wine region. It's warmer, and drier than coastal Vancouver. It's also prone to wildfires in the summer. It's a beautiful place, with many wineries, cideries, and a temperate lake to visit.

Another option is to turn south. Seattle is a great destination in itself, we often (but not as often as we’d like) go there for music gigs. The train from Vancouver to Seattle is a slow but beautiful ride along the coast and continues on to Portland, which is definitely worth a visit as well. Taking the train to Seattle is also the best way to start a road trip further south to California, as it is much cheaper to rent RV’s and cars for one way road trips that don’t cross a border.