British Columbia & Western Canada
From Vancouver and Vancouver Island to the Rockies, Okanagan, and the Fraser Valley.
Canadian travel planning
See more of Canada.
Thoughtful Canadian travel planning for Canadians who want more than a booking engine.
Whether you're exploring British Columbia, crossing the Rockies, travelling by rail, visiting Atlantic Canada, planning an accessible family trip or connecting several Canadian destinations, I help research the options and make the pieces work together.
You're probably in the right place if…
- You want to explore Canada but aren't sure where to start.
- You know where you want to go, but not the best way to put the trip together.
- You're trying to combine several Canadian destinations.
- You're travelling with parents, children, or several generations.
- Someone in your group uses a cane, walker, wheelchair, or otherwise needs accessibility considered carefully.
- You need the entire trip to remain within Canada.
- You're comparing flying, driving, rail, ferries, cruises, or combinations of them.
- You've researched the trip yourself and now have more options than answers.
- This is an important or expensive trip and you want another experienced set of eyes on it.
- You care about value but don't necessarily want the cheapest possible trip.
If your Canadian trip requires decisions rather than simply a reservation, that's where I add the most value.
Travel Canada
You don't need to leave Canada to take an extraordinary trip.
Canada offers dramatically different experiences across thirteen provinces and territories, but the country's size creates its own planning challenges.
Distances can be deceptive
A direct line on a map rarely reflects the actual time, connections, or weather involved.
Transportation varies enormously
Ferries, rail schedules, flights, and seasonal roads can determine what is practical.
Accessibility varies
Some trips that look straightforward become difficult when the actual transportation is considered.
My job is to turn those possibilities into a trip that makes sense on paper and works well when you're actually taking it.
Canadian travel styles
Planning can be very different depending on how you want to travel. These are the kinds of Canadian trips I help with most.
The Canadian Rockies
Banff, Jasper, scenic drives, wildlife, and the best way to experience the mountain corridor.
Canada by Rail
Train routes, cabin selection, connections, stopovers, and making rail part of a larger itinerary.
Canadian Road Trips
Realistic driving times, ferry reservations, scenic routes, and pacing that doesn't exhaust you.
Atlantic Canada
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and Labrador by land and sea.
Ontario & Quebec
Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara, rail, and rural combinations.
Northern Canada
Remote destinations, limited transportation, and the advanced planning they require.
Canada from the Water
Coastal and expedition voyages, including the important question of whether an itinerary stays in Canada.
Adventure, Diving & Expedition
Wildlife, nature, diving, and expedition travel with realistic logistics.
Need the entire trip to stay in Canada?
For some travellers, staying within Canada is more than a preference. Insurance coverage, mobility, documentation, health considerations, personal preference, or other circumstances may make an international border crossing impractical.
I can research itineraries specifically around that requirement, checking more than the destination name: flight routings, cruise ports, ferry routes, rail routes, ground transportation, excursions, and connections.
Accessible & multigenerational travel
An “accessible” label rarely tells the whole story. I research the details that matter: step-free access, walk distances, accessible transportation, washroom usability, terrain, seating, and equipment rental.
Multigenerational trips need thoughtful pacing so parents, children, and grandparents can all enjoy the journey without exhaustion.
How I work
- Understand. I begin with the people, not the destination. Why you're travelling, who is coming, what you need, and any requirement for the trip to stay in Canada.
- Research. I investigate destinations, transportation, flights, rail, ferries, cruises, hotels, experiences, accessibility, and seasonal considerations.
- Verify. Canadian travel information changes. I cross-check schedules, ferry reservations, road status, cruise itineraries, and accessibility claims with current sources whenever practical.
- Design. I turn the research into a realistic itinerary with logical routing, reasonable travel times, appropriate pacing, and practical transportation.
- Book and support. Once the itinerary makes sense, I help coordinate appropriate reservations and stay involved after booking.
Canada is too big for guesswork
Planning travel across Canada can involve dozens of sources: airlines, rail operators, ferries, cruise lines, hotels, tourism organizations, parks, attractions, transportation providers, and accessibility information.
I use research technology I've developed to help search, organize and cross-check information from relevant sources. The technology helps me investigate more possibilities and find details worth verifying. It does not decide where you should go—I do.
Technology helps with the research. Evidence helps establish the facts. Experience and judgment turn those facts into a trip.
Already started planning?
Perfect. You don't have to throw away the research you've already done. Send me your itinerary, hotel choices, cruise quote, rail plans, flights, route, ideas, and questions. I'll help identify what looks good, what deserves another look, and what may be missing.
About Dave
I'm Canadian: I grew up in Ontario, went to school at Waterloo, and I'm now based in British Columbia's Fraser Valley. I've travelled through every Canadian province as well as dozens of countries around the world. The more I've travelled internationally, the more I've appreciated how much there is to explore at home.
My background includes professional diving, technology, and operational safety. That experience shaped how I research: I look at the details that make a trip actually work, not just the highlights in a brochure.
You can learn more about me on my profile site and view my FORA travel advisor page.
Through Fora, I also have access to a professional network of travel partners and advisor support that lets me handle more complex trips than I could manage entirely alone.
Professional trip planning
$200
The planning deposit covers the research and itinerary design completed before reservations are made. If you book the trip with me, it is applied to your trip cost. If, after I have completed the research, you choose to book through another provider, it is non-refundable.
Frequently asked questions
How does the planning fee work?
The $200 planning deposit covers the research and itinerary design completed before reservations are made and confirms that we're both committed to moving forward.
Do I need a travel advisor for a trip inside Canada?
Canada feels familiar because it's home, but it's also enormous. Vancouver and Halifax are thousands of kilometres apart, ferries affect itineraries in British Columbia and Atlantic Canada, rail works very differently from flying, and remote destinations may have limited transportation. You can absolutely plan it yourself; I help when you don't want to figure out every detail alone.
Can you keep the entire trip inside Canada?
Yes, when that matters. I research each segment—flights, cruise ports, ferry routes, rail, ground transportation, and excursions—to confirm whether the complete trip actually remains within Canada. You remain responsible for confirming insurance coverage and any entry or document requirements with the relevant provider or authority.
Do you book international travel?
Canada is my prime focus, but I do work with travellers on trips outside Canada as well. The best fit is usually selected international cruises, diving, expedition travel, or complex multi-destination trips. Existing clients are also welcome to ask about international options.
Canada is the destination. Dave makes it work.
I help Canadians explore Canada without having to figure out every detail themselves.