Practical Information

Visa

Canada

Travellers from the UK and EU countries can enter Canada under an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). US citizens do not normally need a visa. Visas are required for some nationalities and requirements often change; it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas and fulfil any requirements for this trip. We recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/canada
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/canada/entry-requirements
• United States: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Canada.html

To apply for your eTA, or for more information, visit www.canada.ca/eTA; you will need your passport, credit or debit card, and an email address. It costs 7 Canadian dollars and will be valid for five years or until your passport expires. We recommend you carry a print out of your eTA approval when you travel.

If you have not applied for and received authorisation for an eTA prior to travel you may be denied boarding, experience delayed processing or be denied admission at the Canadian point of entry. However, neither possession of a visa nor meeting the basic requirements for travelling visa free on the eTA guarantees admission to Canada. As with most countries, the final determination of admissibility is made by immigration officials at the point of entry.

Travel via the USA

If you are travelling via the USA and are eligible to transit under the Visa Waiver Program, you are required to register in advance for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). There is a US$21 charge, which is only payable online. Please see our website www.exodus.co.uk/usvisa for further information.

Please note, not all nationalities have the same eligibility for travel to or transit via the USA, and you may not be covered by the visa waiver program. Regulations stipulate that any person who has travelled to Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since March 2011, or have dual nationalities of these countries, may no longer qualify. In addition, if you have travelled to Cuba since 12 January 2021 you will not be eligible for the visa waiver program and should instead apply for a visa.

If you are in doubt of your eligibility, please check the visa requirements with your local US embassy.

Vaccinations and Health

Canada

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for polio, tetanus and rabies. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Local Time

British Columbia’s time zone: UTC -07:00
Alberta’s time zone: UTC -06:00

Electricity

Canada's electricity: Plug types A (two flat pins) and B (three pins: two flat, one round) – 120V, 60Hz

Money

Canada's currency: Canadian dollar (CAD)

ATM Availability

ATMs are readily available in Canada and major credit cards are widely accepted throughout, though there may be a charge. In some off-the-beaten-track destinations ATMs may be limited. Please ensure your credit or debit cards have international access and advise your bank prior to leaving your home country of your intended travel, so they do not block your card.

Extra Expenses & Spending Money

Your spending money needs to cover meals, drinks, and personal expenses, such as souvenirs and snacks. For this tour, we recommend budgeting at least 75 Canadian dollars (US$56) per person per day, but it’s better to bring more than you need rather than run short on tour. You should also budget for tipping, as well as for the optional activities that you plan to do. Guideline prices for the most popular optional activities are listed on our website. We suggest you bring 150 Canadian dollars (US$111) with you in cash for the beginning of your trip.

Tipping

It is customary in Canada to tip local guides, waiters, bar staff, taxi drivers and anyone who provides a service for you. Service workers are paid a low wage and depend on tips for their livelihood. It can be embarrassing if you’re confronted by a local who is expecting a tip and you are not aware of how much to offer. For this reason, we have listed guideline prices below.

A 15%-20% tip is standard in restaurants, and you should also expect to tip when paying for drinks in bars – 1 dollar per drink if paying in cash, or a percentage will be suggested when paying with a card machine. For other services, 1-2 dollars (US$0.75-US$1.50) per bag for porters and 10% for taxi drivers is usual. It’s also typical to tip around 10% for local guides who provide optional activities.

Your tour leader will work long and hard for you during your tour and we recommend a discretionary tip of 5-10 dollars (US$3.70-US$7.40) per passenger per day if your leader’s performance meets or exceeds your expectations.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• At the end of each season, our local partners donate unopened food to food banks and used tents and sleeping bags to various charities.
• Read more about our other initiatives here.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for reusable bottles.
• The payment of entrance fees to natural reserves and archaeological sites generates income used to upkeep and develop these important sites. This trip visits Banff, Yoho and Jasper National Parks and fees collected go towards funding conservation initiatives.
• We rewild 1,075sqft (100sqm) per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• Our local partner is accredited by Aventure Ecotourisme Quebec which certifies they adhere to high standards in this area.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring a reusable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Important Information

Water safety

This trip includes time by a lake, river or sea, where there may be opportunities to swim. You should always seek local advice before deciding whether to swim. Open-water or wild swim spots should be treated with extreme caution. Information on how to keep yourself safe while swimming is shown here.