I hope this post inspires you to travel to Canada. In particular to Vancouver and Banff and to fall in love with hockey. But if not, the queen of romcom writing, Meghan Quinn should be able to persuade you.
So first up, a little thank you to the author herself, thank you Meghan Quinn for setting the unrealistically high expectation for men. The Vancouver Agitator series is *chef’s kiss*. Why are men so much better when they’re written by women?
Even though the likelihood of you stumbling to a random cabin (it’s really a mansion) in the woods just outside of Banff where 5 professional hockey players are living for the summer is slim to none, we can all dream. However, if you’re happy to vicariously through Meghan Quinn’s FMCs then this is your chance!
Starting off the series with Kiss and Don’t Tell – we meet Winnie who the above literally happened to. After everyone is all clear that no-one is a serial killer, the boys invite Winnie to stay until they can get her car up and running. Of course, a storm ensues and she ends up staying long enough for Pacey Lawes to fall hard and fast for her.
They spend a few days wandering around Banff and while there is little actual sightseeing, I’m going to pretend they did.
Drawing inspiration from Book 3 – Right Man, Right Time (I’ve skipped Book 2 because even though I loved it, there was next to no traveling around or mention of anywhere), we’re focusing on Vancouver. In the third instalment, Silas and Ollie have a mutually beneficial fake relationship which of course inevitably ends in them catching feelings. So we’ll be taking a look at the best places to fake date around Vancouver, if you ever accidentally kiss a hockey player and ask him to be your fake boyfriend while your work-nemesis calls you out in front of your ex (who she is now dating – yikes!) then this may be a little close to home.
Want some more book inspired itineraries? Head to our Book Page with itineraries for books such as Ana Huang’s Twisted and King of Sins series.
So let’s get to it. First off, fly into Vancouver and get settled in your airbnb/hotel/hostel, whatever!
Day one – Travel to Canada: Vancouver
Fly into Vancouver and head out to Gastown (WHAT. A. NAME!). It’s one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and still has Victorian street lights. Thankfully, it’s located in central Vancouver, so this neighborhood is easy to get to. Here you’ll find boutique shops, breweries and cute cafes to taste the best of what Vancouver has to offer. After traveling, you’ll want to unwind and have a chilled evening so we would recommend doing it here.
Be sure to find Maple Tree Square and the Whistling Steam Clock.
Day Two – Vancouver
If you do happen to find yourself fake-dating a hockey player who you may or may not have kissed in a bar last night, today is the perfect day to get out in the city and be seen.
So where to go for a perfect day of fake dating? We’ve got you covered.
If the outdoors is your thing, then Vancouver is a great city to visit. It’s so close to the mountains but has all the convenience that a city brings.
So first up, early in the morning head to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and take your instagrammable selfies with your hockey hunk. Be sure to head early enough to beat the crowds as this bridge is incredibly popular.
Although the suspension bridge is the main draw, there is also a treetop adventure route which you can do. A collection of seven bridges link together eight 250-year-old Douglas-firs. The bridges are smaller than the main attraction but it is a nice walk that will let you have a birds eye view of the forest floor.
The park is open from 9am to 6pm. You can get there via a free shuttle, details of which you can find here.
After spending the morning at the park, you’ll be no doubt hungry. So grab the shuttle back into the city and head to Granville Island Public Market. There are a host of places to visit here, including arts and crafts, entertainment sections and of course, food and drink options.
Once you’ve had your fill of all the treats the next thing is to work out what to do with your evening. If you’re visiting during hockey season, I would definitely recommend going to a game. The atmosphere, the pace, the aggression, it all accumulates into an amazing game to watch. Hockey fans are some of the most passionate in the world – it’s so popular it has literally become a trope in romance novels.
Day Three – Day trip to Whistler
Can you travel to Canada and not visit Whistler? Canada is huge, but if you’re in BC, there’s no excuse.
There are a couple of options I would like to explore here – this is for those without their own transport.
Option A
There is an option to do a guided tour. You’ll get picked up and driven to Whistler. On the way you’ll stop off briefly at Shannon Falls Park and d the Sea to Sky Gondola. By the time you arrive in Whistler, you should have around 4 hours. You’ll be able to explore alone and won’t have to stay with the rest of the group. This isn’t an awful lot of time so that’s why I looked at our next option.
Option B
The other option and this one is way pricier (but with a fake boyfriend in the NHL, you should be all good), is taking a seaplane from Vancouver to Whistler. YES A SEAPLANE. Terrifying but also could be amazing?
You can book onto a flight early in the morning, spend the whole day in Whistler and then head on back at either 6 or 7pm.
Whistler has always been on my list – I mean duh. It has the largest ski resort in North America and people travel to Canada specifically for the skiing here. But what does that mean for the summer months? As well as the largest ski resort in North America, it also has the longest zip line. You can do the zipline and suspension bridges
There are also biking route, hiking and bear safari tours you can do. Loads of options for the summer months.
Day Four – Whale Watching and Stanley Park
Spend the morning on a whale watching excursion where you have the chance to see orca, grey and humpback whales. The Pacific Coastline is full of wildlife so whilst you’re looking for whales, you may also spot: dolphins, seals, sea lions and bald eagles.
You can do either a morning or sunset tour so, if you’d prefer to have a chilled morning, this could be a good option.
Once you’re back on dry land, head over to Stanley Park with the world famous sea wall. You can cycle the 8.8km route around the park with views of the forest, sea, mountains and city.
In the evening, head out to dinner back in Gastown and head to one of the microbreweries for some dinner and some flights of beer.
Day Five – Head to Banff
It’s a travel day to Banff – and for anyone who is looking to travel to Canada, you’ve gotta know that Canada is huge. The drives are long.
Drive – approximately 9 hours 30 minutes.
Train – 12 hours 30 minutes
Flight – 1 hour 30 minutes
You can fly from Vancouver to Calgary relatively cheaply – I just had a quick look on SkyScanner and return flights were from as little as AU$90. From Calgary, it’s a 1 hr 30 minute drive to Banff.
Day Six – Banff
Getting Around:
If you don’t have transportation – you may want to look at getting the hop-on hop-off bus ticket. The bus will take you to the following stops:
- Bow Valley Parkway
- Temple Mountain
- Moraine Lake
- Lake Louise
- Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
- Lake Louise Summer Gondola
As the plan would be to travel up here in the summer, we would spend this day on a wildlife safari. I’d really, really want to see a bear (not too close obviously 😅) and this gives me time to go again if I don’t see one on the first day.
I found a few safari trips, including this one or this one which takes you to a grizzly bear refuge. These are pretty long tours so you won’t be doing much else this day.
Day Seven – Banff
In the morning, head to the world famous Lake Louise, one of top destination for anyone who chooses to travel to Canada. The bright blue waters are breathtaking and from here you can canoe/kayak and swim (if you’re brave enough – it is freezing!) You can get here using the hop-on hop-off bus.
You’ll get some insta-worthy shots here and when you’re done, you can head down to Moraine Lake (14 km away). With impressive scenery, this lake for some reason is not as well known as Lake Louise, but it is still as beautiful.
In the evening, go on a Ghost Tour of Banff. Explore the spooky history of the town and learn about the local legends. If anything, it gives you a reason to snuggle up to your hockey player.
Day Eight – Johnston’s Canyon Hike
Hiking Johnston’s Canyon – The Banff blog gives some amazing tips for hiking in this area, especially no-go areas at certain times of the year. You’ll be able to see a waterfall that freezes over in the winter months.
If you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, there is a canyoning tour available in the summer months. On this particular tour, you’ll complete 5 rappels (this is suitable for beginners and you will be shown how to do this), after hiking for around 45 minutes. This is a tough but exhilarating tour so prepare to be tired and wet by the end of the day.
If you’re not too tired, spend the evening admiring the lights around the town.
Day Nine & Ten – Head back to Vancouver and then it’s homeward bound.
I hope this post has inspired you to travel to Canada.
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