Tips for travelling to Canada

A favorite destination with students and travelers alike, Canada [1] welcomes many visitors from India [2] and the rest of the world.

General Guidelines

Study-abroad programs are becoming increasingly popular with students as they afford exciting opportunities for cross-cultural learning and exchange. Before travelling to any foreign country, including Canada, there are some general guidelines you need to adhere to:

• First and foremost, make sure you have a valid, signed passport, and a Visa. Preferably, keep your emergency information right next to your passport.

• Leave copies of your itinerary, passport and Visa with your family, so that they know where to contact you in case of an emergency.

• Double-check your overseas medical insurance coverage and ascertain that it covers emergency expenses such as medical evacuation. If it does not, consider supplemental insurance.

• Familiarize yourself with local conditions and laws, as this will be most useful to you when in doubt and alone.

• Take precautions against being a conspicuous outsider and a soft a target of crime. It is advisable not to wear too much jewellery or carry excessive amounts of money. Traveler’s cheques and protected credit cards are your best bet.

• Be wary against leaving your unattended luggage in public areas. Take care and do not accept packages from strangers.

• Make sure your immunization and medication is taken care of well before you travel. For allowance factors regarding the same, check international entry requirements before you leave. In case you have been vaccinated recently, allow four to six weeks for the immunizations to take effect. Differences on the basis of geographic diversity, environment differences, climactic extremes and cultural diversity should prepare you for some health issues.

Connecting with the Indian community

Many universities in Canada have a sizable foreign student population. Special services for foreign students including orientation programs, counseling, and international student clubs, are generic. It is common for people of individual nationalities to mingle and create their own niche.

Canada is considered to be a relatively peaceful, safe and orderly country. It has also traditionally been a country of immigrants and has historically encouraged multicultural diversity. One out of three Canadians has an ethnic background other than English, French or Aboriginal. Although it is wise for you to be linked with your own community, feel free to make friends across borders.

Some useful links to the Indian student community:

• McGill University, Hindu Student Association [3]
• York University ISA: Toronto, Ontario, Canada [4]
• University of Toronto: West Indian Student Association (WISA) [5]
• Hindu Students' Association at Ryerson University [6]
• South Asian Students Association at Trent (SASA) [7]
• University of Ottawa, Indian Student Federation [8]
• Hindu Student Council University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC) [9]
• Sikh Student Association at University of Toronto [10]

Getting the best fares

The best way to travel to Canada is by air.

• Consolidator fares:

Several airlines offer discount airfares when you shop for tickets online. These deals, also known as ‘consolidator fares’, are usually an excellent online travel bargain compared to fares offered by the airlines directly.

Airline consolidators, including online travel makers, buy bulk quantities of tickets from major carriers at wholesale prices and resell them to customers at attractive discounts. As a student, you should be able to benefit from this situation.

Consolidator fares are usually cheaper than the lowest published airfares available from airlines directly. Most international airfares are governed by IATA, a body of all major international air carriers, and IATA regulations forbid direct discounting of tickets by its member airlines. However, it allows its members to offer consolidators large commissions which get passed on to you, as a student.

In general, these discounted fares can save you around10% to 70%, depending upon the carrier, the consolidator, the time of year, and your destination.

• Airline Discounts:

Most airlines, in this case Air India and Air Canada, also offer bargain web fares to attract customers, but mostly these are for domestic travel. Though no single airline can be delineated as the most economical, it is wise to check their respective websites for latest advertised offers.

• Travel Agents:

You may happen to know of a good local discount travel agent who may be privy to consolidator fares and offer you a percentage discount even on those. While it certainly is worth your while to explore this option, be wary of the tradeoffs and limitations regarding your tickets, such as flexibility of date change, policy regarding returns etc.

• Travel Insurance:

If you are travelling abroad, you should strongly consider purchasing travel insurance from a company that has been in business for some time, such as Tata-AIG etc.

• Paying your way:

Although there is no restriction on how you wish to pay for your ticket, if you are transacting business online, it is generally considered wise to pay for your tickets with a credit card.

Planning in advance

Remember that as a foreign student, you will be exposed to many new experiences. You should be prepared for variations and be armed with the following information:

• Airports, security, and customs:
  • Information regarding security and screening: Make sure to check updated air travel information about check-in and security procedures. It is advisable to screen the website of the carrier you are flying, to have your facts endorsed. Check for information on wait times, prohibited items, special items, and checked and carry-on baggage.
  • Destination information: It is always a good idea to check official country websites before you travel. In this case, Canadian government sites, tourist sites, etc. would be your web destinations.
  • Access to universal currency converter:Currency converters like xe.com are very good sources that support almost every currency it the world. Be sure to bookmark it.
  • Knowledge about international weather:Although you would need to know about your destination region/state/city’s weather and climate in particular, it is a good idea to read up about general prevalent patterns in your destination country.
  • Useful to know the international country calling codes:Before you leave your home country, you should have complete dialing codes and information regarding toll numbers etc. When away, telephone and email are likely to be your preferred modes of communication. It is wise to plug all the gaps beforehand.
  • Information regarding the World Electric Guide:As a foreign traveler, you may be taking with you electric appliances, such as a computer, a camcorder, DVD player etc. It would also be useful if you carry with you electric adapters, and converter information. If it is feasible, plan to buy appliances of immediate need in your destination country.

Checklist
Before you leave for Canada, be sure to pack:

• Your documents,
• Ticket and Visa,
• Important telephone numbers,
• Right kind of clothes - be prepared for weather extremes after having read Canada’s climactic conditions in general,
• Right kind of gear,
• Books and other relevant equipment can be carried too, if you are privy to your course list or are connected with alumni that can advise you, and
• Sufficient amount of money, credit card, traveler’s cheques as applicable.