Hello,

Well, I'm hoping to be going on the working holiday to Canada next year, but if I save up enough money I would love to go for Christmas by myself to learn anything I can.


I would love to know
- Any ideas of places I could go to, I am open to anywhere except Quebec. (Keep in mind, I'm going to be myself next year too)
- Financial costs of living in Canada (keep in mind, I'd be myself and working casual jobs ie; bar, waiter, retail etc)
- Best areas to live in (1. cost, 2. amount of jobs going etc)
- Best areas to visit on holiday to get a feel for Canada
- Cheapest option for a holiday at Christmas
- ANY help/suggestions you can give me about living in Canada and on holiday.

Thanks,
Ryan

Hi, and welcome to BE.

Canada is so huge and your question too vague really - I'd suggest you gave s good look at the Wiki and other threads to help you narrow down your questions a bit.

Best of luck with it.

Welcome, have you tried some of the travel forums? And +1 to above, Canada is huge

depends on a few things & I'm guessing that you'd want to come December through to January on a direct flight from Scotland.

I would start with looking at the expensive flight cost as well as what accommodation (budget) you're looking at

My suggestion is the friendly City of Toronto which is lovable (sometimes freezing cold) at that time of year as agood place for you

Big issue is accommodation, with one suggestion

https://www.airbnb.ca/s/Toronto--Canada

You would need to tell us more about what you are looking for in terms of lifestyle, etc.. Canada is a huge country and things vary widely from one area to the next.


Again, Canada is huge so we cannot provide an answer that covers the whole country.



See above.



The feel is different from one area to the next. The Maritimes are very different from Toronto which is different from Calgary which is different from British Columbia.

If you would detail what you want, are interested in (hobbies, social life, etc.) we can make some recommendations then.


What kind of holiday specifically?

And if you are coming here around Christmas the flights will cost more due to demand. If you came over a bit earlier, or into the new year, you would likely get cheaper flights - best to keep as much money in your own pocket as possible.

Sorry for being not so informative people!

But, the lifestyle I'm looking for is varied I honestly couldn't say I have a preference.

Financially, I'm looking for anywhere that I could live by myself living on possibly minimum wage jobs and have time to myself at the same time.

Hobbies are all sports, meeting new people, sightseeing.

Holiday, I would like to just get a feel for Canada in general and the culture. I would love to come for the Christmas period.

Ok, so I'm going to turn this around so you can see where people Re coming from.

I'm planning to go to Europe next year on a working holiday. I'm looking for the best place to go. Financial cost of living in Europe.
Best areas to go (1. Cost 2. Amount of jobs going etc)
Best area to visit on holiday to get a feel for Europe
Cheapest option for a holiday at Christmas

Now, if you give a little more info, like maybe what you're interested in doing and seeing then maybe people can help a bit more. Canada is a very big place and the cost of living and employment situation is really by different depending on where you go. Try doing a little research on what parts of the country you're looking to go then come back with more info so people can help.

Based on what was given, I'd rule out BC.

1) High cost of living.

2) Wages don't tend to be as good.

3) Can be difficult to find work, some luck out and get something quickly, but many more take months to find something.

My two cents in red above

I would suggest going to Toronto. More lively than most of Canada - not that the bar is very high on the livelyometer!

I hear that for adventurous youngsters on a gap year, Syria is currently the most lively place to be.

My informant in Bangui suggests that the C.A.R. is also exciting "Yesterday ... we passed a partially burned body on the road. ... There was shooting all night and on and off today."

Anywhere urban in Canada will, on the other hand, be very much like anywhere else. Safe, steady, with ugly buildings and people from places you didn't know existed. It's a physically large country but one with little cultural diversity between the regions except for Quebec.

Toronto has the most work and it's near to NYC and Montreal, both of which are exciting places to visit. It has no ocean though and no mountains. The east coast has ocean but no work, the west ocean but high costs. There's no reason to visit the settlements between Toronto and Calgary.

My 21 year old is having the time of his life in Toronto... He's renting a room in a nice apartment for $650 all in in downtown Toronto... He's a server currently in an upmarket burger place (not Burger King, MacDs or so on...).
He's always going out with his friends and on the whole having great fun...
As his Mum I'm kinda hoping he'll calm down sometime and consider his future

Thanks for that info, sounds like your son is having a great time.

Does your son find it easy to live on the pay his job gives out?

I'll add to that

Our son was renting in several good quality rooming houses in the city core over a period of 8 years, where there were typically 6-8 roomers (students, working people in the age 20 -35). He had his own room, shared the Kitchen & bathrooms.

There are loads in Toronto because its a big university/college city

His all in rent including cable & internet was $350/mth in the College/Bathurst area. Today the range is $450 - $600. Convenient to everything... transit, shops, night life etc. He was on minimum wage, smokes, fed & clothed himself. He says it was the best experience ever going it alone away from home.

Today he is as right as rain - lives in a one bedroom brownstone apartment St Clair/Oakwood/Vaughan Rd area paying $1100/mth utilities included. Happy as Larry.

Single in Toronto on minimum wage of $11/hr is doable, even with two part time jobs. Budget that 50% of your take home pay is your rent & the rest will cove transit, food & the extras.