Hi,

I am planning a recci trip to canada in February. When going on the date I need to leave I only have the option of two return times.

I can either go for 5 days or 11 days.

My question is would 5 days be enough...bearing in mind 1 Day I will probably be jet lagged.

I need to visit a few business's , anyone who done a recci trip and could advise how long you really need would be most welcome to reply :d

I dont suppose I could fly out on a one way ticket and decide when im there!?

Thanks,

It all depends on where you are going etc have you a specific place in mind.
5 days might be cutting it short if Toronto, Vancouver but doable if Halifax, Regina etc.
One way ticket is ok but might raise suspicions you could look into a flexible or open ticket.
Plus Im sure someone will point out that its a recce trip

That's like asking how long is a piece of string !
Where exactly are you intending to recci ? Coast to coast in five days or just a small locale ?
Longer would be better but it also depends on where and what you want to see. Houses, job prospects or whatever.

sorry yes it would've been helpful If Id of said I do know where I am going! My destination is Vancouver I am staying with friends and have an interview lined up but don't want to put all my eggs in one basket so to speak.

I will have use of a vehicle .

Use Mapquest or google maps for distances between places. Contrary to belief its not about an 8 hour drive from Vancouver to Toronto
If just one interview then yes 5 days is doable but Vancouver is not small but I guess compared to London & Birmingham it is.

We did 3 one week recces and every time we said "if only we could have had longer". So my advise is go for 11 days rather than 5 but then it's a personal decision really.
Good luck

I would go for 11 days if it was me. The more you can experience a place the better equipped you'll be when you come here for good.

Please explain flexible/open tickets - is there a time limit?

11 Days

There are
Open return, you book the outbound date and book the return at a later date, these can be valid for up to 12 months. They cost more than a fixed return.

How the ticket can be used is set in the TOC which you should check before booking.

Some returns can be changed, some cannot. Charters and heavily discounted tickets have the most restrictions.

Additionally, Air Canada allow you to change your flight right up to the day of departure - for a fee.

Not on every ticket. Check the TOC on the ticket.

I would say 11 .....5 would really only leave a few full days at best. Depends what you want to get a feel for too...the burbs, downtown or the countryside.

You need a good 3 days just to see Vancouver proper and the north shore, which should be on your list. I guess it depends if you want to get a taste of the city from a recreational point of view or if you want to focus more on communities where u may wish to live/work etc.

Also depends where you will be staying, the north shore is better placed for your purpose than say abbotsford would be.

It depends on what you want to achieve - 5 days might be enough. However, given what you said (i.e. needing to visit a few businesses), 5 days sounds tight (especially if any of those 5 are travel days) while 11 days might be too long. Again it just depends on what you want to achieve. Given the number of flights to/from Vancouver, I don't understand why your only choices are 5 or 11 days but I'll take your word for it. Also, a one way ticket is probably going to raise some questions somewhere so it's better to have a return ticket.

You say you need to visit a few businesses and that you can stay with friends. So it seems that 11 days is the better choice as you don't have the extra expense of paying for a hotel and it also gives you more flexibility to schedule the things you need to do. You might also think of other things that you haven't thought of yet. I would advise you to plan everything out as much as possible in advance and don't schedule anything important for the last couple of days just in case an appointment has to be moved.