North America Travel Forum

Q1:
Is Canada really almost twice more expensive than the USA for visitors traveling by car? - I was told that but I can't believe :-). I mean mainly costs of accommodations, gas and food.

Q2:
I would like to save on money (US$ ---> CAN) exchange if possible. Any suggestions? May I pay in US$ anywhere in Canada? Using ATMs or paying by cards in Canada I have to pay exchange commission twice (CAN ---> US$ ---> PLN - Polish currency).

P.S. I am going to visit Yukon + northern BC (Alaska and Cassiar Hwy) and southern BC (Vancouver, Tofino, NPs) + if enough time Calgary/Edmonton in Alberta.

gas and accommodations is slightly higher. food is very similar priced.most places near to the border will take usd but the exchange rate will vary.best to hit an atm and take larger amounts out less often.to avoid fees .credit cards work well and there exchange rates are pretty good I don't know how much time you have but the places you speak of are great distances apart remote and touristy and can be expensive .try camping and buy a cooler to make some of your meals yourself. have a good trip.

Cory,
My trip is divided into three parts:
1. Chicago (4 days)
plane: Chicago-Anchorage, Alaska
2. Alaska + Youkon + northern BC (3 weeks)
plane: Anchorage to Seattle.
3. Seattle + southern BC/Alberta (17 days)

Well, the reason is that "bad boys" from all rental agencies didn't want to allow me to drive from Seattle to Alaska and back.

I will probably buy a cooler and to avoid high fees for excess baggage I will have to leave one in Anchorage and the next one in Seattle like I did in San Diego and Richmond, VA during my previous US journeys. I sign visited areas with coolers, I see :-).

Hugs from Poland.
Matt + Urszula (matcrazy0) :-)))

Hey there, not sure what it's like in Poland but here in Australia our banks sell a thing called a "Travellers Cash" card. We bought a $1000USD card which cost $1071AUD plus a $20 bank fee. We get stability of todays exchange rate & know we will still have 1000USD when we leave in September. They can only be used at ATM's with a withdrawal fee at the time. Trick is to limit the number of withdrawals. We plan on getting a Canadian card soon as well. Ask your bank.

A lot of places in Canada will accept US dollars but at the moment the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US dollar. So for something that is worth say $10CAD they may ask you for $12USD.

Cheers
Col & Sue

Since the US and Canadian dollars are almost at par with each other, the costs of most items between the 2 countries are similar but as the first poster mentioned, it is slightly higher in Canada. This is probably due to the PST/GST (taxes) added on. Stores in Canadian border towns may accept US$ but could give change in CDN$. I don't think the use of ATMs or cards outside your country imposes an exchange commission twice, ie. the US$ should not enter the equation. It would only do so when you exchange cash.