Lack of efficient travel in BC

I’ve been thinking a lot about how easy and efficient travel is in Europe and even parts of the Middle East and Central Asia, especially when you compare it to traveling in Vancouver and Canada (and the US too). 

In BC, aside from driving, there is no easy way to travel long-distance from point A to point B.  Your only options are Greyhound buses, which I’ve found to be overpriced and inconvenient. For instance, traveling from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria without a car requires that you take two local transit buses, walk on the ferry and then take an additional bus from Sidney to Victoria. The trip takes around five hours. It’s remarkable that there is no express bus that goes directly from downtown Vancouver to the Tsawassen ferry terminal.

I do feel that Vancouver and the rest of BC has a lot of potential for rail travel across the province and into Alberta, as well as a high-speed link from Vancouver to Portland, OR.  The high-speed rail to Portland seems to have gotten strong support from Obama, so maybe this is something that we will see happen within the next fifteen years. But what about regular rail service within the province? It would be nice to have an option to travel to the Okanagan or to Whistler or even to Calgary by rail, rather than car or bus. I’m not talking about high-speed rail, this would just be be regular passenger service along existing tracks so it should be fairly easy to implement. I’m reminded that fifty years ago there were passenger trains that ran throughout North America. What happened to them?

Getting ready to travel once again

I’m back into the mode of researching and preparing for another trip, this time to Prince Rupert, BC. Taking the ferry from Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert on the north coast of the BC mainland is a trip I’ve wanted to take for a number of years. I plan to take it slow, beginning in Victoria and working my way up to Port Hardy, making sure to visit as many of the wonderful communities along the way as I can.  I’ve travelled throughout southern Vancouver Island, but I’ve never been north of Qualicum Beach, so I’m excited to visit the north and see how it compares. The Comox Valley should be incredible, especially in July, so that is one highlight that I’m really looking forward to. Of course the ferry trip should be amazing, despite its length (the crossing from Port Hardy takes 27 hours). The views of the Inside Passage should be breathtaking.

Then there’s Prince Rupert. I’ve always felt that this town has an incredible potential to become one of the leading cities in BC, if not in Canada. It’s port is the second largest on the the westcoast of Canada (after the Port of Vancouver) and is perfectly located to take advantage of increased trade with Asia. Unfortunately, this potential has not yet been realized. Though the port and cruise ship terminal have both undergone multi-million dollar expansions, the economy is still suffering and the population is still dwindling. Population in Prince Rupert has declined by nearly 4,000 since 1991. Adding fuel to the fire is the global recession. An article in the Globe & Mail from May 8 (http://business.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090507.wbrethour0508/BNStory/robColumnsBlogs/home) announces that the construction of phase two of Prince Rupert’s port has been delayed until 2010, due to the economy. I’d like to do more research on Prince Rupert and see if I can find statistics on how the recession has affected Prince Rupert’s hopes of recovery and expansion.

From Prince Rupert, I plan to drive back to Vancouver via Highway 16, the infamous “Highway of Tears”. The Highway of Tears is the site of 40 unsolved murders/abductions that have occured over the last twenty years. The victims have primarily been women that were hitchhiking along the highway. Is this the work of a serial killer? A lot of people seem to think so, but the police have very few leads to go by. It will be interesting to drive along the highway myself and hopefully talk to local authorities and family members of the victims. Check out http://www.highwayoftears.ca/ for more information on the missing persons and a background on the Highway of Tears story.

Couchsurfing

I’ve been doing some research on couchsurfing as a method of travel and the possible repercussions it could have on the travel industry. While I haven’t yet tried it myself, I will try it when I go to Europe next spring. From what I’ve heard, it seems like a fantastic way to travel on a low budget and is a good way to meet locals and gain an inside perspective on local life and culture. As a writer, this is especially important — I wonder if other writers have couchsurfed and what their experiences have been? It’s amazing to note that couchsurfing.com has over a million members and there are surfers on every continent from North America to Antarctica. People from every background and culture joined together to provide hospitality to foreigners — an incredible thought.

Another side of this is what, if any, effect could couchsirfing have on the budget travel industry and on the viability of hostels around the world? The patrons of hostels are usually the same people who would be most interested in couchsurfing with a local host. If offered a choice between staying for free with a local and getting an authentic view of local life, or spending between $10 and $50 a night to stay in a dorm in a hostel, it seems more logical to choose the former. Of course, the upside to staying at a hostel is the opportunity to meet other travellers. As couchsurfing.com expands their member base, could they potentially overtake the hosel market?