Why we decided to come back to Vancouver, British Columbia in 2024
Chilling out at Lillooet Lake in British Columbia
Why we came back to live in Vancouver and my thoughts on other places to live in Canada
My latest Winging It Travel Podcast episode is another solo episode, and this week, I am sticking closer to home and talking about Vancouver.
We arrived here at the start of 2019, and I still can’t remember why we chose Vancouver.
Thinking back, I imagine it being like Wellington in New Zealand, which is a strong reason we could replicate what we had experienced the previous year.
What transpired was an interesting first year.
We had an apartment we liked in Kitsilano, an area we loved. The beach was within walking distance, the amenities were nearby, and work was easy to get to Downtown.
A city by the water was something we had always wanted from that moment on, and we were in our element.
Then COVID hit, and it changed everything.
Suddenly we were in the flat more as we worked from home, but then we realized that the noise was a problem as the building was old and the walls were thin. It was an issue.
A neighbour moved in and decided to have parties at 3 am, which was the last straw.
But do we hang on until the end of our visa, or do we consider staying as residents?
What about our friends, who were mainly expats leaving to go home? Do we join them?
How do our jobs work in conjunction with COVID? Can we even travel again?
There were so many questions to answer, but one thing was clear: we didn’t want to leave the city. We loved it here; it was a safe haven compared to the chaos of the UK.
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A Kitsilano sunset
What about the other cities in Canada that we visited in 2023?
We were lucky last summer (2023) to go on a road trip across Canada, visiting nine provinces and almost every major city in addition to the ones we had already seen.
Before we left, we considered cities like Toronto, Halifax, and Montreal as possible options for living after our year-long trip ended.
The first one was Toronto, and I loved the city. Emma, maybe not so much, but this reminded me of New York, bustling with many activities, potential job opportunities, and being right by the lake.
However, there was one problem for me, which will be a common theme for many of these places: the extreme cold in the winter. It can get to -30 and worse, and I am not down for that.
Erin Hynes from the Curious Tourism Podcast took us on a tour around Kensington, and we loved our time with her. She showed us the sights and the best coffee spots.
Next up is Montreal. We were lucky enough to stay at my sister’s friend’s apartment in the Mount Royal area, which is pretty central. We loved the area and its vibe.
Quebec has proper rent control, so the prices of apartments compared to Vancouver were staggering. It is much cheaper to rent a two-bedroom apartment near central Montreal for the same price as a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver. This was a huge consideration.
Montreal, alongside Quebec, gives me European vibes, which I occasionally miss, so that would scratch that itch.
However, speaking French is necessary for job opportunities and even fitting in with the community despite the small Anglophone community. This would be a tough transition.
As we made our way East, we almost finished the Canadian portion of our road trip in Halifax, and I loved the city. It is right on the water and has some great views.
Halifax ticked many boxes, especially because it has direct flights to London and is much closer to Europe in terms of time difference.
The city is small, though, and maybe too small for us. What was a concern was the price of renting, which is almost the same as in Vancouver, but the wages do not match.
Access to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland would have been excellent, and maybe one day we will give it a go as we loved that part of the world.
Out of those three cities, Montreal is my favourite. It is a super-happening city with so much going on and a cool vibe. You are very close to all the other major cities in the area, like Ottawa, Toronto, and Quebec.
Access to the East Coast of the USA provides plenty of opportunities for more travel, including some pretty cool places like New York City and Chicago.
The view from Dundarave Pier in West Vancouver
Why did we come back to Vancouver in 2024?
Many reasons exist for this decision, and one of the main ones is that we love the city.
We love being by the water, snow-capped mountains in the winter, walking along the seawall and seeing artists and comedians perform here. I also look forward to the FIFA World Cup 2026 being co-hosted here.
I have never felt at home or a bar in a few places other than where I was born. One of those places is Vancouver, alongside Perth in Australia and Bangkok in Thailand.
These places are a sanctuary to me, and Vancouver is a dream to live in because of the things I value the most: nice, easy walks (I was craving this in Kathmandu, Nepal), a great coffee scene, an easily accessible international airport, great nature, and access to the Gulf Islands for that break.
When we came here in 2019, we had grand plans to visit all these places on the West Coast in the USA, but COVID-19 halted this, and I still feel we haven’t lived this lifestyle yet.
After our epic one-year trip, we learned a few lessons, and one of those was spending too much of our budget with not much left over at the end. This posed a problem.
We needed to get to work quickly, and I was offered an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. Earning was the top priority, and we needed stability to apply for citizenship towards the end of 2024.
Vancouver ticked all the boxes. We could go to the Gulf Islands for a break if needed; I have a very good, stable job to recover from, our friendship circle here, and it doesn’t snow.
A friendship circle is crucial and one of the main points to resettling into a more stable life without travelling the road. We wanted to return to familiarity and make it easy on ourselves as we transitioned from the full-time travel lifestyle.
It has been a colossal re-adjustment.
Walking around Stanley Park in Vancouver
What are the downsides to living in Vancouver, and will we live elsewhere in Canada?
Like most places, Vancouver has many downsides, too, and here are a few for you to consider.
Rent is extremely expensive, and the average one-bedroom apartment (July 2024) is $2900; yes, you read that right!
Between November and February, the rain will constantly come down and get grim.
Vancouver is also a bit of a dead city. Montreal and Toronto have much more going on regarding events, parties, bars/clubs and activities if you want that.
The sporting options are limited to ice hockey, which no one likes worldwide, so the sporting options are pretty dire, too.
We should be Canadian citizens by the end of the year, which will complete the nightmare Canadian admin, one of the worst I have ever experienced.
This gives us many more options for the future, which I am excited about.
Where would I like to try to live in the future?
I am tempted to move to Nova Scotia and give the small towns/cities a go for once, as I always stick to the main bigger cities.
I love both coasts and would visit them frequently, but I want to visit Prince Edward Island or Lunenberg for a weekend; I love those places, but there is a great bit of a gap from our road trip to Newfoundland.
Unfortunately, we didn’t make it across, and I want to see every bit of that island.
I am pretty confident right now that we will live elsewhere in Canada, but just not right now.
Checking out the Rockies
Check out my latest YouTube episode in Busan and Gyeongju, South Korea.
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Final thoughts.
Give Canada a try. If you are coming to Vancouver, give me a shout, and I can meet you for a coffee or help you out with your trip.
Places to stay in while visiting Vancouver are as follows: what I think would be pretty cool for you to experience.
Kitsilano
West End
Commercial Drive
Olympic Village
Ambleside
North Vancouver
Bring your money, bear spray and camera as you will need all three when visiting Canada and Vancouver.
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