Remember British Columbia? | July 2021 #Shorts

A look back at our July 2021 trip to British Columbia, from Vancouver's seawall to orcas off Victoria, with tips for planning your own West Coast getaway.

Share:

#British Columbia#Vancouver#Victoria#Canada travel#July 2021#couple travel#Shorts

Some trips stay with you long after the suitcases are unpacked. For us, July 2021 in British Columbia is one of them. We recently came across a clip from that trip and ended up sharing it as a short, and it took us right back. If you have a minute, watch the short on YouTube and then come back here, because a minute is nowhere near enough room for everything we want to say about it.

Why That Trip Meant So Much

Summer 2021 was a strange moment. Travel was only just starting to feel possible again, and we had spent a long stretch of time staying close to home in Mississauga. Getting on a plane and landing on the other side of the country felt almost surreal. The air was different, the mountains seemed to appear out of nowhere, and the ocean was right there at the end of the street.

As a Vietnamese and Punjabi couple, we grew up with very different ideas of what a "vacation" looks like. Samantha's family tends to organize trips around food and who we will see. Amir's side leans toward big, loud, everyone-in-one-van adventures. British Columbia somehow gave us both something we love: space to breathe, incredible things to eat, and scenery that makes you go quiet.

Vancouver: Water, Trees, and Slow Mornings

We started in Vancouver, and honestly, the pace of the city was the first thing that struck us. Coming from the Greater Toronto Area, it felt like everyone had agreed to take a deep breath at the same time. Mornings were for walking and coffee, and afternoons were for finding a patch of grass or sand to sit on.

Stanley Park was the highlight. The seawall is one of those places that is hard to describe without sounding like a brochure, but it really does deliver: ocean on one side, towering trees on the other, and a steady stream of walkers, cyclists, and skaters sharing the path. We filmed our time there in Vancouver & Stanley Park, and if you can't make the trip yet, we also put together a virtual 4K bike ride through Stanley Park so you can pedal along from your couch.

A few Vancouver tips from our trip:

Rent bikes early in the day. The seawall gets busy by late morning in summer, and the light is gorgeous before the crowds arrive.
Bring layers. Even in July, the breeze off the water can be cool, especially in the evening.
Eat widely. Vancouver has fantastic Asian food, and as a Vietnamese family we had a very good time comparing notes on the pho and banh mi.
Book popular activities ahead. Summer is peak season, and spots fill up quickly.

Victoria and the Orcas

The part of the trip we still talk about most is the island. Taking the trip over to Victoria felt like stepping into a different, gentler world, with flower baskets hanging everywhere and a harbour that looks like a postcard. Then came the whale watching.

There is a particular kind of hush that falls over a boat when someone spots a fin on the horizon. Everyone stops talking, phones come up, and for a few seconds nobody is quite sure whether to breathe. Seeing orcas in open water is something we will never forget, and we tried to capture the feeling in our Victoria Island and Orca Adventure travel vlog.

If you are planning a whale-watching trip:

Choose an operator that follows responsible wildlife viewing guidelines and keeps a respectful distance from the animals.
Dress warmer than you think you need to. On the water it is noticeably colder than on shore.
Take motion sickness medication beforehand if you are prone to it. Better safe than sorry.
Keep your camera ready, but also put it down for a moment. Some things deserve your full attention.

What We Learned About Traveling Together

That trip taught us a lot about how we travel as a couple. We learned that we both need a mix of planned activities and unplanned wandering. We learned that a good snack plan can save a day. And we learned to let each other lead sometimes, whether that meant following Samantha's food research or Amir's instinct to take the scenic route.

If you are curious about how our different backgrounds shape the way we explore, we wrote about it in Traveling as an Interracial Couple: What We've Learned. It is honest, a little funny, and full of things we wish we had known earlier.

Looking Back

Watching old footage is a funny experience. You notice the small things you had forgotten: the way the light looked on the water, a joke that only makes sense to the two of us, the feeling of being somewhere new and completely present. A few years on, our lives look quite different, and that makes these memories feel even more precious.

If you have never been to British Columbia, consider this your gentle nudge. Go in summer for the long days and the water. Go in shoulder season if you prefer fewer crowds. Either way, give yourself more time than you think you need, because you will not want to rush it.

And if you have been, we would love to hear about it. Where did you go, what did you eat, and what do you still think about? Tell us in the comments on the video.

Thanks for taking this little trip down memory lane with us.