Budget Friendly Travel Resources image via pexels

Written by Guest-Blogger: Cindy Aldridge  

After spending so much time close to home, many of us are itching for a well-deserved change of scenery, even if it’s months down the road. While it might feel pointless to plan a getaway in the midst of uncertainty, having something exciting to look forward to is a great way to lift your spirits and look ahead.

Tours of Exploration shares 11 budget-friendly travel resources in the sections below, so read on and let the vacation planning begin!

Re-discover wonder in Mt Robson Provincial park

Tours of Exploration is offering some very exciting travel prizes! Presenting our Re-discover Wonder Contest. After a taking a long break from travel, you must be in an adventure dream-state by now! Travel – no matter near or far – offers a sense of discovery both of yourself and of your external environment.

Whales feeding photo by T Crocker

The Northern region is one of my top recommendations for travellers planning a visit to Vancouver Island. I return as often as I can, including plans to take the popular BC Ferries route between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert. The draw for me is the high concentration of wildlife and impactful connections with the area’s First Nations.

Sleeping Giant hike

By Lili Paradi

I always thought I was the spontaneous ‘get-up-and-go’ kind of traveler. At least until my partner, Louis, and I decided to go north (Ontario) for our very first backcountry trip in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

Sunshine Coast Trail winter recreation

By Catherine Evans & Ailish Evans

Click here for Tours of Exploration's very own 3-4 Day Sunshine Coast Trail Getaway.

Despite living on the Sunshine Coast for nearly thirty years, I had never experienced the iconic backcountry hut-to-hut hiking path known as the Sunshine Coast Trail (SCT). This 180 km route stretches from

Yoho National Park Paget hike

By Catherine Evans

Click here for Tours of Exploration's 3-Day Tour in Yoho National Park. 

The staycation mantra has become the call to travel domestically. My husband and I accepted the invite when we set out to explore our Province with a visit to Yoho National Park, BC.  

Tofino wildlife cruise

By Lille Carter-Pound

Click here to achieve your own Tofino whale watching experience, curated by Tours of Exploration.

My boyfriend Brandon and myself didn’t know what to expect on our ocean wildlife tour. We were hoping to see whales common in these waters between the months of March to October,

Mt Robson 3 day trek

By Szilvia Paradi

Click here for your own Mount Robson Provincial Park trekking challenge, curated by Tours of Exploration.

July 22, 2020:

This would be a big trekking day. We made our way to the Mount Robson Provincial Park Visitation Centre to check-in to the Berg Lake Trail.  The park ranger explains the trail conditions to us – a bit muddy due to all the rainfall, but hike-able nonetheless.  She also tells us about a grizzly bear sighting;

covered bridge eastern canada

Click here for a similar tour we offer, but on the westernmost coast of the country.

Diane Gadd takes us on a camping road trip across eastern Canada. Traveling from Ontario through Quebec, into New Brunswick, over the Confederation Bridge to PEI and by ferry across to Nova Scotia.

polar bears of Churchill

Click here to experience your own polar bear expedition via train running through Churchill, Manitoba.

Builders of the railroad to Churchill Manitoba probably had no idea that their new grain shipping port, which provided a link from the Prairies to the Arctic Ocean, lay just 40 km north of the world’s largest polar bear denning area. For millennia, the Arctic’s most iconic mammal has come ashore along the western coastline of Hudson Bay to wait out the time until the ice freezes again so that they may begin their annual seal hunt.

whales in Johstone Strait

Click here for a kayaking tour that provides a high-probability of seeing our ocean's magnificent creatures for yourself.

Last week our deck dining was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of whale blow. I turned in time to watch two humpbacks ever so close to shore finish their breath and submerge.

Via rail travel in Canada

Click here for a scenic Via Rail route of your own, and experience the wonders of train travel.

When my daughter graduates this spring from the University of Saskatchewan I am leaning towards taking VIA rail. I must convince my husband of the virtues of long distance train travel.