Canada 2010-2011?

Limerick_Lass

I got a quote for flight to vancouver in september for 740 with BA... anyone seen any better offers? How are USIT for flights?

stlongs

Well, I can tell you that I got the flights and insurance from USIT for €1172. I think €512 was insurance and I guess €660 was the flights. Having said that I got the €100 off for getting in the time limit and they probably did a better deal because I got everything through them. That was back at the end of February. For this week.

Limerick_Lass

I suppose it depends what time of year Id be flying because I was told August was more expensive so thats why I waited off until September... is that not a bit expensive for insurance tho

stlongs

I think I probably got a bit ripped off on the insurance side alright. I have the basic package + winter sports.

GrahamThomas

I've recently written a guide to Vancouver for a few friends of mine who are coming here during the summer, and thought it might be of some use to my fellow Boardsies. (Apologies if it's a bit long)

_______________________________________
Stuff in Vancouver:
The Lookout at Harbour Centre - Great views of the city and the North Shore mountains from here on a clear day.

Granville Island - They make nice beer here. Oh, and there's markets. But mostly I like it 'cos of the beer. By ferry is the a fun way to get there: False Creek Ferries & Aquabus run a number of different routes.

Capilano Suspension Bridge - 30 dollars, bit pricey but it's a nice spot up in the mountains.
Grouse Mountain - 38 dollars to get up to the top by cablecar. Or you can hike up and down for free.
Lynn Valley Park - Great little park in North Vancouver, right on the edge of the city.

Stanley Park - Great views from the Seawall Walk. About a 10/15 min stroll from the downtown core, or if you're feeling lazy get the no. 19 bus.

Beaches - There are some great beaches within a 30 minute bus ride of downtown, such as Jericho Beach and the infamous Wreak Beach at UBC. English Bay is beautiful, and only a 10 minute walk from downtown.

Pacific Centre - Downtown shopping complex. Just off Robson Street, which is the main shopping street.

Further Afield - Whistler resort, Vancouver Island, Seattle, and the Sunshine Coast are all within 4 to 6 hours from Van by bus or ferry. Rocky Mountains are about a 12 hour bus ride.

Neighborhoods:
Downtown core - Compact enough to explore on foot. Robson St and Granville St are the main shopping areas. Granville St gets very busy on Friday and Saturday night as most of the bars/clubs are concentrated along there, most of them play Top40/pop music (The Granville strip is the Vancouver equivalent of Temple Bar)

West End - The area between downtown and Stanley Park. Mostly residential, with lots of coffee shops & restaurants. Very multicultural, lots of wealthy professional types, and the "Davie Village" area is home to Vans gay community (which is why all the bus stops and garbage bins are painted pink).

Yaletown - Down by False Creek, to the east of Granville St Bridge. Recently re-developed area, where yuppies with irritatingly small dogs live in huge glass towers. Nice place for an afternoon stroll.

Gastown - Lots of old buildings, picturesque, and a little bit of a tourist trap. Home to the famous Vancouver Steam Clock.

Chinatown - Does exactly what it says on the tin. Good for a stroll and a visit to the traditional Chinese gardens.

Downtown Eastside (DTES) - An infamously deprived part of the city, centered around the Main St. & E. Hastings intersection.

Boozing:
Vancouver has a reputation as being a "no fun city". Drinking laws here are a lot stricter than at home, which means that there are surprisingly few bars/clubs for a city of its size. There are some great little drinking spots, you just need to know where to look.

Malones - Irish pub downtown. Good craic at the weekends, and when there's a match on. Doolins is another Irish pub that's pretty decent.

The Black Frog - Small, unpretentious bar in Gastown that plays great music. Good place to start the night, or for cheap Guinness (5 bucks) on a Sunday.

The Cambie - Attached to a hostel, so attracts the backpacker & student crowds.

The Bourbon - Bar & club in Gastown. Usually bands playing at the weekend.

Lotus/Honey - Near Chinatown, one of our frequent haunts on a Saturday. 3 different rooms playing different music, always busy.

5 things worth knowing:
1) Van is insanely multicultural, with a huge immigrant population and an unreal selection of different cuisines.
2) Starbucks are f*cking everywhere.
3) Smoking weed in public is, generally speaking, tolerated by the cops, but it helps to be discreet. And there is even a cafe (The New Amsterdam Cafe) where you can go for coffee and a bit of a smoke.
4) All prices in shops are before tax. Sales taxes are 12% on most things, but this will be changing soon.
5) Don't forget to tip! 15-20% is the average

Offside

stlongs wrote: »

Well, I can tell you that I got the flights and insurance from USIT for €1172. I think €512 was insurance and I guess €660 was the flights. Having said that I got the €100 off for getting in the time limit and they probably did a better deal because I got everything through them. That was back at the end of February. For this week.

512 for the insurance? Wow. I got my insurance through the same company as USIT use, mapfre asistencia. 90 euro for a year (minus construction work). Probably not the same package USIT offer but was approved by them.

lil_lisa

Am I the only person who sees insurance as an investment? I paid about 400e for a year and I wish now I had paid more and upgraded or found a better company. These guys aren't helping me with anything over here.

stlongs

Offside wrote: »

90 euro for a year (minus construction work).

Wow, don't know how you managed that one! Good Going, well done!
I might be doing construction work there, during the summer anyway.

citytillidie

goldjogger wrote: »

hey i landed in montreal on tuesday n only had a few basic words of french, if you cant speak french dont worry, i got a french phrasebook and didnt look at it, once u can say hello, thank you, goodbye, can u speak english and a few more simple phrases u'll be grand, most ppl speak both languages but obviously it nice 2 greet them in french first, if ur plannin on stayin in montreal 4 d yr d swap centre wil give u a list of french language courses that dey recommend and it cost around 50 dollars for the course. its a beautiful city, i'm aftr moving on 2 quebec now but if u have any questions abt montreal feel free 2 ask,

Oh i just have very basic french, but have a place to stay when i land there and a possible job lined up if all goes well.

Jeanie_Mac

GrahamThomas wrote: »

+ 1 to this. Also I have found that a lot of bigger companies have Jobs/Careers sections on their website, and you can submit your application & resume to them online.

I've been doing that too - although I've noticed that a lot of the jobs the companies I've been applying to have been looking for people at a more senior level than I'd be eligible for.

Actually it looks like I might have to wait & see what it's like over there and then if it's too expensive - (everyone just talks about how expensive it is - would you guys agree?) I'll just come home. How expensive are we talking about? :-)

In the meantime I'm thinking I might just do barwork or something if I can get it - so now I have to do my safe serve (?) course online so that I can work in a pub.

Chet Zar

citytillidie wrote: »

Oh i just have very basic french, but have a place to stay when i land there and a possible job lined up if all goes well.

Not a huge issue generally speaking to not have much/any French, but it's really appreciated by the locals when you do make an effort...you'll prob pick it up a little when you get there too!

sprinkles

I went with blueinsurance (AXA) - got my policy for 140e afair and it turned out to be word for word the same as the one USIT offered. Add to that the 40e to get it approved by USIT and I ended up saving over 300e. Not to be sneezed at!

Limerick_Lass

lil_lisa wrote: »

Am I the only person who sees insurance as an investment? I paid about 400e for a year and I wish now I had paid more and upgraded or found a better company. These guys aren't helping me with anything over here.

What happened that you need help?

Limerick_Lass

I was browsing through this thread... its interesting to read from the start (my position at the moment) before most of ye left for Canada and to see how ye are getting on now Im heading in September hopefully to Vancouver, any tips appreciated
Is it what ye expected?

CanadaSolo

Limerick_Lass wrote: »

I suppose it depends what time of year Id be flying because I was told August was more expensive so thats why I waited off until September... is that not a bit expensive for insurance tho

I paid slightly less then stlong (€1110) for insurance and flights for mid- August. Only booked about a 2 weeks ago so cant imagine that they have gone up much - probably worth asking for a quote if nothing else.

Insurance alone with USIT was working out at about €460 (I think)including winter sports. There are way cheaper quotes out there but the difference is what sports they cover. It really depends on what activites you think youll do - stuff I take for granted in Ireland seems to add a lot to the insurance cost

lil_lisa

Limerick_Lass wrote: »

What happened that you need help?

Nothing extremely serious, but over a year things can crop up, things that seem like very basic treatments until you get a big bill from the labs saying your insurance doesn't cover this, you gotta pay. I've actually been waiting for my insurance to get back to me about a bigger case for three months now, it feels like they're pushing it so by the time I'm back in Ireland they won't have to cover me anymore. Health care should be taken more seriously for longer visas like this I think!

mickoneill30

Which insurance company did you use lil_lisa?

lil_lisa

Well it was for the US 1 year visa with Sayit, but it's called Blue Insurance, over here it's known as AXA Insurance. Basically, you have to be on your death bed for them to actually cover you for anything.

lil_lisa

Wow, I just called them and the guy I was dealing with isn't working with the company anymore and obviously nobody took over his cases...that's comforting!

Offside

sprinkles wrote: »

I went with blueinsurance (AXA) - got my policy for 140e afair and it turned out to be word for word the same as the one USIT offered. Add to that the 40e to get it approved by USIT and I ended up saving over 300e. Not to be sneezed at!

Email them and request a refund to that "admin fee". It's been dropped and they'll refund it if you ask.

GrahamThomas

Jeanie_Mac wrote: »

I've been doing that too - although I've noticed that a lot of the jobs the companies I've been applying to have been looking for people at a more senior level than I'd be eligible for.

Actually it looks like I might have to wait & see what it's like over there and then if it's too expensive - (everyone just talks about how expensive it is - would you guys agree?) I'll just come home. How expensive are we talking about? :-)

In the meantime I'm thinking I might just do barwork or something if I can get it - so now I have to do my safe serve (?) course online so that I can work in a pub.

From my experience here in Vancouver, its a pretty expensive place to live. But if you're smart with your money its worth every cent. I can't say what Toronto is like re: cost of living though.

Limerick_Lass wrote: »

I was browsing through this thread... its interesting to read from the start (my position at the moment) before most of ye left for Canada and to see how ye are getting on now Im heading in September hopefully to Vancouver, any tips appreciated
Is it what ye expected?

Vancouver is everything I expected and more! Just come here with an open mind and you'll have a ball. Are you coming with friends or travelling solo Limerick_Lass?

karlcox2

CanadaSolo wrote: »

Anyone travelling solo to Vancouver mid August? Would be cool to know other peoples plans!!

Hi canadaSolo,
my circumstances have changed recently and im now flying solo on august 11th to vancouver (pending this ash cloud doesnt mess things up) and plans are minimal at the moment but ley me know if you have anything sorted.

karlcox2

dceire wrote: »

I'm flying to Vancouver on August 17th. Still haven't made up my mind if I'm sticking to Vancouver/Whistler or going to Banff or Calgary yet.

Heading solo too so it'd be good to hear if more boardsies are about.

Im going solo too, great to hear other people are going to vancouver, everyone i talked to going to toronto and thought i picked the wrong place.

karlcox2

CanadaSolo wrote: »

I paid slightly less then stlong (€1110) for insurance and flights for mid- August. Only booked about a 2 weeks ago so cant imagine that they have gone up much - probably worth asking for a quote if nothing else.

Insurance alone with USIT was working out at about €460 (I think)including winter sports. There are way cheaper quotes out there but the difference is what sports they cover. It really depends on what activites you think youll do - stuff I take for granted in Ireland seems to add a lot to the insurance cost

hi all, i paid 1082 with usit because i missed the BA sale last january which would have saved me about 250-300 but still im glad its all sorted for August 11th. hopefully someone arranges a boardies drink end of august.

karlcox2

tellastory wrote: »

link to blog would be helpful


http://youremovingtovancouver.blogspot.com/

Anna,

thank you so much for your blog, its pretty much answered every question i had about travelling to vancouver in august.

If you know of any forums for irish in vancouver please let me know, travelling for the first time on my own and would be nice to have a few contacts before i go.

thanks again

Canadabound

I'm very interested to see people in general are not so happy with USIT on this programme. My experience has been horrific.

USIT have consistently confused me (at times I genuinely felt that I was being lied to) about the basis on which I was applying for the Visa - sometimes they would email saying things like 'if you don't book flights & insurance with us by 5pm tomorrow you will lose your place on the programme. (and of course the hefty €399 fee!)
I got so tired of this that I contacted the Canadian High Commission directly in London. They were not happy as apparently USIT have 'guaranteed to them' that applicants would not have to book anything with USIT directly in order to stay on the programme.
Unfortunately, this info came too late for me and I am now tied into a deposit for flights and insurance with USIT. The 'flexible' flights are not at all flexible. I was forced into booking a British Airways flight back in February 'in order to stay on the programme'. I tried to claim that it was foolish to book a flight until I had assurance that my visa would come back on time. I was advised that the ticket was fully flexible and if my visa was delayed i could just call up and change the flight date free of charge. Yeah right! I have since tried to change the date on this ticket - no seats available in this fare category for a month, and a price hike of over €200 for the next available seat in August!

I really would like to hear more on people's experience of USIT as I am convinced that I am not alone in being really really unhappy with them. We all paid €399 to them to act as our agents, but instead of them helping us with our applications it seems all they do is try to bully us into spending even more money with them at inflated prices. Its so frustrating as they know we are all desperate to get our Visa!

Limerick_Lass

karlcox2 wrote: »

hi all, i paid 1082 with usit because i missed the BA sale last january which would have saved me about 250-300 but still im glad its all sorted for August 11th. hopefully someone arranges a boardies drink end of august.

Boardies drink end of September

Chet Zar

karlcox2 wrote: »

Anna,

thank you so much for your blog, its pretty much answered every question i had about travelling to vancouver in august.

If you know of any forums for irish in vancouver please let me know, travelling for the first time on my own and would be nice to have a few contacts before i go.

thanks again

Hi Karl,

The forum on the site linked in my sig (and the Facebook page) might be of interest to you if you want to have a browse - forum could be a good way of building up those contacts for you. Planning a move in the future myself - sounds like an amazing city. Think doing it alone is the only way myself!

Good luck.

Limerick_Lass

Well I certainly have an open mind and intending on having a ball
Alot of people here at home keep going on about jobs to me ect. but Im willing to do more or less anything, Its the experience Im going for.

Im travelling with a friend but hope to make lots more in Vancouver

goldjogger

citytillidie wrote: »

Oh i just have very basic french, but have a place to stay when i land there and a possible job lined up if all goes well.

Thats great, you'll love Montreal, its a really cool city and so much to see and do, best of luck with the move, hope it all goes well for you