The TTG Canada Fest fam trip spent a week exploring Vancouver and Whistler, with agents given the opportunity to experience everything from whale watching and bear hunting to shoulder-season skiing and diverse dining. They zip-lined, snowmobiled, food toured and tapped into their creative side in an art gallery.
In this video, agents talk about their trip highlights and share top tips for finding Canada’s most elusive wildlife, advice on when to visit for the best prices, how to make the most of clients’ time on travel days and why some of the destinations’ most popular sites won’t be ruined by rainy weather.
Click the CC button on the video for captions
Read all about the agents’ adventures in The Canada fam that had agents singing in the rain.
Please see below for the video transcript:
Madeleine Barber, TTG Media
“Hello from Vancouver! The TTG Canada Fest fam trip has taken a group of travel agents to Vancouver and Whistler, where they’ve experienced everything from snowmobiling, zip-lining and wildlife encounters to city sightseeing, food tours and art galleries. Let’s hear the agents’ thoughts on these destinations as well as their top tips for selling these iconic Canadian experiences.”
Anna Ironmonger, Not Just Travel
“If you’d have asked me before I came ’what was one of the big things I wanted to do?’ it would have been seeing a bear and then next seeing orca whales, and I’ve managed both. Ask the locals where the bears have been spotted or where the orcas have been spotted – they’ll know. We’ve also seen the bald eagles and the seals (when we were on the Zodiac tour from Granville Island) so I’ve kind of ticked everything off my list!”
Sarah Watson, Travel Impressions
“It’s been amazing. Granville Island is great, there’s so much to see there. On Granville Island we did the foodie tour around the market. They had 11 stops and it was a mixture of drinks and savoury and sweet things as well. Our guide Gina was great, she was really knowledgeable. She talked about the history of the market as well. They cater for any allergies any dietary requirements, so they could if you’ve got vegetarians vegans or anything like that as well. I think it’s quite a good thing to do on your last day when you’ve had to check out of the hotel and you’re waiting for the flight. You can easily do half a day. It’s a bit of last-minute shopping, get some lunch, so yeah it’s a really really good time to do it on your last day before you fly home.”
Janice Abbott, The Holiday Village
“I liked Whistler Mountain because it was only 20 minutes up in the gondola to get to the skiing area at the top. You’ve got the lovely restaurant kind of cafeteria area where you can bring your own food or you can buy different types of food. You’ve even got shops up there which is just amazing and the views are to die for. Shoulder season is a bit less expensive and there’s still snow up there until probably about early May.”
Marina Schumacher, Travel Counsellors
“Cycle City Vancouver was awesome, we did it in the rain and it was still awesome. Our guide was really great because she waited in very good intervals so people could catch up if they felt like they’re falling a bit behind. We got a good view of Coal Harbour and Stanley Park, and saw the totem poles, which was quite exciting, and she also gave us some background information on the First Nations and a little bit of history about Vancouver, so it’s really good. It’s great that they have different types of bicycles that one can hire, so we were on regular bikes but they also had e-bikes. One of our group actually was on an e-bike and she found it very comfortable. If you’re travelling with a family they allow group tours for children from 10 years old, so if you have younger children they do have trailers etc, but you’re better off booking a private tour or going off on your own.”
Anna Ironmonger, Not Just Travel
“I loved the Capilano Suspension Bridge experience. I didn’t know what to expect and it was so much more than just the suspension bridge. The suspension bridge itself was really fun but there was also a cliff walk, there were treetop walks, we saw some amazing birds of prey that they had on show. I think some of it is seasonal. And it’s so close to downtown Vancouver, it was just so easily accessible. We did it in the pouring rain and it was still an absolute blast! We had a great time, so it’s open all year round and you can genuinely, I can vouch for this, you can do it in any weather and still have a great day.”
Janice Abbott, The Holiday Village
“Harbour Air was an exceptional experience because you got so close to the ships that were in the harbour, you got to see the buildings, they gave you a wee bit of commentary on the different areas and what was there. Make sure you take your camera and enjoy it!”
