Why Canada is a Hidden Gem of a Destination

While a country as vast in landmass as Canada would be difficult to refer to as any kind of hidden place, on the collective travellers’ radar it appears to be hidden in plain view. Many travellers seem to overlook it for some reason and I strongly suspect that it’s because they are made to believe that if you’ve visited a destination such as the UK then it’s pretty much the same as having visited Canada.

Nothing could be further from the truth though, as is attested to by the exploration of some of the key differences between Canada and the UK.

Refugees’ and immigrants’ stories

We’re perhaps bordering on the extreme here to merely drive a point home, but looking at the stories of refugees and other immigrants make for a large window-view into the manner through which Canada treats foreigners. The reason why you never hear stories of the condemnation of immigrants is because, unlike the UK, there appears to be plenty of space and resources to channel them into making meaningful contributions to Canadian society. Refugees have not asked to be refugees, they are escaping bad situations that have forced them to make a choice, this can happen to anyone at any time. Take America for example, after the world wars so many people didn’t make it home or went missing only for families to find out in the future that they branched off into other areas and started a new life, maybe to escape what they went through. It is lucky that there is now a database like https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/obituaries/all/usa/virginia/danville/danville-register-bee for those who wanted to find out what happened to their ‘uncle’ during the war and see if they have any distant relatives. People are split up and have to move, as a human race we should be helping them.

This translates into pretty much the same when it comes to tourism – visitors are welcomed with an unreal warmth that might even make you a little bit suspicious, particularly if you’ve become accustomed to British culture around this sort of thing.

Something for everyone, and then some!

Hey, if you’re a football fan then you can catch what they refer to as soccer in North America, going some way to prove that there’s something for everyone in Canada. You probably wouldn’t go all the way there to experience things that form an everyday part of your current life though, so why not check out ice hockey instead of football/soccer, or perhaps even lacrosse if you’re visiting in the summertime? Lacrosse is one of the most popular sports in Canada, so people should definitely try their hand at that. You would probably need to purchase your own equipment though, such as these girls lacrosse sticks. Hopefully, people will end up loving lacrosse.

Otherwise there’s vast natural beauty galore, from summer or even winter camping in Nova Scotia to maybe checking out the humbling experience of flying over the Niagara Falls! You can only dream of such if you were visiting the UK instead, assuming it doesn’t suddenly rain too, of course. Haha…

Canada’s quiet modesty

Speaking of humbling experiences or humbleness in this particular instance, Canada owes its status as a hidden gem of a destination, I would think, in large part to the fact that it’s humble and quietly modest. I honestly haven’t ever seen a government sponsored ad on TV, willing potential visitors to come and explore the vast beauty of this vast country, whereas it actually has so much to offer in that regard and more.

Misconstrued political moves

Much to their irritation, lots of Americans who turn out not to be bona fide travellers are turned away at the Canadian border to get their affairs in order, calling into view Canada’s generally misconstrued political moves. By many people, including many people in the UK, Canada is seen as somewhat of an extension of the US and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Moves such as switching to driving on the right-hand-side of the road probably add fuel to that fire, further making Canada the hidden gem of a destination it is.