I spent MORE THAN 20k during my exchange??

My exchange experience was AMAZING and I wish I could relive it, but it definitely did not come without challenges…here are some of the most major things I wish I researched about before accepting my exchange to a University in Canada. 😆

✧• Canada is HUGE and it can take HOURS via a FLIGHT to get to a different city

My friends and I all applied for different Universities around Canada, and got accepted into different ones. We all accepted them thinking, at least we are in the same country, we can visit each other all the time, right? WRONG.🤡 My University was near Vancouver, BC, while theirs were near Toronto, ON. I had to take a 4 hour flight just to go to their city! In the end, we only met up about 3 times, albeit spending quite a few days together each time. Cities in the same state can also be quite a few hours away by car…😟

❗️Pro-tip: check the distance between your unis on google before accepting if you want to go with your friends but got different unis in the same country!

✧• Housing in Canada can be INSANELY pricy and hard to secure!

Although my school did offer on-campus housing, it was via a lottery (that you had to pay $50 to enter), and they told us it was unlikely we would be able to get a room due to the fact that demand was really high, and we were the last on their priority list for getting a room (the priority list went from their own students, to exchange students staying for at least 2 semesters, to us…staying for only 1 semester)😔. It was hard looking for houses that accepted short term rentals (less than 6 months), and the rental per month for short term rentals were really expensive. Airbnb is your best friend! However, housing scams are also said to be commonplace so you have to check thoroughly before signing a contract or paying a deposit on your accommodation! I ended up using a site called sabbaticalhomes , and while I managed to secure a cosy 2B1B studio for me and my roomie, it cost $2,650 CAD (roughly S$1,325 per person) per month! Overall a super stressful process that I hope to never go through again :”)

❗️Pro-tip: some areas use FB Marketplace a lot so you can look there to source for housing too! & try to secure accoms ASAP

✧• Domestic Flights in Canada are NOT cheap!

While I did a fair share of travelling during my time on exchange, it definitely burnt a hole in my already broken pocket…🫠

Most return flights can cost upwards of S$300-$400, and those are on their budget airlines! (Flair, etc.) I expected $40 domestic flights like the ones they have in Europe, and was sorely disappointed…

They also barely have long-distance trains (and when they do, its not cheap either), so there isn’t really any hacks to avoid high travelling costs :(

❗️Pro-Tip: Only go for trips when you can leave for at least 4-5 days and do road-trips to neighbouring cities (so that you can cover more areas)! For e.g., you can take a flight to Toronto and drive to Montreal and Quebec. You can check out Turo for cheaper car rentals too~

✧• Tips are basically mandatory & taxes are not included in prices…

While its not stated that tips are compulsory, there is definitely a culture to tip in Canada, and it is usually expected. It is also usually a minimum of 15-18%…which will add up…especially when their meals are already not cheap as is. We didn’t always tip though, although it is slightly awkward when we don’t 🥴 (some waiters will even ask you to tip!). Prices that are stated in stores and restaurants are also usually before tax (around 12%…)

❗️Pro-Tip: Calgary only has 5% tax, so if you plan on travelling there during your exchange, save all your shopping for when you are there!! (Or choose Universities in Calgary to do your exchange xD)

There are definitely many pros for exchanging in Canada as well, such as having no-language barrier (unless you are in Montreal area), but I’ll probably have to do another post on that. Overall, it is a great place to exchange at, but do be prepared to spend!!!💸💸

Hope this helps & feel free to drop any other questions in the comments! 🕊️

#Lemon8SG #travel #Canada #exchangestudent #exchange