Visiting Vancouver in September to scout out a permanent move

11POSTS

9 years ago

Hi everyone!

Myself, partner & two kids have just booked our flights to Vancouver for September, to explore and make our final decision on moving over. We only have 16days for our trip, and will aim to spend the first week in Vancouver.

We want to do as much as we can to really get a feel for the place, so I'm hoping you guys can advise on the best location for us to stay in Vancouver? We have 2 kids aged 4yrs & 2yrs, so we don't want to stay anywhere too noisy (you know what kids + interrupted sleep equals!). Ideally we'd like to be near the coast, shops, restaurants, play areas, good transport, but don't have a massive budget to spend so will probably aim for AirBNB rather than hotels/B&Bs.

Obviously any suggestions on areas/neighbourhoods we should be looking at for moving to would be more than welcome, as we plan to tour the suburbs so we know what to expect in terms of friendly communities, outdoor activities, good schools, what you can get for your money etc. Ideally, I'm done with living in city centres, and would like more space & be closer to the outdoors/nature.

We'll then have another week renting an RV or similar and heading into the wilderness. So I might be back on here to make sure we don't miss anything amazing off of our itinerary!

I hope it's ok to have asked these questions on this forum, as our visit really will have a big impact on our decision to emigrate.

Thanks in advance

Diana

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philipyeo Serial expat

582POSTS

9 years ago

Hi Diana,

My family will be doing the same move as soon early next year. Although we're actually moving from Halifax, NS (far east of Canada) to Vancouver. I've had travel once only recently to Vancouver on a business trip and extended my stay by a few days to do my research of the surrounding neighbourhoods.

We want to do as much as we can to really get a feel for the place, so I'm hoping you guys can advise on the best location for us to stay in Vancouver? We have 2 kids aged 4yrs & 2yrs, so we don't want to stay anywhere too noisy (you know what kids + interrupted sleep equals!). Ideally we'd like to be near the coast, shops, restaurants, play areas, good transport, but don't have a massive budget to spend so will probably aim for AirBNB rather than hotels/B&Bs.

North Vancouver, round about Lonsdale Ave seems like a good spot and fit your description. It does not have the easy access to a skytrain but there are frequent buses that passes along Lonsdale Ave. Further up Lonsdale, near the library is also a nice little spot. The buses will take you to the ferry terminal which you can than take a ferry in 10 min to heart of downtown Vancouver. Another nice neighbourhood is Kitsilano, Its close by to the city center but doesn't have immediate access to skytrain, thus you might want to look for somewhere there's a frequent bus access there. However between the 2, North Van has more outdoor stuff as its closer to the mountains and the same time near the sea as well. I must say though, if you do plan to live there in the long run, rental / home prices in North Van is somewhat higher in value. But I think you'll feel right at home there.

Cheers,
Philip

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IndianaDi Member

11POSTS

9 years ago

Hi Priscilla,

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have another look

IndianaDi Member

11POSTS

9 years ago

Thank you so much for the advice Philip, it's so hard when it's a completely different country, but we're very excited and can't wait to see it. So every bit of advice is very much appreciated!

Good luck for your move too, I see from the map that it's a considerable journey you're making too!

Best
Diana

philipyeo Serial expat

582POSTS

9 years ago

I have 2 kids, a toddler at 2 and 1/2 and an infant, 3 mths old. So yea, its going to be a challenge. Thankfully I work from home so I don't have to commute to work daily.

Try West Vancouver too. Again, its on the North side too (across the river) and is close to the ocean. No skytrain but definitely has outdoor-sy vibe to it. Try Marine Dr, closer to 17, 18, 19, 20 st as its closer to the library and city hall - so there's more stuff there than being further away from civilization. Also, since you may not be near a skytrain, then marine dr may serve as access to frequent buses. Also, you want to try living close to rental car services too e.g. zipcar, car2go etc.
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/finding-the-right- … -1.2760075
These services, are typically abundant in larger cities like Vancouver and so some small families typically don't even own a car but simply subscribe to these services as a way to save. However, if you do go about sending your kids to weekly activities that are further away from home e.g. soccer practice, ballet dancing etc, then you are probably better off with your own set of wheels.

IndianaDi Member

11POSTS

9 years ago

Fantastic! Thank you soooooooo much! Will look at it all today!

philipyeo Serial expat

582POSTS

9 years ago

Oh, one last tip. If you do end up deciding to settle there after your short airbnb stay and want to do some research with regards to rentals, then use craigslist. Canadians to the west coast, uses craigslist to list their rentals unlike the rest of the country which uses kijiji.ca

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