canada road trip

I am looking for advice, idea's, pointers, time lines, etc.
Planning to take a road trip from Calgary to Toronto leaving Sept. 23?
wanting to be back in Calgary Oct. 8th.
Planning on renting a minivan. Purpose is to set up a son for school in
Toronto, but like to see a few things on the way doing so.
So, advice on (mini)van rental and what to watch for is also very welcome.

paula wrote:
I am looking for advice, idea's, pointers, time lines, etc.
Planning to take a road trip from Calgary to Toronto leaving Sept. 23?
wanting to be back in Calgary Oct. 8th.
Planning on renting a minivan. Purpose is to set up a son for school in
Toronto, but like to see a few things on the way doing so.
So, advice on (mini)van rental and what to watch for is also very welcome.


If you already have car insurance check to see if your present car
insurance has coverage for a rental. If not it is very cheap to add to
your present policy.

"TheNewsGuy(Mike)" wrote in message
...
paula wrote:
I am looking for advice, idea's, pointers, time lines, etc.
Planning to take a road trip from Calgary to Toronto leaving Sept.
23? wanting to be back in Calgary Oct. 8th.
Planning on renting a minivan. Purpose is to set up a son for school
in Toronto, but like to see a few things on the way doing so.
So, advice on (mini)van rental and what to watch for is also very
welcome.


If you already have car insurance check to see if your present car
insurance has coverage for a rental. If not it is very cheap to add
to your present policy.

Also check with your credit card company; some cards provide car rental
insurance, presumably if you use their card for the rental. Ask them,
but do it quickly! (You might find a summary on their websites.)

On Sep 6, 3:12 pm, paula wrote:
I am looking for advice, idea's, pointers, time lines, etc.
Planning to take aroadtripfrom Calgary to Toronto leaving Sept. 23?
wanting to be back in Calgary Oct. 8th.
Planning on renting a minivan. Purpose is to set up a son for school in
Toronto, but like to see a few things on the way doing so.
So, advice on (mini)van rental and what to watch for is also very welcome.

You could stay off the Trans-Canada and take the Redcoat Trail through
southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

There are 2.5 choices for the Ontario stretch. The basic choices are
Highway 17 along Lake Superior, or Highway 11 through the (boring and
featureless) north. The 0.5 choice would be to take Hwy 11 via
Atikokan to Thunder Bay, instead of the much shorter 17 Kenora to
Thunder Bay.

You will be in time for fall colours. Look up the Agawa Canyon tour
train, which might be a nice stopover if you go via 17 through Sault
Ste. Marie.

You could also use the Manitoulin-Tobermory ferry for at least one leg
of your trip. It's slower and more expensive, but Manitoulin and the
Bruce Peninsula are geologically quite different from anything I know
of in Alberta, and worth a bit of exploration. If you like to hike,
the Bruce Trail has many excellent sectionsin the Bruce Peninsula.

At the price of gas today, you might want to look into something like
an Impala, instead of a minivan. Although it is possible to sleep in a
minivan, and save a bit that way. (Well, if you have filled the
minivan with stuff and have three or four people, not so much.)

.....Ed

paula wrote:

I am looking for advice, idea's, pointers, time lines, etc.
Planning to take a road trip from Calgary to Toronto leaving Sept. 23?
wanting to be back in Calgary Oct. 8th.
Planning on renting a minivan. Purpose is to set up a son for school
in Toronto, but like to see a few things on the way doing so.
So, advice on (mini)van rental and what to watch for is also very
welcome.

Quicker to go via the US. Saves quite a bit of money.

Or you could go the US route one-way & the
Trans-Canada the other.

Quicker to go via the US. Saves quite a bit of money.

And the gasoline is half price in the USA

Or you could go the US route one-way & the
Trans-Canada the other.

paula wrote:



John Ramsay wrote:

Quicker to go via the US. Saves quite a bit of money.

Or you could go the US route one-way & the
Trans-Canada the other.


Thanks, checking into this. Going differnt routes seems like a great
idea. Looking at the map there does not seem to be much difference in
distance; can I assume the US is all major highway and Canada route is
smaller roads and through towns? which can make a big difference in
driving time I suppose. Any idea how much time it saves?
Where would be the best border crossings?



I drove from Welland, near Toronto, to Saskatoon
last June. The distance, Canadian or US route,
is about the same but the US route is
quicker because of higher speed limits.

I saved nearly 10 hrs driving which meant 1 less night in a
motel, 1 less day of meals on the road.

Quickest route from Calgary would be TransCan to
just before Regina then angle down into US & Hwy 94.

Do check whether crossings are open 24 hrs or not.

The one at Buffalo NY/Ontario is 24/7.

Smaller ones between Sask/NDak may close at 6pm.

TheNewsGuy(Mike) wrote:
paula wrote:

I am looking for advice, idea's, pointers, time lines, etc.
Planning to take a road trip from Calgary to Toronto leaving Sept. 23?
wanting to be back in Calgary Oct. 8th.
Planning on renting a minivan. Purpose is to set up a son for school
in Toronto, but like to see a few things on the way doing so.
So, advice on (mini)van rental and what to watch for is also very
welcome.



If you already have car insurance check to see if your present car
insurance has coverage for a rental. If not it is very cheap to add to
your present policy.


thanks. I did check but they will not ad it on because I do not have
full collision insurance; nor will they now add on the full collision
because it will be just for the trip :-( Well, it was worth a shot.

David Gee wrote:

Also check with your credit card company; some cards provide car rental
insurance, presumably if you use their card for the rental. Ask them,
but do it quickly! (You might find a summary on their websites.)


Thanks David. We thought we had it but I think we changed the card and
now cannot find it with the term.
We have MC upgraded to 1400 airmiles for westjet; there is were we lost
the car rental insurance I think; going to double check.

wrote:
On Sep 6, 3:12 pm, paula wrote:

I am looking for advice, idea's, pointers, time lines, etc.
Planning to take aroadtripfrom Calgary to Toronto leaving Sept. 23?
wanting to be back in Calgary Oct. 8th.
Planning on renting a minivan. Purpose is to set up a son for school in
Toronto, but like to see a few things on the way doing so.
So, advice on (mini)van rental and what to watch for is also very welcome.


You could stay off the Trans-Canada and take the Redcoat Trail through
southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

There are 2.5 choices for the Ontario stretch. The basic choices are
Highway 17 along Lake Superior, or Highway 11 through the (boring and
featureless) north. The 0.5 choice would be to take Hwy 11 via
Atikokan to Thunder Bay, instead of the much shorter 17 Kenora to
Thunder Bay.

You will be in time for fall colours. Look up the Agawa Canyon tour
train, which might be a nice stopover if you go via 17 through Sault
Ste. Marie.

You could also use the Manitoulin-Tobermory ferry for at least one leg
of your trip. It's slower and more expensive, but Manitoulin and the
Bruce Peninsula are geologically quite different from anything I know
of in Alberta, and worth a bit of exploration. If you like to hike,
the Bruce Trail has many excellent sectionsin the Bruce Peninsula.

At the price of gas today, you might want to look into something like
an Impala, instead of a minivan. Although it is possible to sleep in a
minivan, and save a bit that way. (Well, if you have filled the
minivan with stuff and have three or four people, not so much.)

....Ed

Great, thank you so much