Canada is a big country. It’s obvious by looking at a map, sure, but more so when hopping on a plane and flying cross-country as I did today.

Coming from my home in Vancouver, I boarded an Air Canada flight at the Vancouver International Airport at 8:00am for a flight to Calgary. A half an hour after debarking, I was on my way to Ottawa, then Halifax airports. By midnight, I was leaving Deer Lake airport and driving to Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Phew.

Of course, Vancouver to Newfoundland is a 4.5-hour time difference, but it was still a long day.

Halifax Stanfield Airport in Nova Scotia, Canada. Photo courtesy of Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture & Heritage.

Except for the Halifax to Deer Lake flight, all of the planes were full and people seemed to have much more carry on luggage than usual- I guess that’s due to winter nearing and all the extra room winter “stuff” takes up. I’m also reviewing a few travel accessories, so I packed a seat cushion, neck pillow and blanket into my carry on luggage.

But it’s all worth it for my first trip to Newfoundland (or so I hope!). The first shocker: I left a fairly nice and sunny Vancouver to arrive at 0 degree Deer Lake weather. Welcome to the east coast at the end of October…

What I Liked:

• I was able to take this cross Canada flight for a total of $107.60. I used my Aeroplan points and, although there were some unavailable dates, I booked the flight online without any problems. Airline points make me happy.
• The connecting times all day were so quick, I had about half an hour at each airport before the next flight was called for boarding.
• The only thing that made me mad was not being able to find the Penguins game, as the TVs were tuned into the Montreal Canadiens.