So true. I've been very fortunate. The only places I haven't visited, so far, is Labrador (Mainland part of Newfoundland) and Nunavut ( newer division of what once was the North west Territories). You will meet very few people in the Maritimes (PEI, New Brunswick & Nova Scotia) that have visited Newfoundland. Also very few people west of Manitoba that have traveled east. Most of us that can travel save it for winter to go south.
I've been fortunate enough that I've been able to travel with the Army reserves. Calgary for a summer, New Brunswick, even Italy. It is more expensive to travel across Canada than it is to go to the US or Mexico and I think that's one of the main reasons.
I think it's just volume or lack there of. Because we have a small population and we don't travel between provinces much we can't get airlines to discount. And there's really only 1 national carrier and their prices are just plain stupid. In the US I've heard of people who commute to work by plane every day. Just the shear volume of people flying in the US every day allows the carriers to have cheaper prices. And lastly I think it's because we're willing to take it. We fork out the money without shopping around.
I think it is due to taxes levi's at the airports. I use www.itravel2000.com usually when I book a trip. If you go to their website and book something, it will show for example right now, we are looking at Cabos for next April. They will give me the price per person which is about 1250 right now, times 2 people brings it to 2500, but when you include the taxes which it will also show you, the final price will be about 3250, so they have added 750 for 2 of us. When I booked PEI, we used Itravel2000. we had a prearranged cottage which helped. I used my aeroplan miles for one flight, but that covers the flight and not the taxes. Then I booked 3 other flights for my wife and 2 kids, one 18 and one 12. The final price for the four of us was 1500.00, and that is with one flight sort of free. This was using Air Canada Jazz, which is Air Canada's discount service. In 2006 we all flew from Buffalo to Orlando, return cost for the four (the kids were 14 and 8 at the time) was about 970.00.
Glad you liked the island I was born in Montreal but we moved to the western end of the island when i was 2. I now live in the Charlottetown area and I absolutely love it. The summers are wonderful, never uncomfortably hot (well for very long anyway). As for the winter, i figure its what your used to. I've been here all my life, so a few feet of snow in a storm now and then doesn't phase me a bit. We do however get the odd storm that dumps more than you would like, but you always know its temporary. The job salaries sometimes leave something to be desired, but the cost of living is relatively low. You can buy or build a really nice home and have 1 acre lot for under 200,000 just minutes from the city. As for travelling within Canada.. im a bit guilty of that myself. Yes i've been to NFLD once and Nova Scotia and New Brunswick often (usually just Halifax and Moncton tho). I try and make it to Montreal to see my familly. But other than that, i've only been to Toronto once and it was to fly out to Cuba. I've never been further West.
