Trip Across Atlantic Canada
We’re doing something different this month - our take on a classic New Yorker interview with our resident traveler, Rob!
Rob, our very own Senior Customer Success Manager, just returned from a two-week road trip across the east coast of Canada and we sat down with him to talk about it. From Halifax to Saint John, Moncton to Charlottetown, we're giving you our tried and true tips for an amazing road trip across the east coast.
Before we even get into this trip, can you tell us when your last trip was?
Our last trip was a two-week getaway in May 2022
Alright, so talk to me about this trip. Where exactly did you travel to?
We took a trip to the Atlantic Coast of Canada. We visited Nova Scotia (Halifax, Lunenburg and the Cabot Trail), New Brunswick (Saint John & Moncton), and Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown).
And how did you manage to hit that many cities? How did you get around?
We flew round trip to Halifax and then rented a car. Overall we did about 2000km of driving on the trip. Our initial plan was to fly into Halifax and out of Saint John, but the drop-off fee for the car rental was quite expensive so we decided to have the same pick-up, drop-off location.
What made you choose a road trip over types of travel?
When we started planning a trip in January, we were a bit hesitant on traveling internationally in case of cancellations due to Covid. [My partner and I] had been chatting about doing an east coast trip for a couple years and thought it was a perfect time to go. When researching we quickly realized a road trip would be the best option; we decided to fly out east rather than drive from Ontario because flight prices were so low at the time and we had missed being on an airplane after almost two years.
Can you give us a couple highlights from your trip? Like any sightseeing, food, etc?
There were quite a few highlights throughout, like Peggy’s Cove, Bay of Fundy/Hopewell Rocks, and Lunenburg, but overall we loved traveling through PEI. Great beaches, lots of hiking, the red soil, crossing Confederation Bridge (which is the longest bridge in the world at 13km), friendly people, lots of history (birthplace of Confederacy), great pubs and restaurants with lots and lots of seafood. We visited Green Gables, which to be honest I wasn’t really looking forward to, but it turned out to be one of the best days of our trip.
Our favorite meal that we had was at this great restaurant in Charlottetown called Leonhard’s. We went for brunch, and from the friendly staff to the decor and amazing food, it was definitely a highlight.
Where did you stay during your trip?
We did mostly hotels, but stayed at Bed & Breakfasts in both Saint John and Baddeck. This was our first time staying at a B&B, but we would definitely recommend it. Our itinerary was Halifax, Lunenburg, Saint John, Moncton, Charlottetown, Baddeck, Cheticamp and finally back to Halifax, so we definitely had to jump from hotel to hotel.
What would you change if you were to do another trip like this?
We would perhaps cut out a stop or two so that we weren’t as rushed. There is so much to see and do that we kept our schedule pretty full. The downside to that is lots of time driving between destinations. It might have been nice to skip a location so that we could spend an extra day or two in Halifax or Charlottetown to really explore. The problem is deciding what to cut from the itinerary.
What would you recommend?
Go visit the east coast! We loved Halifax and Charlottetown, but driving the Cabot Trail is also highly recommended. It’s considered one of the best road trip destinations in the world and it's easy to see why. I lost count of the amount of times we pulled our car over to the side of the road to take in the views.
There are also tons of hiking spots (Skyline Trail), camping spots (Meat Cove), and cute fishing villages where you can go whale and seal watching (Chetticamp). Even just on our first night at our B&B in Baddeck, we enjoyed a drink on the deck while watching the seals swim around by the lighthouse.
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