TRAVEL | Budget travel tips for Canadians who can’t go far from home, but really need to get that big vacation feeling for less.

I need a vacation. A holiday. A week on a secluded beach with an alcoholic beverage. But I can’t afford it.

It sucks to be me.

You probably know the feeling. Even when our tight-fisted employers let us take time off, most of us younger worker bees are either too poor, too busy, or too afraid that if we leave some underling keener is going to usurp our position and steal our jobs to really get away.

Luckily, there is a solution to the I-can’t-afford-a-big-holiday blues.

It’s simple really. Take a mini-break!

You’ve seen Bridget Jones’ Diary, right? A mini-break is like a long weekend. You don’t necessarily have to travel far. It’s a vacation option that gives you that big vacation feeling, but it’s a lot more doable. It costs less, it takes less time, but it can still be plenty relaxing.

Still at a loss? No worries. All you need are a few ideas to get you started, departing from each of Dose’s major publication area cities.

You don’t even need to think for yourselves, you lucky bastards.

Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec, Gilbert Bochenek creative commons.

If you’re in: Ottawa

Try: Québec City

It feels like: Paris

While it’s not the real thing (let’s not go overboard here, folks), Québec City does have a distinctly European flavour and feel. It’s got an Old Town complete with cobbled streets, historic churches, and plenty of cafes and museums. It’s even got a Latin Quarter. Best of all, you don’t have to spend $700 (minimum) on a plane ticket to test out all that French you didn’t really learn in high school.

Make it feel authentic by: Backpacking. Beds at a Hostelling International location start at just $20 a night.

Extra points for: Sewing a random flag on your backpack and adopting a non-descript accent.

Photo by Aleesha Wood on Unsplash

If you’re in: Toronto

Try: Algonquin Park

It feels like: Wilderness, baby!

The concrete jungle may feel like the centre of the universe, but just outside The Big Smoke’s borders is a wilderness wonderland – a Mecca for MECers, if you will. (I apologize for that one.) This huge park is home to moose, black bears, wolves, and snakes (not poisonous, because yay, Canada!), as well as literally hundreds of lakes and streams. It’s only 300 kms outside of the city, and you don’t need to be hard core outdoorsy to enjoy it. Easily accessible car campsites start at just $21.75 a night.

Make it feel authentic by: Taking a cooler full of cheap eats like hot dogs, marshmallows, and water and subsist on that for the whole weekend.

Extra points for: Leaving your cell phone at home.

Photo by Roberto Nickson (@g) on Unsplash

If you’re in: Calgary

Try: Lake Louise

It feels like: The Swiss Alps

The mountains might not seem special to all you snow-blowin’ Calgarians, but you should never underestimate the power of a sweet deal on an outdoor hot tub. Awesome overnight packages can get you a hotel for a night and a tri-area lift pass for only $94. And if the slopes aren’t your jam, there is plenty of waterfall-and-glacier sightseeing to be had as well. Expect to be truly awed by the vistas. (In other words, for once in your young life, you’ll find yourself actually using the word “awesome” correctly.)

Make it feel authentic by: Hot-tubbing like crazy. Stay in until even your ass goes pruney.

Extra points for: Hooking up. Ski-and-board bums and bunnies are notoriously open to the casual encounter.

Photo by Chloe Leis on Unsplash

If you’re in: Edmonton

Try: Elk Island National Park

It feels like: A Safari! (Okay, so maybe we’re pushing a few of these, but suspend your disbelief.)

Hey, unless you want to go to Ontario’s African Lion Safari or Jungle Cat World, you’ll have to settle. Elk Island is less than an hour from the city and protects one of the most endangered habitats in Canada. Besides the usual suspects (moose, etc.) at Elk Island, massive herds of bison wander the plains.

Make it feel authentic by: Camping out, of course! You can chill with a book and the bison for as little as $5 a day.

Extra points for: Going solo. Leave your booze-hound friends, and make it a peaceful retreat. You’ll be much more relaxed come Monday.

Photo by Mitchell Schwartz on Unsplash

If you’re in: Vancouver

Try: Hornby and Denman Islands

It feels like: Hawaii

Seriously. I mean, kinda-sorta seriously. Part of the Gulf Islands, Hornby and Denman are accessible via ferry. They’ve got northwest rainforest, white sand swimming beaches, wild hoodoo formations and caves, and decent scuba diving. And if you’re wondering if your beach-vegging is going to require mittens and a toque, fear not. Hornby’s Tribune Bay is truly locally known as “Little Hawaii” and has sheltered aquamarine waters that reach near-tropical temperatures in the summer.

Make it feel authentic by: Packing your own fruity cocktails and paper umbrellas.

Extra points for: Getting nekkid. You know British Columbia. It’s a haven for nudists. And hey, if you truly want to feel like you’re on holiday, you’ve got to act like it.

Regardless of where you go on your mini-break, the thing to remember is that you don’t need a new stamp in your passport to feel like you’ve been somewhere.

You just need to go.

This goofy travel piece was commissioned as web filler content for Dose, pre-launch in the spring of 2005. I rarely write travel pieces, but pieces with that tag are here.