It’s summer vacation season, and with Canada’s 150th birthday this year and a weak Canadian dollar, many of us are choosing to stay home and discover a little more of our home and native land. But, before you go, you need to check out the new book 25 Places in Canada Every Family Should Visit. The book, by Calgary travel writer Jody Robbins, takes you coast to coast with detailed descriptions of THE BEST places for affordable family adventures in Canada.

Why did these places make the list?

“If you want a guaranteed great vacation with lots of Canadian experiences…these places definitely fit the bill,” says Robbins, who is also the author of the popular blog  Travels with Baggage.

Her comprehensive list starts on the West Coast and moves eastward, including top travel picks from every province in Canada. “It boiled down to which places really catered to families, because family travel is different,” says Robbins, who travels with her 12-year-old daughter 90% of the time. Other criteria she considered were affordability and ease of access. At the end of the day, a great family vacation takes into account everyone’s interests and this book will make you excited to hit the road!

“(I’m not saying) we should cater to kids, I think our generation has gone a bit too far that way. But, you should have something for every member of your family. It can’t be so completely selfish that it’s only about the parents or only about the kids.”

The list includes some lesser known destinations

As you can imagine, it was hard for Robbins to limit herself to just 25 places, but she does have a couple of personal favorites. As a Maritimer, I was thrilled to see she has a soft spot for New Brunswick’s Fundy Coast.

“There’s a great mix of outdoors, kayaking, beach combing and incredible tides. But you can also go into the cities, there are lots of attractions for kids in Moncton, while St. Andrew’s By The Sea has whale watching and quaint towns which satisfies the parents.”

As far as cities go, she’s a huge fan of Victoria since it’s family friendly and “approachable.”

“You can go high end or low end. You can stay at Hotel Z for $100 a night; it’s this very funky hotel that gives you complimentary bikes and skateboards and they have a VW bus that’s the shuttle to downtown. It’s super fun and affordable.”

Robbins offers travel hacks and tidbits that every parent needs to know

It’s these kinds of travel tidbits that make her book such a great read. She offers hotel and restaurant advice, as well as personal memoirs of her family’s own experiences there. As a mom, Robbins really ‘gets’ what traveling with kids is all about. She’s got helpful advice on boredom busters for long car rides, how to spot your kids in a crowd and you’ll never guess what she uses for a hotel clothesline (hint: it’s not just for flossing your teeth!).

Other travel hacks in the book are designed to save families time – did you know you can ask for the Family Line at airport security?? Yup, if you have kids under 12, you qualify.  That means you and your family can jump the queue at the discretion of security officials, of course.

The other really neat thing about Jody’s book is supplementary info at the end of each chapter that will help your kids get excited about the trip – she offers recommendations on movies, books and even music from local or regional bands.

What is the one item she never leaves home without?

As an experienced traveler (both internationally and across Canada) I had to ask Jody about the one item she never leaves home without. She says her Swiss Army knife (she’s gone through a few of them), with its handy scissors, tweezers and mini screwdriver, has saved her more than a few times. But, remember to put it in your luggage and not your in carry on.

25 Places in Canada Every Family Should Visit is available on Amazon and also at Owl’s Nest Books, Shelf Life Books, Steeling Home, Walmart, Save-on-Foods and Chapters.

This is a beautiful book to use for summer vacation planning and to take on the road. When you’re done, add it to your library or pass it on to a friend. Robbins hopes the book inspires Canadians to see more of this beautiful and diverse country. Recognizing that air travel in our own country is expensive, Robbins recommends you take advantage of available air miles /rewards plans.

Here’s a quick link to buy the book from Amazon.ca – this is an affiliate link so I may make a small commission off the sale. Happy reading!

So, where is your favorite place in Canada to visit? Leave me a comment below!