Packing list for Canada, travel insurance for Canada, and taking your belongings

What to take with you to Canada: spotlighted

Featured items:

• Documents: Passport valid for at least 6 months upon arrival, Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). An online and/or offline copy of your passport is always useful.
• Money: Canadian dollars (CAD) for tipping and for remote areas. Debit and credit cards (essential if you want to rent a car) both work fine.
• Care: High factor sunscreen and lip balm for winter (more on sunscreen and sunblock).
• Outdoor and practical: Rain jacket (more on rain gear and waterproofs), backpack rain cover.
• Clothing: Weather comes in all shapes and sizes. Layers, layers, layers from warm to cold are best! Think shirt/thermal shirt, fleece, rain jacket.
• Shoes: Comfortable everyday shoes and good hiking shoes if you're going into the wild (more on mountain boots or trekking shoes).
• Reusable water bottle, because you'll need to drink a lot of water!
• Medicines and travel kit: toilet paper and hand sanitizer (see also DEET mosquito repellent).
• Safety: money belt or fanny pack for your valuables.
• Technology and equipment: world plug type A/B (see also world plug or travel plug). Power bank for long train and bus rides.

What are some other options to pack as well?

• Reusable water bottle (possibly with filter for remote areas).
• International driving license for that mega road trip.
• a small first aid kit for when you go hiking.
• Bear bell, if you have one.
• Reusable mug - Canadians love coffee-on-the-go.
• Hiking and camping gear, such as a compass and headlamp.
• Quick-drying travel towel

What should you keep in mind when traveling to Canada with your belongings?

• That you can sometimes be on the road for a long time without encountering anything or anyone, and you will be far removed from convenience stores.
• Dress according to province and season: you’ll be in your bikini one place, your snowshoes the next.
• Whether there are bears in the area you’re going to.

Are there mosquitoes in Canada?

• Yes, mosquitoes are a seasonal nuisance, especially in the summer (June to August) in wooded areas or around lakes.
• In some areas, such as Ontario or Manitoba, there are also black flies – small, biting and annoying.
• More about mosquito and insect protection.

Can you buy DEET, or other mosquito repellents, in Canada?

• Yes, plenty! You can find DEET and icaridin products in any drugstore, supermarket or outdoor store (such as Canadian Tire, MEC, or Shoppers Drug Mart).

Can you buy a joint or weed in Canada, or take it with you to Canada?

• Yes, cannabis has been legal for recreational use since 2018. You can buy it from official shops (such as the Ontario Cannabis Store or in licensed stores).
• Check the recent amounts you can carry with you.
• You are not allowed to smoke in public places, schools or in your rental car – and this monitored.
• As a tourist, you can buy and use weed, but you cannot export or import it, not even to/from the US – that is a federal-prohibited zone!