I apologize if I sound like one of those typical “loudmouthed” Americans here. I’m Autistic and planning to visit Vancouver Island for my 30th birthday trip with my family this July because I want to visit Canada and help support Canada with my tourist dollars (Elbows Up!) and still support that Pacific Northwest connection. Canada for the most part is an incredibly safe and friendly travel destination. I am purposefully choosing to visit Vancouver Island over anywhere in the States. For me, British Columbia feels extremely similar to the US West Coast… minus all the anti-intellectual, anti-science and religious fundamentalist people of course. I might not be able to buy many Canadian-based products here in the States, but traveling to Canada is a fantastic way for me to make a great contribution to the Buy Canadian movement, “help” support our northern neighbors against our horrendous government, and protest against “American Exceptionalism”.

I am coming from Washington state. We have so many cultural and geopolitical similarities. When I visited the “big” Vancouver city back in 2018, most of the locals were incredibly friendly and I had so many wonderful conversations. Unfortunately with our current government as well as a sizable portion of the American people who are completely out of touch with the rest of the world, majority of Canadians are boycotting most US products and all travel to the USA. And let’s be real, we deserve it after all the sh1t Trump and many of his supporters are saying about your awesome country! Unless an economic catastrophe happens, most Americans who still support Trump will never learn. They will continue to think that their country is the best in the world. The worst part about all this is that even after Trump is gone, the damage has already been done. Majority of Canadians will view the USA as an acquaintance and not a good friend. Growing up as a kid in the Portland area, I remember that many of the most popular and well-liked kids in my school were Canadian immigrants from the Greater Vancouver area. Nowadays, it makes perfect sense that people in BC are canceling all their Washington state trips while opting for much more friendlier places such as the UK, Portugal, Netherlands, France, Japan and even Mexico.

With all of this being said, how are regular American tourists and especially tourists from the northwest USA viewed here in BC in general? Especially Americans who spend money on Canadian businesses and stay in hotels or regular B&Bs while avoiding Airbnbs at all costs? I am planning to visit Vancouver Island with my immediate family. We plan to stay for 3 days and drive all the way to Sproat Lake and do some hiking and sightseeing before coming back to Victoria and catching a ferry back to Port Angeles. I wished we could go all the way to Tofino and Ucluelet, but all the lodging situation there is precarious during the peak season. We’re exploring Victoria and some of the popular nature sports in the southern and central parts of the island.