More Vacation for Your Canadian Dollar - Part 2
The U.S. and Europe are getting expensive for Canadians, but that doesn’t mean the good trips are gone. Part 2: The Sweet Spot.
This is the 12–14 day trip.
Long enough to justify going farther. Short enough that it still fits into a normal two-week vacation.
And this is where one of my unofficial travel rules kicks in:
For every hour you spend flying, give yourself roughly one day on the ground.
It is not science.
It is me refusing to spend a whole damn day getting somewhere for a six-night holiday.
For Part 2, I’m looking for places where the airfare, jet lag and PTO buy you a lot once you arrive.
Not necessarily cheap.
Worth it.
JAPAN
Long haul without the usual long-haul pain
Japan is probably the best example of why cheap and good value are not the same thing.
From Calgary, Tokyo is about 10½ hours nonstop, and once you arrive, Japan is unusually easy to move through. Trains work. Cities connect properly. Great food exists at every price point.
That matters.
The trip I like
Tokyo first.
Then Kyoto, Hiroshima or Osaka, plus somewhere that changes the pace — mountain towns, an onsen, countryside, somewhere a little quieter.
Twelve to fourteen days gives you enough room to see Japan without turning it into a checklist.
Bookable starting points
Back Roads of Japan with G Adventures is an 11-day Tokyo-to-Kyoto trip focused on the less-obvious side of Japan.
Japan Express with Intrepid is 9 days from Tokyo to Osaka. Add a few independent nights before or after and it lands nicely in our two-week sweet spot.
Use of PTO: Excellent
Safety: Comfortable
Canadian-dollar advantage: Moderate
Ease of travel: Surprisingly easy for long haul
Best for: Travellers who want Tokyo chaos, bullet trains, old temples, tiny bars, mountain towns and enough wonderfully specific Japanese oddities that the famous sights may not even be the best stories.
PERU
Machu Picchu is the hook. Peru is the trip.
Peru is much more interesting when Machu Picchu is one part of the trip, not the entire reason for it.
Lima. Cusco. The Sacred Valley. Markets. Food. Mountain towns. Layered history.
And altitude has opinions, so two weeks helps.
The trip I like
Start in Lima.
Then Sacred Valley, Cusco and Machu Picchu with enough breathing room that the trip doesn’t accidentally become an endurance event.
A bookable version
G Adventures’ Classic Peru is 12 days from Lima to Cusco, including Lima, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.
This is also one of those places where a small-group trip earns its keep. Someone else is sorting trains, transfers and timing while you get on with actually being there.
Use of PTO: Excellent
Safety: Deliberate
Canadian-dollar advantage: Strong
Ease of travel: Moderate
Best for: Travellers who want Machu Picchu, but also Lima dinners, Sacred Valley towns, markets, mountain scenery and enough time to actually enjoy the Andes instead of racing through them.
MOROCCO
A lot of trip for the money
Morocco packs in a ridiculous amount.
Medinas. Roman ruins. Atlas Mountains. Desert. Atlantic coast. Riads. Hammams. Food.
And at least one moment where buying a giant brass lamp suddenly feels completely reasonable.
The trip I like
Marrakech.
A historical stop.
Mountains or desert.
Then somewhere slower, like Essaouira.
Do not try to collect cities like loyalty points.
A bookable version
Intrepid’s Best of Morocco is 15 days from Casablanca to Marrakech.
Yes, that is one day outside our tidy little 12–14 day box.
I’m allowing it.
If fourteen days is a hard ceiling, trim the route. Don’t turn the trip into a hotel-changing competition.
Use of PTO: Very good
Safety: Deliberate
Canadian-dollar advantage: Strong
Ease of travel: Moderate
Best for: Travellers who want medinas, Roman ruins, tagines, mountain roads, desert nights, seaside Essaouira — and at least one serious conversation about whether shipping that rug home is actually ridiculous.
BUDAPEST + ROMANIA
Europe without automatically paying Western Europe prices
This is the wildcard.
Start in Budapest.
Thermal baths. Danube nights. Ruin bars. Markets.
Then move east into Romania.
Brașov. Sibiu. Transylvanian towns. Castles. Communist history. Mountains.
This is Europe, but it feels different from the usual greatest-hits route.
A bookable version
Intrepid’s Budapest to Bucharest is a 10-day small-group trip connecting Hungary and Romania.
For our sweet-spot version, I’d add 2–4 nights around it.
More Budapest.
More Romania.
Or both.
Nobody has ever come home angry about an extra afternoon in a thermal bath.
Use of PTO: Excellent
Safety: Comfortable
Canadian-dollar advantage: Moderate to strong
Ease of travel: Moderate
Best for: Travellers who want thermal baths, wine, old cities, Transylvanian towns, castles and complicated European history — without defaulting to London, Paris or Rome.
THE TWO-WEEK RULE
Travel value isn’t just money.
PTO is part of the budget too.
So is jet lag.
So is the first day you spend wandering around like a stunned raccoon because your body thinks it’s 3:17 in the morning.
That’s why I like the rough rule:
About one day on the ground for every hour of flying.
Close enough counts.
The point is simple:
A cheap flight is not automatically good value if you spend two days getting there and only have four useful days once you arrive.
Time is money too.
SO WHICH ONE?
Want the easiest long-haul trip to do really well?
Japan.
Want one iconic bucket-list sight surrounded by a much bigger trip?
Peru.
Want the strongest mix of cultural contrast and mid-range value?
Morocco.
Want Europe without defaulting to Western Europe prices and the same old route?
Budapest + Romania.
Different trips. Same question:
Are you getting enough vacation back for the money, energy and PTO you’re putting into it?
That’s the sweet spot.
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?
The tours above are starting points.
Maybe the group trip is perfect.
Maybe you like the Japan route but want nicer hotels.
Maybe you want Peru without hiking anything containing the word trail.
Maybe you want Budapest to Bucharest, but slower and with considerably more wine.
Start with Build Your Own Adventure and tell me what’s rattling around in your head.
Not ready for a form?
Text me or Message me on WhatsApp.
We’ll figure out whether there’s a trip hiding in it.
Travel for the story. Spend where it matters.
Tour routes, prices and availability change. Check current Canadian pricing, availability and Government of Canada travel advice before booking.
Second Shift Adventures is powered by Fora Travel. Susan Robinson is an independent travel advisor with Fora Travel.