I've flown from Victoria Airport to Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle, Toronto, San Francisco and Las Vegas. It's a good place to start a journey from, as long as you can find a friend to drop you off at the airport. Getting their by cab is a ridiculous $50 fee, and the minibus from downtown is not always convenient. I am not sure why there isn't a hourly bus from downtown to the airport and back again. I guess that would just be too sensible for a city to link up to it's airport.
But once there, it's an easy check, an easy place to wait with a Tim Hortons with lots of light, space and never seems too busy. Even the day the US decided to frisk us dangerous foreigners before flying to Seattle was stress free. Complete difference to the hassles of going through Heathrow or Las Vegas.
I've taken the BC ferries to Tsawwassen from Swartz Bay. I am sure that's not unusual. The journey through Active Passage is still something that stirs me. A narrow, but perfectly formed channel, with forests and hikers and seals and the occasional kayaker on the way. I'm normally out on deck when the ferry goes through, unless it's dark or raining. And even then, it's not unusual. It feels like I'm coming home when I head back from Vancouver. It wasn't long after I moved here before I felt that way, and the feeling of coming back is always a marker in my heart that I'm in the place I should be living.
I've taken the Coho to Port Angeles. I left a temporary worker, and came back a permanent resident of Canada. The Coho rolls and wallows over to Juan De Fuca, looking every year of its 40 plus service life. But it goes with regularity (when not taking out ferry docks in Victoria's Inner Harbour) and keeps bringing in people and supplies to downtown Victoria.
I've taken the Washington State Ferry to Anacortes from Sidney. These look like a car park mated with a Mississippi Paddle steamer. Squat, green, rust streaked and smelling lightly of fried potatoes on all decks, they can get you to Washington much easier than having to take the BC Ferry and then queueing with the Vancouver traffic to get across the border. And about the same price.
I've also taken the Clipper from Victoria to Seattle, on more than one occasion. The trick is to not take stowed luggage, as waiting for the boxes to be unloaded at each end is a operation in tedium. Every single box and container has to be lifted off by crane, an operation that seems to take an age. And no-one can leave with luggage until it's ALL off. Do carry on, and it's simplicity, and your into downtown Seattle in about three hours from leaving Victoria. Journey is mostly calm and quiet and comfortable. We don't talk about the time over New Years with the high seas and vomiting.
I've float planed to Vancouver several times. Very agreeable. Super fast, but sadly more expensive than an occasional treat. Flying low over the islands and downtown Vancouver is fantastic. The float journey to Seattle isn't quite as exciting, and they are much more strict about the weight limit for your luggage. But if you need to get to Seattle quickly, there's no better way. Customs and immigration is easy at both ends, and you carry off your own luggage. Time it right and you can have breakfast in the Space Needle and mid-day beer in Garricks Head.
I have taken the Prince of Whales trip from Victoria to Vancouver, which was fantastic, seeing as we followed some Orcas from the stretch up from Victoria to Sidney.
Which is a pretty damn fine day.
Ways I haven't left Victoria - The passenger ferry to Port Angeles. The Heli-Jet to Vancouver (I refuse to go on helicopters). I think that's it for commercial transport. I have probably missed something.
I've also not gone from Nanaimo to Duke Point, or from Port Hardy to the distant north. Nor have I taken a cruise ship anywhere. Maybe one day.
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