10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving To Vancouver

After 5 amazing years, I have decided to share the 10 things I wish I knew before moving to Vancouver with you. I did very little research before coming to Vancouver, a few things it would have been good to have a heads up. Despite Canada being in the Commonwealth life here is pretty different to the UK, life is a lot more American. (To be expected!)

I have experience living in New York during my degree, where I completed an internship. Second, I have also lived in Melbourne in Australia doing another working visa. Living and working abroad can be daunting at times so as much little pieces of info you can know about prior was a win for me. In the circumstances where you know people already living there you can ask lots of questions and get to grips with life. However if that isn’t the case, I’ve got everything I wish I could have chatted to someone about below.

The 10 things I wish I knew before moving to Vancouver

Wildlife Realities

Crows in the Spring

The crows are exactly like the American horror films you see. They can be rather nasty in the spring and will swoop you, attack you when you’re near their nests. Crow attacks happen regularly, particularly so if you have a swinging ponytail when out for a run. A crow attack map was created a few years ago so you can log your attack here. I check this out every Spring when they start nesting!

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The Canadian Geese

The Canadian geese have a mind of their own. During the spring they fly at high speed low to the ground, causing havoc hopping from rooftop to rooftop or playing with traffic. Running along the seawall in Vancouver is super popular. However once Spring makes an appearance, they’ll cover the seawall in poop so let’s just say even good grip shoes might not help there.

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The Healthy Lifestyle in Vancouver

After work pub drinks are not really a thing. Most Vancouverites would rather do a workout class or a hike after a full work day. Going for drinks after work has been known to happen, but it’s rare. On the weekends people tend to wake up early to hike – the grouse grind or similar. In the winter you’re looking at waking up at 5am to hit the slopes at Whistler. If you’re looking to lead a healthier lifestyle, you’re on the right path.

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Outdoor Activities

Weekend camping trip by the lake in summer are an annual occurrence for most Canadian’s. If you want a camp spot organised ahead of time, be sure to book this a year in advance. Most of the Provinces release campsites in Jan and Feb for the season, so get very very orgnaised, you’ve been warned. There are exceptions where you book some backcountry camp spots 3 months prior to your departure date but this changes so frequently. If you’re keen to get out into the mountains but not ready to backpacking just yet, see my top 12 hikes in Vancouver post to see the ones I’ve tried and tested! 

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The weather in Vancouver (Raincouver)

Vancouver rains way more than anywhere else I’ve lived. If you’re from the UK, a lot of people will confront you with – you’re from the UK you must be used to it. Raincouver got its name for a reason and it’s honestly just about embracing it. The beautiful summers and chilly winters will make up for it, you just need the gear so you don’t end up with wet clothes everytime you need to head out! This has taken me years to get everything together because I wasn’t up for the upfront costs for everything at once. Let me know if you’d be interested in hearing about what I’ve purchased and I can do a separate post on this!

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Employment in Vancouver

The job notice period here for most office and corporate positions, regardless of your role, is two weeks. So therefore you could also have a job offer and be starting in two weeks, or potentially before. It’s also worth mentioning the law’s in Canada mean that they can let you go a lot more easily than in the UK. I myself have been let go a couple of times and know of a lot of people that have had the same experience. The reasons I’ve heard from various people are more often than not, due to performance but company restructure. This means that the turn around for jobs is generally quicker once you accept a role. They’ll more than likely want you to start straight away so make sure you’ve explored a little before getting into employment straight away if that’s of interest to you!

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Apartment Rentals in Vancouver

Looking for an apartment isn’t something that should be done in advance from overseas, there are a lot of scams so it’s best to look when you can go and view them in person. The most effective way is to walk around the neighborhood you’re interested in and look for ‘to rent’ signage out the front of buildings. Often the demand is so high that some properties don’t even make it online as advertising out the front gets people through the door. That being said, you can find apartments being listed on Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji as well.

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Cherry Blossom Season

The cherry blossoms in Vancouver are the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen. The city has a high monetary budget for keeping the trees, plants, flowers looking their best all year round. There are various clusters dotted around the City and Greater Vancouver area. I have a post on the Cherry Blossoms in Vancouver and where to see them here.

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Athleisure

Atleisure is super popular in Vancouver and I was so adamant I wouldn’t let my wardrobe drastically change before moving to Vancouver. However, I am a little guilty of becoming a walking Lululemon store, it’s so hard not to. On the weekends in particular, you could be out for a walk along the seawall, meeting a friend for coffee after. Athletisure is a lifestyle here, you could be hiking at any given moment. Better to be prepared!

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Summer Fire Season in Canada

The summer unfortunately brings a lot of forest fires which can be terrible and disrupt plans even if it’s not super close to you. It’s pretty devastating that this has to be included in my list of things I wish I knew before coming to Canada, but it’s a really important one to mention. Bearing in mind I am located in Vancouver and depending on the season, it is sometimes worse than others. Usually there are a few weeks in August that are so bad that the air quality is too unsafe to go outside. The smoke can blow in from Alberta, Northern BC or as close as the interior – it really depends on the winds.

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All the Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving to Vancouver

There is a reason Vancouver is always in the top 10 for World’s Most Livable City, however there are these few quirks I’d wish I knew about before moving. The memory of the first crow attack will forever live in my mind, but only as I was so confused by what had happened.  

Thanks for reading my things I wish I knew before moving to Vancouver post. I honestly think it’s the best place in the world to live, but I am biased! For a 20 something, this would be a great working holiday option for a person who is still wanting a vibrant city life but also being super close to the mountains and outdoor activities. 

If you’re interested in moving here, check out my guide on what to pack to move to Canada to get you organised! 

Love, Chrissy x

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