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Something I don’t talk a lot about here is my experience as an Air Cadet from the ages 11 to 18. It was a huge part of my teen years and helped shape me into the person I am today. I learned a lot of life skills from the Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets and had a lot of great opportunities too.
Undoubtedly, the best opportunity of them all was when I represented GVCAC and the United Kingdom at the International Air Cadet Exchange (IACE) in Canada. I spent 10 days exploring the country and although we had the busiest schedule ever it was an amazing trip and a memory I will treasure forever. I met some amazing people and saw some fantastic sights.
I also drank a lot of Tim Horton’s coffee and enjoyed a lot of Timbits – we were on the road a lot in a big coach, and I needed the caffeine and sugar to keep up with it all. I was so pleased when Tim Horton’s finally came to the UK and opened a branch in Birmingham last year… 16 years was a long time to wait to satisfy a craving for their Timbits!
My 18th birthday was spent at Niagara Falls, where we took a boat trip to get up close to the famous waterfalls. It was a pretty amazing way to spend the day, even if I wasn’t legally allowed to drink alcohol when I turned 18 like all my friends were!
I visited during the SARS pandemic, which meant that I couldn’t visit Toronto as originally planned, for safety reasons – so that is still definitely on my wishlist of places to travel to. We did get to do a lot of amazing things still, like taking a ride in a helicopter and going gliding – I can promise you, Canada from the air is totally breathtaking sight.
Canada is such a beautiful country and I would love to revisit it someday, when the coronavirus risk has passed, taking along my family with me.
This photo is from our visit to Canada’s Wonderland, which is an amusement park in Ontario. Our two girls are total thrill-seekers and love to go on rides, so it would be great to take them along to see how it has changed since I was younger and be able to show them something I did as part of IACE.
When I went as a teen a lot of the paperwork was done for me, and a lot of the costs were taken care of too, so another trip would take a lot more research and some saving up! Visitors to Canada now need an eTA – or Electronic Travel Authorisation – which wasn’t a thing back in 2003 when I visited with IACE. Thankfully, that part of the trip doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult.
eTA – Electronic Travel Authorisation
These days in order to visit Canada, you may need an eTA. British citizens need to apply for an eTA to be allowed to board their flight to Canada. You can do this ahead of time on the eTA Canada website, which walks you through the requirements and process of application, and allows you to get an eTA quickly & cheaply.
There a few different eTA requirements you will need to meet in order to apply for an eTA, such as staying in Canada for a maximum of 6 consecutive months, and not entering into employment with a Canadian organisation while you are there. Approval usually takes just a day, although it can take up to around three so do apply at least around a week before travelling! The eTA is valid for five years and can be used for multiple trips.
Have you ever considered a visit to Canada? I’m a big Anne of Green Gables fan so I would also love to visit Prince Edward Island, where the books by Lucy Maud Montgomery are based.
