Travel Information

Course Arrival and Departure

Arrival ... Please arrive in Vancouver on Sunday 1 July as the course begins on Monday morning, 2 July, at 08:30. We have rooms reserved for you beginning 15:00 on Sunday 1 July - location details and instructions on how to get there are in the Vancouver section of Readings&Assignments folder. There will be three faculty-led groups traveling together from the airport to our lodging (see the details).

Departure ... The course will end in Corvallis, Oregon, at around noon on Friday 27 July; you have a room reserved for Friday night. The nearest large airport is Portland, which is about 2 hours away. Please do NOT schedule departing flights from Portland, Oregon before 20:00 on Friday. Be aware that most east-bound flights leave either early in the morning (around 06:00) or late at night (around 23:00).

Departure ... Because people are leaving on different days and times, everyone should arrange their own departure from Corvallis. There is a shuttle service to the Portland Airport that departs Corvallis every two hours and arrives 2:35 later at the airport. Visit the Hut Shuttle website for details and to reserve. Oregon Express Shuttle and Greyhound also offer service. If none of those work for you, Google "Corvallis PDX" for other options.

Itinerary - login required, because we want to keep exact dates and locations private.

Arriving & Getting Around in Vancouver

Information about where we are staying and how to get there are found in the Vancouver section of the Readings&Assignments folder (login required for privacy) - see the ArrivingVancouver document.

While in Vancouver we will be using public transport, which is called TransLink - you will have to pay for this using a credit or debit card. We recommend purchasing a Compass Card at Vancouver Airport on your way to the city and putting CAD$20 in Stored Value on the card for course-required use during the week; there is also a CAD$6 fee for purchasing the card for a total of CAD$26.

You can check the value on your card or add stored value online by visiting www.compasscard.ca You do not have to register your card or establish an account to do this. See the section that says "Check your card balance," enter your compass card number and CVV, and continue as guest through the process. You'll be prompted for your credit card number to pay. It can take 2 hours for the value to be added.

You can use this card on all public transport; you tap the card on a reader entering and leaving SkyTrain stations and when entering the bus. You might need more money on your card, depending on what you decide to do on the evenings we are in Vancouver and on your free day. Once you have a card, you can add additional Stored Value at various locations; see the website for details and further information. And here’s a fun video explaining the Vancouver Transit system - we’ll use Stored Value on our Compass Cards. Please be sure to have enough money on the card for each day’s travel, as it could cause significant delay if we have to find a place to add funds to your card.

Transportation after Vancouver

Once we leave Vancouver, we'll be in parts of the world with little or no public transit. We will travel by charter bus between and within locations. In some places, we'll be able to walk to services. Course travel will be provided. For personal excursions, we may be able to arrange bus drop off and pickup, and you can use, at your cost, taxis, foot, or other available public transport.

What to Pack

The general guideline is to pack less stuff and bring more money than you think you will need - you can always buy shirts as a souvenir - and bring layers so you can reduce clothing as the temperatures increase. We will be in well-developed areas with laundry and stores. A few tops (some long, some short), a couple pants (some long, some short that you can swim in), some quick-dry socks and underwear that you can wash in the sink and dry overnight will go a long way - nobody cares if they see you in the same outfit more than once.

Temperatures should range from 10C-25C / 50F-80F. A heavy jacket is probably not needed, but rain gear would be appropriate (rain jackets also make good windbreakers). Pack layers for a variety of weather conditions.

You will need shoes appropriate for hiking; swimming clothes are recommended. Water shoes are highly recommend - we will be seine netting at the Deep Bay Marine Center on Vancouver Island and many beaches in the region are rocky. Some of the facilities that we will visit will not allow open-toed shoes such as sandals. The best way to deal with shoes -- wear your heaviest shoes on the plane and pack one or two more pairs at most -- shoes take up a lot of room (but you can stuff things like socks and underwear in them to save space).

Other stuff … Cameras, computers, tablets, binoculars, a notebook and other personal items are at your discretion. Access to the internet will be useful during the course. Sun protection as you like - sunscreen, hat, long sleeves and pants - whatever normally works for you. Lip balm. You can pick up a bottle of water when you arrive and reuse it - saves packing space. During the first week of the course you'll have easy access to stores that sell personal items like sunscreen, toothpaste, skin cream, and so forth - so don't worry too much about things like that.

Don't forget any medication you need and be sure to pack that in carry-on.

All our lodgings are expected to provide linens and towels. They are unlikely to have wash cloths anywhere, so bring one if you use one.

Lonely Planet Guide to Packing Light | Rick Steves on Packing Light

Electrical Power in Canada and the US

Canada and the US use the same type of power receptacles that provide 120 volts of AC power - Types A (two flat prongs, ungrounded) and B (two flat plugs plus a round ground plug). US students will not need anything special to use their electrical devices.

Sweden uses Types C ( two round prongs, ungrounded) and F (two round prongs, grounded) plugs and receptacles. Swedish students will need to bring the appropriate power converters. Most computers and electronics (camera chargers, etc) and many personal appliances are dual voltage (can handle 120 or 240 volts); all you need in that case is a physical plug converter. If any of your Swedish devices are not dual voltage (240volts only) you will also need a voltage converter.

See here for all sorts of details.

Money

Although both are called dollars, the US and Canada have different currency, so be prepared to exchange money or draw from an ATM on arrival to each. It is not necessary to carry large amounts of cash – credit cards (especially Visa & MasterCard) are accepted widely. For cash, ATMs are typically the least expensive approach in terms of exchange rate and transaction fees. Of course, you pay fees every time you use a machine, so plan as best you can. Withdraw what you think you'll need on entry to each country - but not too much (you'll have to pay to exchange any you have left over).

You should notify your bank that you will be using your ATM card and your credit card in the US and Canada. For the course, we will be in British Columbia (CA) and Oregon & Washintgon (US).

Exchange rates - which are pretty stable among the three countries - on 12 June were ...

CA$1 = US $0.768 = SEK6.638

US$1 = CA$1.302 = SEK 8.641

SEK 1 = CA$0.151 = US$0.116

How much money should you bring?

We cover expenses related to lodging, entrance fees, and transportation during the course. We expect participants to pay for their own food, laundry, souvenirs and other expenses. In some places we will be using public transport - you will have to pay for this.

We have tried to find lodging with kitchen facilities, so that you can cook and prepare your own meals (to save money and enjoy cooking with your classmates). Not all of our lodging locations have kitchens, though, and you should be prepared to eat some meals in restaurants. A handful of meals will be provided by the course (e.g., won’t cost you anything). As we fill out our schedule, we'll note which places have kitchens.

Internet Access

Most places we stay will provide internet access, usually WiFi. In the past, we've encountered situations where Ethernet cables are required. Be security conscious when using your devices online.

Laptops & Other Electronics

Having a laptop can be quite a convenience - we expect work to be completed and submitted online, plus there will be readings online. Although you can do these things on a smartphone (through Google docs and websites), you will likely be more productive on a laptop computer, a Chromebook, or an iPad-type device.

Safety Tips

* Please don’t travel anywhere by yourself.

* It's good to have someone in your group with a working mobile phone.

* The emergency number in the US and Canada is 911.

* Know where you are going, how you are going to get there, and how you are going to get back. Do some research before you go off on your own, especially if your mobile device does not have internet access. We’ve all become very used to being on-line all the time and it can disconcerting when you’re not. Write down directions, draw maps, look at transit schedules and routes ahead of time.

* Take emergency contact information for faculty with you (will be provided at the start of the trip). For those with working phones, exchange numbers with fellow students.

* If a human or natural disaster occurs while we are not together as a group, please return to the most recent assembly point our lodging location as soon as possible. For example, if we have dispersed from a Visitor Center for small group hikes, return to the Visitor Center. If you are out in the evening having dinner, return to our lodging location. If that is not possible, please contact one of the instructors by email or phone to let them know your situation.

* Be aware of your surroundings. If something seems dangerous, stop, think, and act appropriately.

* Pickpocketing is an issue in all countries, particularly in tourist areas. Please keep your personal items secure and carry as few items as possible to reduce loss if you are victimized. If you have multiple credit cards, keep them in different places. Separate cash into different pockets or places as well. Do not leave backpacks, purses, bags unsecured - always have your hands on them. Keep a list of credit card emergency information somewhere so that you can call and cancel your cards if you lose them.

* Preferentially use ATMs at secured and monitored locations, like airports, banks, and large hotels. This will help you avoid electronic skimming attacks in which card information and PINs are stolen.

* Stay away from demonstrations and large crowds generally, as they can turn violent and are targets for terrorist attacks.

* Do not accept opened drinks from people you do not know and do not leave open drinks unattended. This will help you avoid date rape drugs.

* Do not go with people you do not know to non-public places, like their homes or lodgings.

* The NCState Study Abroad website has a Health & Safety section that we encourage you to read.

* Additional safety information, including lists of hospitals for each place we visit, is available in the Safety Plan folder on our Google drive (Readings&Assignments / SafetyPlan).