I'm going to Vancouver, Canada! It's my first time out of INDIA. What can I expect? How should I plan?

Question

Hi all, well i am planning to take admission in a college at Vancouver for higher studies. Since this is my first time i am a bit tensed and at the same time excited too. I have so many question for which i need someone who can answer me.
1.) How much will it cost for me to rent a shared flat/other housing unit, in Yaletown/ anywhere in West Hastings Street.
2.) Where can i get my food from? I cant goto restaurants daily? Are there some services that provides food for students and also dilivers it to students door and charges weekly/monthly/whatever? Or i will have to cook my food on my own?
3.) What are the taxi charges per mile within city.
4.) If i buy a bicycle.Can i bike it all over the city or to just some restricted areas? Will i require a special permit/licence, for it?
5.) How safe is the city. Coz my classes are of 18 hrs a day and i will be returning late hrs and then back early hrs to the classes.
6.) Which one amongst theTaxi/Buses/Tubes/Bicycles/Walk, is the best

Answer 1

Congrats on going to Vancouver for your higher studies, I can understand why you'd be excited but also tense too...it's a long way from home. I can't answer all your questions as I did not go to school there and it's been a 2 years since I was last there, however I will tell you what I know from my own experience and that of friends who have lived there.
Rent prices fluctuate according to what the places are like and how close they are to the university, etc but the university should be able to give you a general guide to costs for housing, and check to see if you can live on campus, it might work out cheaper for you. They will have information available regarding housing, don't be afraid to write and ask for the information, that's part of their job.
As far as food goes and where you can get it, there are shops that will be close by no matter where you finally choose to live, it's a very well equipped city and you will find they have a wide variety of foods available throughout the city. There are inexpensive restaurants that are still quite good, but if you can cook it's cheaper to do that than to have restaurant meals (not to mention it'll be healthier too). If you choose to reside in aplace where you will have room mates sharing the accomodation with you, then you could even work out a schedule where you each cook on certain days for the whole group that way you aren't having to cook daily but still keep your food bills as low as possible.
Safety in the city. Vancouver is a great city and fairly safe, however it's a city and with any city there are things you need to do to keep yourself safe...it's the common sense things that you'd do in any city really. I'd recommend asking the university to send you information regarding safety in the city, they will have all these types of things covered for their new students, particularly the students from other countries...but you may have to ask them for it instead of them volunteering it. You will not need a permit or license for a bicycle, but I would recommend that you have a chain for it so it does not get stolen or to at least reduce the risk of it being taken. Vancouver is a pretty spread out place, bikes are a good thing here although you will need to be in good shape with all the hills. Walking is another great way to get around the city and even the bus system is good and it's inexpensive. Taxi's on the other hand can become quite expensive and for a student, I wouldn't recommend using them unless you absolutely have to. Contact the university's admission department and ask them to send you information regarding housing, getting around the city, personal safety, etc, they are one of the best sources of the information that you need, and they'll have all the info to hand where they can either email it to you or post it to you...they may well have it on their website, so if you haven't looked, I'd recommend starting there...if they don't have it on their site, email them requesting the info be sent to you or that you be given contact information on someone who will be able to give you the info. They will be helpful and will be only too happy to get the information to you, especially as you are coming from so far away. Good luck with it all and I wish you every success with your studies, you will have a great time in Vancouver, it's an incredible city! I hope I've helped a little.

Answer 2

I'm an American, but go to Canada once a year on vacation. I go to BC every year. Vancouver is a beautiful city and much safer than cities in the US, but which areas are safe is something you should ask when you get to Van. Other students can tell you which areas are unsafe.

There is a huge Indian population in the Vancouver area. There are a lot of Indian restaurants, but there are also lots of stores selling Indian foods. I've bought spices, rices, and even idli mix. You'll have no problems finding places to eat at, but you might find that it's easier to cook some on your own. There are also very good Indian frozen foods in the freezer dept. at the grocery stores. You could buy some of those and heat them in a microwave. A lot will depend upon your living situation.

Are you a vegetarian? Most school cafeterias make vegetarian and vegan meals since many young people have become vegetarians. If you're in a dorm at the school, you'd be wise to take some of your meals at the cafeteria.

Bicycling can be rough in the winter because winters in Vancouver are very wet and chilly. Vancouver has a good bus system and students are probably offered a bus pass at reduced rates. Taxis are a bit expensive and probably not used by most students.

Bring warm clothes and expect to buy an umbrella and rain gear once you get to Vancouver.

A lot of your questions can only be answered once you know which school you're attending and what the school offers. Some schools have a housing department which can refer you to apartments for rent to students or room mate situations. Some schools will offer student housing. It varies a lot.

You'll meet a lot of other Indians in Vancouver. You may have the misfortune of running into a bigot who will make an anti-Indian comment. They're rare, but they do exist.
They're usually uneducated people who feel that Indians are taking jobs away from Canadians. Just be assured that the Canadians, as a group, are a very kind and decent group of people.... which is why I spend so much time there :-) Enjoy your school.

Answer 3

1) I think you can expect maybe $200 a month?
2) You can buy food from any local markets or from supermarkets such as, Safeway, Save-on-Foods or IGA. I believe you may have to cook your own food, but you can order in for very cheap as well. Some pizza places offer a medium pizza and pop for like $6 or something
3) Sorry... I don't know.
4) Biking is allowed everywhere, I strongly suggest buying a bike.
5) The city is fairly safe, with every city there is some crime, but only if you go looking for it.
6) The transit system is good in Vancouver. You can take buses, which run all day and are cheap, but taxis ARE very pricy. A bike is another good choice, or even skytrains are good.

Answer 4

(1) finding anything around Yaletown is gonna be expensive..your cheaper bet-i know its not much cheaper but would be the hostel for say like 6 months - and then byt then you would be used to the area and may look or a place - but also try -- http://vancouver.craigslist.org/ -- this will help you out also -- http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2

(2) do you know how to cook - as this will be the cheaper way of doing it - and alot o ppl do it this way? going to restaurants daily will be quite expensive. Eating out here and there is ok but everyday it will be a toll on ur pocket.

(3) or taxi charges you may check up -- http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20050315/a5.htm

and taking bus and skytrain is much cheaper and you can get a book of coupons and stuff which will pay of -- http://www.translink.bc.ca/?p=1.txt and when here you may call (604) 933 - 3333 and tell them where u are where u need to go they will tell you the buses to take and the times for the schedules.

(4) Ppl ride their bikes but not so much as Vancouver is known for the raining seasons, but you may look up here for more info and see what you think - http://www.britishcolumbia.com/recreation/?id=41

http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=27661

http://vancouver.ride-share.com/en/my/faq.php ( this is another great way to get around)

(5) Depending where you are at night -- esp arounding east hastings its not so safe -- http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5380

(6) you may look at the top links but my bestbet for you would be the bus/skytrain and look into the coupons - http://www.translink.bc.ca/

look at the passes which will be better for you -- http://www.translink.bc.ca/Transportation_Services/Fares_Passes/default.asp

hope this helps.

Answer 5

You may not want to bike around Vancouver, if you are going soon it will be very cold!! But yes you can bike all over!!

You will have to look up prices for flats/apartments in that area, and as for food I don't think so you will have to grocery shop and cook and or eat out!!

Vancouver is a beautiful city you will enjoy it!!

Answer 6

its a little expensive down town there is a large indian comunity on fraser street lots of markets etc. also in Surrey . best to use transit you can get a student monthly pass. vancouver area fairly safe.If your classes are at SFU downtown The Waterfront sky train station is behind it. And several busses stop on hastings in front An excellant food court is in the building. SFU Main campus is on Burnaby Mountain . Excellant bus service To steep to cycle.

Answer 7

Questions like these, i think, are better left to a travel agent, or some sort of consultant. I mean I live in Vancouver, and I can't really help you. So sorry to be unhelpful, but you should ask such an important question to have some strangers answer it.

Answer 8

Cab meters start at either $2.30 or $2.40 and cost between $1.20 and $1.34 per km after that.

However, if you're in traffic, the meter switches from charging by distance to charging by time.

By time, taxis cost $24/hour or $6.00 for 15 minutes.

Taxi rides in town generally cost between $5.00 and $10.00.

Answer 9

i live in vancouver. for my apartment it costs 550 for a bachaler. and yes it is safe. walking is the best because you can breath in the fresh air. dont ride a bike lots of traffic. and yes you can ride it anywhere as long as you are a good biker. i would suggest living in either coquitlam or burnaby. they are both located in great vancouver. in great vancouver there are citys called burnaby, port moody, vancouver, coquitlam, port coquitlam, surrey, langly, and more. dont live in port moody because it is very far from shops. also dont live in the small vancouver because it is very city like and poluted. hope this helps bye! :D

Answer 10

sorry i have no idea, but i do have a Indian friend living in the UK who is immigrating to Canada soon because her family loves it so much! They have absolutely fell in love with the country and from what I've heard it's a very safe place to live.
Hope it helps, and enjoy yourself! =D