While the COVID-19 pandemic may have forced us to cancel our 2021 season, we’re already gearing up for 2022. If you’re thinking about visiting us next year, you might be wondering when you should start booking your travel plans.
Keep reading to learn how to plan the perfect timeline for booking your next visit to Sointula Lodge.
Reserve Your Sointula Lodge Visit as Soon as Possible
From air travel to renewing your passport and getting a fishing license, there are several things you’ll need to plan, coordinate, and book ahead of your visit. However, none of those arrangements can be made until after you’ve booked your Sointula Lodge trip. And before that can happen, you have a few decisions to make.
Ideally, you should book your visit as early as possible in order to guarantee that you get your choice of trip and dates.
Decide When to Visit
Before you can start booking other travel arrangements or even reserving your spot at Sointula Lodge, you need to decide when you’d like to travel.
Our Lodge is open to visitors from June to September. While any visit is incredible, each month is unique.
For instance, while June sees a bit more drizzling rain than other months, it also boasts the longest days of the summer. July is warm, with minimal fog. August offers hot days, but with a higher chance of rolling fog. Our personal favorite month is September, when days are warm and nights are chilly, and the changing leaves bring even more color to the island.
There’s no bad time to visit the Lodge. But school and work schedules, or the draw of warmer days, might make your decision on when to visit easier.
Select a 4 or 5-Day Trip
The next decision you’ll need to make is how long you’d like your visit to be. At Sointula Lodge, we offer 4-day and 5-day trips. A 4-day trip still means plenty of adventure, fishing, exploring, and great food, though an extra day simply means enjoying some extra fun!
Our schedule alternates between 4 and 5-day trips. So if you already know that certain dates work best for your trip, that may make the decision about how to long to visit easier.
Both trips feature the same activities and similar itineraries, so you won’t need to worry about missing anything if you do opt for a shorter trip or if your chosen dates force you to select a 4-day adventure.
Reserve Your Spot
Once you’ve picked your dates and the length of your trip, it’s time to reserve your spot!
With room for just 18 guests at a time at the Lodge, trips do fill up quickly, and some 2022 dates are already sold out. As soon as you’ve chosen your date, reserve it to make sure you lock in your first choice.
Renew Your Passport at Least 6 Months Before Your Trip
Non-Canadian citizens will need a passport to visit Sointula Lodge. Americans can opt to use a passport or a passport card to get into Canada. The passport must be valid, although Canada does not require U.S. passports to have a certain amount of time left before their expiration in order to visit.
If you need to apply for a passport or renew an existing one before your trip, aim to do this at least 6 months before you plan to travel.
Those who have an existing passport in good condition, and who haven’t changed their name due to marriage, can renew by mail. Otherwise, you’ll need to renew in person. Keep in mind that it can take up to 18 weeks to mail in your application and receive your new passport. While it is possible to expedite your application, this still takes time and includes an extra charge.
Book Your Airline Travel 70 Days Out to Get the Best Deal
If you want to get the best price on your flights to and from Vancouver Island, you need to think carefully about when to book them.
Research shows that, on average, flights are their lowest 70 days out. Of course, if you’re someone who likes to have everything ready to go earlier than that, you can always book your flights ahead of time to secure your seat and give yourself less to worry about as your trip gets closer!
But if you choose to wait, be sure to book your flights as close to that 70-day deadline as possible. Wait longer than that, and you risk your flights selling out or the price jumping up.
Don’t Forget to Make Your Other Travel Plans
From how you plan to get from Vancouver Island to your hotel stays for before and after your visit to Sointula, there are a few other travel arrangements you’ll need to make.
While these arrangements could be made at the last minute, you’ll save yourself a lot of stress by booking them a couple of months ahead of your visit. That way, in the days leading up to your trip, you can focus on packing and preparing for the adventure of a lifetime!
Book Your 2022 Visit to Sointula Lodge Today
If you’re ready to get back to traveling, now is the perfect time to book your 2022 visit to Sointula Lodge. Reserve your spot today and get a jumpstart on your planning timeline!