Canada - Calgary

The first country were going to look at is the first country of my gap year travels last July.. Canada.

If you've never been to Canada here are a few things that are worth noting:

#It's in North America in the Northern Hemisphere

#Uses the Canadian Dollar which is roughly just over half the strength of the Pound

#It's the second largest country in the world

#Can be hot in the South but mainly cool to freezing temperatures in the North

#The official language is both English and French

#Very little of the land area is built up (mostly open wilderness!!)

Upon my visit to the Maple Leaf Nation, I flew to Calgary which takes about 9 hours (all Canadian destinations are long haul flights although due to the size of the country, flight times to different cities direct from London will vary) and doesn’t stop in between. You can get good deals with the national airline, Air Canada who I flew with.

If you chose to fly to Calgary in the Western State of Alberta you'll arrive at the large and modern airport. Before long and without any problems you'll find yourself outside and although Calgary has plenty to offer for a week plus, I heavily advise you hire a car from the airport and venture out!

With a motor and the open road you could head North to Edmonton in 3 hours, South to Lethbridge in 2 and a half hours or West to British Columbia in 2 hours which I chose. There is endless beautiful scenery whichever way you head and since you've flown all that way you might as well check it out!

I was only in Calgary for a day as we had a tight itinerary but I would visit again in a heartbeat. Calgary the Capital of Alberta and is the 5^th best city to live in the world this year according to 'Economist Intelligence Unit global “liveability” study' and it's not hard to see why.

Unspoiled wilderness surround the city and allows it to boast a very high quality of life for it's inhabitants. Modern with skyscrapers you'd assume you were in just another concrete jungle but that’s far from the truth as just a few miles in any direction you'll soon be lost in a landscape full of pine forests, lakes and the backdrop of the famous Rocky Mountains.

If it's famous city sights your after check out the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics Stadium where the Jamaican Bobsleigh Team made there debut or the Calgary Stampede which is dubbed “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth” and pulls in over a million visitors a year to watch the world famous rodeo!

If your a mad sports fan like me, your trip wouldn’t be complete without a match day experience at the 'Calgary Flames' of the National Hockey League, Canada's Number 1 sport.

If none of the above takes your fancy and your on a romantic getaway, why not have a candlelit dinner overlooking the city skyline at the top of the Calgary Tower, Canada’s second largest building.

Whatever you chose to do, just remember, Calgary is one of THE places to be right now and is worth taking full advantage of, but with a car you get that extra feel of a true Canadian adventure both in and outside the city limits.

Next Week: Banff and Jasper National Parks.