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- I lived in Banff, Canada, throughout my 20s. I loved the North American town and would move back.The people I encountered were so kind, and I loved experiencing the changing seasons.Banff had beautiful wildlife, and Canada had great cuisine that I still think about.
When I was 25, my friend asked me if I wanted to move to Banff, Canada. Without giving it much thought, I jumped at the opportunity.
Within a few months, I quit my job at a daily newspaper in Australia, sold most of my worldly possessions, and boarded an airplane for Calgary, Alberta.
My friend had lined us up with an agency that sorted out all the visa paperwork and organized a job in Banff, so it was a really smooth transition.
I'll never forget sitting on a bus driving from Calgary to Banff and seeing the Rockies for the first time. That was the start of one of the most magical periods of my life.
There's nothing like watching the changing seasons hit beaches and mountains
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One of the many things about Canada I first fell in love with was its changing seasons.
Coming from the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, I had never really experienced proper seasons before. The Gold Coast typically averages about 300 days of sunny weather a year.
When we arrived in Banff, it was fall. There was something so striking about the golden and orange hues of the autumn leaves set against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.
As the days grew shorter and colder, Banff became a winter wonderland. The first time my friend and I saw snow falling, we ran outside, laughing and dancing in the snow like two little girls.
For someone who'd grown up on a beach in a sub-tropical climate, that was pretty special.
Experiencing holidays North American-style was a blast
As Halloween approached, I realized what else I'd been missing in Australia.
When I was a child, we would go trick-or-treating in our street, but none of the houses would be decorated and we'd be lucky to come across a neighbor who actually had candy to share.
In contrast, Halloween was incredible in Banff. There were costume parties, bonfires in the park, jack-o'-lanterns on people's lawns, and spooky decorations adorning most buildings.
For Thanksgiving, my Canadian friends made me a traditional Canadian pumpkin pie — something I'd never tried before. Throughout the season, locals showed me that North American hospitality I'd heard so much about.
Christmastime also felt extra special celebrated against a snowy backdrop, and we experienced some of the most festive decorations we'd ever seen in Canada.
I miss so much of the food
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During my time in Canada, I also fell in love with the food.
I've traveled to many places but, in my opinion, North America seems to do food better than everybody else. The serving sizes tend to be big and the flavors strong and tasty.
One of my favorite things to eat in Canada was the local favorite, poutine — fries with cheese curds and brown gravy. It proved to be the perfect après-ski treat after a day of shredding the ski hills around Banff.
There are so many other foods I miss, such as Nanaimo bars (made with wafers, nuts, and coconut crumbs) and fluffy pancakes with pure Canadian maple syrup.
I'd also love to once again have fresh BeaverTails (a fried-dough treat) and the mighty Caesar (a zesty tomato-clam-juice cocktail with vodka).
I still think about Banff, and I'd move back in a heartbeat
After living in Canada, my partner and I moved to London and then to various parts of Australia, but we never felt that same magic.
We miss Banff's incredible mountains, beaches, forests, and wildlife that often took our breath away. Above all else, we miss the people in Canada the most. We met some of the kindest, most caring souls you could imagine there — people who instantly felt like family.
If I had my time again, I would've spent longer in Canada before moving on after a year and a half. Even now, more than a decade later, I'd say goodbye to our home in Bright, Australia, and move back to Banff in a second.
On all of my travels to more than 50 countries, I've never found another place quite like it, and it will always have a special place in my heart.
