Another part of the story is fueling and paying for fuel
Almost all gas stations require to pre-authorize payment before fueling. That means you have to use your credit or debit card and type the PIN before you start to fuel. Not many places allow you to fill and then pay. And once you start fueling, you can’t lock the lever in the position and wait till it fills up the tank. You have to hold the lever until you are done.
Good thing is, the fuel is very cheaper compared to Europe (but more expensive than in States).
Contrary to Europe, where you need to pay a fee to use the toilet, Canadian toilets are free.
Distances, mobile coverage, and direction
Canada is the second biggest country in the world, and you will see it once you leave your first town. In Europe, there is usually 1-5km of fields between villages but Canada is a bit different. The closest villages can be 20 or 30 kilometers away. One example: when you drive from Calgary to Banff, around 120km away, you will only pass one town on the way. It will be Canmore 100km from Calgary.
It is easy to run out of fuel
As an example, if you drive in the Canadian Rockies from Lake Louise to Jasper (230km), there is only one gas station (80km from Lake Louise). If you forget to fill up your tank and your range is less than 230km (which is half a tank of a small car), you may need to return or you might run out of gas.
Mobile coverage
Southern areas along the US borders have really good mobile coverage. Along the highways and in the flat provinces you will have a good connection. Once you reach the mountains in Alberta or British Columbia though, mobile coverage is good only in towns and along the main roads. Even the famous scenic road Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper has almost no coverage. It is worth to download offline maps when driving in the Canadian mountains.
Directions
In North America, people like to use a compass, as this is probably the only explanation why they use cardinal direction (East, West, North, South) instead of places direction. Most of the road signs tell you to follow west or north instead on Vancouver or Edmonton, especially in the cities and on the highways.
One last specialty of driving in Canada. Don’t be surprised if you see a cyclist riding a bike on the highway shoulder along with cars going 110km/h. Some might think it’s dangerous but it’s 100% legal.
