Jetlagged Reflections after our Canadian Adventure
Canadian tipping culture, long(er) holidays and more
We got back from Canada yesterday morning.
We both slept very little on the plane and this was Mike’s first sentence when he started writing for this post:
I just had the equivalent of 3 espressos and I feel like I can punch through the screen to end up in China.
In other words, we’re busy finding our feet again.
In between doing the laundry, getting groceries, and in Hannah’s case repacking for a short trip to Hamburg - there are 3 things we’ve been discussing and thinking about.
Some first impressions and reflections after our holiday.
We hope you enjoy these first reflections and we can’t wait to dive into the rest of our Canada adventure in the upcoming weeks!
3-week trips are the best
Out of our many trips together, this was our first 3-week holiday.
And we loved it.
Many times during our trip, we’d leave a place or city behind and think “We still have so much time left in Canada”.
The length of the trip made us feel more relaxed, knowing we didn’t have to rush through any destination. We could take our time, divide activities over different days, try lots of restaurants, and have lazier days without feeling guilty about missing out on something.
It felt like way more than 3 weeks.
We understand that not everyone can take a three-week-long holiday, but if you can, we highly recommend it. We’re going to try and do this more regularly.
(And for the world trip, we’ll simply extend it for the whole year 😝).
No more tips!
Canada’s great, but the excessive tipping culture is a bit much for us Europeans.
We understand that North American wages might not be the best, but we didn’t expect to be half-forced into a tip every other second.
Automatically getting asked what % you’d like to tip after getting ice cream or being handed a pre-prepared sandwich over the counter felt excessive.
It’s not that we don’t appreciate good service, but it felt like we were tipping for every little thing. It’s just a different system from what we’re used to. In Europe, tipping is more of a reward for exceptional service rather than an expectation for every transaction.
You can imagine our relief when we visited our favorite ice cream shop yesterday evening and didn’t have to tip!
Nothing changed
We returned from arguably the best trip we’ve ever had and there’s one thing we’re sure of…
… nothing’s changed.
When we’re back at work on Monday, the same problems, discussions, and collegial dynamics will be waiting for us (as well as a full inbox 🙃). People are still getting angry in traffic, collectively doing groceries at 17:55, and getting ready to do it all over again the next day.
We’re all going through the motions.
It’s great to know that things will still be there when you’re back, but it’s also crazy right? We all get so caught up in the repetition and pace of our daily lives that we don’t notice it anymore.
By going on vacation, we took a break and physically removed ourselves from it. Now we’re observing things with a fresh pair of eyes.
And luckily, there’s little to worry about.
Things will be right there where you left them.
It just takes a holiday to realize.
Closing thoughts
As we settle back into our daily routine, we’re filled with gratitude.
This trip was a wonderful reminder of why we love to travel: the adventure, the discovery, and most importantly, the time spent together - even 9 days in the confined space of a converted campervan wasn’t too much.
3 weeks in Canada also gave us lots of time to think and look at our lives and the city we live in from a new perspective. It’s one of the reasons we love to travel!
How about you?
When was the last time you had this?
And what did you realize about your life or the place you live in?
We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments!
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The tipping culture has gotten out of hand even for those of us who are American & Canadian! Some of it has to do with the digital/mobile point-of-sale systems that everyone moved to. The tip screen is a default setting, even in places where it makes zero sense at all. I hope this problem doesn’t migrate to Europe.