Preparation for our 5 months road trip across Canada
My idea for this trip to Canada - to travel from the East to the West coast and back again in a span of 5 months - came to me about a year ago. Although I grew up in Montreal, I had not really seen much of Canada before leaving to study in Germany - except for some vacations spent travelling with my wife and children in a rented RV motorhome through Ontario, British Columbia (Vancouver to Calgary) and the Yukon (White Horse, Dempster highway). During my career as a salesman I had seen a lot more of Germany during my visits to customers.
We purchased a VW Caravelle with a TDI 6.1 diesel motor in 2019 and finally picked it up from the outfitter SpaceCamper in August 2020. Hence the licence plate OF-TP2020. 
Flights
We have a 6 1/2 year old dog called Pinsel, who was to accompany us during our trip. We had considered flying directly from Frankfurt to Halifax with Condor as the length of the flight is relatively short (less than 7 hours). However, the difficulties we experienced with Condor in booking a reservation for Pinsel in the cargo hold were unbelievable and we consider ourselves lucky to be able to cancel our booked flights at no cost.
After receiving a confirmation of the cancellation, I immediately got on the phone with Air Canada and was able to book our flights and a reservation for Pinsel within 15 minutes! Not only did I reach an Air Canada agent within 1 - 2 minutes but she was also extremely friendly and wished us a great vacation. Unfortunately the flight is to Montreal not Halifax for reasons mentioned below.
We booked our flights AC 845 leaving Frankfurt on the 21st of May 2022 at 9:55 a.m. and returning on October 22 nd 2023 with AC 844 at 19:05.
5 months !!
Kennel
We purchased a used kennel for Pinsel through Ebay Kleinanzeigen. It is 120 (length) x 90 (height) x 80 cm (wide). Pinsel´s measurements are ...... It is very important that your dog has enough space to stand and move around, otherwise the airline can refuse to transport your dog. A good idea is to show the kennel with your dog inside to the airline staff weeks prior to your departure - just to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Airlines do not provide any kennels for the flight. A company called FSG is located in the Frankfurt airport close to the baggage pick-up area. They only sell (no leasing) kennels such as the one mentioned above for about 350 €.
Pinsel will be sedated with Alprazolam as he is a very active and sensitive dog. Sedated means that he will be calm but responsive to persons.
He will travel in the hold of the Boeing 787-9, which is kept at a temperature of ca. 18°C and normal pressure. He will have access to some dry dog food and water.
Requirements for bringing dog into Canada
It is helpful to refer to the Government of Canada internet site (https://inspection.canada.ca/importing-food-plants-or-animals/pets/eng/1326600389775/1326600500578). We have to have an updated vaccination against rabies as documented in a certificate issued by our vetenarian. We will also bring along Pinsel´s European pet passport.
A quarantine is not required. One is not allowed to bring in any dog food into Canada.
Import of VW bus
We decided to have our VW bus shipped from Hamburg to Halifax with a company called Seabrige. Other possible companies are IVSS and Caravan Shippers.
Ships depart from the Hamburg (Antwerp also possible) harbour (Unikai - TerminalOswaldkai) and take about two weeks to cross the Atlantic. After arrival another 2 days are normally needed before one can pick up the vehicle.
We were very satisfied with Seabridge. Reponses to questions via telephone or email were very timely, detailed and pleasant. Costs are calculated according to the volume of the vehicle to be shipped. A VW bus costs about 2,500 € one-way including sea transport insurance.
Vehicle insurance in Canada
During one´s travels in Canada, the vehicle needs to be insured. German auto insurance companies do not insure vehicles in Canada. And most of the insurance companies in Canada do not insure German vehicles. This seemed to be a problem at first. However, I found out both through a Youtube video of a Swiss couple, who had travelled with their van through the USA and a recommendation by Seabridge that a company called Thum Insurance located in Michigan (USA) will insure vans like ours for about 250 €/month.
