This is the third and the last part of the story about my 2020 ultimate road trip to British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies. You will learn about a lesser-known but no less spectacular Yoho National Park and see Canada's own real desert located at the south end of the hot and dry Okanagan Valley. British Columbia is undoubtedly the most biologically and geologically diverse province in Canada!

This is the second part of the story about my 2020 ultimate road trip to British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies. You will get a closer look at the two most iconic national parks in Canada - Banff and Jasper -  the number one reason most overseas visitors come to Canada. Both are located entirely in the province of Alberta, but we also will take a quick detour into the neighbouring Kootenay National Park to see its gorgeous Marble Canyon.

Road trips - my favourite road trips! I love them for many reasons. Sitting behind a steering wheel and enjoying the surrounding beauty that slowly unfolds before my eyes seems like a meditation. Road trips are also perfect to bond as a family. Though long driving may seem pretty monotonous and boring for rookies, you’ll be surprised how much you can learn from your travel companions under no time pressure if only you can patiently listen. I invite you to virtually join me on a 9-day road trip across most of southern British Columbia as well as Banff and Jasper National Parks. For a flatlander like me, the allure of snow-covered peaks, emerald lakes, mighty glaciers, immense ocean and a damp smell of old-growth rainforests was such a delight.

Though staycations will definitely be remembered as the biggest tourism trend of the year, 2020 offered a unique, almost one-in-the-lifetime opportunity to see Canada’s best landscapes without millions of international tourists. I obviously feel terrible for the loss or unearned revenue that COVID-19 brought to the Canadian tourism sector and am sincerely willing to chip in some extra cash from my taxpayer’s dollars to support the suffering industry, but man, those iconic Canadian places look so good without excessive crowds, long lines, always full parking lots, and overpriced hotel rooms! That's what lured me into committing to a road trip in British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies in August 2020. But, first, let's understand how the global pandemic shaped travel experiences for those, like me, willing to venture beyond day trips from home.