I guess you could say I'm a well seasoned traveler. I have stacks of US customs forms at home so I can fill them out before I get to the airport, I can get from curb to gate in 20 mins on a good day with Nexus and status and I know the airplane entertainment system like the back of my hand. This weekend I went to Montreal for a mini vacation and, weirdly, it was traveling in Canada that threw me off the most.
1) I flew out of Toronto City Center (Billy Bishop) airport Which was a first, I usually fly out of Pearson. Riding the ferry was both frustrating and fascinating at the same time.
2) No passport required Flying on a driver's license was really weird. And I looked like such a newbie because I kept trying to show my ID at every turn and not showing it when I was supposed to.
3) Canadian money I think it's that all the signs and billboards were in a language that I can only half understand that makes me feel like I should be using a different currency.
4) No spend limit I kept trying to keep track of my receipts the whole time and was delighted to remember... I don't need to! I can buy as much as I want and not worry about being interogated at the border for the pair of jeans and magnets I bought.
5) Lounge Last year I had Elite status but only made it to Prestige this year. While Billy Bishop has a great waiting area, not having status sucks. I got to Montreal airport early and wandered around the terminal to waste time.
All in all, I really liked Montreal (and their cheese!). It was like going to a foreign country without all the hassles of conversion rates, passports and customs. I just really need to brush up on my French.