I met these people online twelve years ago. Twelve years of conversations, inside jokes, and late nights, and not a single handshake among them. At some point it becomes a little absurd to call someone a close friend when you have never actually seen them stand up. So in November I finally booked the flight. Staying with friends along the way made the whole thing possible, and it meant I could build the route around places I had wanted to see for a long time.
Vancouver
It started with an early flight from Saskatoon. I landed in the morning and spent the day walking downtown, wandering the harbour and the streets around the core, and visiting as many bookstores as I could reasonably justify before moving on.
I am not sure there is a better way to arrive in a city than on foot, with nowhere in particular to be.
Twelve years of conversations, and not a single handshake among them.
Vancouver Island
From there I took the ferry across to the island to meet my first friend. The drive was beautiful, and honestly, so was everything else. We explored the shoreline, wandered through Chinatown, found a few photo spots, and hiked to the top of Mount Finlayson before it was time to head for the next ferry.
It is a strange thing, to meet someone for the first time and feel as though you are simply continuing a conversation.
Seattle
The ferry into Seattle was at night, and watching the skyline come in over the water was one of the best moments of the whole trip. I met my other friend late that night, and we drove through the city to a casino, because apparently that is what one does.
The next morning was Pike Place, the Gum Wall, and the underground tour. Then I drove from Seattle up to the border and back to Vancouver to catch my flight home.
The breakdown
- Where
- Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Seattle
- When
- November 2025
- Route
- Saskatoon → Vancouver → the island → Seattle → home
- Best moment
- The night ferry into Seattle
- Give the bookstores a proper afternoon. Vancouver has more of them than one morning can cover.
- Take the ferries. They are half the trip, not the travel between it.
- Arrive in Seattle by water. At night, if you can manage it.
I had known these people for twelve years before I ever stood in the same room as them. I expected that to feel strange. It did not. It felt rather like picking up a conversation we had been having for a very long time, and I flew home wondering why I had waited so long to have it in person.