By Pacific Coach Lines bus service, travel time from downtown Victoria to downtown Vancouver is approximately three and a half hours. The ferry to Seattle is seasonal, and operates once a day in each direction with a travel time of approximately four and a half hours. It is designed to draw tourists to Victoria, so the schedule is convenient only for longer trips. A passenger-only ferry between Seattle and Victoria operates year round, with a travel time of two and a half hours. British Columbia Ferries Recreation Vancouver Island is known for its varied geography and dramatic natural beauty.
Students often take day trips to nearby beaches and mountains.
A number of national and provincial parks are within a two hour drive. Opportunities for surfing, kayaking, hiking, rowing, bicycling, windsurfing, golfing and sailing are all within easy reach. Daily rail service runs up-island to Courtenay, home to Mount Washington, the Island's largest ski resort. Many students take camping trips to points on the west coast of the Island such as Tofino, the Clayoquat and the West Coast Trail as well as throughout the Southern Gulf Islands. The beauty of Vancouver Island and British Columbia are viewable at the Travel and Tourism Information for British Columbia website.