Marie, 2 years in Canada followed by tour of South America

Hi! My name is Marie. I’m 29 years old and I’m from Rennes, France. I have a masters degree in digital marketing.

I went to Canada for my working holiday at the end of 2021. Canada attracted me for several reasons, but especially for its natural landscapes and way of life. And let’s be honest, as a French person, I didn’t have any language barrier in Quebec. There is also a significant population of French expats here. So in these ways, Canada was a dream destination that also offered a certain familiarity.

In late 2021, toward the end of the pandemic, we had to have a job in order to obtain the WHV (this is no longer the case). Thanks to my job at pvtistes.net, I was able to get to Canadian soil. I stayed in Montreal, a city that has since become a second home to me. At the same time, I was also able to discover other parts of Quebec, as well as places including Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and the Rockies. The WHV is an occasion to discover Canada’s southern neighbours too, so I also visited New York and Mexico.

My working holiday didn’t really go as planned. So I think it has taught me to let go of control and to know myself better. I’m coming out of it as a more mature person, and maybe stronger and more sure of myself too.

Without hesitation I would say my trip to the Canadian Rockies. I was really struck by the sheer beauty of the views. I remember driving toward vast mountain ranges and feeling my heart ready to beat outside my chest!

Be flexible! It’s normal to embark on a working holiday with plenty of plans and ideas in mind, but in the end we never know what life will put before us. You should be ready to adapt as needed. If you don’t like your job or city, change it! You want to go on a trip somewhere but don’t have anyone to go with? Do it solo! You are more capable than you think.

Now that my WHV in Canada is done, I am flying to South America for a few months. Having just spent the winter in Canada, the warmth of the Caribbean is certainly speaking to me. And after that? I’m not sure yet. Come back to Canada, return to France, or do another WHV somewhere else? I’m open to what the future holds for me.

It was extremely cold during my first winter in Quebec. One weekend, my downstairs neighbour turned off her heating before leaving the home. My apartment was so poorly insulated that I felt the temperature drop right away. The pipes froze and we stopped having water. We couldn’t even be in our own homes without fleece jackets. Thankfully we were able to quickly resolve the issue!