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Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance

fun things to do in the okanagan

    man looks out upon vernon bc canada from his car

    Things to do in Vernon BC

    by Nick & Raychel December 28, 2020

    Ahh Vernon, the small town located in BC’s southern interior. What is there to do in Vernon BC? Well you’re in luck, because there are many things to do do in Vernon BC!

    We had been living about 25 minutes outside of Vernon for the entirety of the summer finishing up our ambulance conversion and spending time with our newborn niece. We love the Okanagan, and we found ourselves enjoying the many sights and attractions that Vernon has to offer. 

    Below you will find our tried and true list of the top things to do while in beautiful Vernon British Columbia.


    Feel like watching instead of reading? Find our YouTube channel here!

     

    Kalamalka Lake

    An Okanagan classic! 

    This is the main attraction of Vernon BC. Boaters and swimmers alike flock to the lake of a thousand colours from all over Canada. It’s especially popular with Albertans!

    Rotary Pier at main beach is the most popular hangout spot boasting a big sandy beach, some trees for shade and a volleyball net. The views here are incredible, showing the mountainous landscape that slopes down into the water. Feeling hungry? There’s Kal Lake Food Services, a little Mexican themed concession located on the beach (there are veggie dogs available as well!) Need to cool off? Check out Kalavida Surf Shop located just northwest of the beach where you can rent a stand up paddle board. If you happen to be going in mid-late August you can catch the Kalamalka classic stand up paddle board festival as well. Make sure to get there early to get a spot as it gets busy quick!

    For those of you looking to get away from the crowds there are plenty of smaller beaches and hideouts all around the lake worth exploring for. We would typically hike around Rattlesnake Point to look for a secluded place to hangout and have a picnic. Rattlesnake point itself is a beautiful view as well! 

    girl looking over kalamalka lake in vernon bc

     

    Ellison Provincial Park

    A fantastic spot for camping, swimming and rock climbing!

    That’s right, rock climbing! There are quite a few spots located all around the beach and throughout the trails, we’re not climbing experts ourselves but we have spent many days at the beach watching the climbers ascend the boulders. 

    The beach itself is sandy with lots of large trees and picnic tables around. This beach is much less busy than rotary pier at Kal Lake and it’s located on the other side of Vernon on Lake Okanagan. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the beachfront (stroller friendly).

    Davison Orchards

    A great place to start your day if you’re cruising around Vernon in our opinion.

    Davison Orchards is a quaint little orchard nestled just west of the city centre where you can start your day with a coffee from the farmhouse cafe, and grab something sweet or savoury from the farmhouse bakery. All of the produce is locally grown so make sure whatever you’re after is in season!

    A fantastic place for children. Davison orchards features a 1 acre wide playground with treehouses, slides, hay stack tunnels and even a barn with farm animals for kids to feed. Sure to keep your kids busy so you can enjoy your coffee. 

    BX Falls 

    A short hike with an incredibly photogenic and mellow waterfall!

    BX Falls is a gorgeous little waterfall and a great spot to take some photos and enjoy the view. Located just 12 minutes from downtown Vernon it’s worth the trip if you’re keen to see some BC waterfalls! It’s a good place to bring kids as the trail is wide and mostly flat followed by lots of steps (not stroller friendly). Be careful if you’re going when its wet or below freezing as the wooden steps can be slippery. Like we mentioned its a great place to get some photos of your kids or to get that impromptu insta shot. We’ve even seen wedding photos taken down here!

    girls looking over bx falls in vernon bc

    BX-Press Cidery

    Our favourite cidery in Vernon!

    The BX-Press Cidery is a 5 minute drive from BX Falls meaning if you’re going to one, you’re going to the other! You could also sneak a cider or two to check out the falls if you’re feeling cheeky (not that we recommend it *wink*)

    BX-Press features a wide range of different ciders to choose from. All of the ciders are grown from local apples right on their orchard. Enjoy sitting out in the orchard while eating one of their variety of wood fire pizzas which complement and pair well with the ciders (all of which can be made vegan). Be sure to ask if they have anything special that season as they often have a one-of-a-kind drink for that year. 

    flights of cider surrounding wood fire pizza at bx press in vernon bc

    BX-Press is also kid and pet friendly lots of fun options for your little ones to enjoy. Enjoy the “Big Bug Walk” through the orchard and see if you can spot all the ladybugs. They also feature live music every night on the weekends!

    Silver Star Mountain Resort in Vernon, BC

    Great in the summer or winter!

    Perched over 5000ft above sea level is Silver Star Mountain Resort, a cute little mountain village featuring bars, clothing shops, bakeries and sporting good stores.

    Silver Star is a ski/snowboard resort in the winter and a mountain bike park in the summer with over 40 trails to ride down. Not a fan of action sports? Silver Star Resort is still a great place to grab a coffee and hop on a gondola ride to see the beautiful views of the forest from above. 


    All in all, Vernon BC is a great little city to live in or explore. If you’re interesting in moving to Vernon or the Okanagan Valley in general, find our write up on what it’s like here!

    Is the Okanagan too snowy for you in the winter? Same. We also wrote about our experience living in Vancouver, BC. You can find that here!

     

     

     

     

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Nick & Raychel
Nick & Raychel

In 2018, we sold everything we owned and moved to Cambodia to teach English.

Let’s make this clear: this journey didn’t start with money. This journey started with a desire to see the world and to do something different for a change.

We’re not going to fool you with photos of floating breakfasts and private jets. We know what it’s like to be on a budget. Although we like to take pretty pictures, we aren’t going to wake up at an ungodly hour to give you unachievable travel jealousy. We aren’t going to censor ourselves or lie to you.

What we are going to do is stay in cheap hostels, find ways to make money, give the advice that we would want to hear, and share our experiences with you honestly.

Are you in?

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ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL

About Us Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the Canadian travel couple behind the brand ‘Not Luxe’. Far before we were married (and on a mission to see the world), we were working…

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  • This summer has been filled with a lot of hard work so we can continue the adventure.

Working odd jobs and picking up work that we aren’t necessarily *passionate* about (sorry to break it to you, Santa, I didn’t love being a Christmas elf at the mall during the holidays) isn’t always easy.

Working hours at the office, doing data entry, reception, and cleaning out the fridge every Friday isn’t exactly my idea of fun. Nick doesn’t love driving a truck for 11 hours a day, or getting home at 1am. 

But we are committed to the cycle, we are passionate about alternative living, and we want to see the world.

We don’t work hard so that we can have a margarita at the beach (although that’s fun too), we work hard so that we can experience different cultures, try different cuisines, learn about different climates, connect, and grow as people.

Travel to us is more than bright blue waters and aesthetic IG photos, it’s about the experience, and we can’t wait to see more.

__

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe  #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifeproject #vanlifeculture #tinyhome #tinyliving #vanlifediaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #worktotravel #traveljobs #travelblogger #vanlifestyle #vanliving #livingoutdoors #campinglife  #vanlifevirals #vanlifeideas #vandwelling

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  • Yeah, the first ever “odd job” I took in order to afford travel was as a Christmas Elf at the mall.

I worked this job on top of my regular 9-5 so that I could afford to pay off my existing credit card debt and move to Cambodia. It was my first step away from the ‘big girl jobs’ I was used to working, but I had a dream to live abroad and a bank account that didn’t match, so I had to do something about it.

The next few jobs I’ve done either part or full time over the years.

💻 REV: I’ve worked as a transcriber on Rev for a few years now. The pay isn’t great, but I’m a super fast typist (80 wpm who!?) so I figured it could be a way to pass the time & earn extra income.

🐶 Rover: This summer, we’ve ventured into caring for dogs on Rover. While we can’t do this in our van, we are currently staying with my brother and between all of us, there’s always a dog here. If I had learned about Rover prior to moving out of our apartment, I would have definitely offered my services years ago.

👩‍🏫 Teaching English online: Many people know that we taught English overseas - but only long-time followers of the YouTube channel would know that teaching ESL was my job beyond that. Unfortunately there were major pay cuts within the company that I worked for (PalFish) so I quit, but I still teach on Cambly and Outschool (more on that in part 2).

We don’t have a lot of money but we have expensive dreams, so we’ll do anything to make it work. What odd jobs have you done to earn some extra cash?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • Anyone who knows our story knows that we have been working throughout our entire travels. Seasonal / temporary work has afforded us a lifestyle filled with travel and adventure. ✈️

We have explored temp agencies, Craigslist ads, used websites like Airtasker (Australia) and Kijiji to find our temporary/seasonal jobs. But in the US specifically, there are some websites designed specifically for this type of work. 🌲

Here are 3 websites designed for seasonal work (mostly U.S. based):
1. Vagajobs: a resource for seasonal & year-round work with a heavy focus on travel/adventure jobs. Some jobs posted on Vagajobs include staff housing.
2. CoolWorks: job opportunities in great places - from national parks to ski resorts, summer camps, to national parks. Some jobs posted on CoolWorks include staff housing.
3. Occupation Wild: job board for the outdoor / adventure and travel industry. Hiring all sorts of positions at ranches, camps, resorts, conservation areas and national parks. 

Outside of the U.S.? Same (kinda). Our main go-to in Canada is Indeed (search by job type & select contract / seasonal)

Do you have any seasonal job boards to add to the list?
Drop ‘em here. ⬇️

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • If you’re in Ontario, you don’t want to miss this next year ✨ 

This was our first time visit the Hamilton night market and it was so worth the visit. Come along with us! @hhnightmarket 

Have you tried stinky tofu? ⬇️ 

—

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  • Shoutout to anyone who does these tiny (or big) builds on your own 🤦🏼‍♀️

We all have different strengths, right?… 

What’s your most dreaded part of DIY? ⬇️ 
_

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  • Saying goodbye is the hardest part about travelling.

We have said dozens and dozens of goodbyes throughout our 20s. We have met countless new faces, made a ton of connections, and have shed a lot of goodbye tears.

Even a visit ‘home’ comes with the looming feeling of saying goodbye again.

We wish we could take everyone we love and put them in our pocket.
But we know that everybody has a different dream, a different life. 

When we take our next flight or fill up the gas tank to our next stop on the road, they go off on to see the world for themselves, to raise their families, to chase their career goals, love lives, or whatever else.

And we are so stoked to be able to stay in touch online.
But it’s definitely the hardest part of living nomadically.

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 
__

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