Despite the fact that B.C. residents have stopped travelling to the States, at least as much as they used to, there’s still lots of love between Bellingham and Vancouver residents.
Sentiments shared on social media over the past year reveal that political squabbles haven’t erased the camaraderie between the neighbouring regions, and there are often posts on Bellingham communities reflecting fondly on B.C. and Canadian visitors.
According to data from Washington State, so far this summer, there has been a small boost in travellers heading to the States via B.C. border crossings, but travel to America via land is still way down overall compared to last year.
It’s probably a tough time for true teriyaki lovers who are boycotting U.S. travel.
The change in travel trends was largely driven by political actions from U.S. President Donald Trump, including his tariffs and 51st state talks. His recent actions likely won’t help the cause for slumping businesses in Washington.
Earlier this week, a new Vancouver resident who recently moved to Canada from Ireland shared their experience after heading down to Bellingham for the first time, and the response the traveller received from Bellinghamsters was nothing but love and welcome.
Their experience sounded like a very welcoming one.
“I loved Bellingham and can’t wait to come back! Everyone I spoke to was awesome. I stopped another lady on the street when I first got here and asked if she was a local, as I got lost walking, and she gave me directions and recommendations on where to go next!”
They added that Target was their favourite place.
The Vancouver traveller’s thoughts were uplifting for some Bellinghamsters.
“Thanks for the kind words. This subreddit is really depressing at times, and it’s nice to hear from an outsider some affirmation that this place is as great as I feel it is.”
One part of the Canadian visitor’s post that people didn’t agree with was their choice in Chinese cuisine.
“Though I am a bit saddened you went to Panda Express. That’s probably the worst Chinese restaurant we got.”
Others were grateful for the visit.
“So glad you had a great time! Welcome to Bellingham.”
A few others shared that one visit was all it took to fall in love with Bellingham.
“The first time I visited was also a day trip, and it blew me away! Moved there six months later and stayed for 10 years.”
The Irish native also revealed that there’s a cost associated with travelling to the U.S. via land if you’re not a citizen: $30 every three months.
In other recent posts, Bellinghamsters shared that they felt nostalgic about or even missed Canadian visitors. There was even a growing scene of cross-border dating before the travel boycott went into place.
If you’ve stopped travelling across the border, do you miss it? What will it take to start going back?