These tips are from a guest blogger and dear friend Rui Pan. She and her hubby took a 6 days trip to Banff and Jasper, in Calgary, Alberta. While I had another friend make a similar trip and spent literally over $6000 for a week away trip, Pan and Danny found a way to save some of that mullah and still have a great trip. - Her article is in Chinese so I did my best to get the gist of it for you. Enjoy! Translated in first person lingo...
自从last minute取消了八月中回国的机票，心中的失落感就未曾减少过。临时决定和老公去开车去阿尔伯塔省卡尔加里的班夫国家公园Road trip一个礼拜。走出曼尼托巴平原去看看外省的山山水水，好让眼睛开开眼界，摆脱一个礼拜的审美疲劳。 My trip to China got cancelled and my hubby and I decided to go visit Banff instead.
班夫的山水，雪山，冰川乃是全世界都向往的旅游景点。处处都是人间仙境般的景色让我惊叹这世界竟有这神奇美丽的地方。当然，要来这名胜景点住宿可是不一般的贵，所有酒店最便宜得要$250一晚，而且提前一个礼拜预定根本没有空房。我家的经济男费尽千辛万苦好不容易定到两晚酒店，三晚家庭旅馆(airbnb)$70每晚。费用算下来光是住五个晚上就要$700，他灵机一动说：不如我们露营吧？$30一晚上，可以在Banff住两晚Jasper住一晚，家庭旅馆两晚。那么五天俩人住宿费用一下子降到$360。我真为他的小聪明感到惊讶。
Banff is very beautiful, but it can be pretty pricey. The cheapest hotel we found was $250/night and needed to be booked a week earlier. So we decided to combine hardcore outdoor camping and staying at hostels.
2 nights in the hostel cost $70/night x2 = $280 and camping was $30/night and we planned to camp for three nights. Total for 5 nights now $360. ($10 discount)
当天早上6点开车出发，晚上8点半到达卡尔加里。15个小时的开车并没想象中的辛苦，我俩每三小时轮流来开，基本上不开车的时间都是在睡觉，补充精力。所以到达目的地的时候还精神抖擞。
晚上第一次住卡尔加里的airbnb还是蛮新奇的，是租人家家里面的一间房里过夜，有单独的洗手间，共用厨房和客厅。家庭旅馆要比想象中要干净整洁，要比住酒店要舒适些。能感觉出来主人花的心思还真不少，为房客准备好浴巾，牙刷牙膏，一切都整洁得无法挑剔。
We drove for 15 hours straight - Left at 6:00am and arrived at 8:00pm - taking turns to drive 2-3 hours each. The hostel unique compared to hotels because you even have your own kitchen. Owner is very thoughtful prepared all the things you can find in a hotel
第二天在市中心的T&T（大统华）屯好食物后前往目的地搭帐篷，看着天上的蓝天白云和近在咫尺的雪山，好像是在梦游似的。 Went to T &T grocery store before heading into the mountain to camp
班夫国家公园的露营区每隔一片营地都有洗手间冲凉房，晚上还会有工作人员和这只牧羊犬为我们巡逻。牧羊犬的功劳可大了，它的一声吠叫就能把要来营地来寻食的黑熊野狼给赶走。这样我们晚上才有安稳觉可以睡。
Camp had restrooms and shower stalls. The staff even had their camp dog on guard. So cool
从露营区开车不到10分钟就到了Two-Jack Lake,虽然并不是十分著名的景点，但也阻挡不了人们在清澈见底的湖里划船游泳。当我看到这水碧山青地方第一想法就是以后要带爸妈还有弟弟来看看，和他们一起分享这天上人间般的美景。
Two-Jack Lake is only 10 mins drive from the camping site. You can go canoeing, boating, kayaking and so on. I want to take my family here in the future.
第三天去了Johnston Canyon, 沿途走完三个小时的峡谷，听着溪水潺潺的流水声，呼吸这森林里无以计数的负离子，你会觉得筋骨松散不少，精神也爽朗了。
The third day visited Johnston Canyon on a 3 hour hiking trip.
傍晚来到最著名的路易斯湖时阴雨绵绵 ，可依然看得到她仙境般的面容。记得第一次来的时候就默默对自己说：以后不管怎样都要带家人在这路易斯湖旁的酒店住上一晚上，早上一醒来就可以走出阳台看到这天堂般的景象。虽然愿望还没实现，但是弟弟来过之后就已赞口不绝。
Later that night we went to Louis Lake. My dream is to spend a night in the hotel beside Louis Lake and when I wake up I can enjoy the view first thing in the morning.
在帐篷里住的第一个晚上还是蛮新鲜的，觉得在青山绿水旁睡晚接地气的觉还是挺爽的。可第二个晚上突然降温就没那么舒适了，半夜会被风呼呼的刮醒，呼吸着冷空气根本无法入眠，走出帐篷还下雨。根本没法想象第三天该如何在帐篷里度过。丹尼看着我要生病的节奏决定第三晚在Jasper不住帐篷了，交了钱也不管了，身体最重要。到了Jasper后找到了一家Hostel,就是所谓的青年旅馆，突然觉得在有屋顶和四面墙房子里睡觉是件多么奢侈的事情啊！而且价钱还很合理，$30一个床位。只不过是20多人睡一间大房间，一起共用厨房和客厅。我还蛮享受这种宿舍式的旅馆，更容易拉近人与人的距离。能在遮风挡雨的屋子下睡觉和做饭太温暖了！两天的日晒雨淋让我对露营再也没有任何向往了。
We stayed in the tent for one night. The second night it was getting too cold so we changed plans to stay in a youth hotel. $30/bed and one room had 20 plus people staying in it. Also share a kitchen and living room. I enjoyed this boarding room style, community feeling style.
Jasper的自然风光比班夫更加天然，随处可见的小溪流都是浅绿色的，你可以在背上行李包在溪流旁走上一天都乐此不倦。幸运的话还会见到很多野生动物，我们在路上看见麋鹿一家在河流边吃草，公鹿头上顶着像树枝那么大的鹿角，警惕的注视身边的环境来小心翼翼的保护妻儿老小。
Jasper is has more awesome natural scenery than Banff. You can walk for a day and not get tired of the beautiful scenes and we also ran into a deer family eating by the lake
早上爬山时，看到漂流的队伍在溪流中努力的向前划着，忍不住的向他们挥了挥手，没想到他们看到我之后，船上所有人都向我招手，那一刻我们彼此不认识，但是心里好甜。
Waved to the people on the lake
我们的第一次自驾游还是挺满足的呢！仔细算算两人六天五晚的费用，油费$350，住宿390，伙食425。一共费用$1165，已经相当不错了。朋友说她们在路易斯湖酒店住两晚就两千多了，不过想想她们旅行结婚住好点也是理所当然的。
I feel it was a great trip. In total two people for 5 nights and 6 days, spent $1165 which includes $350 for gas and $390 for boarding and $425 for food. Other people said the hotel beside Louis Lake $2000 for 2 night ($1000/night)
给大家分享的旅游经验与感受希望对想去班夫穷游的朋友能有所帮助。
Thanks for reading, hope this tip helps