ESSENTIALS - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 749

pounds) is required of British Columbia residents and recommended to nonresidents. Be-
fore venturing north of the 49th parallel, U.S. residents should ask their vehicle insurance
company for a Canadian Non-resident Inter-provincial Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance
Card. You may also be asked to prove vehicle ownership, so carry your vehicle registration
form. If you're involved in an accident with a BC vehicle, contact the nearest Insurance
Corporation of British Columbia office, 800/663-3051.
If you're a member in good standing of an automobile association, take your member-
ship card—the Canadian Automobile Association provides members of related associations
full services, including free maps, itineraries, excellent tour books, road and weather con-
dition information, accommodations reservations, travel agency services, and emergency
road services. For more information, contact the British Columbia Automobile Associ-
ation (604/268-5555 or 800/564-6222, www.bcaa.com ).
Drinking and driving (with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher) in British
Columbia can get you imprisoned for up to five years on a first offense and will cost you
your license for at least 12 months.
Car Rental
All major car-rental companies have outlets at Vancouver International Airport, in down-
town Vancouver, and in Victoria. Many companies also have cars available in towns and
cities throughout the province. Try to book in advance, especially in summer. Expect to pay
from $50 a day and $250 a week for a small economy car with unlimited kilometers.
Vehicles can be booked for Canadian pickup through parent companies in the United
States or elsewhere using the Internet or toll-free numbers. Discount (604/303-0063 or 800/
263-2355, www.discountcar.com ) is a Canadian company with 300 rental outlets across the
country. Its vehicles are kept in service a little longer than those at the other major com-
panies, but rates are excellent—even through summer—especially if booked in advance.
Other companies include Avis (800/974-0808, www.avis.ca ), Budget (800/268-8900,
www.budget.com ) , Dollar (800/800-4000, www.dollar.com ), Enterprise (800/325-8007,
www.enterprise.com ) , Hertz (800/263-0600, www.hertz.ca ) , National (800/227-7368,
www.nationalcar.com ) , Rent-A-Wreck (800/327-0116, www.rentawreck.ca ), and Thrifty
(800/847-4389, www.thrifty.com ).
RV and Camper Rental
You might consider renting a camper-van or other recreational vehicle for your British
Columbia vacation. With one of these apartments-on-wheels, you won't need to worry
about finding accommodations each night. Even the smallest units aren't cheap, but they