Preparing to travel to a new place can be confusing and a bit intimidating. What should I pack? What is the weather like? Should I bring a hairdryer? What will we be doing? What will my accommodations be like? We are here to help with some answers to our most frequently asked questions.
Q: Where is UPEI?
A: The University of Prince Edward Island is located in small and historic Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Charlottetown, and it’s surrounding suburbs of Stratford and Cornwall, is quite small with a population of only 48,000 people. Most of our host families live in either Charlottetown, Stratford or Cornwall. They are usually no further than a 20 minute drive to the UPEI campus. Some of our host families are within a 15-20 minute walk to the UPEI campus.
Charlottetown, Stratford and Cornwall are very safe towns. We are world famous for our island hospitality and friendliness. They are also very close; from Stratford or Cornwall to UPEI, it’s less than 10km.
Q: What is the weather like?
A: During July and August, the average daily temperature high is 23C and the low is 14C. However, the temperature during the day can often get up to 30C, especially near the end of July and beginning of August. There is often a few rainy days a month during July and August.
During January and February, the average daily high temperature is -3C and the low is -12C. However, occasionally we do have brief spells of extra cold weather, where the temperature will drop to -20. We will often have several snow storms a month, averaging between 50 and 75 cm of snow per month.
Q: What should I pack?
A: We have a great suggested packing list available. Please take a look and if you still have questions, let us know!
Q: What will my accommodations be like?
A: We have two different types of accommodations available, residence and homestay. If you are staying in our UPEI residences, your bedding and towels are provided during your stay. There is also coin operated laundry facilities. Meals are provided in the dining hall or your responsibility, depending on your residence.
If you are staying in homestay, every household is different. There are some things that are provided, guaranteed.
-Bedding
-Towels
-Private room
-Access to laundry facilities
-Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided by the family
The most important thing to remember about homestay is that all Canadian families are different. How they eat and prepare their meals, what they choose to eat, how they spend their evenings and weekends, the house rules, etc. For a more detailed explanation of our homestay accommodations, click here. You will receive information about the family with whom you will be staying prior to your arrival. If you have any questions like “Should I bring a hairdryer?” it would be good to ask your host family directly.
Q: What will we be doing?
A: Your exact activity schedule will depend on the program your group has arranged. Most of our programs have classes in the mornings and activities in the afternoons. In the afternoons, common activities we often do include visiting our Historic Downtown Charlottetown, visiting the beach, having a BBQ cookout and games day, shopping at the Farmer’s Market, and so on. It is a good idea to make sure and bring comfortable walking shoes (i.e. sneakers) and clothing you are comfortable being active in.
To get a sneak peak at what PEI looks like, click here for great videos!
Q: How do we get to PEI?
A: There are 3 main ways to get to PEI: by ferry boat, via the Confederation Bridge, or by airplane. Most of our visitors come through the Charlottetown International Airport. Our airport is quite small so don’t worry about getting lost in the airport. We have 2 arrival gates and 2 luggage carousals. We also have a very happy face, welcoming you to Prince Edward Island.
To visit Canada from certain countries, you will require either a visitors visa or an eTa. For more information, please visit: http://www.cic.gc.ca/English/visit/eta.asp
You must be logged in to post a comment.