The FAQ is: I know very little about Prince Edward Island.
Can you tell me more about the history of PEI?
PEI is one of Canada’s Maritime provinces, known for red beaches, seafood, small towns, farms, coastal roads, and, of course, Anne of Green Gables.
Prince Edward Island (PEI) was originally Mi'kmaq territory known as Epekwitk ("cradled on the waves"). French colonists settled it in the 1720s as Île Saint-Jean, but the British deported them in 1758. Later named "St. John Island," the colony was renamed PEI in 1799. It joined Canada as the seventh province in 1873.
The World’s Bluefin Tuna Capital: PEI is world-renowned for its massive bluefin tuna. Anglers flock to the island’s coastal waters, where catching tuna weighing well over $500 lbs is common during the season.
Tourism Prince Edward Island
NoOcean Escape: PEI is 137 miles long and varies from about 4 to 40 miles wide. Because of its unique shape, no point on the island is more than 10 miles from the sea.
The red soil gets its striking color from a high concentration of iron oxide (hematite) in the sandstone bedrock, which essentially rusted over millions of years.
60-second confidence challenge
Your challenge today, Confidence Challenge PEI
If you like today's Confidence Challenge, my book series goes deeper into island lifestyles and walks you through 5 steps to solo travel, from easy to more challenging, with foreign-language communication tips and ways to make it more fun. In contrast, for solo travel in areas like PEI, you can find the series at the link in the description.
See Part C for addressing this concern.
Find it on the website at https://www.5stepstosolotravel.com/ or on Amazon. It's a several-part series.
Today’s destination is Prince Edward Island, usually called PEI.
I visited PEI near the end of my second long solo journey around the world. At that point, I had just under two weeks left in my adventure.
By then, I had also started losing things.
I lost my hat after swimming at the beach on Saturday. Then I lost my glasses. Fortunately, I had packed a spare pair, so I could still see where I was going. This is one reason I always recommend bringing backups of the small things that can become very important when you travel.
My visit to PEI was especially memorable because I stayed with Servas hosts, Laura and Chris, names changed for privacy.
They had a home in Charlottetown and also a cottage near the water. Both were retired, and they welcomed me into their life for a few days.
One Wednesday morning, I sat on the porch of their cottage looking out toward the sea. A bird flew past, and in the distance I could see a small boat working near a mussel farm. It appeared to be pulling debris or equipment from the water.
The mussel farm was close to shore, perhaps a few hundred yards away. Other than that one boat, the water was quiet.
It was sunny, pleasant, and peaceful.
That morning, Laura and I biked 29 kilometers. That is about 18 miles, which was a good distance for me, especially after so many weeks of travel.
Before the ride, we had a delicious breakfast. Linda served homemade bread with raspberry preserves, along with cereal that I mixed with several healthy ingredients.
It was simple, fresh, and exactly the kind of breakfast you want before a long bike ride.
Later, I did my laundry and hung it on the clothesline outside. There is something comforting about seeing your clothes drying in the sunshine while you look out toward the water. I was traveling light, and needed to do laundry about every 5 days. See my packing lists for more on that.
Travel does not always have to be about running from one attraction to another.
Sometimes, a day of laundry, breakfast, cycling, conversation, and looking at the sea is exactly what you need when you are in a new city you want to explore.
I also had some work to do. I had a university meeting about an upcoming study abroad trip, so even while traveling, I remained connected to my teaching responsibilities.
That afternoon, we planned an early lunch, possibly a beach visit, then a 35-minute drive to Saint Peter’s for an evening concert.
The concert featured three guitarists from Montreal, and the music reflected a range of influences.
The music included French Canadian, Celtic, and folk influences, along with jigs, reels, and songs that reminded me of film soundtracks. One selection brought to mind The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Another reminded me of The Mission, the film with Jeremy Irons.
The music also included guitarist Al Di Meola, and even a reference to Radiohead and Thom Yorke.
The variety surprised me.
It reminded me that Canadian culture, especially in the eastern provinces, has many layers. You can hear French, Celtic, English, Indigenous, and modern influences, sometimes all during the same evening.
PEI is closely connected to Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. That story attracts visitors from around the world.
The island receives many tourists, especially in the summer, and Anne is one of the main reasons they come.
How do people get to the island? They take the ferry, or they go over the bridge. The bridge is cheaper, and you only pay one way. I made mistakes here, and I will mention them later in the lessons learned section.
But PEI is more than one famous fictional character.
It is also home to farmers, fishing communities, churches, artists, musicians, and people from many backgrounds. I learned that there were Amish communities on the island, as well as Buddhist nuns with roots in Taiwan.
That surprised me and made me curious to learn more.
Not every part of my visit was completely comfortable.
I was bitten by horseflies at least a dozen times, and the bites were extremely itchy. There are beautiful sunsets, calm water, and lovely beaches, but there are also insects.
That is part of real travel.
My Dr. Travelbest tip: pack insect repellent, a spare pair of glasses, and perhaps an extra hat.
But my larger tip is to accept hospitality when it is offered and to make time for ordinary experiences.
The bike ride with Laura, the homemade bread, the clothesline, the mussel farm, the concert, and the sunset over the bay gave me a much stronger sense of PEI than a quick sightseeing tour would have.
Prince Edward Island gave me a chance to slow down.
After months of planes, trains, buses, hostels, and changing cities, I could sit on a porch, look at the water, and rest.
Sometimes the best travel experience is not about how much you see.
It is about how deeply you experience one peaceful day.
Lesson learned
Save some money on tolls if you can.
Getting to PEI on the ferry was expensive. It cost me about $75 one way.
I thought that I did not have to pay on the bridge, but I did- another $50.
However, the day after I left PEI, they changed the pricing to less than half of this.
I should have planned better.
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