About Us
About Vancouver Planner
Vancouver Planner is a locally-run travel guide helping visitors and residents discover the best of Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest.
We provide insider guides, honest reviews, and practical tips based on real local experience – not generic travel lists or AI-generated content.
Our Mission
We make travel to Vancouver smarter, not harder.
Whether you’re planning your first visit or you’re a local looking for fresh ideas, we’re here to cut through the noise and give you the advice we’d give our own friends.
Trusted by Travelers Since 2019
In just over five years, Vancouver Planner has become a trusted resource for Vancouver travel planning:
- 📚 300+ comprehensive Vancouver guides
- 👥 50,000+ monthly readers
- 🌍 3 million+ total readers since 2019
- ⭐ Run by lifelong Vancouver locals
Who We Are
Vancouver Planner was founded in 2019 by two Vancouver locals with over 30 years of combined experience exploring, living, and working in this city.
Julian – Founder
Vancouver entrepreneur and lifelong Vancouver resident with deep roots in the city’s fishing industry and business sectors.
After earning an MBA, Julian founded Vancouver Planner to share his extensive local knowledge and passion for Vancouver’s culinary scene.
He also spent a year living in Victoria, making him our resident expert on Vancouver Island.
Expertise: Vancouver food tours, local restaurants, whale watching, Victoria day trips, business development
Ash – Content Manager
Professional travel writer, content creator, and SEO specialist with experience building successful city travel guides.
Co-founder of Barcelona Hacks, Ash brings over a decade of travel writing experience to ensure Vancouver Planner’s guides are both authentic and easy to find.
Expertise: Vancouver attractions, travel itineraries, Stanley Park, Granville Island.
What Makes Us Different
🏠 Actually Local
We live here full-time. This isn’t a side project or content farm – it’s our city.
Born and raised in Vancouver, we’ve spent over 30 years exploring every neighborhood, trail, and hidden corner of this city.
We’re not remote writers researching from Google – we’re out there testing the Seawall on rainy Tuesday mornings, grabbing pho in the suburbs, and hitting up new brewery openings in East Van.
When we recommend a viewpoint, we’ve been there dozens of times. When we suggest a restaurant, we’ve eaten there (multiple times, different seasons).
When we map out a walking route, we’ve walked it ourselves – in summer and winter, during rush hour, weekends, whatever! Maybe not for every single attraction, but you get what we’re saying 😉
This is our home. The recommendations we give you are the same ones we give visiting family and friends.
✍️ Real Writing, Real Experience
Every guide is written from first-hand experience. We test attractions, eat at the restaurants, and walk the routes before we recommend them.
Our Content Checklist (Before Anything Gets Published):
- ✅ Personal Visit Required – We’ve been there, done that. No exceptions.
- ✅ Photos Taken On-Site – All images are ours or properly licensed. No stock photos pretending to be “our experience.”
- ✅ Pricing Verified – We check official websites and call ahead to confirm current rates.
- ✅ Directions Tested – We walk, drive, or transit the route to ensure our instructions actually work.
- ✅ Seasonal Considerations – We note if something’s better in summer vs. winter, or if hours change seasonally.
- ✅ Accessibility Noted – Stairs? Steep hills? We mention it so you can plan accordingly.
- ✅ Honest Drawbacks – If there’s a downside (crowds, overpriced, overhyped), we say it.
We don’t outsource.
We don’t copy-paste from other blogs.
Every word is written by someone who’s actually been there and has a genuine opinion about it.
If we haven’t personally experienced something, we don’t write about it. Period.
🔄 Regularly Updated
We update our guides throughout the year to reflect current prices, hours, and conditions. No stale information.
Our Update Schedule:
- 📅 Monthly Reviews – We rotate through our most popular guides every month, checking for major changes (closures, new attractions, price increases).
- 📅 Quarterly Deep Updates – Every 3 months, we revisit key guides to refresh content, add new tips, and remove outdated info.
- 📅 Seasonal Updates – Before each season (especially summer and winter), we update guides with season-specific tips, current events, and weather considerations.
- 📅 Annual Overhauls – Once a year, every major guide gets a complete refresh: new photos, updated itineraries, revised recommendations based on what’s changed.
- 📅 Real-Time Fixes – If something closes, prices spike, or a recommendation no longer holds up, we update it immediately. Readers email us with updates too, and we act on them fast.
What We Check:
- Ticket prices and attraction hours
- Restaurant menus and new openings
- Transit routes and schedules
- Construction or closures affecting routes
- New attractions or experiences worth adding
We hate outdated travel info as much as you do. Showing up to a closed attraction or paying more than expected ruins trips.
We stay on top of it so you don’t have to.
💯 Honest Advice
We’re not afraid to tell you what to skip or where locals actually go. Real advice, not just hype.
What “Honest Advice” Actually Means:
🚫 We’ll Tell You What to Skip
Not every “must-see” attraction is worth your time or money. If something’s overhyped, overpriced, or only good for a specific type of traveler, we say so.
💰 We Share Budget Hacks
Vancouver is expensive, and we know it. We share free alternatives to paid attractions, happy hour deals, affordable eats, transit tips that save you taxi money, and best times to visit to avoid peak pricing.
🗺️ We Share Local Secrets
We don’t gatekeep. If there’s a better viewpoint that tourists miss, a hidden trail with fewer crowds, or a neighborhood gem that’s just as good (or better) than the famous spot, we share it.
Examples of our honest takes:
- “Granville Island is worth visiting, but go early to avoid the crush of cruise ship tourists.”
- “Stanley Park Seawall is iconic, but if you hate crowds, try Pacific Spirit Park instead.”
- “Capilano Suspension Bridge is pricey. Lynn Canyon has a free suspension bridge if you’re on a budget.”
💬 We Welcome Disagreement
We have strong opinions, but we’re not precious about them. Comments are open, and we engage with readers who disagree or have different experiences.
Bottom line: We write like we’re talking to a friend planning a trip. No corporate polish, no affiliate-driven hype, no pretending everything is perfect. Just real talk about our city.
Our Approach
- Experience First: We visit, test, and explore before writing
- Local Perspective: Born and raised in Vancouver with decades of knowledge
- Practical Focus: Clear directions, realistic budgets, insider tips
- Up-to-Date: Regular updates to keep information fresh
Start Planning Your Vancouver Trip
Ready to explore Vancouver like a local?
- Best Things to Do in Vancouver – Our comprehensive guide
- Vancouver Itineraries – Pre-planned trips from 1-7 days
- Whale Watching Tours – Experience orcas off Vancouver’s coast
- Ferry to Victoria – Day trip to BC’s capital
Get in Touch
Have questions about Vancouver? Want to suggest a topic or report outdated information?
📧 Email: [email protected]
📍 Based in: Vancouver, BC, Canada
⏱️ Response time: We read and respond to every message within 24-48 hours
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Vancouver Planner – Your locally-run Vancouver travel guide since 2019