August 2-19 Passionate by Nature review, William & Sandra Esquer

Authentik review
8/23/26

Our August 2-19, 2026 trip from Vancouver to Jasper, Banff, Lake Louise and the Okanagan wine valley was fantastic and amazing. We did just about 2800 km, a little over our mapped of about 2200 km. We had no mechanical issues whatsoever!

We have travelled in rented RVs in Alaska, the U.S (with Apollo), and Europe (twice, with European RV Tours).

We booked this tour in October 2025 and worked with Tanya Odam. We modified the 'Passionate By Nature' trip to cut down on the daily driving.

We ordered the Midi Motorhome MHB, specifically because it had the queen bed in the rear with walk-arounds on both sides and no pop-outs. You can leave your bed setup in place as you travel, it makes a great storage area. We've had this before and was #1 on our request list.

In our October 2025 planning with Tanya, we discussed the one day, in the Okanagan wine country, where we would dry-camp. The RV had a generator. We've done this before, so we knew we could handle that one day. Both Tanya and I were on the same page, that was the only campsite that we would have no facilities, all others, would have full hookups. I was wrong, we were not on the same page in our understandings.

I had clearly communicated with Tanya, the need for full hookups. When final booking was complete in January, she did not communicate that need could not be met at all sites, except for the winery. Shared responsibility is key.

Upon check-in at CanaDream, we were given a 3 year old vehicle with 2 pop-outs, one for the queen bed and one for the dining table area. There was no option to make a change. The bed had to be made up each day. The response was 'specific layout cannot be guaranteed'.

As it turned out, I did not look close enough at the final campsite bookings and discovered that in Jasper National Park we had no facilities for 3 nights and in Banff National Park, we were provided only electricity. By the time my wife discovered this on the trip, it was too late to make any changes, especially in high season.

I totally understand the campground limitations due to the recent fires in Jasper NP. Yes, we made it work, we were fine.

My mistake was assuming all campsites would be A or B rated. Again, I was wrong and I think, a review of campsites assigned and utilized by Authentik-Canada is warranted. We, as clients outside your country, rely on Authentik in choosing selections for us that meet your and your client's requirements.

For example, in Jasper NP, we had no hookups in spot J-20. The other side of Whistler's campground (loops 41-58) had full hookups, why did we not have them?

For example, in Banff NP, we were assigned Tunnel Mountain Village II, spot A14. It had electricity provided and the campsites were essentially a paved city road and RV parked on the street. There was no privacy. A simple change to Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court would have provided the option for privacy in a more wooded area and full hookups.

For example, in Revelstoke, we were at Williamson's Lake Campground. When we arrived, we were assigned spot 33, right next to the playground, literally 2 feet from the play area. Here, you parallel parked the RV, one behind the other, 3 in a row. I asked if we could be re-assigned and for one night, were given a back-in site, number 28. The night we were to move, August 15, we abandoned that facility and found Revelstoke RV and Cabin Resorts further up the road, which more than met our expectations and provided a delightful 1-night stay.

For example, our dry-camp night at the Crowsnest Vineyards Harvest Host (on our actual 46th anniversary) in Cawston was a disaster. We checked in and asked where the parking was for the RV. The young lady looked lost and pointed down Surprise Rd and stated, 'park behind the building', on the berm of paved Surprise Rd. We did not have enough leveling blocks. There was another RV family that also stayed on site, they parked behind us. Given that it was a Sunday night, the staff were not interested in their clients at all. They did not do a good job in promoting the winery, during the tasting, or the on-site restaurant. All was not lost, we did book a physical room at the winery for that evening's stay. We left the RV parked off the street. The restaurant for dinner and breakfast was amazing!

I take responsibility for not scrutinizing the itinerary before final payment. I take responsibility in not delving into each campsite in detail. Had I done that, we perhaps, could have made a few changes. But, I assumed shared responsibility and Authentik chose campsite locations that had been recently vetted to meet their standards. Perhaps due to the language barrier and the Montreal location of Authentik, our email and phone communication was lacking, contributing to these situations.

The message we'd like to leave prospective clients is do your location homework. Authentik will package your dream vacation, but you'd better understand each campground facility you've worked out in their itinerary to ensure it meets your needs!