Vancouver Island is located off Canada's Pacific coast and is part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Vancouver Island is roughly divided between a rugged, wet west coast and a drier, more rolling east coast by the Vancouver Island Ranges, which run down most of the length of the island.

Marine transportation is very important to Vancouver Island for access to the mainland of British Columbia and Washington. There are no bridges connecting the island to the mainland, although the idea of building one has been brought up many times. The only vehicle access to Vancouver Island is via ferries operated by BC Ferries, Washington State Ferry and Black Ball Transport Inc.

There are two major airports on Vancouver Island. Victoria International Airport is the smaller of the two, but handles the majority of the air traffic on Vancouver Island. Five major carriers (Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Horizon Air, Pacific Coastal, and Westjet) offer a variety of flights of short and medium distance including to and from Seattle, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.