We traveled from Canada to Seattle by ferry with a car for $150. After 5 ½ hours, I wished I'd just left my vehicle at home.

I live in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and I like to visit Washington in the US. Simone Paget

• I travel between Canada and the US often, and I recently took a route that used a car ferry.
• With two passengers and a car, the trip cost about $150, and it took about five and a half hours.

Nearly 400,000 people travel between Canada and the US daily, and one of the best parts of living in Victoria, British Columbia, is its relative proximity to the state of Washington.

It's common for locals to spend a weekend in Seattle to catch a sports game, see a concert, or do some cross-border shopping.

But even though the cities are pretty close, getting there can be a headache if you don't know what you're doing. Victoria, BC, is located on an island, so unless you're flying, you'll need to take a boat.

Under ideal conditions, traveling there with your car takes at least four to five hours. But when you factor in ferry times, potential delays due to weather, border wait times, traffic, and stopping for gas, it can easily become an eight-hour journey.

Recently, a friend and I took the car ferry from Victoria to Vancouver in order to get to Seattle. Here's how it went, and what you need to know before booking a trip.