Is it permissible for a traveler studying in Canada for eight days, which include four days of Ramadan, to break the fast, shorten prayers, and combine them, given the presence of hardship and a short recreational trip during that period?

If a traveler intends to stay for less than four days, excluding the days of arrival and departure, he is considered a traveler and is permitted to avail himself of the concessions of travel, such as shortening prayers (qasr), combining them (jam'), and breaking the fast (iftar). This is the view of the majority of scholars. However, the Hanbalis hold that the days of arrival and departure are counted within the period that terminates the ruling of travel. Thus, whoever intends to pray fewer than twenty prayers is considered a traveler.

Based on this, you are permitted to shorten prayers, combine them, and break your fast in Ramadan, as long as your stay does not reach four full days, excluding the days of arrival and departure. This is because you will travel again after four days from your arrival, a distance exceeding 83 kilometers, measured from the end of the urban area.