California remains the top choice for Canadians travelling to the U.S., Visit California officials say. “We’re the number one travel destination in the U.S.,” Andrew Levine of Development Counsellors International, a media relations firm that represents the state, said at a Visit California event in Toronto on Monday, April 4. A January 2022 study found that the likelihood of Canadians visiting the Golden State was up 46.6%. “The engine of travel is restarting,” Levine said. Air Canada and WestJet fly from Canadian cities to California, as does Swoop and Flair. Canada Jetlines is expected to arrive soon, as is Air Read more
Napa Valley
You can easily be seduced by luxurious hotels and high-end wineries on a trip to the Napa Valley, known as one of the top destinations around the world. But, with a little planning and local knowledge, you also can explore one of the globe’s top wine regions and still come away with a few bills in your wallet. Here’s one frequent visitor’s guide to how to see the famous Napa Valley in two distinct ways. LUXURY/HIGH WINE Newton Vineyard Newton Vineyard is a private winery (definitely no bus tours) that sits at the top of a steep, winding road on Read more
I always like to support Canadian products, and that includes tourism and related companies like Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, which has its world headquarters in mid-town Toronto. I’ve been lucky enough to stay at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts around the world, including Maui, Hawaii Big Island, New York City, Santa Barbara, Chicago and other places. They’re all different but they all raise the bar in terms of rooms, style, food, drinks and service. So I’m always happy to give them a little bit of attention when I can. I got a note from their public relations team today Read more
Favourite Sign: This one in the Cayman Islands. It’s particularly notable for folks in the travel writing world, as “off the beaten path” is one of those phrases most of us would like to see banned from every travel story. If only I could have found a street called “Hidden Gem.” Most romantic sunrise: Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on the Norwegian Bliss on a TravelBrands SeaU cruise in October. I grew up in the Bay Area, so to see the bridge and sail under it like that was a big treat. I wish I had Read more
It’s Jimmy time. Yes, while many of you are gearing up for the deep freeze at the Winter Classic with the Maple Leafs or Red Wings or toasting the new year at a posh hotel in New York or Jamaica, I’m home in Toronto counting my blessings and staying close to my overtaxed radiators so I can stay warm while I type up my list of Jimmy Award winners for the year that’s about to come to a close. I was immensely lucky in this past year and was able to visit some astonishing places and do some amazing things. Read more
