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Wailea

You absolutely adore the sun and sand of Hawaii and crave a Maui vacation this year. But your piggy bank is running dangerously low. So, what are you to do? My advice is “go anyway.” But keep your costs under control. A Maui trip can be reasonable if you follow a few tips from a guy who’s been a couple dozen times over the years. So, here are some sugge(Also, please visit responsibly. The scars from the Lahaina fires are still fresh. If you go, please don’t stop to take photos of damaged areas, and don’t pry into people’s lives. Read more

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Somehow I missed it, but I now see that the Hawaii Tourism Authority has launched a campaign to boost Maui tourism. Called Mākaukau Maui, which means “Maui is Read,” the campaign seeks to let would-be visitors know that it’s a good time to visit. “We wanted to offer a platform and a voice for them to make that invitation to folks,” T. Ilihia Gionson,  the Hawai’i Tourism Authority’s public affairs officer, said in a story in Skift magazine. “We’re almost nine months since the fire, and we continue to hear ‘We’re not sure if Maui is open,’ or ‘We’re not Read more

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With so much beautiful scenery on offer, it can be hard to decide which Hawaiian beach you should visit to get the most gorgeous holiday (or beach wedding!) snaps. You can research through all the usual avenues, like reading travel blogs or speaking to people who’ve been there. But there’s another way to discover the most beautiful of Hawaii’s beaches: Instagram. Kris Labang, the owner of Hawaii Wedding Photography, discusses how a search of Instagram hashtags can reveal the most beautiful and popular beaches. I get it, but using Instagram as a guide (or any social media channel) comes with Read more

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The Yukon is the luckiest place to live in Canada, but Ontario’s good, too, and Prince Edward Island also scores well. Online gambling site Lucky Days analyzed seven varying factors to rank the luckiest place to live in Canada. Each province and territory was rated based on average life expectancy, hourly wage, population growth in the last five years, 2023 Consumer Price Index (CPI), unemployment rate, the rate of crime incidents per 100,000 people, and annual investment in residential construction per 100,000 residents. The regions were then each given a luckiness score out of 70 and ranked.  Despite being one Read more

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I had some wonderful visits in the U.S. and Canada this year, including a monumental train trip from Colorado to Utah, a wonderful six days in Prince Edward Island and great stays in Los Angeles, southwest Ontario, southern Florida and northern California. I also got to visit one of my fave islands, Molokai, and spent four nice but sobering days on Maui to see how they’re recovering from the devastating and still unfathomable wildfires. It wasn’t all pretty, but I had many a remarkable experience and more than a few great meals along the way. Thanks to everyone who helped Read more

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