Tina from Mexico was listening to classical music and wanted to talk about Canadian politics as she drove us to dinner one night. Mohammed was blasting out hurtin’ tunes on a country music radio station as he shepherded us from an evening meal. And a young guy whose name I forget was bopping away to Marvin Gaye and other soul artists from the 1960s and 1970s as he drove us to the Museum of Latin American Art. During a three-day visit to Long Beach, California, I found some of the nicest and most interesting rideshare drivers that I’ve met in Read more

It’s the first day of April, and there are a couple of fun stories to talk about.  AIR TRANSAT RENAMES ATLANTIC OCEAN Air Transat announced today that it is officially changing the name of the Atlantic Ocean to the Canadien Ocean. Effective immediately, the new name is featured in onboard announcements across Air Transat’s network. To rally nationwide support, the company is launching a petition to make the rebranding permanent on official governmental documents and maps. The initiative was celebrated last night on the very first flight over the newly named Canadien Ocean, one of up to 184 crossings Air Read more

Air Canada is building its European service for summer, while Porter Airlines is betting big on summer flights within Canada. Canada’s largest airline today (March 31) announced it is adding a new route and boosting frequencies to popular Europe destinations for the upcoming summer travel season. New summer services from Montreal to Edinburgh will complement the carrier’s existing summer services from Toronto to the Scottish capital city. The carrier is also adding close to 1300 weekly seats to Paris and Athens, and is also extending its peak Toronto to Rome schedule until October. (Here’s a story I wrote about Edinburgh Read more

The United States’ loss could be Canada’s gain. Several travel experts told The Times (UK) that Canada offers everything from abundant, spectacular nature to diverse cities and is a great value right now. “Canada holidays combine some of the world’s most appealing cities and spectacular landscapes with incredible wildlife encounters,” James Ferdinando of Trailfinders told The Times. “With the value of the pound the highest it has been against the Canadian dollar since 2016, we predict we’ll see an increased demand in bookings to Canada.” Mike Collins, managing director of the tour operator Canadian Sky, agreed, saying: “We expect a 10% Read more

I posted this story a couple years ago after a visit to Burlington, Ontario. Now that Canadians are seemingly determined to stay close to home for their 2025 vacations, an easy getaway like this from the nation’s biggest city is even more attractive than ever.  From trails with fabulous on-high views from the top of the Niagara Escarpment to fine dining, and from one of Canada’s greatest gardens to a stylish hotel on the shores of Lake Ontario, here are some great options in Burlington. THE GREAT OUTDOORS Mount Nemo Conservation Area The Mount Nemo Conservation Area is one of Read more

I’ve become acquainted with Marie-Pier Germain from the Germain Hotels Group over the past couple of years. We met in Montreal during the COVID-19 crisis and have spoken by Zoom or on the phone a couple times since then. Each time we spoke, I would gently ask her when her group, which runs sensational hotels across the country, would finally make an appearance west of Calgary.  Germain, who’s ever so accommodating and delightful to speak with, would always look or sound pained when the question came up. “Jim,” she would say, and I’m paraphrasing here. “You KNOW we want to Read more