It’s always interesting to see what destinations travellers are looking for when thinking about their vacations or visits. Here are the top 10 destinations with the biggest year-on-year increase in Skyscanner searches by Canadians: Cardiff, Wales: +1,0456% Grenada: +156% Tivat, Montenegro: +149% Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia: +139% Penticton, British Columbia: +137% Salzburg, Austria: +119% Bergen, Norway: +119% Olbia, Italy: +117% Podgorica, Montenegro: +116% Tofino, British Columbia: +83% Skyscanner also has a new report on the cheapest destinations for Canadian travellers in November: Nassau, Bahamas: Roundtrip flights starting from $321  Saint Lucia: Roundtrip flights starting from $335  Montego Bay, Jamaica: Roundtrip flights Read more

Condé Nast Travel magazine last week issued its Readers’ Choice Awards. Included was a detailed look at top spots in the Caribbean, as well as Hawai’i and Asia. Here’s a look at a few of the highlights, and some of my fave places and hotels. The Best Islands in the Caribbean at a Glance Best Caribbean island for beaches: Anguilla Best Caribbean island for diving: Dominica Best Caribbean island for honeymoons: St Lucia Best Caribbean island for island hopping: British Virgin Islands Best Caribbean island for families: Barbados The Top 10 Caribbean Islands Barbados (a personal fave) St. Barts (only Read more

CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS – A spectacular island. One of the world’s most famous families. And a stunning B&B fashioned from an old church. I recently spent 48 hours exploring the western edge of Cape Cod and the island of Martha’s Vineyard. I came away hugely impressed with the feel of the place, as well as the people and the restful scenery. Here’s a look at one way to spend a great couple days on what locals simply call “The Cape.” A FINE MUSEUM To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a lot of the Sandwich Glass Museum. I’m not a big Read more

Conde Nast Travel has come out with its annual list of the world’s best hotels, and two Canadian properties made it into the top 20. Chicago also scored remarkably well. Their Readers Choice List of best USA big cities also put three California destinations in the top 10, which is great to see if you’re a guy born and raised in The Golden State. CANADA’S TEN BEST HOTELS Condé Nast readers named  The Hazelton Hotel in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville district as the top hotel in the country. It’s a splendid place to stay, as I discovered on a visit a Read more

Life and travel can be funny sometimes. In the past 13 years, I’ve probably been to a couple hundred destinations around the world, from Thailand to Tahiti and Scotland to Saint Lucia. I’d been all over the globe, but somehow I forgot about one of the great cities a mere 10-hour drive from my home in Toronto. My wife and I visited Boston before we had our first child, and I thought it was terrific. A few years later I became one of the Toronto Star’s baseball writers, which allowed me to cover Blue Jays’ games at Boston’s fabled Fenway Read more

Canadian cities scored highly in this year’s Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards. And Chicago was named best U.S. big city for the tenth year in a row. Victoria was named the world’s best small city for the fourth year in a row, which is quite the accomplishment. Here is what the magazine had to say: A popular day trip from Vancouver, British Columbia’s capital city deserves a standalone visit. Arrive via one of the world’s most scenic ferry rides across Swartz Bay and check in to the bucket list-worthy Fairmont Empress, where the Fairmont Gold rooms include access to Read more