This year marks the 25th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and with a new film slated for release in 2027, there’s renewed momentum around Middle-earth, along with new reasons for fans to make the journey to the real-life landscapes behind the films. I’m a big fan of the movies and books and visited the Hobbiton movie set in Matamata when I visited New Zealand in 2016. It was truly fantastic to wander past the hobbit homes and see where parts of the movie were made. I also checked out a few other Read more

DETROIT – A classic ballpark. A great hotel. Terrific food and drinks. My wife and I recently got to spend the better part of a day in Detroit, a city I’ve visited several times in recent years. My previous two visits were for several days, which allowed me to see and do a great deal, including The Henry Ford complex, the stunning Detroit Institute of Arts, the gloriously restored Michigan Central Train Station, and the super-fun Motown Museum (currently closed for renovations). I also got to check out amazing architecture, such as The Guardian Building, take in a Detroit Lions Read more

MSN Travel has come up with a list of the world’s safest cities. Each city was looked at for a variety of factors and given a numerical ranking. The United Arab Emirates cleaned up, notching the top three spots and five of the top six. The Netherlands had four cities in the top 20, while Switzerland, Norway and Croatia each had two in the top 30. The only North American cities in the top 30 were Merida, Mexico and Quebec City, Canada. No U.S. cities made the cut. Here’s the full top 30. Abu Dhabi, UAE, 88.9 Ras-al-Khaimah, UAE, 86.6 Read more

The era of the checklist vacation is over, and the latest booking trends from Kensington, the leader in customized private guided luxury travel, reflect that. Data from March through June 2026, measured against the same period last year, reveals travelers have shifted their travel style from basic sightseeing to storytelling and collecting experiences that can’t be packaged by a chatbot, replicated or rushed. From surging demand in South Korea and Austria to a luxury renaissance in Hawaii and Peru, the destinations leading Kensington’s growth tell a clear story about where luxury travel is headed.  “At Kensington, we’re seeing demand rise Read more

Travel and Tour World has a new list out of the top 30 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean for beach lovers. I would perhaps argue that a few of the placements are a tad off-base, but it’s a pretty solid list. Here’s what they came up with, along with a note or two from yours truly. Mexico (I haven’t seen enough of the country to say, but I’ve been to fine beaches on the Riviera Maya and in Los Cabos) USA (It’s hard to dispute a country that offers up Hawaii, Florida, California, Oregon, the Carolinas, Puerto Rico, Read more

 Expedia’s Fall Travel Outlook reveals that as Canadians continue to focus on domestic travel, two traditional top destinations are seeing even greater interest as autumn approaches.  Always a popular spot for Canadians looking for a European-style cultural experience closer to home, Montreal ranks as the third-most popular Canadian destination overall, even as it also ranks fifth on the list of trending locations, with a 45% increase in searches over the same period in 2025.  Meanwhile, Vancouver sits second overall among all Canadian destinations, while jumping up to sixth on the trending list, with a 40% YoY search increase.  “Canadians are continuing to favour domestic travel over international trips, and the Fall Travel Outlook indicates Read more