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November 2021

Aeroplan is giving customers a nice break just before Christmas. Aeroplan, the loyalty program run by air Canada, placed its expiration policy on hold during the pandemic. They also made our inactivity policy more flexible, as members have 18 months before their Aeroplan points expire if there has been no activity in their account; meaning they haven’t earned, redeemed, donated, transferred, or converted any points. In order to further support members as travel resumes, Aeroplan has further extended their pause on expiry of points until September 30, 2022. That means that between now and September 29, 2022, any Aeroplan points Read more

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Nearly six in ten Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. But which states have the highest rates? As it turns out, some of the states Canadians love to visit the most are doing the best in terms of vaccinations and other COVID-related stats. WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics; including rates of COVID-19 transmission, positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated. Topping the charts was the District of Columbia, with a five-metric score of 91.30, followed by Connecticut at 86.64 and Rhode Island Read more

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As pandemic restrictions ease Canadians are packing their bags, with interest in travel insurance quotes surging 293% YOY, according to a report from RATESDOTCA. While far from pre-Covid numbers, it’s clear Canadians are once again ready to pack up and go, though the destinations they are planning to visit have changed. Interest in domestic travel climbed 330% from Q3 2019 to Q3 2021 while interest in international travel fell 14%. The report pulls data from thousands of quotes for travel insurance from Q3 2019 to Q3 2021. While the U.S. remains the top destination, interest in visiting has fallen 66% Read more

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A major new poll finds that two-thirds of Canadians want the Trudeau government to ditch PCR testing at the border. A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians divided about how to handle border testing, but largely ready to move past molecular tests such as the PCR. A full 66% of Canadians say that either no tests should be required for fully vaccinated travellers (27%) or that Canada should switch from PCR tests to rapid antigen tests (39%). Twenty five per cent of Canadians said they would keep the requirement now in place for PCR or molecular Read more

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A historic home once lived in by one of the world’s greatest writers. Fabulous food. Great, local wines. And wonderful, walkable downtowns. The Tri-Valley region of California is not only easy to enjoy, but easy to get to. The valley is roughly a 45-minute drive from downtown San Francisco, and easily reached on the Bay Area Rapid Transit System. It’s not an area that gets a ton of publicity, but that’s what makes it so much fun to explore. I grew up about 10 minutes from the area, and a post at the daily Tri-Valley Herald was my first newspaper Read more

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