The 2024 travel year started with a literal bang, when the door of a Boeing 737 Max blew off in mid-flight. Things got arguably worse from then on, with two Canadian airlines going under, a surprise WestJet mechanics strike, massive computer glitches that grounded aircraft, and, now, talk of a potential Air Canada pilots strike. Here’s a brief look at the year of travelling dangerously. JANUARY: On Jan. 5, on a flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, an unused exit door on A Boeing 737 Max 9 jet unexpectedly blew off at about 16,000 feet. The jet was forced Read more
September 2024
The World’s Most Instagrammable Sunset Cities; The World’s Cheapest Countries + Golf and Cruise News
Here’s a fun chart: A look at the world’s best cities for Instagram sunset posts. New research by Heepsy analyzed 54 cities worldwide to identify the ones that have the most Instagrammable sunsets. The study considered several key factors, including the number of Instagram hashtags, average annual sunshine hours, air quality index (AQI), tourist arrivals, and popular sunset spots, to determine the cities that offer the most stunning and popular sunset experiences. Here’s their top nine, including total score based on the above factors and key places to watch the sun go down. As a California native who grew up Read more
Summer break is over, class is back in session, and fall is just around the corner. That means it’s time to start planning for the most wonderful time of the year, the holiday season With only 106 days until Christmas (sorry) and 112 days until New Year’s Eve, many Canadians are ready to book their holiday travel. While getting the cheapest airfare can sometimes feel like a game of chance, a few savvy strategies can help increase your odds of saving. This year, let Google Flights be your co-pilot in the quest for budget-friendly holiday travel. Debunking flight booking myths: Read more
Travel chaos could be coming to Canada in just a few days. Air Canada today (Sept. 9) said a pilots strike appears “increasingly likely,” and that it was preparing for an “orderly shutdown” as early as Sunday, Sept. 15. Even a partial shutdown of Canada’s largest airline would result in travel chaos in Canada, and also in other cities around the world. Air Canada flies to more than 180 destinations across the globe, including the U.S.A., Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. Bloomberg last week reported that Air Canada offered pilots a deal that would raise some pilot wages by Read more
Nice to see some places I know and love in Oceania come home with World Travel Awards. The World Travel Awards for Oceania were held recently, with awards being handed out to hotels, airlines and destinations in Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, and more. New Zealand (I’ve been twice and hope to go again in early 2025) was named Oceania’s Leading Destination 2024. It’s a remarkable country with an outstanding variety of things to see and do, and a wide variety of climatic/geographic zones that range from rugged mountains and fjords to wide, sandy beaches. Air New Zealand, which I Read more
