Skyscanner has a new look at great travel hacks that are bound to save you money on your next great trip. They also have information on the cheapest destinations in May for Canadian travellers, including Ireland. Japan and Greece.
Hack #1: Best Time to Book Flights
Save big on airfare this month! Skyscanner data shows the best time to book flights for May:
- This handy tool will tell Canadians when the best time is to book flights for travel to May hotspots in Ireland, like Dublin and Cork.
- Travellers travelling from Toronto to Dublin in May typically see the biggest savings when booking exactly 22 weeks ahead of their trip.
- Flying out on the 5th or 23rd instead of 14th or 29th could help you save on airfare.
Hack #2: Cheapest Destinations This May
Dublin, Ireland. Gregory Dalleau/Unsplash Photo
Want an affordable getaway? These are the cheapest destinations for Canadian travellers in May:
- Toronto to Dublin, Ireland: Roundtrip flights starting from $509
- Montreal to Belize City, Belize: Roundtrip flights starting from $504
- Vancouver to Madrid, Spain: Roundtrip flights starting from $648
Hack #3: Buzzworthy Destinations and Car Rental Tips
These travel routes are trending this month – get there and explore with ease:
- Okinawa, Japan: Hire a car in Okinawa in May from $149. With warm spring temperatures and brilliant turquoise waters, May is the perfect month for a road trip through Okinawa. Scenic drives across spectacular sea bridges can take you past white-sand beaches, emerald-green pineapple fields and historic Shuri Castle ruins, all comfortable to explore in the mild breeze before the tropical humidity and summer rains arrive.
- Peloponnese Peninsula, Greece: Hire a car in Peloponnese Peninsula in May from $76. Spring brings the Peloponnese to life, with blooming wildflowers and pleasantly mild temperatures perfect for a road trip. Drive past ancient citrus orchards, dramatic seaside fortresses, and the rugged landscapes of the Mani Peninsula. May offers a relaxed and scenic way to uncover this historic corner of Greece.
- Reykjavik, Iceland: Hire a car in Reykjavik in May from $124. This shoulder-season window marks a shift in Iceland’s landscape, where winter landscapes begin to shift into spring. From Reykjavik, drivers can follow the South Coast and sections of the Ring Road to see waterfalls, glaciers, and black-sand beaches. Extended daylight hours provide more flexibility for road travel before the busiest summer period begins.
A waterfall in Iceland. Robert Lukeman/Unsplash Photo
Hack #4: How to Save on Hotels
Looking for the perfect stay?
Hotels can be cheaper when booked early. For popular May destinations, Skyscanner’s comparison tool makes it easy to compare properties and prices. When you click on a hotel property, scroll down to see offers from all the major sites so you can make sure you’re getting the lowest rate.
MOST BEAUTIFUL HILLTOP VILLAGES IN EUROPE
Here’s a fun list of the prettiest (some of them, anyway) hilltop villages in Europe. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been a sucker for these lovely towns, which are often perched on some seemingly unreachable bit of rock and tower over the countryside around them. I’m pleased to see five places I’ve visited on the list: San Gimignano, Italy (Tuscany), Corniglia, Italy (Cinque Terre), Taormina, Italy (Sicily), Cordes-sur-Ciel, France and Mdina, Malta.
San Gimignano, which is VERY popular, might be the quintessential hilltop village in Italy. It’s also in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, which makes it that much more attractive.
Corniglia is one of the scenic villages that make up the Cinque Terre (also HUGELY popular). It’s worth visiting, but I advise going in the off-season. I was in the Cinque Terre on an MSC cruise two years ago and had a fine visit in early March.
San Leo is a stately hilltop town in Emilia-Romagna. Photo courtesy Tourism Emilia-Romagna
Taormina, which I got to briefly visit on a Silversea cruise 10 or 12 years ago, is another magical spot, this time in Sicily. The Roman ampitheater is the highlight, but just wandering the streets is vastly entertaining on its own. Again, I advise going in the shoulder season; perhaps in October while the Mediterranean is still warm enough (sometimes) to swim.
Cordes-sur-Ciel is a wonderful hilltop spot in south central France (north of Toulouse) that I briefly visited five or six years ago. I also loved Saint-Cirque-Lapopie.
Mdina, Malta is another spot I got to tour during our Silversea cruise. I loved the views and the Moorish architecture.
Another hilltop village I quite enjoyed is San Leo, which runs up a steep slope of rock in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.
HAWAII TOURISM RESPONDS TO CHALLENGES
The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) recently hosted a virtual 2026 Spring Tourism Update to provide information about how the destination is responding to current challenges facing travelers to the islands — including the back-to-back Kona Low storms — as well as sharing strategies for increasing visitation.
TravelAge West reports the HTA is stressing the important of letting people know the islands are safe and open. The publication also quotes officials as saying that Maui is showing “steady recovery” after the Lahaina fires of 2023. Total visitor arrivals to Maui were up 11.% in February of 2026, compared to the previous year.
The Olowalu Valley on Maui, Hawaii. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The state also continues to encourage respectful travel, supporting local businesses and participation in volunteer opportunities through the Malama Hawaii program, which inspires visitors to give back to the islands through mindful travel experiences.
On one of my latest visits, I took part in two Malama Hawai’i programs; a beach clean up in Wailuku and helping clear invasive tree species near Lahaina. Both were very rewarding experiences I highly recommend.
