As I watch the rain turn to snow ere in windy and increasingly cold Toronto, I notice a couple of interesting moves by North American tourism boards. North of the border, Quebec City is pleading with the creators of the “White Lotus” TV show to film in one of North America’s oldest (and most romantic) cities. The Toronto Star and Canadian Press report that Destination Quebec City and its advertising agency have created a presentation promoting te city and its biggest assets as an ideal filming spot. Part of their pitch, of course, is the fairy tale-like Fairmont Le Chateau Read more
Frightful weather notwithstanding, Santa Claus has been cleared to glide through Canadian air space on Christmas Day. Federal Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra today said he’s pleased to announce that he has cleared Santa and his reindeer flight crew for take-off in Canadian airspace. In a secure message to Alghabra earlier this week, Santa confirmed that he completed his final test flight of the year and checked that he and the reindeer showed no signs of COVID-19 symptoms before take-off. Earlier this month, Transport Canada Safety Inspectors cleared Santa’s sleigh for travel. The Inspectors conducted their stringent safety, communications, and Read more
An historic “weather bomb” is making a mockery of airline schedules and ruining holiday plans for travelers across North America. With snow starting to build in some cities and fierce winds bringing record-low temperatures to many parts of the U.S., FlightAware reports 4,700 U.S. flight cancellations as of 1 p.m. Eastern Time. The website showed 35% of all outbound flights have been cancelled at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, while Detroit had a 43% cancellation rate and Seattle 46%. Chicago O’Hare was showing 23% of flights cancelled. Cleveland and Buffalo were much worse. Cleveland was showing a 70% cancellation rate, while Read more
The holiday travel season is proving to be a disaster for many. WestJet is cancelling hundreds of flights in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec due to major winter storms that are wreaking havoc with holiday travel. Air Canada today said it pre-cancelled an undetermined number of flights in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal due to the impending storm, while Porter Airlines said “many” Ontario-based flights will likely be cancelled starting this afternoon. Sunwing says it has had to cancel many southbound flights from Western Canada through until Christmas. Airlines say they’re doing their best to cope with what some weather experts Read more
Just as the holiday travel season begins to heat up, Mother Nature is throwing a nasty, frozen curveball at much of the U.S. and Eastern Canada. Vancouver International Airport is beginning to recover from a freak (well, maybe not anymore) snowstorm, but it’s still frigid in Alberta. And now a big storm with rain, flash freezes, high winds and sizable snow accumulations is headed to Ontario and Quebec. The forecast calls for rain in Toronto and Southern Ontario today, but the temperature is set to plummet on Friday and the rain should turn to snow. Road conditions are expected to Read more
Australia is a known ‘hot’ spot for immersing yourself in the natural world. Uniquely, every state on the continent boasts numerous undeveloped, and developed springs and waterholes, and many are directly accessible via major cities — making it THE quintessential destination for a road trip. To top it off: most are also surrounded by indigenous areas/experiences and national parks. 2023 ushers in a huge number of NEW luxury, and immersive natural experiences and lodging options for travelers that make now a great time to pen a story (and book a trip). MELBOURNE, VICTORIA Just a few hours from Melbourne, visitors Read more
It seems too cruel to be true. Canadians and Americans this fall finally began travelling again after a two-year pandemic. And now, just as the holiday season arrives, North America is faced with massive weather issues. Fresh off an “unprecedented” number of flight cancellations in British Columbia, Canadian airlines and passengers can now brace for a major storm in Ontario and Quebec. Air Canada has issued snow advisories for Friday for Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto Pearson, Canada’s busiest airport. The forecast for southern Ontario calls for rain on Thursday night, with a “flash freeze” coming behind it on Friday that Read more