Several major U.S. destinations are courting Canadian visitors at a very difficult time between the two countries. We have seen Canadian “love letters” from cities such as Detroit and Palm Springs, and a cheeky video from California Governor Gavin Newsom. Today came a strongly worded note of support for Canadian visitors from the governor of Illinois, who also said US President Donald Trump has represented the U.S. in a “shameful” manner. ILLINOIS GOVERNOR CALLS TRUMP BEHAVIOR “SHAMEFUL” Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity ( today released a new video inviting Canadian travelers to visit Read more

With Canadians showing less interest in flying to the US, two major Canadian airlines are adding capacity to the Caribbean, Mexico, South America and Europe. Air Canada today announced its winter sun schedule, reflecting its largest network expansion to Latin America to date with 16% more seat capacity over last winter. Highlights of the carrier’s new services for the winter 2025-26 season include new destinations to Rio de Janeiro, Cartagena, Guatemala City, and Guadalajara. As well, 13 new routes including Santiago (Chile), Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe), Fort-de-France (Martinique), Nassau, Montego Bay, and Huatulco (Mexico) are being introduced, along with additional frequencies to Read more

Lists of great travel destinations are always arbitrary. But I still enjoy looking at lists of things like “World’s Best Cities,” or “Most Attractive Miniature Golf Courses.” The latest list to grab my attention is one of the 50 Best Beaches in North America, as compiled by World50Beaches. As always, there are some I quibble with, and some I think were wrongfully omitted. Yet this list is nice in that it points out a number of places I’ve never heard of, including a beauty in western Canada called San Josef Bay, which is on the far northwest tip of Vancouver Read more

Staying in touch at 36,000 feet just got a little easier. Air Canada today (May 1, 2025) introduced “fast, free Wi-Fi” for Aeroplan members for Air Canada and Air Canada rouge flights across North America, and also on sun destination flights for the Caribbean and Mexico. “We now offer Wi-Fi on 88% of our fleet, with the remaining installations to be completed by early 2026,” said Mark Nasr, Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer at Air Canada. “This will include an industry first with the upcoming launch of Wi-Fi on Air Canada Express Q400s serving Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport.”  Read more

NEGRIL, JAMAICA – It’s my last morning on the shady, warm patio at Sunset at the Palms resort on the west coast of Jamaica. I’ve just ordered an omelet at the breakfast buffet and am taking photos of the pretty tropical flowers and reach-to-the-sky palm trees that surround my table. Suddenly a young woman who was cooking my breakfast rushes over and hands me my omelet. “You didn’t have to do that,” I say, looking at the breakfast station a mere 20 feet away. She just smiles and heads back to work. A second or two later another young woman Read more

MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA – We were due to hit the road and drive to the San Francisco Bay Area from this lovely oceanfront town on the Central Coast. My wife was dying for an acai bowl, and we both wanted a good cup of coffee to fuel us up for the drive north. I did a little research on my iPhone and settled on a place on the main shopping street in Morro Bay called High Tide Deli and Cafe. A few minutes later we pulled into the parking lot. I loved the place the minute I got out of Read more