Cardiff, Wales is emerging as Canada’s hottest trending travel destination, with flight searches skyrocketing by nearly 1,046 per cent year-over-year, according to Skyscanner’s Travel Trends 2027 report. With 80% of Canadians planning to travel as much or more in 2027, travellers are increasingly looking beyond traditional hotspots for destinations that offer memorable experiences and greater value. Bryan Batista, CEO of Skyscanner, comments on the emerging travel trends: “Travel is entering a new era. As people become more intentional about how they spend their time and money, they’re making different choices about where they go, how they book and what creates lasting value.” Read more
Asia
I stopped in at a recent Scenic/Emerald workshop in Toronto to hear more about the magnificent Emerald Yachts from Emerald Cruises. There are three at sea now, the Emerald Azzurra, the Emerald Sakara and the new Emerald Kaia, which launched in April of this year. They each have a capacity of 128 passengers and carry nearly 70 crew. Because the ships are relatively small, they can get into ports that other ships can’t. A monster cruise ship with several thousand passengers might have to dock two hours from Venice, but the Emerald Yachts can dock in the heart of the city, Read more
More women travelling solo and more multi-generational trips. More Canadians staying home. And no slowdown in sight for luxury travel. The Virtuoso Luxe Report Canada was revealed at a Virtuoso media event in Toronto this week. The briefing provided an in-depth look at the booming luxury travel market and a bevy of travel trends. It also provided a few surprise facts about how Canadians are making choices that differ from other travellers. The Luxe Report was issued as part of Virtuoso’s On Tour event, which saw dozens of advisors on hand to meet with destinations, hotels, cruise Read more
Another day, another nice list of great places to explore next year. National Geographic this week came out with its list of top places to go in 2027. There are tons of interesting, and both well and lesser-known places, on their list. Nat Geo is one of the top publications in the world, so it’s no surprise they pulled a few surprises, and a couple places even veteran travellers probably don’t know about. Here’s their list, along with small snippets about each place, and where I can add something, a thought or two of my own. Salvador, Brazil: Read more
Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I’ve been a full-time travel writer since 2008, and that has allowed me to stay the night in some of the finest hotels the world has to offer. Just for fun, because I’m in Mexico as I write this and it’s raining, here are ten of the most luxurious places I’ve bedded down for the night. Hotel Hassler Roma, Rome. My daughter and I stayed here in, oh, 2012 or 2013 and had a room that looked down on the Spanish Steps. We had a small balcony and bought a bottle of wine and Read more
