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Statistics show Canadians are slowly but steadily increasing their visits to the U.S. And a new poll suggests anti-U.S. sentiment is on the wane with Canadian travellers. But a full recovery is still a ways away. Statistics Canada says Canadians returned from 2.3 million trips to the U.S. in July, up 10.2% from the same month in 2025. That marks the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year growth for U.S. travel from Canada. Stats Can said return automobile trips rose 12.8% last month, but air trips dropped 1.4%.   Their July travel report found that, while return trips by car were Read more

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Canadians claim to be the best hotel guests in the world. But they’re still swiping the odd hotel bathrobe or smuggling food from the breakfast buffet. A study by Hotels.Com found that 88% of Canadians consider themselves considerate guests, and that 44% of Canadians voted themselves the most courteous guests in the world, while ranking Americans as the rudest hotel guests (42%). Yet 27% of Canadians admit they sometimes smuggle food from the breakfast buffet or swipe hotel bathrobes and slippers. How Canada Ranks the World’ Most Polite Guests, by Country Canada – 44% Japan  – 22% Sweden – 11% Read more

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MSN has a fine item posted on ten of the best Caribbean islands for folks who want to get away from the crowds. I’ve visited six of them: Bequia, Iles des Saintes, Dominica, Eleuthera, Anguilla, and Nevis. They’re all outstanding destinations for travellers looking to get away from it all. BEQUIA: This is a delightful island south of St. Vincent that’s easily reached by ferry. Part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the main town of Port Elizabeth has a super casual feel and is decorated with wildly colourful Bougainvillea and other flowering plants. Stroll along the Princess Margaret waterfront Read more

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A new report from hotels.com finds Canadians are looking for trips to Spain, as well as football rivalry games and cool, Nordic adventures. For the upcoming Civic Holiday (Aug. 1-3), searches for Mallorca are up 85%, while searches for Madrid are up 45%. Domestically, searches are up 40% for the London, Ontario ribfest and up 20% for the 50th annual Festival of Friends in Hamilton, Ontario. For Labour Day, searches for Reykjavik, Iceland are up 100%, while searches for Copenhagen have jumped 90%. On the domestic front, Regina has seen a 330% increase in searches ahead of the iconic Labour Read more

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Barbados is celebrating its 60th anniversary as an independent nation. I first visited in 2009 or so, and have been at least four or five times since. It’s one of my fave places in the world; beautiful and safe and relaxed, but with many elegant places to stay. This list is mostly about food and drinks, so here’s a link to a story I wrote after a great food tour of the island a few years ago. Barbados Food & Rum Festival – One of the Caribbean’s premier culinary festivals brings together renowned local and international chefs each year.  Meet Award-Winning Read more

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