Los Angeles area residents who lost their homes to the wildfires can apply for a hotel voucher to stay free at Hilton properties for up to seven nights, officials announced this week. According to MSN, Hilton, American Express and 211 LA announced plans to provide the vouchers, making 20,000 hotel room nights available. Residents can apply to 211 LA for housing assistance at bit.ly/211-Emergency-Services-Request. “We are deeply grateful to Hilton and American Express for their emergency support during this heartbreaking time,” Maribel Marin, executive director of 211 LA, said in a statement. “Their generosity in providing shelter to those who have Read more
Australia/New Zealand/PAC
For many years, The New York Times has been delivering a solid, -thought-out list of the 52 best places to go in the world for any given year. For 2025, their list includes a few of my fave places in the world, including Western Australia, Sydney, New York City and the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario, Canada, where my wife and I piloted a 42-foot craft from Le Boat on our own last June (and survived). Also making the list was Detroit, which the Times noted has undergone a remarkable renaissance, something I witnessed on a visit in July of last Read more
With 2024 coming to a close, KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine, is forecasting the future of Canadian travel habits that will rule the year ahead. From the hottest trending international destinations to the best deals for a sunny getaway, these are the top travel trends to expect in 2025: A strong surge in international travel searches – Canadians are taking things abroad next year with international travel making up over three quarters of all searches. With domestic travel costs rising to the most expensive it’s been in four years (and seeing another 19% increase in domestic airfare Read more
The Canadian dollar is taking another beating today, and was down below 70 cents at one point. It’s a devastating problem for people who bring in U.S. goods, and it definitely hurts Canadians who want to take trips to the States or to other countries with a strong currency. Luckily, there are ways to offset the low Canadian dollar. CHOOSE YOUR VACATION SPOTS We’re getting crushed by Uncle Sam greenbacks, but so are many other parts of the world. One secret is to find places where the Canadian dollars goes a long way. For example, a hundred Canadian loonies (one Read more
Expedia has come out with its list of top world destinations for 2025, and there are some great picks. Here’s their top nine for the upcoming year. A Catalonian culinary haven Girona, Spain As Catalonian capital Barcelona hits the headlines for record-breaking tourism numbers, conscious travellers are keeping visits short and sweet, basing themselves primarily in nearby Girona, a hill-top medieval showstopper just 40 minutes away via the new Avlo high-speed train service. In gastronomic circles, Girona has been an insider secret for years, with 12 Michelin-starred restaurants in the region, snapping at San Sebastián’s crown as Spain’s culinary Read more
