It’s been a rough go for Hawaii of late. Visits from Canada are down, and they’ve struggled to regain their once super-strong Japanese market. There’s also, of course, the devastating fire that destroyed most of the lovely, funky town of Lahaina. Maui in 2023. On top of all that, the state suffered a series of devastating rainstorms over the past couple weeks when a Kona low, an unusual low-pressure weather system, parked itself over the island for days on end. There was some damage to roads and infrastructure, but I’m happy to report that the skies are sunny again and Read more
Australia/New Zealand/PAC
I see a lot of travel shaming going on in today’s world, and I’ve had it. Day after day, I see so-called travel experts on social media targeting people who visit all-inclusive resorts instead of going out and exploring. I understand where they’re coming from, as I vastly prefer to go out on my own. But not everyone fits the same mold. And not everyone’s passport (if they even have one) is overflowing with stamps from exotic countries. Some people might take a vacation every ten years. Or five. They work hard to put food on their tables and take Read more
Okay, I’ve just about had it with some of these travel lists going around. The other day I noted a list of the nine most beautiful countries in the world that somehow omitted the United States, which might have more amazing scenery than perhaps any country on the planet. Today I’m taking umbrage, as well as great offence, at a list of the “most romantic countries” in Europe. I found this on MSN.com, courtesy of Icelandair, and I’m stupefied. The list contains 15 fine European cities. But it’s ridiculous that Paris, perhaps the most beautiful city in the world and Read more
I’m sorry, but this is absurd. MSN recently ran a story on the world’s most attractive countries. It’s a good list, but with one glaring exception; there’s no mention of the United States. Yes, I know Canadians (and residents of many other countries) aren’t feeling terribly well disposed towards the U.S. these days. As a Canadian citizen, albeit with U.S. roots, I fully understand. But you can’t possibly deny that the U.S. has some of the most spectacular scenery and beautiful vistas – and cities – in the world. From thick pine forests and immense lakes to rugged, snow-capped mountains, Read more
Okay, so here’s an odd/interesting list of the world’s great cities. TimeOut magazine asked 24,000 people in 150 cities around the world about their fave cities, and then balanced that with views from their team of city experts to come out with a new ranking. I’ll give them credit for including some smaller or lesser-known destinations such as Bath, England and Antwerp, Belgium, as well as Lagos, Nigeria. But, for the life of me, I don’t know how ANYONE can come up with a list of great cities of the world and put Paris in the 22nd spot. That boggles Read more
