More than 40 million Americans visited Europe last year, checking out amazing cities, fascinating history, cultural icons and dazzling landscapes. In 2024, the number of US travelers visiting Europe surged, with 40.2 million Americans flying to the continent. As travelers increasingly seek out unique destinations, certain European countries have seen a rise in popularity, with Western and Central Europe emerging as key favorites. Here’s the top 10, according to Travel and Tour World: United Kingdom I’ve been lucky enough to visit all of them, and they’re terrific. England is, of course, home to London, which is one of the great Read more
Canada
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
The travel boom continues for most of the world, and 2025 is shaping up to be a great year. But where to go? Well, that depends on what you like and what you want to pay and how tolerant of crowds you are. If you like Europe, please go. But don’t visit in summer when it’s packed with tourists. Instead, go in spring or mid-to-late fall. If you want to go to a place where the Canadian dollar is relatively strong, try Australia, Japan, or New Zealand. Of course, flights there can be expensive, so you have to take that Read more
I can’t say I remember a lot about Rickey Henderson’s two-to-three month stint with the Toronto Blue Jays when I covered the team for the Toronto Star in 1993. But I sure remember how we met. It was July 31, 1993; the Major League Baseball trade deadline, and it was my second year as a full-time writer on the Blue Jays beat for the Star. The Jays had won the World Series the previous year by beating Atlanta, but they desperately wanted a second title and were believed to be in the market for another outfielder with some offensive skills. 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
