It’s a busy time of year for travel. But, if you’re planning a last-minute getaway, here are some tips to keep in mind. AVOID PEAK TRAVEL DAYS If you can, avoid travelling on traditionally busy days such as Dec. 24 and 26, and also Dec. 31 or January 2. Christmas Day or New Year’s Day are likely better. A friend of mine flew to Mexico from Toronto on Christmas Day a few years ago and said the airport was almost empty. This also can be difficult, but try to avoid peak days such as Sunday, Jan. 5, which is the Read more
Europe
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
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
And now my Jimmy Awards for Best International Travel Experiences in 2024. I didn’t do a lot of overseas travel, but I did manage trips to Istanbul and Singapore, and our MSC cruise on the World Europe took us to Italy, Malta, Spain and France. Thank you to everyone who helped along the way, both in big and small ways. Best Tour: We had a superb tour of Palermo, Sicily with a local guide on our MSC World Europa visit. We admired the beautiful cathedral, nibbled on cannoli the size of a football, and briefly toured a furiously noisy local 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
