Almost half of all Canadians (49 per cent) are planning to travel for vacation in the next 12 months. But a CIBC survey finds many aspects of travel are stressful or leave folks wanting more. Nearly all respondents (93 per cent) said they would love to get through security and customs more quickly. And most (74 per cent) would like to have access to airport lounges. But more than half of those surveyed (54 per cent) think their lounge dreams are unattainable. The survey, conducted among 1,525 randomly selected Canadian adults, also found that we worry about having our credit Read more
Europe
This story originally appeared under my byline at TravelPulse Canada, where I work as senior editor. AUSTIN, TEXAS – Canadian travel agents have no shortage of great product to sell when it comes to Great Britain. In my TravelPulse Canada capacity, I sat down with a dozen or suppliers at this week’s Destination Britain North America meeting in Texas and came away with a remarkably diverse number of great options for agents to consider when booking their next visit. It would take a small book to include everything I learned, but here are some highlights: MANCHESTER: Governments are spending nearly Read more
Here’s a cool bit. A study from Nestpick, a furnished apartment search engine, found that six of the world’s top 10 cities for millennials are right here in Canada. The study gave Berlin the nod as the top world city for millennials to live, work and play. But Montreal was second, Toronto fifth and Vancouver sixth. The Nestpick study looked at everything from recreation to business, housing, food, universities and “openness” before coming up with its rankings. “Millennials grew up in a shrinking world, where the internet opened doors their parents never could have dreamed of, and budget airlines made Read more
WestJet is expanding at a dizzying pace, with plenty more to come. I had a chance to catch up with one of the airline’s top executives this week in an interview conducted for TravelPulse Canada. We have a story on our website but there was more to the interview that I wanted to get in. In case you missed it, the Calgary-based airline announced on Monday that it would begin flying from Halifax to Paris on May 31 of this year and from Halifax to London Gatwick on April 29. Both are new flights, although they currently service London Gatwick Read more
A lot of us tend to gain weight over the holidays. But our piggy banks seem to go the opposite direction. Still, if you plan carefully you can have a great winter holiday (without the crowds) in Europe, one of the most popular vacation spots for Canadians and North Americans. And there are a number of tips, tool and features known as travel hacks that can help you. Here are my top 2018 travel hacks that will help you plan a European trip that’s enjoyable, safe and cost-effective. 1. Choose your destination based on your budget One of the best Read more
