Baseball spring training is officially underway, and that means even more reasons to visit the Tampa Bay/St. Pete region, where you’ll find the spring training homes of the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees train in Tampa, the Phillies in Clearwater, the Pirates in Bradenton, and the Jays in Dunedin. I’ve been a regular visitor to the area since I began covering the Blue Jays for the Toronto Star in the early 1990s, and have probably been 15 times or more by now. Here’s a list of some of Read more
U.S.A.
U.S. News has come out with its much=awaited list of the top hotels around the world, and Four Seasons is definitely in the driver’s seat. Four Seasons, which is based in Toronto, came out on top for the best hotel in the USA (Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Hawaii’s Big Island), while Four Seasons Hotel Toronto was named best hotel in Canada. Four Seasons Lana’i was named second best USA hotel, while Four Seasons Firenze in Italy was tagged as number two in Europe. Four Seasons Whistler Resort was number three in Canada, and Four Seasons Hotel Montreal was fifth. Read more
Talk about a wild day for travel. Air Canada today (Feb. 9) said it’s suspending all flights into Cuba due to an aviation fuel shortage, and will operate flights to bring home some 3,000 Canadians currently visiting the island nation. WestJet followed suit later in the day, saying it was beginning an “orderly wind down” of winter flights to Cuba for WestJet, WestJet Vacations, Sunwing Vacations and Vacances WestJet Quebec. Around 8:30 p.m. ET, Air Transat posted a note on its website saying it would suspend operations to Cuba from now until April 30, 2026. “Due to a jet fuel Read more
Fresh off a new record for visitors to the Bahamas, Porter Airlines has announced new, direct flights to the island nation from Montreal. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation recently announced the nation last year welcome a record 12.5 million visitors. Visitor arrivals grew 11.4% year-over-year, surpassing 2024’s record and exceeding pre-pandemic 2019 levels by more than 70%. This growth underscores the strength and resilience of demand across global markets. Canada continues to emerge as one of The Bahamas’ fastest-growing markets, with year-round arrivals now surpassing pre-pandemic levels, driven by strong demand from Ontario and Quebec and expanding Read more
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, which makes it a perfect time to fire up the romance quotient with a weekend getaway to a great hotel, or a fine meal at a top restaurant. Here are some suggestions from Skyscanner on romantic places to visit. I also have some deals I found for Canadian hotels and restaurants, as well as some in the U.S. SKYSCANNER VALENTINE’S DAY SUGGESTIONS Skyscanner’s recent Travel Trends 2026 Report revealed that an overwhelming one in two people choose to travel not merely to see new places, but explicitly to reconnect with loved ones and build Read more
