Kudos to Iceland, the Netherlands, Australia and Canada. Great marks for Singapore, Honolulu and San Francisco. Travel insurance provider Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) has released its 11th annual State of Travel Insurance Safest Destinations report, “the longest running and most trusted research project evaluating the attitudes of U.S. travelers toward travel safety and travel insurance.” The Netherlands, Australia, and Austria have been named the safest countries to visit in 2026, while Reykjavik, Copenhagen, and Zurich top the list of safest cities. Canada was named fifth safest country, which is down slightly from its third place finish last year. Montreal Read more
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Expedia Group today released Unpack ’26: The Trends in Travel™. The annual global report highlights shifts in traveller behaviour and the destinations set to dominate itineraries in 2026, including several Canadian destinations and activities spotlighted throughout. It’s also got some great destinations in such places as England, Italy, Asia and Australia. From Destinations of the Year to salvaged hotels and reading retreats, to curling and farm stays, the seven trends in Unpack ’26 offer a look at the future of travel. Each trend is backed by first-party data from Expedia Group, and insights from 24,000 global travellers. Expedia — Destinations of Read more
The annual Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Awards are out for best travel of 2025, and there’s plenty of great North American and world content to check out, as well as fabulous hotels and cruises. Canada made the top 10 for best countries to visit, while New York City won kudos for its food scene and hotels. Victoria, British Columbia was named best small city in the world, Barbados made the top three for most friendly countries, and Tokyo was named world’s best food city. The top ten hotels list for Canada included 1 Hotel Toronto and, in first place, the Read more
DETROIT – Once one of the richest cities in the world, Detroit has undergone a tremendous renaissance. I was in the city last summer for a few days to scout out its suitability for hosting the annual convention of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), of which I’m a board member. My SATW colleague and I gave it two thumbs up, and we held our convention there last month. The city’s tourism board worked tremendously hard and helped us put on a fantastic, successful convention. The locals and volunteers were welcoming and helpful, the weather was perfect and the convention Read more
Their timing was fabulous. Tourism folks from Meet Boston and VISIT FLORIDA, along with Elite Sports Tours, gathered in Toronto this week and treated a few lucky media and travel people to box seats for the Toronto Blue Jays. As a former baseball writer for the Toronto Star who covered the team for six years, attending at least 600-700 games, I always love a night at the ballpark. To be at games when the Jays are in the thick of a pennant race, like they are now, is doubly exciting. The home side didn’t fare well in the Boston game, Read more
