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

Air Canada continues to raise the bar on the Economy Class travel experience with free beer, wine, and exclusive Canadian-made snacks now available for all customers on all flights, including routes to Mexico and the Caribbean.   “Launched on September 1, these upgrades reflect the airline’s commitment to delivering award-winning service for all customers, and a sharpened focus on leisure travellers,” the airline said. Air Canada introduced free wine and beer on US and domestic flights last year. “As part of our commitment to elevating the onboard experience, we’re delighted to introduce even more exciting new options to our menus,” said 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

Canadian travellers have spoken. Air Canada Vacations has announced the winners of its first-ever Travellers’ Top Picks Awards, a celebration of Canadian wanderlust that drew over 100,000 entries and sparked a nationwide conversation about the places Canadians dream of exploring. Travellers voted across 10 categories curated by Air Canada Vacations experts, sending their favourite destinations to the summit of Canadians’ travel wish lists. The choices are mostly excellent, and I was quite pleased to see a few personal faves (Rome, Singapore, New York City and two Hawai’i destinations) make the list. “Canadians love to travel, which is what inspired us Read more

Three Canadian airlines have received top ratings at a major airline awards show. For the sixth consecutive year, Air Canada received a Five Star Global Airline Award at the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) 2026 Awards, which were presented last night. Air Canada’s onboard Wi-Fi sponsored by Bell, which is complimentary for Aeroplan members, was ranked as the Best Inflight Connectivity. (It’s a great service I use on all my Air Canada flights, allowing me to stay in touch with work issues and communicate with family and friends at 36,000 feet.) WestJet was honoured as a Four Star Major Airline Read more

Fall is almost here for folks in the northern hemisphere, which means the summer crowds are pretty much gone from many of the world’s – and North America’s – top destinations.  Shoulder season is an ideal time to visit Europe, with the usual hordes having departed cities like Rome and Barcelona but with warm weather still lingering. Not to mention warm Mediterranean water. It’s also a great time to visit Northern California, which often sees it warmest temperature of the year in September and (usually) very little fog. And a fabulous time to visit Hawaii for deals and for Australia Read more