Go west, young man is a famous quote about the settling of the American West, a call for folks in the crowded Eastern United States to pack up for California and other, less crowded areas to the west. It could well be the slogan for air transportation in the crowded southern Ontario market. There’s been talk for years of building a Toronto Pearson relief airport in Pickering. That could still happen. But, in the meantime, airline folks are answering the call to avoid Pearson congestion (and high fees) by inducing folks to fly out of Hamilton and Kitchener-Waterloo, both an Read more

Volunteer tourism has become a big thing in the world. And now Hurricane Irma has given the average person a chance to take part. You don’t have to go and build a house in St. Martin or Barbuda or Cuba, although that would be awesome. No, all you really need to do to help folks in Irma-stricken parts of the Caribbean (and Florida, by the looks of it) is do what many of us have done for years; visit. I wrote that a week or so ago. And now we’ve had more damage from Hurricane Maria, which has devasted the Read more

I was on a cruise in Bordeaux, France last week and had one of those introductory bus rides around the city. Out the right side of my window I caught a brief glimpse of what’s La Grosse Cloche, or The Big Bell. Later, after lunch, I borrowed a bike from the folks at Ama Waterways and set out to explore the city at my own pace. I was getting near the end of my ride when I suddenly remembered the bell. In the old days I would’ve fumbled for a clunky, paper map and tried to find it. Or asked Read more

We Canadians have it pretty good when it comes to weekend getaways. There are fantastic American and Caribbean destinations only a few hours by plane from our biggest cities. Thanks to Rogers, they all can be visited at a very reasonable cost. If you use your Rogers Roam Like Home plan, you can use your phone’s roaming feature in great cities all across the U.S. for just $6 Cdn. a day; about what you’d pay for a Starbucks café latte in Manhattan. On top of that, you can spend two weeks or even three and your bill will be capped Read more

This story originally appeared in Sun Media websites and newspapers in Canada. SASKATOON – I’ve long felt that this is a city that punches above its weight. There are less than 300,000 residents, but it feels considerably larger, thanks in part to the University of Saskatchewan and a thriving arts and food scene. It’s also a striking location, with beautiful parks and several fine buildings lining the South Saskatchewan River. Here’s a look at some of the great things to see and do in town. DINING Calories is a long-time Saskatoon hot spot in the lively Broadway area, just south Read more

CHICAGO- One of the best things about travel to me is stepping into a really cool hotel with great atmosphere and history and thinking, “Wow, this is my home the next few days.” That’s exactly the way I felt when I walked into the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile in this great city the other day. I didn’t know much about it before I got here, but I came away from the trip with this being my favourite hotel in town. The 42-story south tower was built in 1929 as a playground for the Shriners, and you’ll find wonderful exterior touches Read more