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

Muskoka has officially reached 100% colour change and the region is ablaze with vibrant reds, fiery oranges, and glowing yellows – making it one of the most spectacular fall displays in North America. Visitors from near and far are heading north to experience this breathtaking season before the colours fade. (Play @DiscoverMuskoka Video)   While Algonquin Park has now passed its peak, Muskoka is just hitting its stride. Muskoka’s forests are glowing in full colour, dominated by vibrant reds and oranges. Sugar maples cover hillsides in deep orange and red, red maples have turned brilliant scarlet, and silver maples add 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

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