Meredith Vieira has been all over the world in her role as a reporter, but her visit on the Avalon View from Avalon Waterways was her first trip on a cruise ship.  Vieira (see my ship christening story) said she’s a little frightened of water, but loved being on a river where she could clearly see land. “I would definitely do this again,” she told a group of journalists the day after the christening. “You can make it whatever you want, and they help make it whatever you want.” “I didn’t realize how emotional I would get,” Vieira said. “I Read more

Air Canada today said it is donating 100 million Aeroplan points to support the Canadian government’s initiative to bring Ukrainians to Canada. The points will contribute towards facilitating transportation and can be used on flights operated by Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners including Lufthansa, LOT Polish Airlines, SWISS, United Airlines and other carriers. The Shapiro Foundation is also contributing to this effort and Miles4Migrants, a non-profit charity will manage and facilitate the flight bookings. “Together with our employees, we are ready and prepared to assist and support the Canadian Government’s plans to bring Ukrainian people to Canada. With our Read more

Amazing history. Glorious outdoor adventures. Stunnning architecture. Lively art galleries. And terrific food and drinks. St. Augustine, Florida has been entertaining visitors for half a century, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Here’s a way to spend a great couple of days in the city. DAY ONE A CITY TROLLEY TOUR A ride with Old Town Trolley Tours is a delightful way to get to know the city, and get your bearings. You can hop on and off as you like, and there are nearly two dozen stops, including the Castillo de San Marco, the Fountain of Youth, Read more

The latest modest increase in coronavirus cases in the U.S. is not deterring travel planning in 2022. According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, only 19% of travelers say that COVID-19 will greatly impact their travel decisions in the next six months. That’s the lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic more than two years ago.  “Barring a major reversal in the course of the pandemic, COVID-19’s impact on the travel and tourism industry appears to be tailing off,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International. “Concerns about gas prices and other inflationary Read more

The Quebec government on Tuesday said it will cap the cost of round-trip plane tickets for all travel within the province to the regions, as a way to increase tourism to rural areas located far from the big cities. Canadian Press and Global News report that, starting June 1, both residents and visitors travelling within Quebec won’t have to pay more than $500 out of pocket for round-trip tickets to places such as the Gaspé peninsula, Transport Minister Francois Bonnardel told reporters.   Reports didn’t make it clear if the program includes Les Iles de la Madeleine, a group of Read more

Thousands of Sunwing passengers have been stranded across Canada and outside of the country as the airline deals with a cyberattack. CP24 reports that Sunwing president Mark Williams apologized Tuesday to passengers who have been stranded for days and said the network outage affecting its flights is the result of a cyberattack on a third-party provider. “Obviously, this is a terrible situation and one that we didn’t expect,” Williams told CP24 in an interview. “Certainly apologize to everyone for the inconvenience this has caused. “Our goal is to get people on vacation on time with a new airplane and with Read more