A new, user-friendly website. More ways to earn points. And 40 million points to give away. Aeroplan is celebrating its 40th birthday this year with a 10-day party that involves giveaways and prizes galore. It’s also a time to reflect back on four decades of what has become one of Canada’s top loyalty programs. In a one-on-one chat earlier this week, Scott O’Leary, Air Canada’s Vice President of Loyalty and Product, said Aeroplan had about 4 million members in 2020. Today that number is more than 8.5 million. “Most of that growth is in the last 24 months,” he said. Read more

A couple days after Hurricane Beryl ripped the roof off the home of a Grenada Tourism Authority worker on the island of Carriacou, some of her fellow employees hopped on the first available boat to see if they could help. “She really tried to be strong, but she broke down in tears,” Sekou Stroude, the authority’s Director of Sales for Canada, told me in an interview this week. “It’s gut-wrenching, because she’s such a selfless person; someone who’s always willing to help with whatever’s needed. She’s a real sweetheart, and seeing her go through that kind of pain breaks our Read more

Travel + Leisure released its Readers’ Choice Travel Awards for 2024 today (July 9). California had the top city hotel in the U.S. while Toronto had the top Canadian hotel. I usually find Vancouver wins the most hotel awards in Canada, but this time Toronto stole the show with the number one pick overall and three of the top six. For the U.S., California had two entries in the top 10 but Boston had two in the top four, so they definitely win the grand prize for 2024. Travel + Leisure also had readers name their top hotels in the Read more

Aeroplan, Canada’s leading travel loyalty program, is marking its 40th birthday with a special Aeroplan-niversary celebration and as special guests of honour, Aeroplan’s 8 million+ members are being given a chance to win 1 of 40 prizes of 1 million Aeroplan points each, in addition to enjoying 10 days of exclusive offers to save big and earn more. “Thanks to our members, Aeroplan has become one of the best travel loyalty programs globally. To celebrate this achievement, we’re excited to team up with our premier travel and everyday partners who help our members tap into their full earning and redemption Read more

National Hawaii Day is today, July 5. To mark the occasion, yours truly, a 35-time visitor to the islands, is offering up some thoughts on special hotels and resorts you should consider for your next trip. Remember to visit responsibly and respectfully.  Side note: Travel + Leisure came out with their list of the top 20 resorts of Hawaii on Tuesday, July 9. I believe eight of their top picks are on my list below. O’AHU Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina: Resting alongside the Aulani Disney  resort outside of Honolulu, this is a chill spot overlooking a pretty Read more

If you’re one of my American friends and are looking for a last-minute option for the Fourth of July, here are some of my fave places in the U.S., including California, New York State, Hawaii, Texas and Florida. VERMONT – Lovely villages with brilliant white church steeples and pretty mountain scenery. Also likely to be cooler than many U.S. destinations in July. Burlington is a great city to check out. DENVER – Not sure being a mile high will keep you cool, but there are always the nearby mountains to explore. Try an electric Tuk Tuk ride of downtown Denver Read more