As pandemic restrictions ease Canadians are packing their bags, with interest in travel insurance quotes surging 293% YOY, according to a report from RATESDOTCA. While far from pre-Covid numbers, it’s clear Canadians are once again ready to pack up and go, though the destinations they are planning to visit have changed. Interest in domestic travel climbed 330% from Q3 2019 to Q3 2021 while interest in international travel fell 14%. The report pulls data from thousands of quotes for travel insurance from Q3 2019 to Q3 2021. While the U.S. remains the top destination, interest in visiting has fallen 66% Read more

A major new poll finds that two-thirds of Canadians want the Trudeau government to ditch PCR testing at the border. A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians divided about how to handle border testing, but largely ready to move past molecular tests such as the PCR. A full 66% of Canadians say that either no tests should be required for fully vaccinated travellers (27%) or that Canada should switch from PCR tests to rapid antigen tests (39%). Twenty five per cent of Canadians said they would keep the requirement now in place for PCR or molecular Read more

A historic home once lived in by one of the world’s greatest writers. Fabulous food. Great, local wines. And wonderful, walkable downtowns. The Tri-Valley region of California is not only easy to enjoy, but easy to get to. The valley is roughly a 45-minute drive from downtown San Francisco, and easily reached on the Bay Area Rapid Transit System. It’s not an area that gets a ton of publicity, but that’s what makes it so much fun to explore. I grew up about 10 minutes from the area, and a post at the daily Tri-Valley Herald was my first newspaper Read more

Today’s announcement that Canadians who take trips to the U.S. for less than 72 hours no longer need a COVID test to return home doesn’t help Canada’s battered tourism sector, critics say. The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable said it acknowledges today’s announcement by the Canadian government removing the pre-departure PCR testing requirement (indeed, all testing requirements) for Canadians returning from the United States for trips less than 72 hours. The PCR test policy, however, remains in effect for Canadians who leave the country for more than 72 hours. Critics have noted that the tests are prohibitively expensive, sometimes more Read more

A never-before-seen archaeological find in Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan unlocks fascinating information about the Northern Plains Indigenous Peoples who gathered on the land for more than 6,400 years. The find was announced today by Dr Ernie Walker, chief archaeologist and park co-founder. Bison activity has also been credited for uncovering four petroglyphs and the tool used to carve them. “The discovery of these petroglyphs is a testament to just how sacred and important this land is,” says Darlene Brander, CEO Wanuskewin Heritage Park. “The individual who made these petroglyphs was actually carving their legacy into the rock many Read more

The Conference Board of Canada and Expedia Group say travel and tourism are definitely on the upswing. In their latest report, the Conference Board found that 86% of Canadians say they miss travelling. Better yet, the numbers who report that COVID-19 is slowing their travel plans is down sharply. Speaking during a zoom session put on by the Discover America Canada Committee, Jennifer Hendry, the conference board’s Senior Research Associate, said that in October of 2020, 62% of Canadians had no travel plans. In their October, 2021 report, that number was down to 47%. Hendry says that shows that “the Read more