In an important symbolic step that could help boost international travel, the Canadian government has withdrawn its long-standing advisory against foreign travel by Canadians. The Trudeau government’s travel advisory page has contained a recommendation to avoid all international travel for more than a year, but it has been quietly dropped, perhaps in light of Thursday’s announcement that vaccine passports will be required for most travel by November 30. Instead of a general warning at the top of the advisory page, there is now a statement that says fully vaccinated before travelling. It also states that even though vaccines provide protection Read more
Canadians can expect vaccine passports for international travel in the coming days. There’s also more help coming for trouble tourism businesses, and potential vaccines on the horizon for Canadian children. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today (Oct. 21) said fully-vaccinated Canadians travelling overseas or using airplanes or interprovincial trains will soon have to show a vaccine passport. Starting November 30, you won’t be able to fly without it, or take an interprovincial train. The cards will have a QR code and the word Canada with a maple leaf flag over the final “a,” according to the Toronto Star. In a Read more
How’d you like a nine-month, world cruise? Royal Caribbean has unveiled what it calls the world’s longest cruise, a 274-night marathon that begins Dec. 10, 2023 and ends the following Sept. 10, in 2024. Not only can you celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve at sea, you’ll visit all seven continents and more than 150 destinations in 65 countries around the world. Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas will sail in and out of Miami and also visit 11 “great wonders of the world.” A full 57 of the destinations will be new to Royal Caribbean, including Casablanca, Morocco, Shimizu, Read more
It’s not just fun and games. Canada’s economy and its social structure are both closely intertwined with that of the U.S. Many Canadians have no choice but to travel to the U.S. on occasion. I’m one of them. I work part-time for a tourism organization in the U.S. As part of my job, I have to fly to the States today. I only needed a rapid antigen test to get into the U.S. right now, and that costs me $29. No worries about that. But to come back to Canada I have to have a PCR test taken within 72 Read more
We Canadians are a cautious lot, but our travel patterns – especially our winter travel patterns – are deeply ingrained. I’ve been saying this for a while, but I suspect some of our doubts about travelling during the pandemic will dissipate somewhat when the snow begins to fly and the wind comes whistling through our doors and windows. A new study from CAA appears to suggest I might be right. The study was undertaken by CAA-Quebec, but I don’t think Quebeckers have vastly different thoughts about travelling and COVID-19 than other Canadians. So here’s what the study found. Even though Read more
A stunningly redesigned classic hotel awaits travellers to one of the world’s great cities. Hotel Le Germain Montreal recently underwent a $30 million renovation, emerging with six new floors on top and a thorough remake of rooms, the lobby, the second floor Le Boulevardier restaurant and the meeting spaces. You’ll now find 136 rooms, up from 101. They weren’t able to use a crane so they built a new roof and raised it up six times to create six floors. There are truly spectacular suites on the 18th floor in the new section, as well as a remarkable gym with Read more
Montreal is one of the great cities of the world. Here are some ways to enjoy it in a new, socially-distant fashion. A great bike ride You can rent bikes from the folks at Montreal on Wheels on the Montreal waterfront (Rue de la Commune). They’re solid, comfortable, multi-speed bikes. They also have electric ones if you need a boost. We were heading west to Griffintown over flat terrain along the Lachine Canal, so we opted for the old-fashioned kind of bike and used pedal power to get around. The Montreal waterfront is simply outstanding. There’s a great café on Read more
