That bucket list vacation you’ve been mapping out could be a little bit closer today. Aeroplan, Canada’s favourite rewards program, has announced that members can now earn and redeem Aeroplan Miles on all car rental in Canada, the U.S. and around the world with Avis Car Rental and Budget Car Rental. Those are two of the largest car agencies in the world. Aeroplan also announced members will be able to earn and redeem miles with Payless Car Rental in the coming months, adding yet another way to earn valuable points. Aeroplan members previously were able to earn and redeem points Read more

London’s prices are falling down. But you’re still much further ahead if try Prague or Bangkok. A new study of hotel prices by hotels.com shows that the Brexit vote has had an effect on hotel costs. The study found that Canadians last year paid an average of $254 a night for a hotel in London, England. That’s down 9% from the 2015 average price of $278. It’s a sizable drop, but $254 Cdn. per night is still a hefty price to pay for a night’s sleep. The hotels.com Hotel Price Index study found you’re much better off in Paris, where Read more

Being on March Break doesn’t mean your kids have to stop learning. Apple has wonderful apps (millions of them, actually) for your iPad that will help keep your kids both entertained and stimulated while they’re out of school. If you’re headed out of town, there also are tons of great ways to use your iPad to save money on the road and find great experiences you and your family will remember forever. Here’s a look at 10 great apps you should try for both learning and travel. Don’t forget iPads are available in three models, with a colour and size Read more

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) sponsored my participation in this campaign. All opinions are my own. SOOKE, B.C. – The Grand Canyon sounds pretty darn grand. The Rocky Mountains conjure up images of stark, rugged peaks and picture-perfect alpine lakes in shades the Crayola crayon people never imagined. And just about everyone knows about Niagara Falls. But even a veteran travel writer like myself was baffled and left with a blank stare on his face when someone on a trip I took to B.C. last year with Tourism Vancouver Island said we would be visiting the Sooke Potholes. Being a polite Read more

Have Canadians thrown off our love affair with the U.S. in favour of exotic Asia? A new report from hotels.com suggests that could be the case. The study of bookings made by Canadians on their site in 2016 found that Los Angeles dropped from the 8th most popular international destination in 2015 all the way down to 20th, while Washington D.C. dropped from number 19 in 2015 to 35th last year. Some U.S. cities still did extremely well. New York was number one and Las Vegas was number two overall for bookings by Canadians, while Orlando was fifth. (The other Read more

Canada’s renewed investment in tourism seems to be working. The low Canadian dollar and U.S. politics also might be helping. Figures released today by Destination Canada show that arrivals into Canada last year jumped 11% to our highest level in 14 years. Visits from the U.S. reached 13,899,814; up 10%, while international arrivals jumped a whopping 16 %. In total, Canada attracted 19,979,334 visitors; the second highest amount ever and the highest since 2002. This year could be even better given it’s our 150th birthday, with parties planned coast to coast, and the continuing low dollar. There also are reports Read more