I know food is a huge part of travel. All you have to do is look at Instagram to see 346,193 photos per day of tacos, tender steaks and terrific-looking salads. I am, of course, making up the number of food shots, although I’m sure some geeky underling at Instagram could tell me how many food photos they see posted every day. The point is that food has always been a big part of travel. And now there’s a study that puts an exclamation point on it, and that also points out some different characteristics of Canadian travellers versus American Read more

NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO – A shiny new restaurant. The same world-beating view. The new Table Rock Restaurant overlooking the Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls in Niagara Falls is a beautiful and tasty addition to one of the world’s most popular destinations. The restaurant, formerly known as Elements On the Falls but originally called Table Rock, was shut down for four months at the start of this year. It re-opened in May, and it’s a stunner. Thanks to the massive windows, you still get the same jaw-dropping views of the falls. But now the décor is equally impressive; deep blues and greys with Read more

I’ve been lucky enough to interview the likes of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Bill Clinton and other famous folks in my long journalism career. But I’ve never had much exposure to movie folks, so that made Sunday a lot of fun. The good folks at the Ontario Heritage Trust, who are involved with the Toronto International Film Festival, were kind enough to supply my wife and I with tickets for The Report, a new U.S. film about the battle to release top secret U.S. Senate reports that looked at the use of torture by the American CIA in the aftermath Read more

There’s been a good deal of attention paid to how the ongoing trade wars and increasing political hostility between the U.S. and China and between Canada and China is hurting the economies of both the U.S. and Canada. What I hadn’t seen until today is something that focusses on how travel and tourism are being affected. A report on CBS News paints a troubling picture that should have American tourism folks pretty scared. I also found a Statistics Canada study from this week that shows Canadians also are being hurt. The CBS News item quotes a study from Tourism Economics, Read more

This item originally appeared at aarp.org/travel, where I’ve been publishing a variety of stories. Maui is a magnificent part of the Hawaiian Islands, with wondrous beaches, posh resorts, sensual hula shows and Instagram-worthy coastlines. Those memories can be expensive if you’re not careful. Luckily, however, there are lots of great free and extremely affordable ways to enjoy the island. Here are some tips from a 20-time-plus visitor. GO IN THE SHOULDER SEASON Summer is pricey as kids are out of school and many families want a beach holiday. Winter is expensive as snowbirds are anxious to flee the cold. I Read more

So, you want to be a travel writer? Can’t say I blame you. I spent 32 years at the Toronto Star, the last five as the paper’s travel section editor. I left in August of 2013 to work as a freelance travel writer, and have worked for dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites in the interim period. I’ve been to every province in Canada and the Yukon and to dozens of countries on most of the continents in the last 11 years, including far-flung spots in Australia, Asia, Europe, South America, The South Pacific and the Caribbean. It’s been a Read more