Air Canada today announced significantly expanded service to Europe for next summer, including a new, year-round route between Montreal and Madrid, expanded service to Italy and earlier seasonal start-up flights between Toronto and Edinburgh, Scotland. Canada’s largest airline said it plans to operate 100 per cent of its peak summer 2019 trans-Atlantic capacity next year, taking full advantage of the robust recovery in its largest international market. Air Canada will begin its seasonal flights between Toronto and Edinburgh on March 1, 2024. I’m scheduled for an AC flight from Pearson to Edinburgh a week from today, actually. “Air Canada saw Read more

CHATHAM, ONTARIO – Andria Dyer is standing at the edge of a fire in a pretty glade of deep green trees at TJ Stables, singing a song about giving thanks to the creator. I don’t understand the words as she’s singing in Ojibwe, but I know the word “Miigwech” means “thank you,” so I can at least pick that up. In fact, the precise words don’t seem to matter. Dyer, who is Ojibwe from Chippewa of the Thames First Nation and whose indigenous name is Running Deer, is clearly pouring her heart and soul into the song. Her voice rises Read more

There’s always something new in San Francisco. This year they’re celebrating some things that are rather old as well. I recently spent a few days in the City by the Bay checking out things both old and new. Okay, and a few things in between. Here’s a look at some of the highlights. SOME THINGS NEW HOTELS   Hyatt Regency SoMa The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa, previously known as the Park Central hotel, reopened last year after a full, $70 million renovation/reimagination. We had a 23rd floor suite in cool shades of grey and black, with brown and Read more

Climbing the Statue of Liberty. Traveling to Tahiti. Getting soaked at Niagara Falls. With so many different travel experiences to enjoy around the world, a new study from luxury travel experts Kuoni has revealed which ones travellers across the globe are the most interested in. Topping the list for Canadians is visiting the Maldives, with travellers hoping to set foot on the beautiful islands for themselves one day. Visiting Bora Bora follows in second place, and then seeing the Northern Lights follows in third. Americans, on the other hand, want to stay close to home. Kuoni looked at global search Read more

Kudos to Alaska Airlines for encouraging visitors to Maui, and offering sizeable discounts on air tickets. The airline says it will offer 40% off on tickets on flights to Maui until Oct. 18, 2023. The governor of Hawai’i currently has banned travel to West Maui until October 17.. West Maui is home to the fire-ravaged city of Lahaina and popular resorts in Ka’anapali, Kahana, Napili and Kapalua. Alaska Airlines’ website has a post with a series of interviews with Maui residents and business owners asking visitors to return in a respectful manner to open areas of the island and help Read more

Comparing search data for three of the major long weekends in Canada – Victoria Day, Canada Day, and Labour Day – Expedia explored which destinations Canadians were most interested in for summer 2023, and which destinations see a shift during the fall months. On the global destination list, Toronto came out on top for all three summer long weekend dates in terms of search interest. Recently, Toronto saw a spike in interest for November 2024 with the announcement of pop-icon Taylor Swift’s long-awaited Canadian tour dates. For the first wave of shows, Expedia reported a 5000% hike in flight searches Read more