Visiting China is about to become a lot easier for many Canadians. As of tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026), holders of Canadian passports can travel to China without having to pay for a visa. A China travel visa currently costs about $140 CAD, so this would mean a savings of almost $300 for a couple and more than $550 in savings for a family of four. The CBC reports Canadian passport holders will be “exempted from visa to enter China and stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family/friends visit, exchange and transit purposes.” The policy also applies Read more
Cancun
Bloomberg recently came out with nice recommendations on great places to travel in 2026. Among their suggestions were Taipei, Corsica, Lake Louise, San Francisco and Scotland. I’m a big fan of Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean I visited back in 2009. The food (especially the wine, cheese and seafood) is quite good, the coastline magical, and the surprisingly rugged mountains great for hiking. Bloomberg noted a growth in new boutique hotels and called the island “the perfect blend between private luxury and uncrowded, European summer bliss.” Notwithstanding those comments, I’d aim for a visit in late April or Read more
Porter Airlines is announcing its first flights to sun destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica this winter. It’s a major change for Porter, which has previously operated flights only within Canada and to the United States. It also gives Canadians and other travellers new ways to reach sunny destinations this winter. Porter said its expansion means travellers can choose from five destinations and 13 routes originating from Toronto Pearson International Airport, Ottawa International Airport and John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. The line-up of destinations includes Cancun, Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Nassau, The Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, Read more
This is a fun item. A website called Radical Storage took a look at nearly 100,000 Google reviews from the top 10 most-reviewed tourist attractions in 100 cities around the world and looked for words like “overrated” or “disappointing.” They then came up with a list of the ten most underwhelming/disappointing/overrated destinations around the world. They also published a list of the ten most surprising/underrated destinations. Here’s a look. OVERRATED/DISAPPOINTING Cancun, Mexico Antalya, Turkiye Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Beijing, China Orlando, Florida Mumbai, India Honolulu, Hawaii Johor Bahru, Indonesia Kyot0, Japan Playa del Carmen, Mexico UNDERRATED/SURPRISING Guangzhou, China Lima, Peru Read more
As travellers get ready for the holiday season, Hilton has released the most searched destinations by Canadians for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Warm weather locales continue to be a popular travel destination for the holidays, but those looking for an urban getaway are searching for stays in Las Vegas and New York City. Here’s a look at the destinations Canadians are looking at the most: Hawaii Whether looking to relax before 2025 or have a week filled with adventure – or both – Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort offers plenty of activities for the whole Read more
