Fall is almost here for folks in the northern hemisphere, which means the summer crowds are pretty much gone from many of the world’s – and North America’s – top destinations. Shoulder season is an ideal time to visit Europe, with the usual hordes having departed cities like Rome and Barcelona but with warm weather still lingering. Not to mention warm Mediterranean water. It’s also a great time to visit Northern California, which often sees it warmest temperature of the year in September and (usually) very little fog. And a fabulous time to visit Hawaii for deals and for Australia Read more
Cornwall
It’s shaping up to be another “Summer of Europe,” with more flights than ever for both Canadians and Americans and a surging demand. Here are five of fave, mostly lesser-known places to explore. CIRQUE DE GAVARNIE, FRANCE The drive to get here is nice. But nothing prepared me for the moment when I came around a corner and was confronted with a truly massive, craggy circle of stone and ancient rock rising up at the end of an impossibly beautiful, green valley. There are jagged edges and smoothly worn bowls and patches of snow in shady pockets in Read more
I skipped past pretty cliffside homes painted in shades of pale yellow and robin’s egg blue that looked down on the deep green Atlantic Ocean. I was almost paralyzed with fear from driving a monstrously large SUV down shrub-lined roads built for Austin Minis. I read sad stories about shipwrecks, wandered into funky boutiques and deeply inhaled the salty sea air. I recently spent four days in Cornwall, England, traipsing along the coast in search of the perfect seaside village. I found a fistful of beauties; some bathed in the kind of light you’d see in an Impressionist painting and Read more
I had some great visits outside of Canada and the U.S. this year, visiting Sydney, Tasmania, Western Australia, Dominica, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Scotland and England. Here are some highlights. BEST RENTAL CAR EMPLOYEE My reservation was all messed up and the Budget Rental Car counter was closed when I landed at the airport in Esperance, Western Australia. I called the phone number for after hours help and reached a very kind woman named Hope. She was about to head off to a gender reveal party but said she could drive out and get my car set up for me, which Read more
