THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL This is a continuation of my Future of Travel blog series. Few areas of the travel industry have taken a bigger public relations hit than cruising. But there may be some surprising signs of strength. Here’s a story published the other day on the U.S. TravelWeekly website. TravelWeekly is part of the Northstar Travel Group, as is TravelPulse Canada, where I serve as senior editorial director. The media’s coverage of ships with Covid-19 outbreaks has left cruising arguably the hardest hit of any travel product. It was the first industry to shut down completely, and its Read more
cruising
What’s on the horizon for cruise lines. The importance of travel insurance. And perhaps an end to over-tourism. I listened in on a pair of travel webinars on Thursday, trying to glean some words of wisdom from people smarter than I am. I came away with some pretty interesting observations for my now regular FUTURE OF TRAVEL blog series. The second webinar of the day was put on by my friends at TravMedia (full disclosure, I’m on the advisory board for their IMM USA yearly event) and featured a number of top names, including Los Angeles Times Travel Editor Catharine Read more
SOMEWHERE IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN: It’s formal night on the luxurious Cunard Queen Mary 2 and the British pub on board is packed with men in tuxedos and dark suits and women in elegant ball gowns. Instead of nodding quietly to a tinkling piano, however, this crowd of mostly middle-aged cruise enthusiasts are listening to a British musician blaze a loud, searing solo on his electric guitar as he plays Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” Their hands rise above their heads in unison, clapping fiercely as they join guitarist Paul Garthwaite in belting out the song’s famous lines, “We don’t need Read more
It’s easy to forget how lucky we are in Toronto. I live a few miles north of Lake Ontario and often weeks go by without my seeing one of the world’s largest lakes. And then I get down there on a perfect night in late spring and admire the light on the water and the brilliant white sailboats bobbing along and the feeling of sun on my face, and I look at the shoreline and say to myself, “I wish I owned a place right over there.” That’s probably not going to happen, and I’m probably never going to own Read more
MIAMI – A suite with almost 3,000 square feet of interior space. 493 chandeliers. And two original Picasso drawings. And if you asked for a partridge in a pear tree they’d probably get that for you, too. I had the chance recently to tour the Regent Seven Seas Explorer ship. It’s billed as “the most luxurious ship ever built,” and I’m in no position to dispute it. I’ve only been on a handful of cruises, but if there’s a more elegant, refined and beautiful ship on one of the world’s oceans I can’t imagine it. They also have introduced a Read more
