A historic home once lived in by one of the world’s greatest writers. Fabulous food. Great, local wines. And wonderful, walkable downtowns. The Tri-Valley region of California is not only easy to enjoy, but easy to get to. The valley is roughly a 45-minute drive from downtown San Francisco, and easily reached on the Bay Area Rapid Transit System. It’s not an area that gets a ton of publicity, but that’s what makes it so much fun to explore. I grew up about 10 minutes from the area, and a post at the daily Tri-Valley Herald was my first newspaper Read more
Dublin
Canadians have always had plenty of reasons to visit Ireland. Now they have 92 more. According to Tourism Ireland’s Alison Metcalfe, a full 92% of Irish adults aged 12 and older have received their full dose of COVID-19 vaccines. As if that’s not enough, the latest COVID Resilience Report from Bloomberg put the island nation as the best in the world at handling the virus. “Ireland was in a very strict lockdown and handled COVID I think pretty well,” Metcalfe, Executive Vice President USA and Canada for Tourism Ireland, told me in a one-on-one interview in downtown Toronto on Tuesday, Read more
NOTE: All thoughts about destinations and the kayak.com websites are my own. But KAYAK paid for the posting of this blog and for me to let people know about the blog via social media. The Internet is a wonderful thing when it comes to travel. But sometimes a bit terrifying at the same time. The choices are seemingly endless. Iceland’s hot springs and towering waterfalls look funky and off-the-beaten-track. But the temples and beaches of Thailand are tempting, too. Not to mention the pristine hikes you could take among the Alberta Rockies. On top of all that, the options for Read more
Such a big world. So many great places to go. The Internet is filled (well, not quite) with year-end stories that look ahead to great places to visit in 2016. I’ve found some nice suggestions from folks such as Frommer’s and Conde Nast, as well as Lonely Planet, which singled out Quebec City. But they’re not me, so I’ve come up with my own suggestions of cool places to check out in the New Year. Happy travels to all! CALGARY The city has quietly become a hotspot for cutting edge cuisine, as evidenced by the recent naming of Pigeonhole as Read more
Europe can get hot and crowded in summer. So why not try a trip in winter? Air fares and hotels will be less expensive, often wildly so. And you won’t have the crowds. Which means more time to delve deep and really explore. Here are some great spots to try. IRELAND A bit cool, you say? Well, it’s not like summer in Ireland is a guaranteed heat furnace. So why not explore Dublin’s Temple Bar when you don’t need a reservation for the best bar stool? And why not try a night at a sumptuous spot like Ashford Castle in Read more
