It was an ambitious plan. And probably a stupid one. My wife and I had an invitation to take the Rocky Mountaineer train from Denver to Moab, Utah from April 22-24. We also had a visit lined up for Las Vegas from April 28-30. Flying home from Utah to Toronto on April 24 and then flying back out west to Las Vegas on the 28th seemed silly. I started to think, which is often a dangerous occurrence in my household. “I’ve always wanted to see the great national parks of Utah,” I told my wife. “What do you think?” She Read more
hiking
Dominica is garnering tons of headlines these days. Conde Nast Travel recently named it one of the 16 best islands in the world. Travel + Leisure just this week named Dominica the top island in the Caribbean and 8th best in the world, and named the island’s Secret Bay Resort as the top hotel in the Caribbean (and 25th best in the world). I first visited five or six years ago, and got to return for a five-day visit in January. It’s a tremendous, relatively undiscovered island with tremendous hiking and diving. Big resorts are popping up, including a Marriott Read more
As a full-time travel writer for a full 15 years (okay, 14 years and eight months), I’ve been able to visit every province in Canada, as well as Yukon several times. There are so many great areas to highlight, and, with the low Canadian dollar, it’s a great time to stay close to home and enjoy a great Canadian holiday. Since most of us are a little short on cash, and a little short on time, I thought I’d post a series of brief Canada travel items over the next few weeks, highlighting different parts of the country. I’ll start Read more
It was a pretty good year for travel outside Canada, with numerous trips to California, a couple to Hawaii, one to Florida, a river cruise in Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, and two weeks in Western Australia and New South Wales. From Santa Monica to Sydney and Maui to Vienna, here are some of my top experiences, fave foods and hotels of 2022. BEST ISLAND PHOTO: The Abrolhos Islands of Western Australia, as seen from my scenic flight with Geraldton Air Charter. We spotted pods of dolphins from the air. You also can take a trip that includes a nice swim Read more
This story was originally posted on my site in 2015. HONG KONG – I’m standing atop a tall, craggy peak with a strong wind rolling off the China Sea. Small, willow-like plants bend to the power of the breeze as I gaze at steep headlands dotted with acacia trees and sweet-smelling pine. Far below my feet I can see sand traps laid out on a deep green golf course and gnarly inlets and bays of Hong Kong Island. Uninhabited islands in shades of green and sun-kissed gold dot the surrounding ocean waters. Off to my right, I see a group Read more
