It’s been somewhat positive in the travel industry the past couple days. Not so much this morning, however. One of the world’s largest tour companies, Globus, says their Globus, Cosmos and Monograms tours are suspended through the end of August, as are their Avalon Waterways cruises. They’re hopeful of starting up again in September but it’s another blow to the travel and tourism industry. The head of Boeing, meanwhile, is warning that things won’t get better any time for airlines. I also have an update on Disney World, which appears to be accepting hotel reservations in July. So there is Read more
Orlando
Have Canadians thrown off our love affair with the U.S. in favour of exotic Asia? A new report from hotels.com suggests that could be the case. The study of bookings made by Canadians on their site in 2016 found that Los Angeles dropped from the 8th most popular international destination in 2015 all the way down to 20th, while Washington D.C. dropped from number 19 in 2015 to 35th last year. Some U.S. cities still did extremely well. New York was number one and Las Vegas was number two overall for bookings by Canadians, while Orlando was fifth. (The other Read more
We all want to save a buck. Or three. With that in mind, the folks at gobankingrates.com have put together lists of the 10 cheapest and 10 most expensive cities to visit in the U.S. I’m quite familiar with many of them and have some thoughts of my own, so I’m offering three free things to do in some of the most expensive cities. And, just for fun, free things to do in the cheapest cities so you can REALLY save. We’ll start with the most expensive on the list. In order, from most expensive on down, were New York Read more
The other day I talked about my favourite Canadian destinations and travel bits for 2014. Here are some thoughts (okay, a LOT of thoughts) about the U.S. and a couple Caribbean and European spots I visited during the year. Most surprising U.S. destination: Apalachicola, Florida. A super-relaxed, fun town in a quiet section of the Florida panhandle with just the right mix of old-time charm and trendy, new shops. A very good brewpub, too. Most wonderful host: The delightful Anthony Hunte of Hunte’s Gardens in Barbados. A lovely man, great conversationalist and incredible gardener. His garden is always the highlight Read more
The new Four Seasons Resort inside Walt Disney World adds lustre to a city that’s on the rise. I also have photos of cool areas of Jacksonville and a look at two Florida spots you may not know much about; Amelia Island and wonderful Apalachicola. There’s plenty new at Disney World , including the new Seven Dwarves Mine Train ride and a revamped Dumbo ride in Fantasyland at The Magic Kingdom. I also got a kick out of the Little Mermaid/Ariel attraction and ride, partly because of the colourful fish and the great music. The new Wizarding World of Harry Read more