I had some wonderful visits in the U.S. and Canada this year, including a monumental train trip from Colorado to Utah, a wonderful six days in Prince Edward Island and great stays in Los Angeles, southwest Ontario, southern Florida and northern California. I also got to visit one of my fave islands, Molokai, and spent four nice but sobering days on Maui to see how they’re recovering from the devastating and still unfathomable wildfires. It wasn’t all pretty, but I had many a remarkable experience and more than a few great meals along the way. Thanks to everyone who helped Read more
Rocky Mountaineer
A lively downtown with great, old-time architecture. Terrific food. Stylish hotels. And the Rocky Mountains in your back yard. Denver wasn’t exactly high on the list of trendy cities 30 or 40 years ago. But an influx of tech companies and people looking for more wide-open space has made it one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. My wife and I spent a day in the city in late April prior to boarding the Rocky Mountaineer train for their “Rockies to Red Rocks” two-day trip, and we loved it. I was there 30 years to cover a Denver Nuggets-Toronto Read more
A Canadian parliamentary committee is calling for sweeping changes to Canada’s air passenger rights rules, including better compensation regulations for those facing delayed or cancelled flights, and tougher enforcement of the rules. Canadian Press reports that the recommendations, tabled in Ottawa on Tuesday (April 18), comes after chaotic travel seasons over the summer and winter holidays brought on by soaring demand, labour shortages and winter storms. The House of Commons standing committee on transport offered 21 recommendations, including stronger monetary penalties, smoother processing of compensation claims and automatic payout offers after cancellations, significant delays or denial of boarding. The Globe Read more
U.S. News magazine recently came out with a list of the best world destinations for solo travel. To my surprise, Toronto was the only Canadian city on the list of 33 destinations. I would’ve thought more Canadian cities, which are relatively safe, would make the list. That goes especially for Vancouver, with its natural beauty and great food scene, and Montreal, with its wonderful neighborhoods and French joie de vivre. Shows what I know. Anyhow, here are the destinations that made the list. California came away with three entries. Beaver Creek, Colorado Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands Paris San Diego Rome Read more
The bad news continues for Sunwing, and for Canadian travellers. Sunwing airlines has reduced its flight schedules from three airports in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canadian Press reports. Tiffany Chase with the Halifax International Airport Authority said on Sunday that Sunwing cancelled its plans to launch once-weekly flights in February from Halifax to Orlando, Fla., and to Cayo Largo del Sur, Cuba. A twice-weekly flight to Varadero, Cuba, set to begin in February will be reduced to once a week, she said. “We expect Sunwing’s other scheduled services at Halifax Stanfield to continue this winter season,” Halifax airport’s communications Read more
