New Porter Airlines flights to the Caribbean, Mexico and United States from across Canada next winter. Plus news about Uber jumping into the hotel booking biz, Chicago’s celebration of Route 66, and news of a pair of around-the-world voyages from Holland America. ARUBA, JAMAICA, PORTER WANTS TO TAKE YA Porter Airlines is flying south next winter to four new destinations. In addition to a robust set of new sun routes from Eastern Canada, Porter is introducing its first international flights from Alberta. This includes over 40 warm-weather routes for the 2026-27 season. The carrier has been growing at a rapid Read more
Route 66
I think Michelin does a fine job with its restaurant ratings, but I’m not sure about a list they recently published of 16 top foodie destinations for 2026. I can only assume these are destinations they like, or wished to highlight, versus the best destinations in the world. If you look at it that way, the list is pretty useful; shedding light on cities and regions that normally wouldn’t get a lot of coverage on food and restaurant lists. Here’s their list of 16 spots for 2026: Venice Czechia Dolomites (Italy) Wroclaw, Poland Amalfi Coast, Italy (spectacular scenery, fresh seafood Read more
I love these year-end look-ahead pieces that talk about great places to visit the following year. Earlier I referenced some top picks by National Geographic. Today I’ll look at top choices from Conde Nast Traveler and BBC Travel. CONDE NAST TRAVELER Among their top picks were several of my fave places in the world, and at least one I hope to visit soon. ROUTE 66 I had hoped to do this trip by car next spring. Alas, health concerns got in the way and I won’t make it. Perhaps I can visit some of it later in 2026. I’d really Read more
National Geographic, one of the biggest names in travel, has issued a list of 26 top places to visit next year, and Canadian destinations scored big. Banff was named Readers Choice destination for next year in the magazine’s 2026 hot spot list, while Nat Geo editors put the province of Quebec and the city of Vancouver on their list. Also making the charts were Maui, Australia’s most famous Outback destination, Manila, Rio de Janeiro, the Caribbean island of Dominica, Route 66 in Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, and the Dolomites and Milan in Italy. Here’s a closer look, with comments from Nat Geo. Read more
Brand USA, the people in charge of marketing the U.S. to the world, have a new campaign called “America the Beautiful.” The announcement, made today at the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW event in Chicago, includes the launch of a new global tourism campaign, America the Beautiful, and the introduction of a dedicated digital hub, AmericaTheBeautiful.com. The campaign aims to showcase the diversity and richness of U.S. destinations and encourage international travel to the United States in 2025 and beyond. Brand USA also outlined key milestones shaping the coming decade — including America250 (celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S.), the Read more
