Major awards for three Canadian airports. A nice Air Canada sale. New hotels for Maui. Turkish Airlines becomes third busiest in the world. A new marketing plan for Fort Lauderdale. And a spiffy new Fairmont hotel/resort in Spain. Today’s blog post covers a lot of ground! TORONTO, VICTORIA AND ST. JOHN’S AIRPORT AWARDS Toronto Pearson Airport, along with airports in Victoria, B.C. and St. John’s, have won awards from Airports Council International (ACI). As part of ACI’s annual Airport Service Quality awards, The Montreal-based group handed out three “Best Airport Awards” for North American facilities that serve Read more
Spain
More than 40 million Americans visited Europe last year, checking out amazing cities, fascinating history, cultural icons and dazzling landscapes. In 2024, the number of US travelers visiting Europe surged, with 40.2 million Americans flying to the continent. As travelers increasingly seek out unique destinations, certain European countries have seen a rise in popularity, with Western and Central Europe emerging as key favorites. Here’s the top 10, according to Travel and Tour World: United Kingdom I’ve been lucky enough to visit all of them, and they’re terrific. England is, of course, home to London, which is one of the great Read more
And now my Jimmy Awards for Best International Travel Experiences in 2024. I didn’t do a lot of overseas travel, but I did manage trips to Istanbul and Singapore, and our MSC cruise on the World Europe took us to Italy, Malta, Spain and France. Thank you to everyone who helped along the way, both in big and small ways. Best Tour: We had a superb tour of Palermo, Sicily with a local guide on our MSC World Europa visit. We admired the beautiful cathedral, nibbled on cannoli the size of a football, and briefly toured a furiously noisy local Read more
Expedia has come out with its list of top world destinations for 2025, and there are some great picks. Here’s their top nine for the upcoming year. A Catalonian culinary haven Girona, Spain As Catalonian capital Barcelona hits the headlines for record-breaking tourism numbers, conscious travellers are keeping visits short and sweet, basing themselves primarily in nearby Girona, a hill-top medieval showstopper just 40 minutes away via the new Avlo high-speed train service. In gastronomic circles, Girona has been an insider secret for years, with 12 Michelin-starred restaurants in the region, snapping at San Sebastián’s crown as Spain’s culinary Read more
A new study reveals the best cities for budget travelers, and Rome ranks first for offering the most free tourist attractions. Bangkok offers the lowest average hotel price at just $8 (all figures USD) and the most affordable meal price of $3.14. Lisbon stands out with the highest weather index of 98.6, which allows visitors to enjoy outdoor activities year-round. A recent study by DIPNDIVE revealed the top ten best cities for budget travelers based on a comprehensive analysis of various key factors. The data used in this study included the number of free tourist attractions, average cost of living, meal prices at inexpensive Read more
