Canadian cities scored highly in this year’s Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards. And Chicago was named best U.S. big city for the tenth year in a row. Victoria was named the world’s best small city for the fourth year in a row, which is quite the accomplishment. Here is what the magazine had to say: A popular day trip from Vancouver, British Columbia’s capital city deserves a standalone visit. Arrive via one of the world’s most scenic ferry rides across Swartz Bay and check in to the bucket list-worthy Fairmont Empress, where the Fairmont Gold rooms include access to Read more
Venice
A new list of the 30 most beautiful destinations on earth, a fabulous grizzly bear-viewing trip to British Columbia, and new Canadian visitor numbers for Florida. All in today’s blog post. THE 30 MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES ON EARTH: REALLY? Condé Nast Traveller is one of the top names in the biz. It’s an excellent magazine with informed editors and readers. But I’m baffled by their latest list, which claims to show the 30 most beautiful places in the world. There are a couple of entries here that I know nothing about or that don’t appear all that amazing in the Read more
I like to talk about great places to go, but sometimes it’s good to warn people about places they might want to avoid. Not because they’re bad, but because they can get pretty overrun with visitors in the height of tourist season. MSN has an interesting list of 16 places that really don’t need more tourists. Of course, these places have become popular for a reason, so my advice would be go if you wish, but try to visit in the shoulder season or off-season. Not only will your experience be more pleasant, but you’ll also likely save a ton Read more
I see a lot of travel shaming going on in today’s world, and I’ve had it. Day after day, I see so-called travel experts on social media targeting people who visit all-inclusive resorts instead of going out and exploring. I understand where they’re coming from, as I vastly prefer to go out on my own. But not everyone fits the same mold. And not everyone’s passport (if they even have one) is overflowing with stamps from exotic countries. Some people might take a vacation every ten years. Or five. They work hard to put food on their tables and take Read more
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
