Travel Blog

Austria’s capital city is famous as a cradle of classical music and high culture, for its skyline shaped by Hapsburg palaces, the Opera House and city symbol Giant Ferris Wheel, for tastes and experiences like chocolate/apricot Sacher Torte and coffee house culture, and even the renowned, high-performing and high-stepping, gleaming white Lipizzaner horses.  You may have been to Vienna before, but no matter how many times you’ve been to a city, seeing it from above gives you a whole new...

This holiday season will be the brightest ever in the most popular tourist attraction in Canada – and one that conveniently spans the border with the U.S. - just as the land border between the neighboring countries is set to be open in both directions.  Beginning in mid-November and running 101 nights all the way to late February 2022, Canada’s largest, free outdoor light festival will take place. It’s the longest Ontario Power Generation Winter Festival of Lights of its...

This small French Caribbean island is known as the Isle of Flowers, the Rum Capital of the World, and now, its land mass, along with the marine zone around it, has become an over 12-million acre globally recognized eco-reserve. Martinique has been inducted into UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program, so now over 5% of the Earth’s landmass is recognized for conservation of biodiversity, environmental education research, and sustainable development. The organization describes Martinique as “the 12th biosphere reserve along the...

Slow-moving, sweet-faced and gentle sloths have taken the world by storm, becoming one of the most beloved creatures in popular culture in the last few years. Formerly a synonym for laziness, sloths have become cultural darlings, with their famously adorable countenances that always seem to be smiling sweetly, 270-degree, slow head rotations, ability to hold their breath underwater for over half an hour, and a digestive system that takes days to process food. Sloth encounters have famously turned celebrities to...

It’s Oktoberfest time again. The festival traditionally held annually in Bavaria’s capital of Munich, with similar events throughout the entire region, is one of the world’s most epic celebrations. Name notwithstanding, Oktoberfest actually runs for just over two weeks from mid-late September to the first Sunday in October. It’s been cancelled again in 2021, but that gives you time to brush up on your vocabulary – and German beer drinking skills – until you can visit Munich’s Oktoberfest soon. Here are...

Montreal is a year-round global capital of celebration. The world’s second-largest French-speaking city (after only Paris) is famous for its cosmopolitan flair, cuisine, fashion, as a UNESCO City of Design, the birthplace of Cirque du Soleil - and a full calendar of top-shelf festivals that wrap the city in energy anytime you visit. A famously active winter city, Montreal’s star shines even when the temperatures fall, with a mid-winter ‘Nuit Blanche’, ‘Igloofest’ and active celebrations of the city, like giant...

To celebrate the release of the long-awaited new James Bond film, No Time to Die, the Jamaica Tourist Board is releasing some exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage. It showcases cast and crew from the movie, as well as some of the locations shot in Jamaica. The country has been part of the Bond legacy from the very beginning. Author Ian Fleming created the series and wrote the James Bond novels at his seaside home, appropriately named ‘Goldeneye’.And in fact, Jamaica had a starring...

The secret about river cruising was out, even before the pandemic. Like all cruise travel, it's the ‘easy button’ way to ‘sample’ multiple destinations and get an overview of a region. You unpack once, really settling in to your ship environment like a home away from home in a floating boutique hotel that winds its way through marquee cities as well as scenic countryside you might not see if you travel any other way. The enchantment of river cruising is...

Chicago’s ‘The Bean’ sculpture is already one of the most popular attractions in the city. Officially titled ‘Cloud Gate’, the massive, stainless steel sculpture anchors Chicago’s lakefront Millennium Park. At 33 feet high, 42 feet wide, 66 feet long… and about the weight of 15 elephants! the abstract work of public art dominates the cityscape and is one of the largest outdoor art installations in the world.Almost every visitor to Chicago finds themselves taking in the awe-inspiring reflective surface of...

They are a calm oasis in the heart of the hustle and bustle of an airport, and among the few places where air travel retains a sense of ceremony.  Certainly, they are the very best places for people who love to remind themselves of the romance of travel by watching planes take off and land.  Airport lounges have gone beyond generic luxury living rooms / bars for first-class passengers. The latest in lounges reflects the culture of the airline as...

For many of us, September feels more like the ‘New Year’ than when the calendar says it’s January. Time to exhale, regroup, and reset yourself on a fulfilling course for the future, one that includes meeting life and wellness goals.Maybe that’s why September is National Yoga Month.The ideal time to practice – or at least plan for - two intersecting life goals: more yoga and more travel.Here are 5 inspired places to practice yoga on an enriching journey.  Flamingo Yoga at Baha...

Sunken wrecks aren’t just fascinating destinations for underwater exploration or fantasies of pirate ‘days of yore’. Properly and carefully submerged, wrecks enhance natural reef ecosystems and provide new homes for marine plants and creatures. A new submerged ship is about to become a prime diving attraction in the 2nd-largest barrier reef in the world. It will also contribute to sustainability in a number of ways.“The Wit Concrete” ship is a 375-foot long, 58-foot wide, and 38-foot deep ship originally built during WW2,...

A survey by a North American hospitality company reveals that over half of pet owners say they plan to travel with Fido or Fluffy in the coming year.And while a surprising one-third of respondents say they have a special music playlist for their beloved animals, less than 10% have prepared for their trip by doing online research about traveling with their pets.Well, we’ve come to the rescue.If you just can’t bear to leave your animal companion at home while you...

Canoes have become the ultimate symbol of Canada’s sub-Arctic indigenous people. Living where there are more freshwater lakes and rivers than anywhere else on the planet, they became one of the great inland water travelling cultures of the world.European arrivals quickly came to appreciate the indigenous people’s mastery of building and navigating their canoes. ‘Voyageurs’ and trappers adopted indigenous peoples’ perfectly adapted vessels to explore Canada. Canoes became entrenched into Canada’s history, culture and lifestyle from its earliest years.Peterborough and...

While it was founded in the 1500’s by a monk, and its colonial center has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, San Miguel de Allende as a famous art colony dates from the Second World War. Just half a day’s drive from Mexico City in the Colonial Highlands, San Miguel is 6000 feet above sea level in Mexico’s high sierra, with cool, comfortable temperatures and clear mountain air year round. After the war, US veterans covered by the GI Bill started...

 It’s a tiny island with a big reputation as one of the most chic destinations in the Caribbean. Legendary St. Barts combines French ‘art de vivre’ with a lush tropical setting and an exclusive atmosphere. If you’ve been waiting to discover – or re-visit – this jewel of the islands, there may be no better time than November. That’s when the Caribbean Rum Awards bring island luminaries and rum and cigar VIP’s from around the world together to celebrate two island...

In 2021, UNESCO created a new, transnational World Heritage site: 11 towns in 7 European countries that collectively make up The Great Spa Towns of Europe. All of the towns developed around natural mineral water springs, many of which were used therapeutically from Europe’s earliest history. Together, the Great Spa Towns of Europe represent the international European spa culture that grew between the early 1700’s and 20th century, leading to the development of grand international spa resorts with buildings and rooms...

Lavish destination weddings and vow renewals are back! And we can’t think of anything more lavish than a wedding by the same person who is the official ring designer for ABC’s hit romance/reality TV series, The Bachelor. Neil Lane has teamed up with luxury Fairmont Hotels & Resorts to create one-of-a-kind weddings for couples that want their weddings to make a statement.  In addition to rings for The Bachelor, Lane is famous for bejewelling celebrities on the red carpet, and for...

There are more ‘Blue Holes’ in The Bahamas than anywhere else in the world, as well as the deepest Blue Hole on earth. From the surface, they can appear mythical, and in fact, Blue Holes feature in a number of Bahamian marine legends. But these distinct circles of dark blue water surrounded by an ocean of brilliant cerulean blue are not portals to a mystical netherworld. They are the entrance to aquatic sinkholes and underwater caves.  Exploring Blue Holes is a highlight...

Whether African or Asian, elephants around the world are revered for their majesty, intelligence, and as an example of astonishing sensitivity in one of the world’s largest creatures. Seeing elephants in their natural setting remains a touchstone of travel for many who have African safaris on their bucket lists.August 12th is World Elephant Day, which celebrates these magnificent creatures. It also asks people the world over to come together to conserve elephant habitats in the wild, and protect them from...