Travel Blog

As the world prepares to travel again, there’s a huge trend emerging: going small.  We know what the ingredients of travel are going to be in the immediate post-pandemic future of travel: More space. More privacy. More flexibility. The travel industry is rising to the occasion with an innovative sweep of new, and newly-important touring options that make touring with your own ‘bubble’ – whether it’s your family, extended family, group of friends or couples on their own – suddenly easy. Smaller groups....

The first announcement was a bombshell. Then, like dominoes, they all fell. United Airlines started the landslide when it revealed it was dropping change fees - forever. Why? Air passengers in the US dropped to below 100,000 a day at the peak of the pandemic travel shutdown – recovering to 10 X that number over the last month, which is still only a drop in the bucket of pre-COVID air travel rates. Something had to give.Change fees – at United,...

The kids are back to school (whatever that looks like this year for your nearest and dearest), but on the calendar, summer isn’t quite over – yet. The Autumn Equinox – the first day of Fall – arrives this year on Tuesday September 22, so we still have a couple more weekends of ‘summer’.You may not have done all the traveling you wanted this summer, but you can catch up now in spirit. Serve up an celebration of summer travel...

Holland America Line Changes the Name of its Newbuild and Designates it the New FlagshipTravel has taken a beating by COVID-19. But there’s one way it’s giving us something to celebrate. Like all cruise lines, Holland American Line has been hit very hard by COVID. HAL has announced its operations are paused through the end of this year.  The company is famous for its long and rich heritage, and what fans call its fleet of ‘dam’ ships (with names all...

From breathtaking beaches, up through rainforests and cloud forests, Costa Rica’s terrain rises from the sea to mountain ranges and, like icing on a scenic cake, a string of volcanoes that are evidence of the country’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. There are over 200 identifiable volcanoes in Costa Rica that date back more than 65 million years. Half of those show volcanic activity but only half a dozen are classified as active volcanoes.Costa Rica’s volcanoes are signature...

2020 has been an eventful year, with many firsts for the history books. But 2020 also marks some big anniversaries. Earlier this year, the Allies of World War 2 commemorated the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe, the end of the war against the Nazis. And now, short months later, V-J Day. Another epic moment in the history of the world: the 75th anniversary of the end of the War in the Pacific. Unlike V-E Day, V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day...

Guests left behind when a ship sails away is usually an unfortunate situation no cruise line likes to talk about. But when it happened last week in Naples, cheers rang out around the world. The guests weren’t late, which is usually how guests miss ships. Earlier this summer, Europe-based MSC Cruises had announced its new COVID-era health and safety protocols, developed closely with European authorities that included measures you’d expect plus:·     pre-screening every guest and crew member before boarding;·     daily checks and onboard...

Suddenly, everyone is golfing again.With only a few minor tweaks that courses have easily implemented, the game checks all the boxes for a COVID-safe pastime. So it’s no surprise that even less committed golfers have dusted off the clubs, rediscovering the delights to be found on the greens.As we rediscover travel, the same features that make golf the ideal pursuit in our own neighborhoods also make it an excellent theme for your post-COVID travels.The list of famous golf courses, resorts and...

The global pandemic closed the doors of nearly every hotel in the world. But thousands of very special ‘guests’ at some Fairmont hotels stayed.Some have even been ‘residents’ for years.'HOME SWEET HIVE'In 2008, the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto and Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver installed honey beehives. These two urban hotels may not seem likely places for apiaries. But the thriving hives made headlines, raising awareness of the importance of bees to our world, as well as producing honey for (human) guests, and...

Travel companies are introducing many new health and safety practices to help protect travelers, staff and locals as travel begins to resume.Now, one airline has taken those measures one step further. In a travel industry first, Emirates is covering its passengers for COVID-19 expenses. For travelers longing to take to the skies again, the Dubai-based global airline’s commitment is designed to boost confidence.It’s broad coverage, free of cost for Emirates customers from any country, flying to any destination in any class of...

It’s one of the least-loved experiences on a cruise. Not long after you board your ship with excitement to explore and start your vacation, you are required to put down your cocktail, and report to your ‘muster station’ for a mandatory safety drill. Sometimes, you even have to go back to your stateroom, collect your life vest, and take it – or wear it! - to your designated lifeboat on deck, trying not to trip over the trailing ties of someone else’s...

Americans are still barred from Europe, and Canadians are technically permitted into Europe but still under their own government restrictions against leisure travel and required to quarantine 14 days upon their return to the country. So it’s hard to imagine that one of North America’s favorite river cruise lines has begun sailing the rivers of Europe again. As of July, AmaWaterways is pioneering the re-opening of European river cruise operations, with a series of charters of AmaKristina in Germany for local guests....

We should be watching the opening ceremony of the XXXIII Olympiad right now. But COVID has changed the history of the Olympics along with so many other features of our lives. Tokyo 2020 retains the name, but the dates have changed.Originally scheduled to take place from July 24th through the second week of August this year, Tokyo 2020 now opens on July 23rd 2021. They are the first Summer Games to be postponed instead of cancelled due to an international crisis.You can still...

For a lot of us, #WorkFromHome is the new normal, and many companies say they plan to continue the practice permanently even after the COVID crisis. That’s giving a lot of people new freedom to re-structure their lives in a way that brings them more joy than long commutes and office cubicals. One Caribbean island is capitalizing on this huge shift in work and lifestyle. Barbados has introduced a ‘Barbados Welcome Stamp’, an invitation for international travelers, including US and Canadian citizens, to...

In the times of COVID, even Her Majesty needs a side-gig. Why not in the tasty world of spirits?In a Royal first, official Buckingham Palace gin has gone on sale to the public – and the first batch sold out online in only 8 hours!The premium, small-batch, London dry is an initiative of the Royal Collection Trust. It is infused with citrus and herbal notes that are derived from 12 botanicals, including some collected from the Buckingham Palace garden itself, like lemon...

There may be more places than you think.California's legendary wine regions and famous wineries have the weather, the scenery, the lifestyle, and of course, the wines, that put them at the top of global wine travel lists.But as we are planning our first post-COVID trips, wine lovers should expand their lists of wine tour regions close to home to get our fix of wine tastings, vineyard strolling, and re-stocking our cellars with one-of-a-kind vintages. Vastly different landscapes throughout America's states...

Can you take a Disney family vacation this summer? The answer is not as simple as you might wish (…upon a star… See what we did there?) Disney Parks have multiple locations in both the US and around the world. Asian Disney Parks have successfully re-opened already. In the US, the company had announced it would begin a phased re-opening in July.  Masking Up and Other New Health MeasuresBe prepared for changes to your next Disney experience. The company has implemented...

If you’re one of the majority of cruise travelers, you can’t wait to return to the waves and waterways. (It’s true! Surveys show over a third of cruise travelers want to board a ship within 3 months of the return of cruising!)Cruise travel involves a lot of moving parts (that’s one of the reasons most cruises are booked with a travel advisor’s help). And they all have to be in safe operation. From the moment you leave your home to the...

Recent weeks and days have seen a flurry of changes in travel restrictions and COVID status. Some countries have started declaring themselves COVID-free, while other places - like the US - continue to see spiking numbers.So re-opening rules keep changing and are different from place to place. It’s a lot for our US and Canadian readers to keep up with.Lynn Elmhirst, Producer/Host of BestTrip TV, helps you stay on top of the latest best practices for an informed traveler.Europe and...

You might see this view sooner than you think.The world of travel has begun to re-open. But it’s not like the tap has suddenly been turned full blast. More like a trickle. And there’s a clear pattern that’s going to shape your travel opportunities for at least the rest of this year, and possibly into 2021.Bubble TravelHuman interaction has gone from shelter-in-place, work-from-home and no contact with anyone outside your household, to health authorities laying out phases for a return to normal. Phase...