Building on a sold-out 2011 inaugural season in Alaska, InnerSea Discoveries has increased its cruising offerings in Alaska this year with the addition of the 76-guest Wilderness Explorer which will be sailing a new Northern Passages and Glacier Bay itinerary between Juneau and Sitka, Alaska. The ship joins the 60-guest Wilderness Adventurer and the 76-guest … Read more
by Maria Wu First of all, a little personal background. I came to enjoy hiking when I set out to find something interesting to do during the winter in Toronto, and so it was that I came to know a lot of places in Ontario which otherwise I would not have seen. Branching out, I … Read more
You don’t need these pages to tell you that this is a special year for England, with the Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations in London already reported extensively in the Canadian press. And you don’t necessarily have to be a staunch monarchist to realize that the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, to be held on … Read more
Also … Independent Walking in the United Kingdom Are you interested in doing an independent walking tour in the UK? The friends who joined us at the Farmhouse in Cornwall arrived on foot, after several days walking around Land’s End. Over the last few years, they have done several independent walking tours, and sing the … Read more
by Ted and Judy van der Veen I magine having an historic property somewhere in the United Kingdom all to yourselves for a weekend, a week or more. Live, eat, sleep, cook, curl up with a good book, head out on an excursion, role play the life of your favourite literary or historic personage … … Read more
story and photos by Ann Wallace To say I was excited would be an understatement! I was returning to one of my favourite countries – Mexico – after an absence of several years. And my family was coming too! It had all started with an invitation from old Canadian friends to the wedding of their … Read more
For those of you who love number-crunching, here are a few statistics from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) now that 2011 is over. International tourist arrivals grew by over 4% in 2011 to 980 million, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. With growth expected to continue in 2012, if at a … Read more
Dear Ann The other day I was looking through some old e-mails and came across our exchange about self-drive canal boat trips in Europe and your suggestion that, if we felt unable to self drive any longer, we could perhaps take a scheduled canal cruise on a larger boat. My wife and I have talked … Read more
Although I have lived in Ontario most of my life I had an admission to make: I had never visited our long-ago capital – Kingston. And although a proud Canadian, I had never seen a Cirque du Soleil performance. When I mentioned these omissions over the course of the last year, my grown children must … Read more
Another note from our cruise guru: Gayle and I have just booked a Europe “Christmas Market” River Cruise for November/December, 2012. Our airfare, economy, with routing i) day flight Air Canada to London Heathrow, ii) next day direct flight Swiss Air to Zurich, and iii) return direct day flight Austrian Airlines from Vienna to Toronto … Read more
Without wishing to start a second War of the Roses, I am spurred by the article “Places of Interest in the Northwest of England”, in January 2012’s Travel Society magazine, to tell readers about a wonderful B&B in the North York Moors National Park, in the Northeast of England. My wife’s brother and sister-in-law heard … Read more
Does catching an early glimpse of Spring appeal? If so, perhaps you’d like to plan a getaway to Philadelphia during the period 6 – 13 March. Those are the dates set for the Philadelphia International Flower Show. This Flower Show is America’s premier horticultural event, an award-winning destination consistently ranked in North America’s Top 100 … Read more
Dear Ann We are cruising onboard the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) Brilliance of the Seas heading to Dubai and thought I should warn fellow Canadian Travel Society members of events relating to UAE which, if not properly followed, can result in a Canadian not being permitted to board, or even loss of the total cruise, … Read more
story and photos by Denise Bridge Here’s a long and detailed story from frequent-contributor to TTS, Denise Bridge, who gives many details about cruising on a large ship. For many of you, this will be familiar territory, but for those of you who haven’t cruised on a large vessel, I think Denise paints a fascinating … Read more
story and photos by Ann Wallace Imagine this. It is hot. Really hot. Long beaches are crowded with folk who have come to soak up the sun on the sand or play in the surf. Yellow daisies nod gaily from almost every garden. Restaurant patios in quaint historic towns are crowded, though some shops and … Read more
For those with the UK in their plans and who’d rather stay “in town”, here’s a tip from another TTS member – Julie Coates. Thanks Julie … sounds good! I’ve visited London several times now (I just can’t get enough of it!) and have stayed in a variety of hotels. In this vast city, location … Read more
I know that the recommendations that appear in this trustworthy magazine are always offered first-hand. But before we get too far into 2011, I would like to share this information with you all as I feel it may be useful for those travelling to England this year. My story started with an invitation to a … Read more
It’s not too early to be looking ahead to summer trips in Canada. Here Maria Wu tells us about one of Québec’s renowned music festivals … Every year, many music festivals take place across Canada and USA, especially in Toronto in the summer. But my travelling bug tempts me farther afield to explore other venues. A … Read more