India a surreal trip
I have read books about India for years, and have always been fascinated by the people and imagery of this majestic place, so when I got the opportunity to travel there with my brother this march, the experience was beyond surreal.Read more
Take off on a liberating nudist flight
LONDON F We’re on our final approach for landing. Please fasten your seat belts and return your tray tables and seats to the upright position. Oh, and put your clothes back on.Read more
Drawn to deco
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. F Modern-day South Beach is still a vibrant monument to the Art Deco designs of the late 1920s and ’30s.Read more
Luau Lounging in LA
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – Chris, my friend and tour guide while I’m in Los Angeles, has just ordered a death sentence of tequila.
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Mexico’s Oaxaca finds its feet again
OAXACA, Mexico, The last time I was in Oaxaca, I was frantically trying to improvise a gas mask.The capital of the southern Mexican state of the same name, was a war zone: anti-government protesters packing spray paint, rocks and Molotov cocktails; police in riot gear tossing canisters of black tear gas into the crowd.
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For the family who has everything
If Christmas is a time of wretched excess, it doesn’t get much more excessive than this: New York City’s Buckingham Hotel has come up with a Christmas Key to the City package that is so exclusive, expensive and over the top that it will be available to just one family. And, at $150,000, it likely won’t be yours and definitely won’t be mine.Read more
A doll’s day out in New York
NEW YORK It was Sept. 28 and I was late — too late to score a lunch reservation at the doll haven American Girl Place for any weekend from mid-November to mid-December.Read more
Break out the champagne for Champlain
Vegas is in; the Vatican is undecided. Wafer-thin warbler Celine Dion has replied in the affirmative to an invitation to Quebec City’s 400th birthday party next year, but Pope Benedict XVI has yet to RSVP.Read more
At times surreal, at times spiritual
GRAND CANYON NORTH RIM, Ariz. F My brother, John, loves deserts, slot canyons, mesas, buttes and treacherous dirt roads. At home, he pores over U.S. Geological Survey maps, dog-ears pages in hiking books, studies dry treatises on the archeology and geology of the Southwest.Read more
An inn with a past
THOROLD — The Keefer was definitely a keeper. Anybody with eyes could see that, and Phil Ritchie had had his eye on the place for a long time.Read more
Live large like an Irish lord
Given the room rates, you’d be lucky if you got to sleep on the lawn at Ireland’s magnificent Ashford Castle.Read more
At times surreal, at times spiritual
Gold! Gold! Gold! screamed the newspaper headline in 1897, instantly creating a stampede of men and women eager to strike it rich in northwestern Canada. Read more
This holiday takes your buck the distance
It might be uncouth to say how much one spends on vacation, but for Albuquerque, I have no shame. Read more
Go to church in the City of Light
PARIS From the outside, St.-Francois-Xavier Church just might be the ugliest church in Paris. A 19th-century hulk, it drips with decades of brownish-grey grime. There is not one memorable feature on its facade. Read more
A cruise that puts wellness on the menu
Taking a vacation aboard a cruise ship has always been synonymous with exotic ports of call, top-notch service, endless meals and, as the bathroom scale will attest, weight gain. Read more
Stuttgart is home to the arts
People tend to bypass Stuttgart. Too bad — this small city, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, is a cultural chrysalis for entertainment and art. Read more
Lodging alternatives in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS When Las Vegas was in its infancy, high-end hotels practically gave away rooms to lure gamblers. Today, travellers can break the bank paying for a few nights’ lodging. Read more
Airport baby lounge better than the loo
Any mother who has nursed or changed a baby in a public washroom to the accompaniment of flushing toilets, whirring dryers and unsettling aromas will understand the need for the new Babycare Lounge at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Read more
Angkor, the world’s first mega-city
The huge sandstone temples of Angkor, built nearly 1,000 years ago and unearthed from the Cambodian jungle in the last century, are considered one of man’s most outstanding architectural achievements. Read more
A window on Canada from Train No. 1
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a slight amendment is in order. Read more
Big bird is still doing a brisk business
So you never got a chance to fly on the Concorde? Read more
Antarctica Unplugged
Since the day I have made traveling a priority in my life, the white continent has been at the soaring top of my "to conquer" list, so when I was invited by Gap Adventures to fulfill my Antarctic dream, there was no plane fast enough to get me there. Read more
Toronto’s tantalizing treats
I fell in love with Toronto. Like most people in Hamilton, living so close to T.O. I tended to dash down the QEW, see a specific show or go to a particular restaurant, then get out of town. Read more
The long and winding road
It would have been a much easier climb if Sir Edmund Hillary had just driven up Everest... Read more
Visiting Mickey and friends on a budget
The most important part of budget travel to Disney World is... Read more
Shipyard a triumph for ex-Hamiltonian
Without knowing it, long before it was fashionable, Mary Majka was inventing eco-tourism.Read more
Life’s a birch for rare aboriginal canoe
Time was when the only way to get around this country was by canoe... Read more
Candymaker’s thrill park turns 100 with a splash
HERSHEY, Pa. F Chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey wasn’t all work and no play. Read more
Lofty Aspirations on the Rock
If you’re looking for the night club, you’ve made a wrong turn. Read more
Living the lava life around Mt. Etna
With my eyes closed, I would know I was near Mount Etna. Read more
The mountains that whisper secrets
KOKEE STATE PARK, Hawaii - Of course we thought about turning back... Read more
Luxembourg
It’s deer season in Luxembourg... Read more
Thai high
Climbers from beginners to experts hone their skills on the towering cliff faces of Thailand's Railay Read more
The sun also rises in Havana
Papa found his muse in the common people of Cuba -- and mojitos Read more
There's a piece of Canada at Vimy Ridge
Every Canadian should visit the place where our national identity was forged -- and fought for Read more
Pilgrims to oval track racing pay tribute
NASCAR fans and fanatics find museums and facilities like Pit Crew U that won't disappoint them. Read more
The Road to Elsewhere
In search of the unspoiled pockets of India’s most diminutive state. Read more
Pearl of Asia shines again
Cambodia's capital returns to life with a unique vitality Read more
Providence is horror writer's hometown
Walking tour of Rhode Island's capital is like wandering through Lovecraft's best-known stories Read more
You'll be the king of the castle ...
... when you bunk down in one of Ireland's centuries-old fortresses Read more
Little Harbour is a world away
A Canadian family established the quiet way of life here and it remains for visitors seeking peace Read more
Where America really was born
Thirteen years before the Pilgrim Fathers, three little ships reached haven in Virginia Read more
Not cold enough for you? Try an ice hotel
At a frozen harbour in a frozen town in Lapland stood a great castle made of snow. With shimmering towers and turrets it looked magical. Read more
For sun worshippers
Last summer's heat is a distant memory, and spring seems a long way off. If you're pining for some winter sunshine, here are some of the best destinations to visit. Read more
Florida's hidden treasures
The Sunshine State has more to offer than bustling theme parks. Visit quaint towns and wildlife reserves, and soak up the sleepy atmosphere of the Panhandle. Read more
Macau: On a roll
The dice are rolling hot on the tables of what was once a sleepy Portuguese colony. Read more
Zooming in on Rochester
It's all about optics in New York State's third largest city, home to Kodak, Xerox and Bausch & Lomb Read more
Come and join the party!
South America; Uruguayans have no top tourist attractions and they're proud of that. But the social scene sizzles.
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High and dry
In the thin air of Chile's Atacama desert, geysers erupt in a lunarlike landscape. -
Thank God they take you up to the geysers when it’s still pitch dark outside. If you started the journey in daylight, you’d quickly insist on turning back.
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Post-Katrina New Orleans
Desperately seeking tourists -
Despite the misconception that Louisiana’s sublime jewel is closed
to visitors, the good times — and a lot more cultural and family fun —
still roll in the Big Easy.
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