By Michael Baginski/ Robert Earl Keen may not be as famous as his old college roommate Lyle Lovett, but he’s no less accomplished. A consummate storyteller, the Texas troubadour suitably has a keen sense of humour, as evidenced by his holiday classic, “Merry Christmas from the Family.”
Panic erupts in the McCallister household as soon as the day begins. The parents’ alarm clock never rings, bags and coats spill across the floor, and the family barrels out the door to catch a flight to Florida in “Home Alone 2.” The pandemonium intensifies at the airport.
In the spirit of the season, several tour operators are launching (or relaunching) extensive FAM trip and/or prize opportunities that will enable travel advisors to experience some new or favourite destinations, and, at the same time, gain hands-on experience with a supplier that will help build their business.
Direct flights from Canada to Albania? Credit Air Transat for tapping into the Balkan country’s growing reputation among savvy travellers as an up-and-coming travel destination that is off the mainstream track in Europe but not lacking in amenities or charm.
This holiday season, the simple joy of opening a new toy is reaching tens of thousands of children across the Caribbean through an annual toy drive led by the Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals and Beaches Resorts.
With Christmas festivities barely packed away, Dubai lights up again for New Year’s, staking a claim as one of the world’s most spectacular places to turn the calendar from one year to the next.
Hilton has launched the Outset Collection by Hilton, the company’s 25th brand and eighth in its growing Lifestyle portfolio. The new brand underscores Hilton’s dramatic growth trajectory and focus on offerings for customers in the fastest-growing segments, particularly the collection and lifestyle spaces.
Intrepid Travel’s annual ‘Not Hot List’ showcases 10 lesser-known destinations ready to welcome more visitors in 2026. The list is designed to direct curious, conscientious travellers towards regions where their presence can have an outsized positive impact.
The head of Transat A.T. Inc. says fallout was “limited” from a strike threat by its pilots and that the company continues to benefit from Canadians’ turn away from U.S. travel, paving the runway for growth in the new year after the tour operator turned its first annual profit since 2018.
Goway’s new Solo Women Travel Line is designed to offer female travellers an opportunity to explore the world on their own, with five classic trips featuring Dubai, Egypt, India, Jordan, and Thailand. Every trip prioritizes safety and features single rate pricing and women-focused activities.
Many Christmas holiday traditions in Iceland will be familiar to North American and European travellers, such as the Christmas trees that dress their living rooms, the large family gatherings that take place, and the singing of yuletide carols. However, there are some aspects of Christmas in Iceland that set it apart, giving the occasion its own unique charm…
VoX International is enhancing its leadership team with the promotion of Erin Oddleifson to Vice President. Oddleifson was previously Director, overseeing administration, public relations, marketing, sales, operations and human resources.
News nuggets, airlines, hotels/resorts, cruising, tours, events, FAMS/incentives, deals, destinations and more are covered in our weekly round-up of travel industry news you may have missed.
Air Transat pilots begin voting today (Dec. 19) on a tentative deal with the company that would see raises of well over 50%, boosting the salary for most senior pilots to nearly $388,000 a year by May 2029.
Donald Trump’s administration has added 20 countries to a list of travel restrictions, most of them from Africa, a continent of some 1.5 billion people. The new restrictions expand on the list from June and are broader and more punitive than those during Trump’s first presidency, which largely targeted Muslim-majority countries and which were reversed in 2021.
When was the last time you pulled out cash to pay for something? Many Canadians might have to think long and hard, especially if they’re younger. Canada has gradually moved toward becoming a cashless society, with most people paying for purchases with smartphones or credit cards. However, whether or not you should carry cash – and how much – can still be a point of contention when travelling abroad.
Staring into a fire deep in the woods. Watching the stars stretch over Arctic skies. Waiting on a frozen lake for a fish that may never bite. In Sweden, boredom isn’t a problem – quite the opposite, says Visit Sweden, which this winter is leaning into a quietly growing trend in wellness and travel: boredom as a form of luxury – where stillness and silence aren’t just accepted, they’re encouraged.
By Wallace Immen/ You can’t help but be awed by the beauty of the lush Costa Rican coast. And somehow things get more awe-inspiring as you go into the uplands and jungles. We’re about to experience a panorama of the country’s tropical nature and the plethora of wildlife that calls it home on a tour from Seabourn Encore doing a Central American cruise from Panama.
Gone too soon, and we’ll certainly miss Raul Malo, the soulful tenor and frontman of the lively genre-defying, Grammy-winning band The Mavericks who died early this week after battling cancer. He was 60. “He was called to do another gig – this time in the sky – and he’s flying high like an eagle,” his wife Betty Malo wrote on Facebook.
In 2026 Ethan had decided to stop trying to be everything to everyone. He built a narrow lane – small-ship and rail journeys for active, mid-life couples – and promised himself two things: to keep learning and to use technology only when it served his judgement. Twelve months later he’s busier, calmer, and clearer than ever.
Tiny Trinidad and Tobago, a tourism hotspot known for its beautiful beaches, incredible biodiversity and one of the world’s best carnivals, says it will allow the U.S. military to access its airports in coming weeks as tensions build between the United States and Venezuela.
By Cindy-Lou Dale/ Safari travellers increasingly expect lodge cuisine to match the quality of wildlife and landscape experiences. Historically, lodge menus were modelled on European colonial food systems, relying on imported ingredients and generic continental dishes.
Transat Distribution Canada (TDC) now offers its franchise and affiliate agency owners a comprehensive bilingual training program designed to help them navigate the complex and emotional process of business succession.
A tragic hot air balloon accident in Brazil that made global headlines recently has triggered a sharp rise in searches for “hot air balloon safety,” prompting fresh warnings for travellers to stay vigilant when booking bucket-list experiences.
Concern about excessive alcohol consumption during travel remains strong, with a majority of travellers (57%) saying airlines and airport bars should exercise more control over alcohol service, according to the latest Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey.
With 2025 nearly in the books, Rail Europe has parsed its bookings for the year and come up with some key insights on how North American travellers chose to explore the continent this year.
As travel advisors were discovering for themselves at the Jamaica Tourist Board’s annual ‘One Love Affair’ event, the island’s tourism minister declared that Jamaica had met its target of restoring tourism operations by Dec. 15, marking an impressive turnaround just over six weeks after the island was ravaged by Hurricane Melissa.
Fauchon L’Hôtel Paris, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, recently conducted a survey among luxury travel advisors to determine what really matters to their clients when selecting a hotel. One of the key findings – which was 100% unanimous by all respondents – was that it is important for a hotel to offer “an authentic sense of place” versus a “cookie-cutter brand design.”
Travellers flying out of YYC Calgary International Airport domestically now have a simpler, more streamlined start to their journey. Phase One of YYC’s new Centralized Security Screening area combines separate screening points into one simplified, modern and more enlarged space.
Egypt has revealed the revamp of two colossal statues of a prominent pharaoh in the southern city of Luxor, the latest in the government’s archaeological events that aim at drawing more tourists to the country.