The Informed Traveler

Send us Fan Mail We are on the road this week visiting sunny Orlando, Florida staying at the magnificent Caribe Royale Orlando. We are here to discover the many Halloween activities Orlando offers, from Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Night's and Disney's Hollywood Studios to Boggy Creek Adventures Terror Tour. And that's only a small slice of the many activities Orlando has to offer. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever used AI to plan out a travel itinerary? Turns out some chatbots have given out some bad advice so on this week's show travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to share some examples of AI assisted travel failures. Then, David Yeskel, the Cruise Guru will join us once again to give us some insight on his latest sailing around French Polynesia onboard Windstar's Star Breeze. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail On this week's show we'll discuss group travel and what you need to know to help things go smoothly if you're planning on getting a group to travel together. Travel Expert Onanta Forbes will join me to offer up a few tips. Plus, I think any month is a good month to visit Victoria, BC but November is Arts and Culture Month in Victoria so we'll find out what that entails. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail What do you find is the most annoying travel behavior? Air passengers taking off their shoes? Unruly children? People listening to their devices without headphones? There's a lot, in fact there's a new survey out from Saily.com that lists the top travel annoyances, so on this week's show Travel Expert Onanta Forbes will join me to break it all down. Plus, last week I visited Lougheed House, a beautifully restored National and Provincial Historic Site located in the heart of Calgary. I also chatted with Fiona McTaggard with Lougheed House to share how visitors can explore the historic house, the gardens, and take part in special events and exhibits. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail We've got a bit of a follow from last week's show. if you recall we were talking about the increase in Fall travel with Travel Expert Onanta Forbes and we mentioned reposition cruises so on this week's show we'll expand on that and discuss the pros and cons of doing a reposition cruise. Plus, we also talked about the opening of Calgary's new airport lounge so Patrick Sojka from Rewards Canada will join us to dig further into airport lounge access and credit card loyalty benefits. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail With Summer coming to an end, Fall travel is showing increasing numbers so on this week's show travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss the shift towards travelling during over the Fall season. Plus, Calgary International Airport opened a new airport lounge this past week so we'll talk about what it offers guests and airport lounges in general. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever tried a bid upgrade? It's where passengers can offer to pay extra for a chance to move from their current class (like economy) to a higher class. Airlines and cruise lines use it all the time so on this week's show travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to walk us through the process. Then we'll head to Puerto Vallarta to learn about the Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel. Located in the heart of Puerto Vallarta, just a few blocks from the iconic “El Malecón” boardwalk focusing its service on romance, taste & relaxation. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Have you seen the Netflix series The Bombing of Pan Am 103? It's about the tragedy of Lockerbie, Scotland that happened in Dec. of 1988. On this week's show Travel Expert Onanta Forbes joins me to discuss the tragedy and fallout that Pan Am 103 had on the travel industry as a whole. Plus, we took a short trip to Radium, BC last week and went whitewater rafting with the folks from The Kootenay River Runners. I talked with one of their guides afterwards to get some insight into what they are all about so we'll play that conversation for you. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Travel Expert Onanta Forbes was on the last leg of her cruise around Northern Europe last week so we'll get the highlights on this week's show. Plus, travel writer and luxury hotel reviewer Debra Smith will join us to give her take on her stay at the Fairmont Tokyo. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Travel Expert Onanta Forbes continued her cruise around the British Isles and Northern Europe last week so we'll catch up with her to see what she's been up to. Plus, have you ever thought of doing or have done an Escape Room experience while on vacation? It's a growing trend where hotels are offering that right on site so we'll talk to Laura Hawkins, President of Gamemasters Escape Solutions, the people behind that trend. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Travel Expert Onanta Forbes is travelling again so we'll catch up with her cruising around Ireland where she managed to take in the solar eclipse that happened this week. Plus, last week I got the chance to visit the area of Diamond Valley, only about a 40 minute drive south of Calgary. It's also home to Eau Claire Distillery, known for it's fabulous whiskey, gin and vodka and is Canada's most awarded craft distillery. It was a fun night out so we'll talk to the CEO of Eau Claire Distillery to learn more about the story behind their success. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Renewing your passport has become a bit simpler as you can now renew it online, so on this week's show Travel Expert Onanta Forbes joins me to go through the process. Then we'll talk with the author of a new book titled Sales to Success: How a Cruise Ship Salesman Turned Jewelry, Stories, and Human Connection into a Life of Adventure. He's Rick Domanski and he's sailed the world's oceans as a cruise ship sales professional, luxury retail promoter, and shopping expert. He was also my supervisor when I did the same job many years ago while working on the cruise ships. So we're going to talk about the cruise ship life, what we learned and how he put it all together in his new book. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever volunteered to give up your seat on an overbooked flight? It can be tempting sometimes depending on your circumstances. On this week's show Travel Expert Onanta Forbes joins me to discuss overbooking, not just with the airlines but with hotels and cruise lines. Why it happens and what to do to avoid losing your seat, room or cabin. Plus, we'll chat with our friend Dee Dee Poteete from Visit San Antonio to see what's new in a city full of historic sites and their famous Riverwalk. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Even though winter seems a long way off, now is the time to start planning for that winter getaway, so on this week's show Travel Expert Onanta Forbes joins me to offer some tips on what to plan for and some ideas on where to go. Plus we'll head to Edinburgh, Scotland and talk with one of the tour guides of the historic Edinburgh Castle. A place full of stories and majestic views overlooking the city of Edinburgh. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail We talk a lot about Travel Rewards on this show so this week Travel Expert Onanta Forbes joins me to discuss how to double dip to help you to earn those rewards faster. And then we'll head to Quebec and visit the Gaspe region and in particular Perce Rock, one of Canada's most iconic natural landmarks overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Travel Expert Onanta Forbes was supposed to be leaving for a river cruise in Europe next week but the cruise was cancelled at the last minute, so now what? On this week's show we'll discuss what happens with a last minute river cruise cancellation. Then we'll head to Franklin, Tennessee, a historic town located only minutes south of Nashville, known for its beautifully preserved Main Street, Civil War history, vibrant music scene, boutique shopping, and outstanding Southern dining. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Our friends in the US have been busy celebrating America 250 this year and the website Roamright.com has come out with a guide on planning a trip to the US around America 250 so on this week's show travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss what you should know. Then we'll head across the Pacific and visit Vomo Island in Fiji. It's a beautiful private island which is home the best luxury resort for families in Fiji and the 5th best beach in the world. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The Canada Strong Pass is back this summer and with Canada Day coming up I thought it might be a good idea to showcase what we have here in our own backyard so on this week's show travel expert Onanta Forbes joins me to share some of the sights and activities in and around Calgary and Alberta. Then we'll talk about car rental insurance coverage from your credit card, what it covers and what you should be aware of. Rewards Canada founder Patrick Sojka will join us to give some insight. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail There's all kinds of travel scams waiting to take advantage of you, one of them that seems to be on the rise is fake booking sites. On this week's show, travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss what to look for and how to avoid them. Plus, the folks from Skyscanner have come out with The Smarter Summer Report so you can find the best places to go this summer. So we'll have a look at some of their handpicked alternative destinations. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Cuba has been in the travel news a lot lately as a number of airlines, tour operators and hotels have ceased operations, so on this week's show travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss what's going on in Cuba. Then we'll chat with the VP of DCI, Development Counsellors International as they've recently released their fourth edition of the Capturing the Canadian Consumer study. So we'll dive into the numbers to see where Canadians are going and why. Support the show