The TravelRight Dispatch

POSTCARD FROM GUADELOUPE
​On a group media trip to Guadeloupe in November, I covered both geographical “wings” of the butterfly-shaped Caribbean island—the volcanic Basse-Terre and the beach-chic Grande-Terre. We combed the mangroves off the north coast, took a ferry to the Les Saintes archipelago off the south coast, hiked through the rainforests, selfied at waterfalls, chatted with parrots, toured a spa, crashed a party, listened to some street drumming ("listened" because, Anglo, and couldn’t possibly dance), feasted on marlin, grouper, tuna, foie gras and blood pudding (this is France, after all), got a rhum agricole buzz every day at lunch and lounged about in a six-bedroom villa. Not necessarily in that order. My first piece will appear soon in BOLD Traveller magazine.

EXCERPT
Maximum Mont-Tremblant​
Recently, I was giving friends my Tremblant notes and was reminded of how great it is. There aren’t enough meals in one weekend to eat your way through the excellent food—crêpes, raclette, German sausage, Italian veal. This story appeared in the Winter issue of Renaissance Magazine:

When it comes right down to it, a ski resort can be a wonderful escape—even if you’re in it just for the après-ski. Two hours northwest of Montreal, Mont-Tremblant is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream, delivering 305 hectares of great skiing, a quality event calendar, more than 75 restaurants and a casino—all at nature’s doorstep.

BELLY UP
The Ti' Punch
​Short for petite punch, this is the delicious national cocktail of Guadeloupe. The key ingredient is rhum agricole, which is made from fresh sugarcane juice rather than common-as-dirt molasses. It has a grassy, earthy flavour, one I leaned into at Distillerie Longueteau near the town of Capesterre. Exquisite rums line the walls of a very comfortable tasting room there. You can find rhum agricole in some of the bigger LCBO stores and at the SAQ for sure. RECIPE: Pour 3 oz. of rhum and 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar cane syrup into a short glass. Squeeze in a wheel or two of lime and then drop them into the glass. No ice is customary, but it does freshen things up a bit and evens out the bite.

INTEL
I Shipped My Pants!
​I normally catch hell for occasionally wanting to check a suitcase. But some situations call for a bigger bag—corporate change-every-day conference, bulky sweaters, extra shoes, whisky for my father-in-law, ice skates! I recently came across Ship&Play, from the people behind ShipSticks, who are apparently the leaders in golf- and sports-equipment shipping. They will get your luggage, strollers, boxes, bikes and sports stuff where it needs to be. The company has recently partnered with Azamara Cruises, and Emerald and Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours to provide door-to-stateroom delivery, too, there and back. You avoid check-in lines and saunter past airport carousels. It costs around $120 for cross-Canada shipping—just low enough to make you rethink airline baggage fees. Why schlep?

CTA is Short for "Call to Action"
​You know, the sales of my travel ebook have hit a slow patch. You can help! As well, subscriber sign-ups to this newsletter seems to have plateaued. You can share! The TravelRight.Today Podcast could also use your attention, please. And thanks!

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