The TravelRight Dispatch "We have clearance, Clarence. Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?" POSTCARD FROM BELIZEWe recently returned from the Central American nation of Belize, where we spent time in the western rainforest near San Ignacio, in the Mayan communities to the south and on the coastal peninsula of Placencia. I can easily recommend all three, so abundantly authentic and unvarnished, big on community and culture (despite a modest infrastructure) with wild natural beauty to...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
The TravelRight Dispatch Tim takes a load off at The Extraordinary Camino Hotel, Camino, California POSTCARD FROM... CALIFORNIA?Earlier this year, during the birth of #ElbowsUp, Tim and I snuck off to Northern California and didn't tell anyone. It was a secret, but I'm telling you guys. I was honouring a commitment made months previously, pre-Trump’s (second) bat-shit weirdness. I am writing about our adventures soon, for Go World Travel. And soon, because California is in everyone’s good...
2 months ago • 3 min read
The TravelRight Dispatch It's a yacht-fest at Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands NO PLAN, STAN?Absolutely everybody has been asking me where to take their winter holiday these past few weeks. It's almost like I need a cut-and-paste list on my desktop ready to go. My answer is always a question: “Well, what do you want to actually do?” Sit on a beach, hide away in an eco lodge, tour a wine region, scream around a big city, shop for a hair transplant? What?" That decision comes first. My...
3 months ago • 2 min read
The TravelRight Dispatch Things are tasting big and juicy at Moon Curser Vineyards, Osoyoos, BC. POSTCARD FROM OSOYOOSI dashed over to the Oliver Osoyoos wine region in the South Okanagan Valley for a couple of days recently to drink it all in. I did my absolute best, visiting nine wineries and tasting 45+ different wines (not without some spitting, I must admit). Canada's only desert sits in the traditional territory of the Syilx/Okanagan people, who have lived in the region for thousands of...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Book Launch Day! HUZZAH!Today marks the official launch of my self-published ebook of travel advice: How to Plan a Vacation. Take advantage of launch pricing while it lasts! I laughed, I cried, I bought the tajin. PREFACE EXCERPTAs (OMG the biggest drop cap you've ever seen!) with so many things in life, the anticipation is a significant part of the overall thrill. Getting ready for a first date is often better than the evening itself. The run-up to Christmas is generally more fun than the...
4 months ago • 1 min read
The TravelRight Dispatch A sunset pontoon cruise on Rock Lake, Manitoba. POSTCARD FROM THE COVEYou will, of course, notice the bag of red Twizzlers on the helm dashboard—a family weakness. A tourist hotspot since the early 1900s, Rock Lake is in a valley carved out by meltwaters from glacial Lake Souris, which cut into shale bedrock. This would explain the “ooch-ouch” shale-sand beach. The area bears traces of ancient human presence, including burial mounds along the north shore. We used to...
5 months ago • 3 min read
The TravelRight Dispatch Pure Canadiana—but is the stone slab for fish cleaning or DJing? POSTCARD FROM MUSKOKAHo-hum: the three big Muskoka lakes are so yesterday. We recently spent quality time on the Muskoka River to celebrate a friend's birthday. This winding little piece of Muskoka tranquility was once a VIP highway for steamships in the late 1800s, ferrying posh holidayers from the train stations into cottage country. The river was also a smuggling route for bootleggers during...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Tim busies himself with the beaver. The TravelRight Dispatch POSTCARD FROM THE LAKEWe’re looking forward to a high-school reunion coming up soon at Lake of the Woods, which touches Ontario, Manitoba and Minnesota. With almost 15,000 islands and more than 100,000 kilometres of shoreline, it's apparently one of the most complex lake systems in the world. Lac des bois is still surrounded by forest, but it’s now punctuated with log cabins, fancy speedboats and blow-up animals. Weird bit of...
6 months ago • 3 min read
The TravelRight Dispatch POSTCARD FROM THE GAYRAJEven though summer is a time to enjoy our back yards, I've been tweaking my travel schedule like mad. I'm making plans not only for fall, but also for 2026. You should be, too! It’s never too early to start having something to look forward to, particularly if your next trip is looking complicated, lengthy or expensive—or all three. I’ve almost finished my first travel ebook, How to Plan a Vacation, coming soon to Kindle and Apple Books. I hope...
6 months ago • 3 min read