Pat Lee

With the beat of heavy bass drums from Halifax-based Junkanoo band Culture Shock reverberating through the central concourse at Halifax Stanfield International Airport on Friday, 06DEC, representatives from Bahamas Tourism, Air Canada, and the airport celebrated the departure of the airline’s first service to the Bahamas from the Eastern Canadian capital.

WestJet has expanded its already robust schedule of flights from Halifax to Europe adding Copenhagen, Lisbon and Madrid to its 2026 summer season.
Reflecting its new partnership with Delta Airlines, the Western-based carrier is also adding a seasonal direct flight from Halifax to Detroit.
The addition of the three new WestJet flights to Europe will bring the total number of seasonal flights overseas to nine in summer 2026.

I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m a bit of a Christmas Grinch.
When holiday movies start flooding the airwaves, Mariah Carey is belting from store speakers and the inevitable push to “get in the spirit” begins, my inner curmudgeon can’t help but mutter, ‘Bah humbug.’

I won’t lie; I was terrified.
That’s not a feeling I usually experience in my travels, but our plan to explore the legendary Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves on an amazing trip to Belize pushed me way out of my comfort zone.
Donning helmets and headlamps, we’d be wading through chest-deep water, bouldering and squeezing through incredibly tight places in a five-kilometre underground network of caves, an Indiana Jones-style adventure that would take more than five hours.

Our guide Isao Murashita is being extremely patient as he teaches us some of the rituals around entering a temple, which includes correctly washing our hands and mouth at the gate.

Dip the ladle in the water, then wash your left hand, right hand, and left hand again and then rinse your mouth.

It’s dark and silent and almost surreal. We’re in clear-bottomed kayaks looking for what exactly, I’m not entirely sure.
But it doesn’t take long for the magic to appear. It’s after sunset and we’re paddling over the calm warm waters of Mosquito Bay on the southern shore of Vieques, one of the islands of Puerto Rico, home of one of the world’s brightest displays of bioluminescence.
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The tiny village of Geiranger, Norway is best known for its stunning views of Geirangerfjord and its proximity to the Seven Sisters waterfalls. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the third biggest cruise ship port in Norway.
But on the day we visit, it is famous for another reason. The community is soon to be the wedding destination for Norway’s controversial Princess Martha Louise and her even more controversial fiancé Durek Verrett, a self-proclaimed shaman.

It’s Day 6 aboard Adventure Canada’s Ocean Endeavour and we’ve finally reached Torngat Mountains National Park in Northern Labrador after crossing the rocky Davis Strait from Greenland.

As we sail out of the mist, the majesty of the mountains — the tallest peaks in Eastern Canada — reveal themselves and we’re keen to go ashore for the first time in more than a day.

I’m admittedly a little nervous when I slip behind the wheel of a mid-sized rental in downtown Los Angeles, having been given a cautionary lecture by the car rental guy about potential areas of concern when he learns that a friend and I are driving the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco.

Apparently, the traffic through Malibu is to be approached with extreme caution and car break-ins in San Francisco are to be guarded against.

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“Come here Jeffrey! Jeffrey, come see us!”
The Jeffrey in question was a medium-sized mixed breed dog who had found himself stranded overnight across the Flathead River that borders Montana’s Glacier National Park, which was flowing heavily thanks to the spring runoff. Scared across the waterway by something, poor Jeffrey cried all night with the hope of being rescued by mom and dad, who could hear his doggie pleas for help but couldn’t get to him due to the high, fast water.
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I was about halfway through a spin class aboard a cruise ship on exceptionally high seas while en route to Iceland when it occurred to me that I was actually doing a spin class aboard a cruise ship on exceptionally high seas while en route to Iceland.

Along with providing a thrilling theme-park style workout on a spin bike, the experience also highlighted how far the cruise industry has come in providing activities for those who want to work up a sweat on vacation.

Discover the magic of winter on Prince Edward Island with our guide to enchanting seasonal activities. From thrilling outdoor adventures like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing to cozy indoor cultural experiences, explore the island’s hidden gems in the colder months.
Better known for its endless summer days and kilometres of sandy beaches, it turns out the home of Anne of Green Gables is also a blast in the winter months.

The van winds its way up a steep, narrow and bumpy dirt road with almost no light to speak of except the glow of the vehicle’s headlights, pulling over to the side of the road as far as possible to squeeze by someone coming down the mountain just on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica.

The Caribbean Island of Saint Martin is tiny, measuring about 87 square kilometres.
But what it lacks in size it more than makes up for with a culture of greeting visitors as if they were long lost friends, preparing and serving food with gusto and creativity, and of course offering up stunning beaches and pristine waters to play in. It really has it all.

In his 54 years living in Western Newfoundland, Darren Park has never experienced a green Christmas. The tour operator, based in tiny Cox’s Cove off the Bay of Islands, says his holiday season has always been picture perfect with lots of the white stuff on the ground and topping the mountains lining the scenic Humber River Valley.

“I can’t recall it,” he said. “Maybe one or two where there was less snow, but always a white Christmas.”