Pat Lee

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.”

While we were all tucked in our beds and none the wiser, the crew of Adventure Canada’s Ocean Endeavour slowly and carefully manoeuvred the 137-metre vessel through the pack ice on an overnight approach to the east coast of Greenland, reaching open water at about 5:30 a.m.
The next day there was talk that it had been a tense night for Capt. Hervé Parage and his team as they plotted how to get the ship and its 170 passengers to the intended destination.

My list of birds and animals spotted when we arrive in Botswana starts off modestly — oh look, there’s a bunch of bandit mongooses hanging around the border control office — but soon balloons beyond my wildest expectations.
The roster on my phone’s note app is steadily growing with each subsequent outing — crocodiles, zebras, giraffes, lions, warthogs, monkeys, baboons, hippos, African elephants and too many birds to count.

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I wake up on the second day at sea aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Spirit, roll over and open my eyes to a grey misty morning. But I’m suddenly alert as I realize we can now see land. Not just land, but towering snow-covered mountains.

Alaska.

And what a sight it is.

For years, I’d longed to visit the U.S.’s northern most state and, like many visitors, was able to do that via a cruise ship, travelling from Vancouver to Seward, AK, on a one-way, seven-day journey...

A three-day trek on the Acadian Peninsula
by Pat Lee, Guest Writer
As cycling continues to grow in popularity across the Maritimes, the Acadian Peninsula is kilometres ahead of the pack. Some 610 kilometres, to be precise.
Located in one corner of northeast New Brunswick – a Canadian province that borders Quebec to the west and Nova Scotia to the east – the stunning Acadian Peninsula Veloroute traverses an exceptionally scenic and rustic part of the province. This is the ancestral home of Fre...

“This is fantastic!” shouts a woman peddling next to me through the dark, but festive, streets of Montreal, Quebec, along with thousands of other cyclists of every age who are along for the ride.
And who could disagree?
For a city that loves to cycle, even Montrealers get whipped up about the annual Go Bike Montreal Festival, held each year in early June.
The festival kicks off with ...

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North Carolina candlemaker Tiffany Griffin distinctly remembers not only the first candle she sold but who she sold it to, a head-spinning moment for a novice entrepreneur who was giving up a government career to pursue a dream.
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“There was a guy named Matt and a woman named Kim who were there before we were even set up at a little pop-up at a coffee shop,” the co-founder of Bright Black in Durham recalls. “And we were like, Whoa! I can’t believe that someone pa...

We. Are. Flying.
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Well, not literally. It feels that way as a group of us peddle at top speed on mountain e-bikes on the beautiful coastline of the Mexican Baja Peninsula.
While we sprint along the Instagram-worthy white sand beach, we also keep our eyes peeled for whales.
It was the perfect finale to a cycling tour that meandered through the desert with stops along the way to learn about the various cacti and other natural points of interest found on the Tierra Sagrada ranch, ...

DIGBY – Seasonal decorations and Christmas trees are pretty de rigueur for hotels this time of year.
But for the first time in its 93-year history, the venerable Digby Pines Resort and Spa has strung up twinkling lights and other festive shinery — and, of course, put up a tree — to welcome guests.
The resort’s owners have decided it’s time to stay open 12 months of the year, a first that they hope will pay off in years to come.
Charles Otter, vice-president of operations, said it’s been a bit...

The itinerary for the trip was specific: Bring warm clothes, specifically jackets, ski pants, boots, scarves, mitts, hat and sunglasses.

After all, we were heading to the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec — about three hours northeast of Quebec City — where winter is the real deal.

My usual “winter” outfit of sneakers and a barely-suitable-for-cold-weather jacket to get me from the car to the house was not going to cut it.

So, suited up we were with proper snow pants, boots, parkas, ha...

I don’t know who was more startled, me or the room attendant. As soon as she saw me, she anxiously pointed at my feet, making shocked exclamations in Japanese. I was walking on the woven tatami mats in my hiking shoes.
I leapt off the cherished mats like they were hot coals.
Afterward, it was all smiles and bows as welcome tea was poured – staying in a traditional Japanese inn, called a ryokan, comes with graceful service, peaceful traditions – and rules.
A guest of Walk Japan, I was there fo...