Jetsettersblog

The story of the part Newfoundland played in the saving of 700 souls from the Titanic disaster is the focal point of a new tour of the province with Frontier Canada.

Visiting the birthplace of long distance wireless communications, viewing Titantic artifacts and learning more of the rescue are just part of the tour; You can also experience a simulated version of the events and potentially also take to the sea to view an iceberg up close.

Participants will also join the Centennial Remembrance Program 100 years to the day at Cape Race, on the night of 14th April 2012.

This five night tour, which includes a number of activities, talks and visits along with accommodation and several meals takes place from the 11th – 16th April 2012 and costs £1,815 per person plus flights. For more details visit www.frontier-canada.co.uk  or contact 020 8776 8709.

No one knows a country better than a local. Travellers to Canada can now access real local knowledge and tips via social media with the new Explore Canada Like a Local online travel tool.

Social media has given everyone a voice for honest, tell-it-like-it-is recommendations on bars, restaurants, shopping, events and more. The Canadian Tourism Commission gives travellers direct access to real traveller voices by combining information from local users of Foursquare, Yelp and Gowalla.

The result is a one-stop-shop website where travellers can create their own online itineraries based on recommendations from Canadians and Canada devotees and then carry them on their smart phones for instant access.

Itineraries can be developed on the Explore Canada Like a Local website by themes based on interests or by destination. Users can also access other travel itineraries and lists developed by fellow travellers.

Whether you’re looking for culinary hotspots of Montreal, ski resorts of British Columbia or shopping in Toronto, it is all there at the one site including real time reviews, comments, images and videos from other travellers who have ‘checked in’ at the destination.

No marketing hype, no brochure speak, just real traveler to traveler reviews.

First time users simply view a how-to video then Canada’s your oyster.

For more information on Explore Canada Like a Local visit www.explorecanadalikealocal.com 

VIA Rail is offering discounted packages of up to 50 percent off. The package allows for travel anywhere in Canada on VIA Rail’s network in any of their quality service classes. Those who book a train trip between eastern and western Canada or Quebec and Ontario will receive 50 percent off the adult regular fare from VIA’s most popular Canadian destinations. The deal is available for travel until May 31, but must be booked by Jan. 26.

VIA Rail is also offering discounted business and economy class trips between Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal until April 3. One-way trips departing from Toronto to both Ottawa and Montreal are $39 for economy class and $79 for business class with free Wi-Fi included.

Blount Small Ship Adventures is offering a new cruise itinerary with three days in New Brunswick beginning in August. The line will operate three nine-night cruises from Boston. The cruise visits Saint John and St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in New Brunswick as well as Rockland, Eastport, Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine.

Departure dates are Aug. 1, Aug. 12 and Aug. 23. The line also offers a discount of $800 per couple when the cruise is booked by April 1.

Holland America Line will offer 27 cruises on three ships — the Maasdam, the Eurodam and the Veendam — to Canada and New England this year. Scheduled from May through October, the itineraries range from seven to 15 days and also visit the region during the height of the fall foliage display.

The Maasdam begins the season with a 15-day northbound cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal.

Highlights include an overnight call at Quebec City, the line’s only call at Sept-Iles this season. From May 12 through the Sept. 29 departure, the Maasdam offers 15 seven-day sailings between Montreal and Boston.

The itineraries feature cruising along the St. Lawrence River. The Maasdam concludes the season with a 13-day sailing departing Oct. 6 from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale.

The Eurodam will sail on three 10-day cruises in September and October between New York and Quebec City.

The itinerary features an overnight call at Quebec City and cruising along Saguenay Fjord.

On Oct. 14, the Eurodam will depart on a 13-day cruise from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale.

The Veendam begins its Canada/New England season with a 13-day cruise from New York to Montreal, departing Sept. 2. It will include an overnight call at Quebec City. In September and October, the Veendam will sail five seven-day itineraries between Montreal and Boston.

For seven-day Maasdam and Veendam itineraries, guests can combine two seven-day sailings for a 14-day roundtrip journey. Fares on 14-day Collectors Cruises reflect up to 10 percent savings. Fares for Maasdam’s Canada and New England cruises start at $749, Eurodam’s cruise fares begin at $1,499, and Veendam’s fares start at $1,349. Seven-day cruises offer reduced third and fourth fares. All fares are per person, double.

Tailor Made Travel (0845 456 8050, www.tailor-made.co.uk), the upmarket specialist operator, has unveiled its programme of holidays to Canada and Alaska for 2012 covering British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, Yukon and the US state of Alaska.

Designed to offer an extensive menu of options from which clients can custom build their perfect itinerary, the brochure features everything from flexible multi-centre and self-drive itineraries to wildlife-watching, cultural experiences, journeys by rail and even cruises though Alaska’s famed Inside Passage. Particular highlights include the introduction of “motorhome” self-drive itineraries through the wilds of Western Canada, plus the chance to share in the excitement of the Calgary Stampede (which celebrates its centenary in 2012 and is widely considered to be the ‘greatest outdoor show on Earth’) or spot beluga whales, grizzly bears and their ethereal cousins, the spirit bears, all in their natural environment.

This new brochure follows their recent ‘CTC Explorer Award’ at the British Annual Canada Travel Awards in recognition of the work that Tailor Made Travel has done to promote innovative holiday itineraries to Canada.

Being such a scenic, vast and sparsely-populated country, Canada is ideal for exploring by rail. The new brochure leads with a selection of truly remarkable journeys by train (including an epic coast-to-coast odyssey from Toronto to Vancouver) as well as some suggested rail/coach and rail/self-drive combinations. New for 2012 is the nine-day Western Explorer itinerary (from £2,899 per person), a fully inclusive tour that includes two days aboard the legendary Rocky Mountaineer train service. The journey begins in Vancouver and continues via beautiful Lake Louise and the Jasper and Banff National Parks and on to the cowboy city of Calgary. Other highlights along the way include a sightseeing trip in a helicopter and of course the spectacular scenery of the Rocky Mountains themselves.

Also new is the 12-day Eastern Explorer, which tours from Toronto to Halifax, travelling by train for the entire journey. The itinerary benefits from guided tours in Toronto and Montreal, plus a chance to climb aboard the famous Maid of the Mist to witness the mighty forces at Niagara Falls. This package costs from £2,039 per person, with both prices including flights, accommodation, sightseeing as detailed in the itinerary, and the exclusive VIP Home Departure service (which collects clients from – and returns them to – their own front door, no matter where they live in the United Kingdom).

For customers who prefer to travel under their own steam, the brochure’s selection of flexible, self-driving itineraries offers a phenomenal choice of experiences. These multi-centre tour suggestions incorporate all ground arrangements including accommodation, car rental and recommended excursions, with each offering complete flexibility so that customers can mould the trip to their own specifications. New for 2012 is the Classic Yukon and Alaska itinerary, which delves deep into the lakes, glaciers and untouched wilderness of these far northern territories. With wildlife outnumbering people in much of this region, the opportunities for spotting such landmark species as grizzly bears, caribou and bald eagles are endless. Accommodation along the way is provided in deluxe lodges and B&Bs. This 17-day trip costs from £2,839 per person. Also new is the 16-day Wildlife, Flora and Fauna of the West itinerary, which takes in the staggering natural beauty of the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Highlights here include hiking, whale-watching, wine-tasting and bear-viewing excursions, plus visits to key sites including Vancouver, Lake Louise and three national parks. This exciting tour costs from £2,399 per person. Flights are not included.

Those looking to really blaze their own trail can opt for one of the new motorhome itineraries in Western Canada. The brochure suggests three sample itineraries that take in some of the region’s most amazing natural landscapes, with overnight stays in campsites along the way. The 9-day Fabulous Vancouver Island itinerary, for example, offers an enticing mix of coastal scenery, First Nations culture and vibrant cityscapes (from £589 per person). The more extensive, 15-day City and Views of the Canadian Rockies takes in some of the most incredible mountain scenery alongside the turquoise waters of Lake Louise and the lively cities of Vancouver and Calgary. This holiday costs from £949 per person, with both prices including motorhome rental and full driving directions. Campsite recommendations are suggested along each route but are not included in the price.

Thanks to popular demand, the 2012 Canada & Alaska brochure carries a greatly expanded selection of wildlife and adventure experiences. This section of the brochure offers some truly inspiring ideas for lovers of the great outdoors, covering everything from heli-hiking and ranch holidays to wildlife-spotting and even a search for the Aurora Borealis in the winter skies of the Canadian far north. One of the most exciting new additions is the unique opportunity to visit Spirit Bear Lodge in the Great Bear Rainforest to search for the incredibly rare spirit bears (a pale-phase subspecies of the more common black bear). The lodge is only open for two months of the year (from early August until early October), which makes the chance to visit this beautiful region even more special. In addition to the hauntingly pale spirit bears, other wildlife in the area includes wolves and cougars in the forest and orcas and humpback whales in the waters just offshore. A five-day excursion (including flights from Vancouver, transfers, three nights at Spirit Bear Lodge, one night’s additional accommodation and most meals) costs from £2,099 per person.

Also new is the 7-day Lake Louise & Heli-Hiking package, which costs from £2,699 per person and includes accommodation, transfers, most meals, equipment hire and 2½ days of heli-hiking amidst the breathtaking beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Another new addition is a 9-day cruise through Alaska’s Inside Passage aboard the Innersea Discovery. This small expedition ship is the perfect vessel on which to discover these pristine waters. Activities such as rainforest hikes and sea kayaking are included in the price (from £1,435 per person), which also covers one night’s pre-cruise accommodation, all onboard meals the services of an expert guide.

The brochure also features a large variety of hotels and other accommodation options that have been added to the programme for the first time. Options range from the upmarket luxury of the Ritz Carlton in Toronto to a selection of charming and very individual lodges and B&Bs.

Commenting on the launch of the 2012 brochure, General Manager, Rachel Cooper said, “This is our first brochure since the merger between Tailor Made Travel and sister brand Connections, which means that Tailor Made Travel will now be sold both via the travel trade and direct to consumers for the first time. With our wide range of adventure and wildlife experiences, epic rail journeys, magical self-drives and some excellent accommodation options spanning high-end hotels to unique lodges and B&Bs, the 2012 Canada & Alaska brochure is effectively an A-Z directory of the very best travel experiences and truly reflects our knowledge, passion and commitment to the region. What’s more, with lots of added-value offers including free nights, free breakfasts and both car and room upgrades – plus hotel savings of up to £60 per room per night – this is surely one of our most definitive Canada & Alaska programmes yet.”

For details or to book call Tailor Made Travel on 0845 456 8050 or visit the website
www.tailor-made.co.uk

Beginning this month, VIA Rail has kicked off a new campaign, “Ask VIA,” which will be the consumer’s opportunity to ask a question about any of VIA Rail’s ongoing or future projects. The main themes for these questions will be projects concerning trains, tracks and stations.

The initial interaction will take place on VIA Rail’s Facebook account in the “comments” section. VIA’s Facebook page will host the first dialogue of questions on tracks, answered by Tony Dadamo, quality control inspector and an expert on track-related issues and projects. Questions can be posted in the “comments” section on Facebook or by email at transformation@viarail.ca. The chosen question for each theme will be answered in video format. The other answers will accompany the video in text form.

ONE OF THE WORLD’S NATURAL WONDERS IS SHARED BY NEW BRUNSWICK & NOVA SCOTIA

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada, December 5, 2011 – The Bay of Fundy, one of the world’s natural wonders, is set to receive more American visitors than ever next year now that the travel experts at Frommer’s have named it one of the “top 10 destinations for 2012.” To celebrate, Maxxim Vacations is offering a six-night “Both Sides of the Bay” package starting at only $1,479 per person, double occupancy and including highlights of the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, both of which hug the Bay.

Carved by the wind and the sea millions of years ago, the Bay of Fundy’s 170 miles of ocean is geologically and archaeologically significant and boasts a biodiversity that is comparable to that of the Amazon rainforest.

Ø Its tides are the highest in the world at 53 feet, five to 10 times higher than any other tidal activity.

Ø Some 100 billion tons of seawater flow in and out of the Bay twice a day.

Ø Just one tide cycle is enough to fill and then empty the Grand Canyon.

Ø The Bay hosts over 12 species of whales during their summer and fall feedings, including half of the world’s population of endangered North Atlantic Right Whales.

Ø A paradise for birders, the Bay is visited by 34 species of shorebirds, and many make it their only stop on a 2,486-mile southbound journey from the Arctic to South America.

Ø With four UNESCO designations, the Bay of Fundy was recently one of the 28 finalists in the New 7 Wonders of Nature contest.

Visitors to both sides of the Bay will find a wealth of scenic wonders and outdoor sports activities including whale watching, kayaking and seabird viewing:

Ø Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, the Joggins Fossil Centre & Cliffs has the world’s most complete fossil record of life in the Coal Age. Embedded in about nine miles of accessible Nova Scotia coastal cliffs that tower 103 feet high, fossils are revealed as the Bay of Fundy tides withdraw. Some 200 species of fossils were discovered here, including those of tetrapods found nowhere else on earth and of the first reptile ancestor of all the dinosaurs. A stop at the Interpretive Centre gives insight into what the earth was like 300 million years ago. www.jogginsfossilcliffs.net

Ø Cape Chignecto Provincial Park is home to more than 10,000 acres of the most majestic coastal trails in North America. A wilderness park with a pristine Nova Scotia coastline, deep valleys, sheltered coves, rare plants, and old growth forest, Cape Chignecto offers camping, kayaking, birding, and rock hounding, www.capechignecto.net 

Ø For a rollicking good – and muddy – time, visitors will enjoy tidal bore rafting as the tides from the Bay come rushing up the Shubenacadie River in Nova Scotia. Every 12 hours the tide enters the Bay and moves toward the river. The immense force of the incoming tide will reverse the outgoing river and send it backwards some 25 miles. The tidal wave can get up to 11 feet high and reach speeds of almost eight miles an hour as it nears the head of the Bay and enters the river. www.tidalborerafting.com  and www.raftingcanada.com

Ø At New Brunswick’s Hopewell Rocks, those iconic flowerpot-shaped rock formations, visitors can walk around them on the ocean floor and then six hours later at high tide, take to a kayak and paddle around what are now small islands covered with trees.

www.thehopewellrocks.ca

Ø North America’s first global geopark, the 965-square-mile Stonehammer GeoPark, in New Brunswick, also has been recognized by UNESCO and encompasses communities, coastlines, river rapids and more. Amid rock formations dating back as far as a billion years, visitors can experience 15 highlighted adventures such as sea-cave exploration and self-guided geology walks. www.stonehammer.nbm-mnb.ca/home

Ø On New Brunswick’s Fundy Trail, one of the last remaining coastal wilderness areas in North America, visitors can bike, hike or drive and stay overnight at Hearst Lodge which was built as a fishing hideaway for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and was originally accessible only by helicopter.

Today, active travelers can follow the scenic riverside footpath for a beautiful one-hour hike to the lodge, now one of the highlights of the interpretation system at the Fundy Trail Parkway, www.fundytrailparkway.com.

Maxxim Vacations’ six-night “Both Sides of the Bay” package is available from May 18 to October 8, 2012 and includes round-trip airfare to Moncton, New Brunswick from Boston, New York and Philadelphia; six nights accommodations (three nights in New Brunswick and three in Nova Scotia); a rental car for six days with unlimited kilometers; admission for two to Hopewell Rocks and Fundy Trail Parkway in New Brunswick, and admission for two to Joggins Fossil Center and Cape Chignecto in Nova Scotia.

The price for the package from Boston is $1,479 per person; from New York it is $1,589, and from Philadelphia, $1,659. Prices do not include taxes, airline surcharges or departure fees.

www.maxximvacations.com

Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership

The Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership is a joint public and private sector initiative of the four provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. A nine member pan-Atlantic initiative, it is comprised of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the four Atlantic Canada Tourism Industry Associations, and the four Provincial Departments responsible for tourism in New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

For further information, contact your travel provider or go to, to www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca  (1-800-561-0123), www.novascotia.com  (1-800-565-0000), www.newfoundlandlabrador.com  (1-800-563-NFLD) and for Prince Edward Island, go to www.tourismpei.com  (1-800-463-4PEI).

The United States and Canada have agreed on new processes to speed the border process for Canadian travelers visiting the United States while enhancing security.

Cross-tourism business between the two nations generates nearly $16 billion in spending in the U.S. by Canadians and more than $7 billion of spending by U.S. visitors in Canada. But those numbers are down from the 1990s.

Canadian NEXUS members will be able to enroll in the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) risk-based screening program, PreCheck. Also, Canada and the United States will mutually recognize passenger checkpoint screening measures for trusted air traveler program members. Additionally, other categories of travelers who could be eligible to participate in the program will be considered.

The U.S. and Canada will implement a joint marketing campaign to promote trusted traveler programs, conduct an “enrollment blitz” and implement an expedited renewal process.

A pre-clearance agreement will be created for land, rail and marine modes of transportation to provide the legal framework and reciprocal authorities necessary for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to conduct security, facilitation, and inspection processes in the other country.

CBP and CBSA will develop a plan to identify reasonable and achievable border wait time service levels at major crossings.

Real-time border wait time information will be made available to border and transportation agencies and available on the websites of CBP, U.S. Department of Transportation, Transport Canada and CBSA and through other electronic media such as Twitter and the Government of Canada’s Wireless Portal. Real-time information will be available to the public on websites, roadside signs and other traveler information systems by the end of 2013.

Additional committees will be established at the eight international airports in Canada that provide U.S. preclearance. Both the existing and new Binational Port Operations Committees will play an important role in improving how to manage travel and trade flows and expedite the processing of travelers and goods.

More than 65 million business and leisure travelers — 178,000 every day — made trips between the U.S. and Canada last year.

While Amtrak tries to convince Americans that trains work well for leisure travel, VIA Rail Canada is reaching out to business travelers. Canadians see trains as vacation vehicles and U.S. citizens tend to see rail more for business travel. In reaching out to business travelers VIA Rail Canada is highlighting five reasons why business travelers should take the train.

With VIA’s expansion aboard the Ontario-Quebec Corridor, faster trains, fewer delays and increased service are among the improvements. Locomotives and passenger cars are being renovated and rebuilt. The result is better-than-new equipment that delivers more accessible, efficient, and reliable service and, of course, a more comfortable ride.

In VIA Rail business class, travelers can turn travel time into a productive work session. With a business class ticket, passengers have privileged access to the in-station Panorama lounges, priority boarding, and complimentary newspapers to peruse over a delicious meal. VIA Rail offers cell phone service and free Wi-Fi on all trains in the Quebec-Ontario Corridor. Elsewhere in the network, complimentary Wi-Fi is available in most major stations.

VIA Rail offers an unconventional setting to conduct a meeting — conveying creativity yet providing comfort and flexibility.

VIA Rail’s chartered cars create the preferred atmosphere — elect a class of service, as well as meals, destinations and on-board entertainment. In addition to the customizable itinerary, VIA provides complete audiovisual equipment and technical services. After the meeting adjourns, foster team building by taking advantage of the many outdoor activities available by touring a vineyard or hiking a trail in the Canadian Rockies.

More than 50 of VIA’s passenger stations in communities across the country are undergoing renovations. That includes interior and exterior renovations, new roofs, better boarding platforms, more efficient building systems and improved signage. A portion of this funding is also upgrading systems behind the scenes, including new, more efficient technology supporting ticketing and customer services.

New features will be included to make travel more convenient and comfortable for people with restricted mobility. All of VIA trains in the Ontario-Quebec Corridor will have washrooms, seating and facilities designed to enhance accessibility.

With the purchase of a BizPak, passengers are entitled to 10 one-way credits for travel between two pre-determined cities (or points in between) in economy class or six one-way credits in business class. No advance purchase or booking code is necessary as the number of trips is automatically tracked. Travelers can purchase and redeem the BizPak online.