Intelligent Travel

What a Loonie Will Get You

I'm sure by now everyone's heard of the fabulous Bolt Bus and Mega Bus companies that allow you to ride the Eastern seaboard for as little as $1 each way. But (and I never thought I'd say this) this morning, I just read about something even better. Maybe it's that Canadians have to get a point up on us, but Canuck car rental company CityFlitz is offering rental cars for $1—or one loonie—per day.

Pretty awesome, eh? I think so.

So, with everything, there are a couple catches (but nothing, mind you, that would prevent me from renting one). For one, the service is only available in the Greater Toronto Area (though they're looking to expand to Vancouver), and the car must stay within those limits. The driver must also drive the car about 19 miles (30 kilometers) each day the car is rented. Oh, and each car is basically a mobile billboard, advertising brands like Yahoo, North by Northeast Film & Music Festival, and Global Ryan’s Petfoods, according to a recent report.

“The reason why our rental fee can be so low is the fact that our advertisers want to have their branded cars on the road so they can achieve maximum exposure to their target audience,” President and CEO of CityFlitz Andreas Kotal says. “We are able to offer this exceptional value of $1/day rentals to consumers as part of the agreement to maximize exposure of a client’s branding.”

The bonuses? You get to drive a MINI Cooper or a Smart Car, and each car has Wi-Fi access. And it's $1. That's one dollar Canadian. You can't even buy a bottle of maple syrup for that.

Photo: CityFlitz

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Whale-Watching by Kayak in British Columbia

Senior editor Norie Quintos edits Traveler's annual Tours of a Lifetime issue, which selects the 50 best guided tours of the year. So what did she do on her family vacation? She took two tours out West. This week she blogs about sea kayaking in British Columbia; next week, rafting on Idaho’s Salmon River. And the following week, she'll share tips on planning a great family trip.

It took three flights and an hour-long boat ride from northern Vancouver Island to get to Hurst Island, in the heart of one of British Columbia’s newest provincial parks, God’s Pocket. There, a charming seven-room lodge at the water’s edge served as our base for exploring the area by kayak.

I’ve kayaked before, but no way was I going to do it in unfamiliar (not to mention sea mammal-laden) waters, and with two kids in tow. This was a job for an expert outfitter and the one I called on was Sea Kayak Adventures, which has been guiding trips to this area since 1993. The Couer-d’Alene-based company also runs trips to Baja in winter.

The kids weren’t so keen on encountering Shamu up close, but I was fixated on seeing orcas. So it came as a bit of a shock that during the entire five-day trip, we saw not a one. Not. A. One. Apparently, wild orcas, unlike their unfortunate caged brethren at SeaWorld, don’t perform on a schedule, which is why all whale-watching tour operators in the region, including ours, never guarantee sightings.

But we did spot something else in the water. And that something else turned out to be just as awesome and thrilling. Huge humpback whales, hunted to near extinction and a rare sight in this former whaling area, have made a dramatic comeback in the last decade.

We spotted several humpbacks, including a mother and calf that entered the cove at the entrance to the lodge. However, the encounter that made chills run down my spine was kayaking on Browning Passage and hearing behind us the forceful exhalation of air through the blowhole of one of these otherwise silent creatures—like Darth Vader, but friendlier. Is there anyone who can listen to the breath of that gentle giant (which might have gone the way of the dodo) and not become an instant environmentalist?

Jenss Family Travels: Tourists in Quebec City

Besides "crazy" I’ve been called lots of things for willingly leaving my job and traveling around the world for a year with my wife and two young boys. Adventurous, courageous, brave—even fortunate—were other adjectives used that I personally think better describe the situation. I prefer being labeled as an "explorer," "adventure seeker," or just plain old "world traveler" myself. The word "tourist" had never even entered the vocabulary. Well that’s exactly what we were transformed into the moment we arrived in Quebec City, staring blankly at a road atlas and asking directions in English in a French-speaking town.

Carol and I had been to Quebec City’s old town several years earlier for Winter Carnival, where the city becomes a sort of North Pole for revelers, complete with snow sculptures, ice climbing walls, dogsled rides, plenty of alcohol to warm the spirits, and a snow bath where the participants are dressed only in bathing suits. I did mention it was winter and there was alcohol involved, right? Well, needless to say, Carol and I didn’t pack the proper clothing for this event, so I think, like us, very few tourists took part. This time, we arrive in 80-degree temperatures, but still with plenty of people crowding the walled city for fun and amusement. It turns out 2008 marks Quebec’s 400th birthday, and much to our good fortune, this was the week the province celebrated with Festival d’Ete de Quebec—a music festival that culminated the weekend we arrived. 

In hindsight, we seemed pretty lucky to get a B&B right smack in the middle of town and for only $100 a night to boot. That’s the payoff for having planned this itinerary well in advance! Room number six at the Hotel La Maison Demers fit all four of us, no problem, with two queen beds, although it gave us our first true taste of quality family time. No privacy in this joint! But no need to be indoors when there was so much going on.

Strange Planet: Multiple Multiples

No, you’re not seeing double. Those are twin brothers marching in last year’s Twins Parade in Montreal. Founded in 1998 by a set of twin sisters from Quebec, the event was designed to provide an opportunity for siblings to celebrate their multiplicity. This year’s festivities, to be held on July 12th, will also include a look-alike contest and a costume contest for the siblings whose get-ups best fit this year’s theme, “Traveling through the stages of life.” Organizers expect 2,000 multiples to march in the parade, which takes place during the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. If you were unlucky enough to be born as a "single," you can join the 250,000 expected spectators, but don’t try to grab a look-alike and join in the fun: the event brochure says organizers reserved the right to require “proof of twinning” from all participants (apparently birth certificates suffice).

If you can’t make it to Montreal, or just want more twins in your life, check out the Twins Day festival in Twinsburg, Ohio,  August 1-3, or head to the Twins Network website for a listing of twins events around the world.

Photo: courtesy of the Montreal Just for Laughs festival

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Go Team! (To Chicago or Tokyo or Madrid or Rio...)

Even though the Beijing Olympics are practically upon us, the International Olympic Committee is always focused on the future. The IOC just recently announced the shortlist for the XXXI Summer Olympiad, to take place in 2016. Four hopeful cities, Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro are now vying for the ultimate sports blazon: being an Olympic host. So we took a moment to handicap the contestants.

Rio is the only candidate in a country which hasn't yet hosted the event, but it is no stranger to big sports competitions, having successfully staged the XV Pan American Games last year. A winning bid for Rio would also mark the first time for the event to be held in South America. Chicago and Tokyo have both won previous bids—Chicago's bid, however, was transferred to St. Louis to coincide with the World's Fair that year (1904)—and the Japanese capital served as host to the Games in 1964. A Madrid win would come 24 years after Barcelona bore that torch for Spain's first Olympics in 1992.

If sports tourism is your thing, you'll be happy to know your destination choices will be narrowed down in October of 2009, when the winning city is announced. In the meantime, you can enjoy more statistics and catch up on bid standings here and here. And if 2016 is too far ahead, and your team-spirit cravings need more immediate satisfaction, you can start planning right away for any of these upcoming global sports events after the jump:

Hockey (And More) in Halifax

Jeffrey DiNunzio is a production coordinator at National Geographic magazine, and an avowed hockey addict. He recently ventured northward to Halifax to revel in the best that international ice hockey has to offer, and returned with a report on this sustainable city.

If you're an avid hockey fan, you already know that 2008 marks the centennial of the official “governing body of international ice hockey and inline hockey.” But for the sake the novice, here's a quick tutorial: Each year the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) holds the World Hockey Championship tournament in a different host country. Recognizing Canada’s distinguished honor as the origin of the sport, the IIHF scheduled this year’s tourney in Canada for the first time. Held between May 2 and May 14 this year, the games were split between Quebec City and Halifax. And as one of approximately three hockey fans in the United States, I entered the Atlantic time zone to scope out Halifax.

It’s a long drive from Pennsylvania to Halifax—perfect for that 1,070-mile power nap you need. Anyone who’s ever complained about overcrowding has likely never driven the 1 North or 2, 104, or 102 West from the U.S.-Canada border crossing at St. Stephen, New Brunswick to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Only howling, filthy, speeding 18-wheelers rouse the sleepy towns that freckle eastern Canada’s barren hills. As for signs of life, the 102 can be a sorry stretch of asphalt. But patience yields rewards. The freeway expires in the distinctly Canadian city—a town that’s absorbed the best traits of Europe and America (except rail transit) while creating its own unique character.

Global Eye: Alberta

"My Shadow on the River"

Photographer: Sarah M. Ligon of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Getting the Shot: I took this photo on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River on Leap Year Day 2008 using my Leica C-LUX 1 point-and-shoot camera. Although the scene looks like it could be in one of Alberta's more remote regions, it is actually in the heart of downtown Edmonton, a city of more than a million people. A fluke of geography, the river's steep banks made it impossible for developers to build along the river, and so the whole river valley was turned into an elaborate park system, nearly 16 miles (25 kilometers) long. This particular spot is on a popular off-leash dog park.

The Details:  I'm a Southern girl, originally from Arkansas, and this was my first winter in Canada. Needless to say, after months of dark days and -40-degree temperatures, I came down with a bit of cabin fever. But on this particular day, the sun was radiant, and so I stole the opportunity to head out-of-doors. I shot for hours along the river, taking advantage of the long sunsets we have in the North this time of the year, and it really raised my spirits. In particular, I was tickled to discover the strange split-beam house perched on the bluff. I saw so many houses like this one when I lived in Bavaria last year, but I never expected to find one in Edmonton. It was a pleasant reminder of my happy time in another beautiful corner of the world.

Now that spring has officially sprung here in D.C., we're fully aware our pleasant afternoons of mid-70s and 80s will soon make way for the sticky heat of our infamously sweltering summers. In an act of repression and denial, we offer this quiet scene of winter reflection.

Think your own picture is good enough for Global Eye? Add your photos to our Flickr pool.

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Free EcoCabs, Eh?

Starting today, a fleet of 28 EcoCabs has descended upon the smoggy streets of downtown Toronto.

What’s an EcoCab, you ask? In addition to being an adorably goofy alternative to the iconic yellow cab, the EcoCab runs mostly on a trained driver’s pedal-power (in other words, a modern-day rickshaw) and is powered by a rechargeable electric battery. The emission-free three-wheelers clip along at a sprightly 7.5 miles an hour in bike lanes and offer residents and tourists short-distance transport between Toronto's shopping, dining, and entertainment destinations as well as office buildings and transit stations. Each cab is equipped to carry two adult passengers. The best part? Rides are free of charge, funded by advertising on the exterior of each vehicle.

According to speculation, EcoCabs will hit Vancouver and Montreal next year.

Photo: Kazuyoshi Ehara/CNW Group

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Introducing the Stay List

Equally as important as answering the question, "Where should I go on my next vacation?" is "Where should I stay on my next vacation?" Where you sleep can make or break any holiday, be it a long weekend away from the office, a family trip with the kids, or a romantic getaway for two. Sure, Motel 6 is cheap, and places like Holiday Inn have frequent-sleeper rewards, but nights spent at these stays tend to be forgettable (not to offend you, Motel 6: I can't count the times I've been on a road trip pleading to the highway gods for the next exit sign to read "Motel 6, next right").

But for those who are looking for a hotel that incorporates the destination's history, culture, and community, Traveler's got the ultimate guide to authentic getaways in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean: The Stay List.

We sent detailed surveys to some 600 properties and, thanks to our hardworking research staff, narrowed down the list to the top 150 hotels. These Stay List-worthy hotels embrace authenticity, location-inspired architecture, eco-stewardship, and giving back to their community. While I can't obviously feature all 150 hotels in this post alone (you'll have to check out the April 2008 issue for that), I'd like to highlight a few of my favorites.

What a Mush!

Associate Editor Amy Alipio teaches us all how to mush...

When I was in Churchill, Manitoba, last October, I went on a dogsledding excursion run by Dave Daley of Wapusk Adventures, which gave us a tiny but thrilling taste of what it’s like to be pulled by a pack of dogs who love to run. As soon as we entered Daley’s yard, the dogs—sensing that they were going to be running soon—started leaping straight up into the air like they had rocket blasters under their paws.

But for the real, blood-sweat-and-tears version of dogsledding, there’s the annual Hudson Bay Quest. The HBQ, founded by Daley and friend Gerald Azure five years ago, is a 400-kilometer (248-mile) dog-sled race between Churchill and Arviat, in Nunavut. Designed as a test of self-sufficiency, racers must carry their own supplies and food for the duration of the race. This year, 20 mushers will set off March 29 with their dog teams across the frozen, often windy, and snowy tundra bordering Hudson Bay, prepared to face temperatures stuck in the minus 20s Fahrenheit. I spoke to Daley to get the lowdown before the race.

How is the Hudson Bay Quest different from other dog-sled races, like the famous Iditarod?

Well one thing is that we let the Inuit racers race with their traditional sleds and fan hitches. In a fan hitch, the dogs are each attached to the sled by their own line, in a fan formation. The more typical hitch system, used in the Iditarod and Yukon Quest races, is the gangline, where dogs are attached to one single line, usually in pairs.

What inspired you to found the race?

Living in a remote community, we do watch the famous dog-sled races, and we wanted to have our own Iditarod or Yukon Quest. I’m a Métis, and I saw it as a chance to get together the aboriginals of the north  and revitalize traditional northern dog sledding. It’s not as long a race as the Iditarod but it’s pretty grueling. Every year so far we’ve had a blizzard at some point during the race. When I started, there were four teams out of Nunavut; this year there are 12. A lot of guys that hadn’t raced in awhile are getting back into it, and young people, a new generation of dogsledders, have sprung up. This is our opportunity to showcase our northern racers, although we do invite teams from the south. We have a lot of repeat racers too. Every year the race has become more and more popular.