Have you tried to buy travel insurance lately for international travel? Do you know if you even need it? Has the pandemic affected your travel insurance needs? Here are a few considerations that might help you to make a more informed decision. Emergency medical travel coverage and straight cancellation insurance isn’t too expensive, but the interruption and cancellation policies can be …
Sniffing around COVID-19 concerns
Out of an abundance of caution when I thought I had allergies, before finishing packing for a work conference, I took a rapid test, and within a minute, tested positive for COVID-19. Now, a week later, I am finally feeling more like myself, but the experience has left me with lingering concerns. First off, I worry that two years in …
Quarantine’s sensory deprivation allowed Greece’s treasures to truly come to life
After being stuck in a mandatory quarantine for six days in Athens, our freedom was delicious in every sense of the word. With heightened senses, we were released into the world, ready to experience everything. We drank in every view, contrasting ourselves in bright colours against the whites of the ruins and rocks. Our eyes, ready for anything different, saw …
’Speed bumps’ accompany current international trek
I’ve just embarked on my second international trip post COVID-19. Given all the new challenges due to the pandemic, and perhaps the airline’s needs to make up for lost revenues, I’m wondering if we’ll see a resurgence in the use of travel agents. I say this for the simple fact, that as an experienced traveller, I had a number of …
Becoming less testy about COVID travel
Hearing that the federal government was lifting the travel restrictions allowing for non-essential travel on Feb. 28, I got really excited. Then, the fear of what all the ongoing COVID restrictions meant started to creep in. My travel planning joints are rusty and, from COVID testing to cancellation insurance, there were so many new decisions and unknowns. If you are …
Does the vaccine actually work? Details in the data
A large number of us will get the Omicron variant of COVID-19 over the next six months. What matters now is who gets it, and when. The vaccines’ roles in all of this are important to understand. Here I sit, with two doses of Moderna and a booster dose of Pfizer in me (and no improved Internet signal – yes …
‘Haphazard non-data driven’ decisions get F grade
“Blunt the latest wave” is what we’re being told to do in Ontario. Is this a call for citizens to buy cannabis and roll a fatty to get through this lockdown? Or are we actually trying to make the latest wave less sharp? A wave, sharp? Words matter. What also matters is data, logic, and forethought before making wide-sweeping, seemingly nonsensical …
Unfamiliar apps, services help make recent travel tickety-boo
While the pandemic has caused all kinds of unexpected bumps for travellers everywhere, my last trip to southern Ontario catalyzed me into finding out about some new and useful technologies to aid in travel in and around Toronto. With Porter flying again, we were able to secure decent flights. The issue was trying to get a rental car. I knew …
Rules around COVID-19 ring hollow without enforcement
As news and social media stories cross my screen on people not following COVID-19 protocols in our community, I can’t help but think that we need a lesson in parenting, and … well … “humaning.” Two incidents in particular have reminded me that rules with no enforcement are useless. Firstly, there are multiple establishments in Sault Ste. Marie that have decided …
For the love of buying local
As snow starts to dust our rooftops, thoughts of shopping for the holidays are like subtle sugar plum fairies dancing in my head. The pandemic accelerated our rate of online shopping this year, and that trend will likely continue, but take a minute to consider what happens if we don’t support local. Also think about what will occur if we …
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