Hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler Podcast Newsletter, our monthly newsletter designed to compliment our weekly travel podcast, offer additional travel tidbits and tips. As always, your feedback is welcome.

Quotes from last month's podcast:

If you haven’t heard this month’s podcast episodes yet you can find the full interviews HERE. Some notable quotes include:

“it's a different type of rafting where it's just some of the most scenic parts of like British Columbia and stuff like that. You get to see obviously the beautiful shale rock, canyon walls,”

“we have concierge style check-in where you have your aromatherapy menu to choose for your room. You have a pillow menu, which has six different types of pillows there for you to choose. And then once you pick all that and do your check-in, then we welcome you with a five-minute welcome anti-stress massage.”

“if you've never cruised before, you're probably looking for a shorter cruise, you're probably looking for a more port intensive cruise, just to see if you like the concept of cruising“

^{3 Things I Learnt this Month}

Canadian airlines made a strong showing at this year’s Skytrax World Airline Awards, with Air Canada, Air Transat and Porter Airlines winning top Canadian category awards. Air Canada ranked highest among Canadian carriers at No. 17 globally, while Porter came in at No. 34, followed by Air Transat at 59, WestJet at 85 and Air Canada Rouge at 100. The awards, often called the “Oscars of the aviation industry,” are based on surveys of millions of travellers worldwide, with Singapore Airlines taking the top overall spot.

__________________

Tim Hortons and WestJet are teaming up, with a new “flight roast” coffee being served on WestJet flights starting November 30. The blend uses 100% Arabica beans but is specially roasted to account for how taste changes at high altitude. The partnership will also expand in 2027, when Tims Rewards and WestJet Rewards members will be able to link their accounts to earn points and access exclusive offers and promotions.

___________________________________________

The top 10 destinations Canadians visited the most this year.

Delhi, India
Tokyo, Japan
London, England
Cancún, Mexico
Paris, France
Manila, Philippines
Lisbon, Portugal
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Hong Kong
Rome, Italy

The findings are based on FlightHub’s booking and search data from October 2025 to August 2026, compared with the same period the year before.

Looking at the Month Ahead 

Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavík — Nov. 5–7: Major international music festival featuring artists from Iceland and around the world.

Amsterdam Light Festival, Netherlands — Nov. 26 onward: Light-art installations around Amsterdam's canals, running into January 2027.

Thanksgiving, United States — Nov. 26: A major U.S. holiday that also creates one of the country's busiest travel periods.

Travel Tip of the Month

A simple “please,” “thank you,” and “I’m sorry” in the local language goes a long way. I also like to learn the word for beer — but that’s just me.