travel

The Canadian border is pictured at the Peace Arch Canada/USA border crossing in Surrey, B.C. Friday, March 20, 2020. More than 4.6 million people have arrived in Canada since the border closed last March and fewer than one-quarter of them were ordered to quarantine while the rest were deemed “essential” and exempted from quarantining. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Majority of international travellers since March deemed ‘essential’, avoid quarantine

As of Oct. 20, 3.5 million travellers had been deemed essential, and another 1.1 million were considered non-essential

The Canadian border is pictured at the Peace Arch Canada/USA border crossing in Surrey, B.C. Friday, March 20, 2020. More than 4.6 million people have arrived in Canada since the border closed last March and fewer than one-quarter of them were ordered to quarantine while the rest were deemed “essential” and exempted from quarantining. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Explore BC IPA, a new limited-edition craft beer, inspires British Columbians to discover their own province along BC’s ale trails. BC Ale Trail photo.

Discover British Columbia this fall … via the Explore BC IPA!

Destination BC brews up partnership with BC Ale Trail and 6 BC breweries for the Explore BC IPA

Explore BC IPA, a new limited-edition craft beer, inspires British Columbians to discover their own province along BC’s ale trails. BC Ale Trail photo.
Vueling Airlines planes sit parked in a line at the Seville, Spain airport on Saturday, March 21, 2020, idled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Miguel Morenatti

Air travel rebound is not yet on the radar, border services passenger numbers show

The Canada-U.S. land border closure has been extended until at least Oct. 21

Vueling Airlines planes sit parked in a line at the Seville, Spain airport on Saturday, March 21, 2020, idled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Miguel Morenatti
Glenn Wakefield on his sailboat, West Wind II, at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club prior to launching for Cape Horn on Sept. 6. (Travis Paterson/News Staff)

Vancouver Island sailor stranded in U.S. hospital after suffering massive stroke at sea

Oak Bay man was attempting to circumnavigate the world solo

Glenn Wakefield on his sailboat, West Wind II, at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club prior to launching for Cape Horn on Sept. 6. (Travis Paterson/News Staff)
A grizzly, like this one spotted on a recent Tide Rip Grizzly Adventures tour, can be distinguished from a black bear by its noticeable shoulder hump, a more dish-shaped face and its longer claws. Photo by Anthony Bucci / www.abucciphotography.com.

Bear tales: A grizzly adventure of a lifetime!

Journey to the Great Bear Rainforest

  • Aug 14, 2020
A grizzly, like this one spotted on a recent Tide Rip Grizzly Adventures tour, can be distinguished from a black bear by its noticeable shoulder hump, a more dish-shaped face and its longer claws. Photo by Anthony Bucci / www.abucciphotography.com.
Explore one of BC’s best-known regions along the Sea-to-Sky Highway.

3 New Ways to Explore Vancouver and the Sea-to-Sky

See familiar places with fresh eyes

  • Jul 13, 2020
Explore one of BC’s best-known regions along the Sea-to-Sky Highway.
Discover scenery that stirs the soul throughout BC, including the Sunshine Coast Trail. Andrew Strain photo.

Rediscover Coastal Culture and Wild Landscapes on BC’s West Coast

No matter how many times you experience it, the dramatic coastal scenery stirs the soul

  • Jul 13, 2020
Discover scenery that stirs the soul throughout BC, including the Sunshine Coast Trail. Andrew Strain photo.
B.C. entered Phase 3 of its restart plan on June 24, 2020 allowing people to take part in ‘smart, safe, and respectful’ travel within the province. (B.C. government photo)

B.C. reopening travel not sitting well with several First Nations

A number of safety conditions have yet to be met Indigenous leaders maintain

B.C. entered Phase 3 of its restart plan on June 24, 2020 allowing people to take part in ‘smart, safe, and respectful’ travel within the province. (B.C. government photo)
Brayden Boyd and Michelle Fonseca had plans for a big wedding with family in Mexico, when COVID made that impossible. Nanaimo’s West Coast Helicopter stepped in and offered to marry them on a Vancouver Island mountaintop.

COVID-19 cancelled their wedding plans, so they married on a B.C. mountaintop

Ceremony was live streamed to friends and family around the world

  • May 29, 2020
Brayden Boyd and Michelle Fonseca had plans for a big wedding with family in Mexico, when COVID made that impossible. Nanaimo’s West Coast Helicopter stepped in and offered to marry them on a Vancouver Island mountaintop.
A magnificent view of the Coastal Range, just outside Langley, B.C. The Coastal Range extends from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and B.C. (Mike Luedey/Amateur Photography Entry)

Introducing the West Coast Traveller: A voyage of the mind

Top armchair travel content for Alaska, Yukon, BC, Alberta, Washington, Oregon and California!

A magnificent view of the Coastal Range, just outside Langley, B.C. The Coastal Range extends from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and B.C. (Mike Luedey/Amateur Photography Entry)
Clearwater’s Brett Turcotte turns sideways as he goes over a jump during a freestyle demonstration. The area is fantastic for snowmobiling, with hundreds of kilometres of trails. (Black Press Media file photo)

Clearwater: This place should be on your must-sled list

Hundreds of kilometres of trails, thrilling mountain rides

Clearwater’s Brett Turcotte turns sideways as he goes over a jump during a freestyle demonstration. The area is fantastic for snowmobiling, with hundreds of kilometres of trails. (Black Press Media file photo)
Discover Clearwater, BC

Discover Clearwater, BC

Explore this vacation paradise

  • Apr 30, 2020
Discover Clearwater, BC
Thia photo shows where the Murtle and Clearwater Rivers meet. Visitors to the area may want to hike the 17-kilometre Clearwater River trail. (Black Press Media files)

Spahats Falls: A stunning cascade in Wells Gray Park

Visitors can reach Spahats Falls by leaving the Yellowhead Highway and taking a short drive

Thia photo shows where the Murtle and Clearwater Rivers meet. Visitors to the area may want to hike the 17-kilometre Clearwater River trail. (Black Press Media files)
Natalie Rahey and Blair Skrupski are shown in a handout photo. The Halifax couple in their 30s whose wedding in Mexico’s Riviera Maya later this month is now on hold after Air Canada Vacations cancelled their flight, say they and their nearly three-dozen guests are now out more than $50,000. Rahey says she is “incredibly disappointed” that the voucher requires them to rebook at the same resort for the same price or more within the next two years, even if cheaper options become available. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Natalie Rahey

Travellers, travel agents ‘in agony’ over refund policies and customer service

Many Canadian carriers are offering customers flights rebookings or travel vouchers — but not refunds

Natalie Rahey and Blair Skrupski are shown in a handout photo. The Halifax couple in their 30s whose wedding in Mexico’s Riviera Maya later this month is now on hold after Air Canada Vacations cancelled their flight, say they and their nearly three-dozen guests are now out more than $50,000. Rahey says she is “incredibly disappointed” that the voucher requires them to rebook at the same resort for the same price or more within the next two years, even if cheaper options become available. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Natalie Rahey
Interprovincial travel ban an unlikely response to combat COVID-19, B.C.’s top doctor says

Interprovincial travel ban an unlikely response to combat COVID-19, B.C.’s top doctor says

We are too dependent on each other, Dr. Bonnie Henry says

Interprovincial travel ban an unlikely response to combat COVID-19, B.C.’s top doctor says
FILE - In this Saturday, March 14, 2020 file photo, a Transportation Security Administration agent hands a passport back to a traveler as she screens travelers, at a checkpoint inside an airline terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. The coronavirus pandemic that’s caused many Americans to avoid airports has others booking spur-of-the moment trips at dirt-cheap ticket prices. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

Cheap fares luring travellers to fly despite coronavirus pandemic

Airlines are seeing bookings plummet and cancellations

FILE - In this Saturday, March 14, 2020 file photo, a Transportation Security Administration agent hands a passport back to a traveler as she screens travelers, at a checkpoint inside an airline terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. The coronavirus pandemic that’s caused many Americans to avoid airports has others booking spur-of-the moment trips at dirt-cheap ticket prices. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
(Unsplash)

Thinking of travelling? Your insurance policy might not cover COVID-19

BCAA, TuGo both not covering coronavirus-related claims

(Unsplash)
The Ucluelet Co-op’s fresh produce aisle is nearly bare and a note has been posted informing customers that the shelves will not be restocked until Hwy. 4 reopens. (Andrew Bailey photo)

UPDATED: Mayors call for ‘calmness’ as highway rockslide cuts Tofino, Ucluelet off from supplies

Ministry of transportation expects to open road for “essential travel only” from noon-8 p.m. Friday.

The Ucluelet Co-op’s fresh produce aisle is nearly bare and a note has been posted informing customers that the shelves will not be restocked until Hwy. 4 reopens. (Andrew Bailey photo)
Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. The number of cases of a new coronavirus from Wuhan has risen over 400 in China Chinese health authorities said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Dake Kang)

VIDEO: WHO says China virus not global health emergency

The decision came after Chinese authorities moved to lock down three cities on Thursday

Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. The number of cases of a new coronavirus from Wuhan has risen over 400 in China Chinese health authorities said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Dake Kang)
Explore the West Shore Farmers’ Markets

Explore the West Shore Farmers’ Markets

Fresh produce, unique crafts, live music and more for visitors

  • Aug 16, 2019
Explore the West Shore Farmers’ Markets