Some tips on how packing can help make a trip a lot more enjoyable.

TORONTO — Geordie, my lovely little Westie and best friend in the world, looks at me with his big sad puppy dog eyes every time I retrieve my suitcase from the closet. He slumps to the floor and cradles his furry face in his paws, and I swear his eyes well up as he watches me pack. And when he drives off with the dog sitter, he presses his nose up against the car window as if to say: “please take me with you.”

AMSTERDAM - They spend more time in the air than most pilots. And collectively they’ve travelled the equivalent of 46.5 return trips to the moon. Who are these inspired travellers? Entertainers, of course. And who’s the entertainer who travels most?

LAS VEGAS - Skeptics think the National Hockey League rolled the dice and took a big gamble by putting a franchise — the Golden Knights — in this town where betting was the only contact sport in the past. Locals, however, disagree. In fact, many say the NHL’s success in Las Vegas is a sure bet.

TORONTO - Here’s the scenario: You invite your friends over for a party but when they get there, grumpy grandpa slams the door in their face because he doesn’t like their religion, their colour or their nationality.

TORONTO - There are a few golden rules when it comes to travel. The first is philosophical — always remember, it’s the journey, not the destination that’s important. The second is more practical — never fall asleep at noontime in the hot tropical sun at a nude beach. However, the most important travel advice I ever received is: Always read the fine print.

VANCOUVER - Coach No. 5 is abuzz with excitement. The occupants have spotted a bald eagle soaring majestically above the bi-level car’s glass dome ceiling and cameras are clicking at a rapid pace. The graceful creature with the piercing eyes and trademark white head and tail seems to be enjoying all the attention and follows our Rocky Mountaineer train until suddenly, and without warning, it drops from the sky like a missile and plucks a large fish out of an emerald green lake with its lethal t...

TORONTO - The fact that “culinary tourism” has become one of the staples of the travel industry may be hard for some people to swallow. However, famous restaurants are now as big a tourist draw as historic castles, great cathedrals and revered temples.

BARCELONA - Outside my window, Europe is whizzing past. First Holland, then Belgium … France … Switzerland … Italy … Spain. Small towns, their church spires sticking up like pins on a map, pass by in the blink of the eye.

Stuart Harvey is giddy with excitement as he leads his small band of followers into lovely San Clemente Basilica, an unexpected stop on our tour of this treasure trove of history.