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.

TORONTO - ASHLEY ONADELE and her husband Babatunde love to travel: they’ve taken trips to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, England, Spain, Austria and as far as Thailand.

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.

TORONTO - Gay-friendly airlines are in the sky and they’re making life better for the LGBTQ community. With gay culture becoming more mainstream, brands are forced to take their positions and stand as allies or risk being left behind in the dark ages. And those who take a prejudice stand are facing backlash.

GALT, ON - When I write about libraries, it’s with great sheepishness. In Grade 4, I buried three library books from Mount Pleasant Elementary School because I was immobilized by fear. The books were long overdue and the consequences (the wrath of the head librarian) were better resolved with the deft work of a spade by the pond. I claimed that the books had been returned long ago and were obviously shelved by a student helper unfamiliar with the Dewey Decimal system. Crisis averted.

BANGKOK - When I arrive in Asia, the contents of my luggage includes six pairs of high-heels, two kilograms of jewelry and hundreds of dollars in hair products.

TORONTO - Every year since they were babies, I’ve been taking my kids on beach vacations — from Barbados, to Turks & Caicos, to a Caribbean cruise and all over Mexico – sometimes with family and a couple of times on my own.

BARI, ITALY - At a run-down train station in this Italian port city that hugs the Adriatic Sea, I call my grandfather from a rusty phone box to tell him about my travels through France and Belgium.