As one of Canada’s most exciting and bustling cities, Vancouver, British Columbia has a lot to offer its visitors.

Whether it’s your first time or your fifth to Vancouver, here are some top places, sights, tastes and experiences – new as well as the tried and true – that shouldn’t be missed if you’ve got 24 hours in this gorgeous city.

Vancouver in 24 Hours

Start the morning with a visit to Vancouver’s Granville Island. Grab a fresh breakfast pastry or croissant (and a baggie of homemade granola clusters for the road) and a coffee to go from Stuart’s Bakery while you explore the Public Market stalls that boast fresh local fruit, vegetables, sausages, fish and meat. Wander the island’s many boutique art shops and galleries, the Granville Island Brewing Co. for a tasting or the Net Loft for fun, kitschy gifts.  

United and Continental just dumped the price of their flights to Taipei, Taiwan in a serious way. They're down to $752 roundtrip after tax at the moment, about 40% cheaper than the next cheapest airlines! This is by far the cheapest I've ever seen flights to Taiwan.

source: http://www.photography-match.com/views/images/gallery/Taipei_Taiwan.jpg

Recently, Forbes released a list of the world's most shark-infested beaches. Data was pulled from the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), which documents shark attacks all over the world. The United States shows up the most on the top 10 list with beaches in California, Hawaii, Florida, the Carolinas and Texas ranking well. Luckily, the writer does slide in the fact that shark attacks are rare and that greater seaside dangers exist (like box jellyfish or drowning). There were just 79 shark attacks, six fatal, around the world in 2010 according to the ISAF, which is higher than any other year, but is still just 79. When you consider how many people went to beaches in 2010 and that there are 440 species of shark, the infamous creatures come across as downright civil.

But if that's not comforting, fear not. Though the ocean is open and no ocean is uninhabited by sharks, we've pulled together the top 5 beaches where your chances of meeting a shark are slim. We just can't promise they'll be in the tropics.

Alas, my stay at Whistler had come to an end. I packed up, blew some kisses at the giant Inukshuk that sits on top of Whistler mountain and boarded the Rocky Mountaineer train for a journey up to the town of Quesnel.

Okay, before I talk about the actual trip...let’s take a moment to admire the train itself.

This is no ordinary choo-choo. The experience on board the Gold service car of the Rocky Mountaineer can rival any 5-star resort – minus the swimming pool and the spa. The seats are spacious with tons of leg room, and enough pillows and blankets to make you feel like you’re sitting in bed (trust me on this one, I napped a lot and it was amazing). The windows start at elbow level and wrap all the way around to the top and then back down the other side of the car, allowing everyone on board to have a 360-degree view of the landscape. There is even a small vestibule at the end of the car where you can step out for some fresh air and views of the surrounding areas from track level.

  

So, a 6:00am wake-up call isn’t exactly an ideal fixture in most people’s vacations. But here’s one activity that’s worth being an early bird for.

Lucky for me, the commute wasn’t far for this one. So bleary eyed, I made my way down to the lobby of my hotel where an enthusiastic representative from the Rocky Mountaineer greeted me as I boarded a shuttle bus to the train station. Twenty minutes later, boarding pass in hand, we all downloaded from the bus and hopped on board.

We were set to start a 3 hour journey from Vancouver to Whistler on board the spectacular Rocky Mountaineer train. And what a treat it was.

I’ve done the bus ride from Vancouver and Whistler before. And as impressive as that was, the train ride is a different experience. The train tracks wind gently around the “sea to sky” route, making a slow climb all the way up to the resort town of Whistler.

We’re right in the middle of the raw, precious nature. The trees so close to the tracks, they caress the sides of the train as we ride by. The views of the water are spectacular. Often times the train perches right on the edge of a cliff. This offers breathtaking views and a rush of adrenaline as I sometimes felt like I could plunge right in.

  

One of the best ways to get around Europe is by train. It is a quick and comfortable mode of transportation that’s often more convenient than flying when you’re in Europe. You can reach virtually every city or township via rail and the scenery is usually pretty good, too!

With a hundreds of trains, passes and deals, there are a few things worth knowing before you get aboard a train in Europe. Read on for our Euro Rail 101 tips.

When to Take the Train

If you’re planning on visiting two or more cities in the same region, i.e. Western Europe or going from one neighbouring country to the next, it’s worth taking the train. Europe is small so you can travel from places like Paris to Brussels within 1.5 hours or overnight like from London to Paris within 7-8 hours. For longer-haul distances like Paris to Prague (12-13 hours by train), it might be worth going by air or you could take an overnight train and save money by sleeping on the train.

It has been more than 30 years since the first frequent-flier programs taught people how to get rewards for their business. And the hotel industry wasn’t far behind in using its points for upgrades and free nights.

But today, hotel frequent-stay programs have upped their game and started to encompass more types of rewards, and customization—not points—is the latest buzzword. But not all programs are created equal; here are four that rank high on our list—and they all offer free registration!

Marriott Rewards

Number of Participating Hotels: 3700 hotels; 50 airlines

This year, Marriott Rewards won Program of the Year in the Americas at the Frequent Traveler Awards—and it’s clear their 34 million members agree. What’s the key to its longevity in the business? For one thing, you get more bang for your buck, because so many hotels are already part of the Marriott family. (Use their advanced hotel search function to find out where you can cash in your points.)

Gap Adventures is giving away a free trip to Machu Picchu! Check out this note they sent me:

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Machu Picchu's rediscovery, we're giving away a free trip to explore the Lost City of the Incas. Entries will be accepted until July 24, 2011. I've included all the details below.

Gap Adventures Offers Travel Junkies a Chance to Win a Free Trip

Adventure travel leader celebrates the 100th anniversary of Machu Picchu’s rediscovery with an international contest Toronto, ON – As the 100th anniversary of Machu Picchu’s rediscovery approaches (July 24, 2011), Gap Adventures, the world’s adventure travel leader, gives travel enthusiasts a chance to win a free trip to explore the Lost City of the Incas. The contest is open to all Facebook fans who ‘like’ Gap Adventures at www.facebook.com/gapadventures. To enter, participants must submit a photo of themselves along with a message (maximum of 420 characters) explaining why they should be considered. All entries must be emailed to facebook@gapadventures.com. Entries will be accepted until July 24, 2011. Finalists’ stories and photos will be announced and shared on Gap Adventures’ Facebook Wall on July 25, 2011. Fans will have the chance to ‘like’ and vote for their favourite entry until August 1, 2011. The winner will be announced on August 2, 2011.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate this monumental occasion with travellers worldwide,” says Bruce Poon Tip, Gap Adventures’ founder. “Machu Picchu tops the bucket lists of countless globetrotters around the world. We’re honoured to have had the opportunity to share the beauty and history of the Lost City with travellers for more than 15 years.”

For more information please visit www.gapadventures.com and www.facebook.com/gapadventures.

: 2:01 AM in Travel Insider

It was a cloudy day, but it didn’t rain! Well, almost...but a light drizzle doesn’t technically count as rain, right?

    

Okay, I know it rains in Vancouver a lot. But for some reason, the optimist in me is always expecting sunny skies whenever my plane touches down at a new destination. When we landed in Vancouver, it was raining... and I didn’t have an umbrella! But that didn’t put a damper on my mood. I hopped an airport shuttle and made my way downtown, my sunny spirits compensating for the cloudy skies.

First stop, lunch at the Hawksworth restaurant.

The crisp modern decor sets the mood for an upscale experience as soon as you walk in. The place was packed which is always a good sign at any restaurant. I started my meal with a tomato and fennel soup, served delicately in a shallow bowl garnished with spot prawn. Following that, I was served a plate of maple hills chicken, fromage blanc, english pea, butter radish, capsicum emulsion. As though that wasn’t indulgent enough, I finished my meal with a milk chocolate mousse that was nestled in a bed of candied pecans and passionfruit.

It was time to walk off the calories, and that I did by walking through downtown Vancouver all the way down to the Stanley park. The park is over 400 hectares (10% larger than New York’s Central Park) and to explore on foot would take at least a few hours. So, I enlisted the help of Dudley and Denzil – two Grey Shire horses that draw a guided tour carriage through the park. Stanley park is the Canada’s 2nd largest urban park (3rd largest in North America) and boasts a diverse array of wildlife, flora, fauna, hiking trails, totem poles, a lake and even a rose garden. As we clip-clopped through the park, we were able to see a handful of these sights, stopping occasionally to take photos.