TraveLife magazine hot off the presses

I’ve been in the publishing game for over 30 years now but no matter how long I’ve been around, I still get a rush when publications come off the press – whether it be the Toronto Star where I was Travel Editor for many years or now at TraveLife magazine.

So, when I was handed the hot, right off the press copy of the latest issue (April) of TravelIfe earlier today, a rush of printer’s ink surged through my veins. There is no sweeter smell to me than fresh drying printer’s ink.

And, I must say, the April issue, with the hot air balloon cover photo I took one gorgeous sunny morning in the Sonoran Desert just outside Scottsdale, Arizona looks damn good.

Yes, I did haul myself out of bed and went to great heights to get the cover story, which deals with finding a place this summer where unpredictable global warming won’t spoil my suntan time around the pool. A friend who just got back from South Africa tells me she encountered torrential rains, the likes the African continent has not seen for 300 years at this time of year, during her stay in Nelson Mandela’s nation. That’s the havoc global warming is playing on travel planning, folks.

So, Arizona, with its 333 days of sunshine and a monsoon season that lasts a few hours in August, may be the answer – and the fact amazing 5-star resorts and golf courses there cut their summer rates by as much as 60 per cent, is another good reason to think about Arizona this summer.

So read all about it in the online edition of TraveLife magazine at www.travelife.ca when it appears Monday.

Oh, and there’s lots more to read about in the April issue – stories and great photographs from Burma, China, Montreal (where you can actually surf in the St. Lawrence), Sarnia (where the sunsets rank among the best in the world), Bangkok, Florida and Doha, the capital of Qatar and a city considered the best money can buy.

And, Claudia Tsang, our assistant editor, shares some tips on travelling with a baby on vacation – Claudia made the sacrifice of going all the way to Hawaii with her hubby and 1-year-old son to do the research!

Casey Nolin shares her amazing photography tips and wusing a 2D Barcode can give you a chance to win a new smart phone.

Read all about in the online version of TraveLife magazine Monday!