Travel

The rain is pelting vertically and horizontally when we arrive at the giant lily pads of the Amazon. I am enraptured by the scale and artistry of the organic rafts, but this is just a tantalizing, quick stop in our excursion skiff.

When wicked winds whip through Canada's Coast Mountains, Southern California basks in warm sunshine. With 345 sunny days each year, Long Beach offers a delightful break from grey skies and snow.

"Are you ready, Suzanne?" asks the man breathing down my back. "Yes" I say with a confidence that belies how I really feel. But it's too late now to worry about what's ahead. "Three, two, one, run!" In Golden, B.C.

A father-and-son team put the new Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid through its paces on America's most iconic road — Route 66

Turkey's heaving capital straddles Europe and Asia, embracing both the historical and the contemporary

A Star Clipper cruise from Athens to Istanbul on a tall sailing ship carries only 170 passengers and lots of charm.

Summer can be a fickle season in the Coast Mountains. Exhibit A: The recent mid-July snowfall in the alpine regions around Whistler. Better hurry.

Here we are strolling the elegant Montmartre neighbourhood, laughing with our engaging guide and taking in the Paris eye candy. Our group can't believe this two-hour walking tour is free.

Take a trip to where it all started

"I don't like any government," says the man kneeling on the back of my legs and pulling my arms up and backwards towards him.