Putting on my poker face for Air Canada’s enRoute

In the January issue of Air Canada’s enRoute I shared some pointers from a poker lesson I took in Las Vegas with two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Mark Seif.

• Download a .pdf of the article here.
• Read the article on enRoute’s website here.

Mark was a fantastic teacher during our session at Caesars Palace last August, so much so that I left the poker room up $55 when I played on my own the next day (your results may vary). Winning money at poker was a new experience for me, I enjoyed it greatly, and I hope to do it again.

It’s mentioned in the itinerary section on the last page, but it merits repeating: if you’re looking for a dining splurge in Vegas, eat at Bradley Ogden in Caesars. It’s joined the pantheon of meals that I stay up late at night thinking about.

The piece ran in enRoute‘s Higher Learning section, which focuses on “an international crash course in anything from cheese making to scuba diving to ranching, told from a personal perspective but in such a way that it teaches the reader about both the activity and the place it’s taught. It’s a two-page section, 450-words (in English and in French) and includes a sidebar with suggestions for where to stay and eat.” If you have suggestions for similar experiences, please let me know.

In addition to Mark, much thanks to Naomi Strasser and Sherri-Lyn Brown at Aerial Communications Group and Brandy Bell at Harrah’s Entertainment for coordinating my visit. (And thanks to my daughter for crawling for the first time two hours before  I left for Vegas. If it’d been two hours afterward, I probably would’ve quit travel writing and just entered Bloomingdale’s executive training program.)

A room with a view times three: My latest contribuiton to Air Canada’s enRoute

Last month I contributed a sidebar to Air Canada’s in-flight magazine, enRoute, on hotel rooms with views that give guests an eyeful (in a good way):

• Download a .pdf of the article here.
• Read the article on enRoute’s website here.

I got the idea for the piece after a visit to Chicago’s Hotel Monaco in March (you can read my description of that room at UpTake).

Four family friendly hotels stay hip: My latest piece for Air Canada’s enRoute

Resorts with teen programs that the 13- to 18-year-old set might actually enjoy was the subject for my latest piece in Air Canada’s in-flight magazine, enRoute:

• Download a .pdf of the article here.
• Read the article on enRoute’s website here.

I got the idea for the article after a visit to the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach in January (you can read an account of my trip at UpTake). It’d been a while since facilities for teens were something I cared about–and it’ll be a while before they’re a factor in my vacation plans again–so clearly I wouldn’t have had this idea for an article if I hadn’t been on the press trip and seen that resorts were offering activities for teens that surpassed sticking them with a glorified counselor and their way uncool younger siblings (not that being seen with my little brother was ever a drag).

enRoute’s articles, including mine, now appearing on MSN’s Canadian travel site

EnRoute, Air Canada’s in-flight magazine, has a new partnership with MSN Canada in which articles from the magazine now will appear on MSN Canada’s travel section. A couple of mine (Freebies Around the Globe, which I co wrote, and 4 Great Gardens Around the World) are slated to appear there soon.

Look for them at http://travel.ca.msn.com/. The stories will be rotated frequently, so they may not appear on the site now.

Four spots to catch the World Cup: My latest for Air Canada’s enRoute

Going to be in Buenos Aires, London, New York City, or Toronto during the World Cup? Check out the games at one of these soccer-themed bars I profiled in the June issue of enRoute, Air Canada’s in-flight magazine.

• Download a .pdf of the article here.
• Read the article on enRoute’s website here.

And if you’re heading to South Africa, the article’s sidebar highlights three retreats hosting World Cup teams (safe bet you won’t be getting into any of them until the tournament is over–or the team has left in disgrace).