One important date is October 17 in Basel for the cider festival. If inclined I could add some hiking. I could add an Egyptian Tour with G Adventures (before or after Basel) and then head to Oman to check it out. Singapore and area.
G Adventures has Egyptian tours from Sept 28 to Oct 9; Oct 19 to Oct 30, and Oct 21 to Nov 1.
I need to investigate the savings to be made using loyalty plans like Star Alliance and Marriott Bonvoy. Star Alliance is connected with the loyalty plans of particular airlines, like Air Canada’s Aeroplan. When you fly on Air Canada you log the flight information at Star Alliance to gain their points.
To accumulate points, when booking through a booking service like Booking.com or Expedia, get the booking reference number then go to the airline’s website and enter that number. On their website you will be able to enter your loyalty plan number if the airline is a Star Alliance member (see below).
Star Alliance members
| Aegean Airlines | Air Canada | Air China (PRC) | Air India | Air New Zealand | All Nippon Airways (ANA) | Asiana Airlines |
| Austrian Airlines | Avianca | Brussels Airlines | Copa Airlines (Panama) | Croatia Airlines | Egyptair | Ethiopian Airlines |
| EVA Air | ITA Airways | LOT Polish Airlines | Lufthansa | Shenzhen Airlines | Singapore Airlines | South African Airways |
| Swiss International Air Lines | TAP Air Portugal | Thai Airways International | Turkish Airlines | United Airlines |
Marriott Bonvoy members
| The Ritz-Carlton | Ritz-Carlton Reserve | St. Regis | JW Marriott | W Hotels |
| Edition | The Luxury Collection | Marriott Hotels | Sheraton | Marriott Vacation Club |
| Delta Hotels | Le Meridien | Westin | Renaissance Hotels | Autograph Collection Hotels |
| Tribute Portfolio | Design Hotels | Courtyard Hotels | Four Points | SpringHill Suites |
| Protea Hotels | Fairfield | AC Hotels | Aloft Hotels | Moxy Hotels |
| City Express | Four Points Flex by Sheraton | Marriott Executive Apartments | Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy | Residence Inn |
| TownePlace Suites | Element | Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy | MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy | citizenM |
| Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy | StudioRes | Series by Marriott | City Express by Marriott |
A IMB Piracy Reporting Centre tracks piracy reports around the world and has an interactive map to show where the latest acts of piracy have been reported with a description of each incident.
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| Piracy incident off the coast of Somalia, Fwbruary 26, 2026 |
Canadians can travel visa-free to many countries, but increasingly an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) is required to enter a country. It is usually done through a website or an app on a smart phone. Sometimes these can be completed on arrival (as I did in Taiwan), but it is best to do in advance. Typically this is to be done within 72 hours of arrival but no earlier. Here is a list of countries requiring ETAs as of January 1, 2026.
Asia
Bahrain, India, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan,
Turkey, United Arab Emirates
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania
Oceania
Australia, New Zealand
Europe
United Kingdom
EU Schengen countries will require the ETIAS in the 4th quarter of 2026 (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland).
Possible winter (December - March) stays. Look at pros and cons. Look at temperature, humidity and sunny vs rainy days. And of course look at expats and activities including local and regional excursions - museums, architecture, culture, food and wine. Two general approaches: northern hemisphere near the equator or the southern hemisphere where it is summer.
For best locations in Southeast Asia for the winter see my Southeast Asia Winter Weather page. Northern Vietnam and Northern Thailand are the areas of lowest humidity in those countries.
Flight time from Buenos Aires to Cape Town is 9 hours.
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
| COUNTRY | TEMPERATURE | RAIN/HUMIDITY | CULTURE | ||||||
| DEC | JAN | FEB | MAR | DEC | JAN | FEB | MAR | ||
| CENTRAL AMERICA | |||||||||
| Belize City | 28 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 7.00in | 5.50in | 2.75in | 2.25in | |
| Panama City | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 4.50in | 1.75in | 0.50in | 0.50in | |
| Guatemala - Antigua | 22 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 0.25in | 0.00in | 0.00in | 0.00in | Good temp & low rain |
| Nicaragua - Granada | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 0.75in | 0.25in | 0.00in | 0.00in | |
| Mexico City | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 0.25in | 0.25in | 0.25in | 0.50in | Good temp & low rain |
| EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST | |||||||||
| Cyprus - Paphos | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 4.00in | 4.00in | 3.00in | 2.00in | |
| Egypt - Cairo | 21 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 0.25in | 0.25in | 0.00in | 0.00in | |
| Malta | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 3.75in | 3.00in | 2.75in | 1.75in | |
| Oman - Muscat | 26 | 25 | 25 | 29 | 0.50in | 1.00in | 1.00in | 0.50in | Good temp & low rain |
| Oman - Jebel Akhdar | 18 | 17 | 18 | 22 | 0.25in | 0.25in | 1.75in | 1.25in | Good temp & low rain |
| ASIA | |||||||||
| India - Agra | 24 | 22 | 26 | 32 | 0.25in | 0.50in | 0.50in | 0.50in | Good temp & low rain |
| Laos - Vientiane | 29 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 70% | 70% | 68% | 66% | Very little rainfall |
| Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur | 31 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 9.50in | 6.50in | 6.00in | 9.00in | |
| Malaysia - Penang | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 5.50in | 3.25in | 3.50in | 5.25in | Humidity 80% |
| Malaysia - Ipoh | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 9.50in | 5.25in | 4.00in | 5.00in | Humidity 80% |
| Philippines - Luzon | Driest area in Philippines | ||||||||
| Philippines - Roxas City | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 85% | 85% | 84% | 80% | Dry season but humid |
| Thailand - Chiang Mai | 28 | 28 | 31 | 34 | 0.50in | 0.25in | 0.25in | 0.50in | Moderate humidity |
| Thailand - Hua Hin | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 0 days | 1 day | 0 day | 2 days | Good temp & low rain |
| Vietnam - Hanoi | 22 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 1.0in | 1.0in | 1.0in | 2.0in | Humidity 60–75% |
| Vietnam - Halong Bay | 22 | 21 | 20 | 23 | 0.75in | 0.75in | 1.50in | 1.50in | Humidity 60–75% |
| AFRICA | |||||||||
| Ethiopia - Addis Ababa | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 53% | 52% | 51% | 53% | |
| Tunisia - Tunis | 18 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 77% | 76% | 74% | 73% | |
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
| COUNTRY | TEMPERATURE | RAIN/HUMIDITY | CULTURE | ||||||
| DEC | JAN | FEB | MAR | DEC | JAN | FEB | MAR | ||
| EAST ASIA & OCEANA | |||||||||
| Australia - Adelaide | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 1.00in | 0.75in | 0.25in | 1.00in | |
| Australia - Hobart | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 2.25in | 1.75in | 1.75in | 1.75in | |
| Australia - Melbourne | 24 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 2.50in | 2.00in | 2.00in | 2.00in | |
| Australia - Sydney | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 3.25in | 5.00in | 5.75in | 6.00in | |
| New Zealand - Auckland | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 3.75in | 2.50in | 4.00in | 3.50in | |
| New Zealand - Blenheim | 21 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 2.00in | 2.00in | 1.25in | 2.00in | Feb 13, 2027 - Wine Festival |
| New Zealand - Christchurch | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 1.75in | 1.75in | 1.50in | 2.00in | Good temp & low rain |
| New Zealand - Queenstown | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 2.75in | 3.00in | 2.00in | 3.25in | |
| AFRICA | |||||||||
| Botswana - Kalahari | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 2.50in | 3.00in | 3.00in | 1.75in | Makgadikgadi Pans Park |
| Botswana - Okavango Delta | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 3.25in | 4.00in | 4.00in | 2.25in | |
| South Africa - Cape Town | 24 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 0.00in | 0.00in | 0.00in | 0.00in | Good temp & low rain |
| SOUTH AMERICA | |||||||||
| Argentina - Buenos Aires | 30 | 29 | 27 | 23 | 4.75in | 5.25in | 5.00in | 4.75in | |
| Argentina - Mendoza | 25 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 1.00in | 1.75in | 1.50in | 1.25in | Good temp & low rain |
| Bolivia - La Paz | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 3.50in | 4.50in | 3.75in | 2.75in | |
| Chile - Santiago | 28 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 2.75in | 3.00in | 3.25in | 3.50in | Good temp & low rain |
| Columbia - Cali | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 2.75in | 2.00in | 2.00in | 3.50in | 75% humidity |
| Columbia - Medellín | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 9.50in | 5.50in | 6.00in | 9.75in | 70% humidity |
| Ecuador - Quito | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 4.25in | 4.75in | 5.50in | 6.75in | |
| Ecuador - Galapagos | 26 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 1.00in | 3.00in | 3.00in | 2.75in | Good temp & low rain |
| Peru - Lima | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 0.00in | 0.00in | 0.00in | 0.00in | Good temp & low rain |
| Peru - Cusco | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 0.00in | 0.75in | 1.00in | 0.50in | Good temp & low rain |
| Uruguay - Montevideo | 28 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 2.75in | 3.00in | 3.25in | 3.50in | Good temp & low rain |
The joy of having a passport stamp as a souvenir of a trip to a new and exotic location is coming to an end. Countries are phasing out the passport stamp in favour of strictly electronic registration of entrance and exit from the country. According to this article in Time Out magazine, the following countries have already eliminated the stamp: the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Argentina. (When I travelled to South America in early 2025, I wondered why Argentina was the only country for which I didn't have a stamp in my passport. And New Zealand no longer stamps passports.)
The countries listed below are eliminating passport stamps in 2025.
| Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland |
France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Italy Latvia |
Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway Poland |
Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland |
Sites to See:
NEWFOUNDLAND
L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
Gros Morne National Park
Fly from St. John's to Deer Lake then drive to Gros Morne then L'Anse aux Meadows.
NOVA SCOTIA
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
NEW BRUNSWICK
