The Travelling Canadian

One of my favorite winter getaways is Desert Hot Springs, located just west of Palm Springs. Although the city falls under the “Greater Palm Springs” umbrella, it is vastly different than its trendier, glamourous neighbor.

Although Desert Hot Springs is famous for its natural hot springs and delightful, independent inns, few Californians are familiar with it. But every time I visit, I’m sure to encounter at least a dozen Canadians who love visit because they love the mininalist desert environment and the city's restorative waters.

It’s telling that more people in Canada know about this destination than locals do.

We Canadians just travel differently.

That we are often called the “nicest people on earth” also informs the way we like to travel. Sure we can obsessively flip through Instagram travel photos with the best of them, but when it comes to booking travel, forget the must-see list, we’re all about experience.

And most importantly, we want our travel information to reflect our needs.

Which is why I’m so thrilled to be a part of the launch of the all new TravelPulse Canada, a new website targeted to Canadian travel agents and travelers.

The sister site, www.travelpulse.com, has long been a resource and tool for travel professionals and travellers throughout North America. The site is so popular that more than 19,000 Canadian travel agents are already using it to assist them in planning their clients’ travels.

But our company founder, Mark Murphy who frequently speaks at some of the world’s leading trade shows, is often approached by Canadian travel agents who always ask him the same thing. When is a Canada site is coming?

Today is that day.

The site will include travel news specific to Canadian agents. We'll talk about destinations that are actually accessible via Canadian airports. We'll talk breaking  news relative to the Canadian travel industry. We'll feature news from tour operators, hoteliers and other vendors who sell directly to Canadians. Moreover, the site will emphasize the wonder and beauty of Canada as a destination in and of itself.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this site evolves. Much of the content will be driven by your own suggestions and feedback. Are we missing something? Let me know. You can reach me at mpoling@travalliance.com.

This site is for you, Canada.

Follow @MonicaPoling