The Chris Robinson Travel Show with Sharman Yarnell - blog

Whistler is a Four Seasons resort

Despite all the focus on the Winter Olympics, it's good to remember that Whistler is a summer sports hot spot as well as a winter sports paradise. I have explored some of the forests and lakes around the town by trail running, and many of the paths are shared with rollerbladers and cyclists. I joined a mountain bike group to explore further - the black diamond mountain bike trail "A River Runs Through It" is more fun than any trail I have experienced elsewhere!

Next up was a Hummer trip into the mountains -  up inclines that would make a mountaineer think twice...and they are run on bio fuels, which is in keeping with Whistler's strong eco- friendly stance.

But perhaps most fun of all was the Ziptrek Ecotour. This tree top canopy tour includes five ziplines that span up to 2000 feet and rise to heights over 200 feet above a boisterous glacial torrent.  You are propelled at speeds up to 80 km an hour; exhilarating! My colleagues played golf, ATVed and went horseback riding. So don't think of Whistler just as a ski destination - come enjoy its fresh air wonders year round!

Let the Games begin!

Whistler is so ready for the Winter Olympics! My drive here from Vancouver, along the Sea to Sky Highway, was a dream. They have done a great job improving the road, and it is now safe to admire the impressive ocean views as you drive! Here in Whistler there are lots of finishing touches being applied, but the main installations are ready for the athletes - from the Athletes' Village to the downhill courses and the luge and bobsleigh track. 

Most impressive of all is the Peak 2 Peak Gondola. This world-beater spans the gulf between Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain. It's a 4.4 km panoramic adventure that includes the longest unsupported span of 3km and the highest point of 436 metres above the valley floor.

Ready for the Olympics

I am in Whistler BC - where the excitement and anticipation of the Winter Olympics is evident everywhere. Under cloudless skies I ascended Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains to see the luge and bobsleigh runs snaking their way down the slopes, as well as the women's and men's downhill runs. These are currently grassy with black bears loping through, but in a few months time they will be the snowy venues of these blue ribbon Olympic events.

Down in the bustling village, everything is being rushed to completion for the great event, and the locals are full of justifiable pride in how everything has come together. From what I have seen and experienced today, Whistler will be a tremendous showcase of Canadian enterprise and hospitality for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

On the road again.....

After the radio shows this weekend I'm off to Whistler, British Columbia to meet up with Canadian tourist boards from across the country, and to see the Olympic sites ahead of the Winter Games themselves. I also hope to interview the Minister of State for small business and Tourism, the Honourable Diane Abloncyz to find out more about Federal tourism plans. I will share more on this with listeners via my website at http://www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca/

Then I fly to Edmonton Alberta for their International Film Festival and to broadcast the Chris Robinson Travel Show live on location on Saturday, 26^th September at 11.00am.

The Best Job in the World!

Listeners sometimes tell me that I have the best job in the world - especially when I do an on location show, such as I did last weekend from the bottom of the mountain in Aspen, Colorado!

However, there are even better opportunities at the moment with a rash of Tourist Boards seeking "real people" to experience and write about their destinations. The "caretaker" job for an island off the Barrier Reef in Australia, for instance, got a lot of publicity.....

Here's another great job offered by Orlando CVB - and we need some Canadians to apply! I'd do so myself if I didn't have to broadcast the Travel Show each week on different destinations each week (it's a hard life!)

Beyond the Travel Show

I try to provide lots of information around the one hour radio broadcasts as a resource for listeners. Did you know, for instance, that I publish detailed research notes on my website at http://www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca   for every destination that I talk about? Click on the Destinations tab - there are now over 100 in the archive. Choose your destination and click on the icon for "Chris' Travel Notes" at the top right hand corner of the page.

I have also just updated my "Favourite Places" series with my favourite cities - check out
http://www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca/traveltips.aspx?id=23 and see if you agree. My list includes Vancouver - just in time for the CFRB Travel Show this weekend on British Columbia. Tune in at 10am on Saturday - or listen live on the internet at http://www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca/CFRB.aspx

When 1 hr of Travel Show just isn't enough.....

I had the pleasure of broadcasting the March 21, 2009 Chris Robinson Travel Shows from the CJAD studios in Montreal. It was a pleasure to be face to face with Sharman Yarnell, my CJAD co-host. We had a blast! If you listen to the CJAD travel show - did you know that there is also a CFRB travel show that runs immediately before the CJAD Show from 10am - 11pm on Saturday?

If you go my website, www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca you can listen live on the internet. Sometimes we cover the same topic and sometimes we are talking about a completely different destination - for instance on April 25, 2009 we are discovering British Columbia exclusively on CFRB.

I also took advantage of being in Montreal to travel up to Tremblant, where I stayed at some beautiful vacation homes that we have talked about before on both CFRB and CJAD - Elysium@Panache. You can share my stay there by visiting my travel blog and you can also see some pictures of this fabulous year round retreat!

The friendliest peoples in the world

People often ask me where is my favourite place in all the world. The answer of course is that I have lots of favourite places - places for adventure, places for romance and so on.

I have just updated the series of "Chris' Favourite Places" on my website at www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca to cover my top 10 "warmest peoples". Click here and see if you agree! In my opinion the people you meet are some of the greatest joys that you will encounter in your travels.

It pays to do your homework!

I always encourage people to take an interest and research their vacations as much as possible. It's your precious time off and one of your biggest purchases of the year. Research can save you time and money, and a little planning can go a long way to help you get the most from your time away.

Here are some resources to help you in your planning:

- The useful links page on my website connects you to a whole range of web sites to help your research, with everything from weather to currency to links to all the major travel companies and tourist boards:
http://www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca/usefullinks.aspx

- The destinations section of my website lists over 100 destinations that we have covered in past broadcasts. Click on these and at the top right hand corner of the page is an icon to download "Chris' Travel Notes". These are detailed notes on each destination that you can print out, use in your planning and take with you:
http://www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca/places.aspx

- And you can listen to past broadcasts of the travel show by going to my show page on cjad.com to listen to the show as our expert guests answer listener questions:
http://www.cjad.com/shows/19177

Travel the World from your Armchair!

 

The Travel Show is all about closing your eyes and imagining yourself in different parts of the World. As the temperature reaches -21 degrees in Montreal today, and the Groundhogs in both Canada and the US unanimously predict 6 more weeks of winter - here are some ways to forget the wind chill and travel along with me:

- I've been running a series on my website where each month I pick my favourite places - Favourite Beaches, Favourite Islands.... this month is Favourite Romantic Places. These are all personal picks and photos from my own travels. See if you agree and what you favourite places are at ChrisRobinsonTravelShow.ca

- I've updated my Travel Blog with pictures and entries about my recent trip to California. You can check it out at ChrisTalksTravel.blogspot.com

- You can listen to past shows at the Travel Show page on cjad.com Here is the link to the show we did back in January about California: Listen

The 500th Travel Show on 17th January 2009!

I broadcast my first Travel Show on CFRB in 1997 when it was just a 30 minute sampler tucked away in a quiet corner of the schedule.  Now, over ten years later, the show has grown to an hour in the prime time Saturday morning slot, and in May 2005 I broadcast my first Travel Show on CJAD 800 Montreal.

I broadcast this 500^th show on location from Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida. A very apt location, as Disney Parks begin a year of Disney "celebration vacations" this year with the theme "What will you Celebrate?" (and you get into the Parks free on your Birthday!).

Of course, the event was huge fun.  As always when I visit a Disney Park, I was transported back to childhood by thrill rides and encounters with much loved characters. On this occasion I was charmed by Tinkerbell and kept in order by Mary Poppins!! My wonderful hosts at Disney ensured that I sampled all the new rides and experiences that the four Parks at Walt Disney World Resort have to offer, and my stay at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa was pure Disney magic! 

More ways to win with the Chris Robinson Travel Show!

I often hear from listeners frustrated that they cannot get through on the phone lines. That is why we created the email route as an alternative to phoning in to the show, or if you are shy to go on air to ask your question.

Plus email questions automatically go into a quarterly draw to win other great prizes. For instance, email questioners Jan - March 2009 have the chance to win a $200 VIA Rail Certificate, a $150 Best Western Gift Card, a SONY Digital Reader Book, a set of Frommers Travel Guides and other great prizes.

Check out http://www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca/ for more details of prizes and to send your email question by clicking on the Yellow Enter Contest Button.

Happy Holidays from the Chris Robinson Travel Show

Happy Holidays to all our Travel Show Listeners!

I wish all our listeners a happy and peaceful Holidays and health and happiness in the New Year.

I will be traveling with my family over the Holidays in California. You can catch up on my adventures on the January 03 Travel Show, which will feature the Golden State. And I will also update my blog at http://www.christalkstravel.blogspot.com/

Thank you for listening to the show in 2008 and I look forward to some more exciting destinations in 2009!