The Vacation Guy Blogs

You may only listen to classical music once in a while, but we’ll bet this composer’s name rings a bell.Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Germany, but spent his professional career and passed away in the music capital of Europe. 2020 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of the composer, who in spite of becoming ill and deaf, was...

Not every travel experience is about whooping it up. Not every essential, bucket-list destination has to be fun. Uplifting, yes. Transformational, too. The Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, where the Canadians landed on DDay in 1944, is that kind of place.Many of us who have thought of how our lives might be different if pivotal moments in world history had...

Run and train like a warrior with the Maasai or hike to a vantage point high above Machu Picchu. Feed your spirit with inspiration at a home for underprivileged girls in India, or a silent alms ceremony in Luang Prabang, and feed your body with healing, Ayurvedic herbs in India, or fresh local produce at a cooking demonstration on Krabey...

There are fewer and fewer veterans of the DDay Landing Beaches to tell their stories, but Canada's Juno Beach Centre introduced us to Jim Parks, who shared his memories of landing on DDay as a young soldier, and why he believes all of us should travel there today.DDay remains the iconic symbol of Allied unity and sacrifice to end World...

Everyone experiences travel differently, and this may be most true of historic sites. Standing on the spot where history was made is a profound experience that transcends any amount of studying, reading, watching documentaries or films. When you are actually there, the sights, sounds, perspective and your historic imagination all combine for a more meaningful understanding of moments that changed...

Hopefully, you've already decided that it's time to book a trip to Canada's Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, France. Now you have to decide how you're going to visit. We can help with that. You can travel independently, or visit the Centre as part of a guided tour from London or Paris, or even as part of a stunning Seine...

Everyone experiences travel differently, and this may be most true of historic sites. Standing on the spot where history was made is a profound experience that transcends any amount of studying, reading, watching documentaries or films. When you are actually there, the sights, sounds, perspective and your historic imagination all combine for a more meaningful understanding of moments that changed...

The next generation of Canadians may be the most important visitors to the Juno Beach Centre. A visit to the actual site where Canadians landed in Europe on DDay in WW2 has a profound impact on everyone who walks on that sand, explores the bunkers, and learns more in the Centre about Canada's role in ending the war in Europe....

A visit to the Juno Beach Centre is life-changing. Walking in the footsteps of young, Canadian soldiers who landed on this stretch of beach in Normandy, France on DDay is emotional, eye-opening, and never-to-be-forgotten. Some Canadians do more than visit. They work here. Permanent staff and young Canadians greet and guide visitors at the Centre, through the restored bunkers, and...