Flight and Travel

One of my favourite things to do is watch airplanes land. Since I was a child, I've always had a fascination with flying. If I hadn't chosen my current career route, I would have certainly ended up being a pilot!  Playing Microsoft's Flight Simulator 98 is as close as I've come to that goal!

Interesting Aviation Links

• TheTrip.com's Flight Tracking.  You supply an airline name and flight number and it will show you exactly (on a map) where that flight is right now! 
• Broadcast.com has a vast array of live programming.   Amongst their programmes, is the ability to listen to flight control conversations from the Dallas/Forth Worth Area air traffic control.
• You can check airline and aircraft safety at Airsafe.com and Crashpages.com

Airlines

Here's a list of a few airlines' websites:

• Lester B. Pearson International Airport (Toronto).   This site has a telephone directory, airline information, directions to the airport, job listings, and more.

Travel Services

For those of you who like to travel, you may wish to check out Microsoft's Expedia and Travelocity which allows you to book hotels, flights, compare fares, etc.  Sympatico (a Canadian Internet Service Provider) has an extensive (and excellent) collection of travel related information on their site.  Travelweb allows you to book hotels, cars, and flights from their web site too.  I've personally used this service and found it excellent, especially in the area of searching for hotels.

Visiting the U. S. A.

Planning on visiting the United States?  Beware:  If you are Canadian, American Immigration will interrogate you as if you're a criminal.  Be particularly careful if you're visiting the U. S. on business.  In many cases you need a visa.   Be prepared, visit the following sites before you embark on a trip to the U. S. A.:

• United States Immigration and Naturalization Services
• United States Custom Services

You can call U. S. Immigration at Pearson Internation Airport (Toronto) at (905) 676-2563.  Be patient, it may take hours of trying before you finally get through to someone.

Vacation Time?

If you're looking for a relaxing, warm, vacation, then I recommend Barbados. I spent a week there in May '97 and enjoyed every second of it. If you've never been there, you might want to consider the following notes.

A much nicer and friendlier island is St. Lucia. It has less of a British influence and the people are much more down-to-earth. We stayed at Club St. Lucia, which has since changed ownership twice. I believe it's now called Club St. Lucia by Splash.

Jamaica is an excellent vacation spot. We spent a week at Sandals Ocho Rios and had an amazing time at Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa. Of all the islands I've visited, Jamaica was the most fun! I will definitely visit this island again in the future!