Most Canadians are sitting on loyalty points they’re not using well. Your travel agent helps you understand what you have, what it’s worth, and how to deploy it strategically — so your travel budget goes further.
The Loyalty Landscape Is Complicated
Aeroplan, Air Miles, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, Hilton Honors, American Express Membership Rewards, TD Rewards — the Canadian loyalty landscape spans dozens of programs, each with its own redemption rules, transfer partners, blackout periods, and sweet spots. Trying to navigate this alone often leads to suboptimal redemptions or points sitting unused until they expire.
Your Agent Knows Which Points Are Worth More
Not all points are equal, and not all redemptions represent good value. A travel agent familiar with loyalty programs can tell you whether redeeming your Aeroplan points for a specific flight is a great use or a poor one — and can help you find the booking path that delivers the best cents-per-point value for your particular trip.
Combining Cash and Points Bookings
Sometimes the best strategy isn’t using points for everything — it’s using them for the highest-value elements (a business class upgrade, a luxury hotel) and paying cash for the rest. Your agent helps you think through that trade-off with your specific balance and trip in mind.
Earning Points on Agent Bookings
A common misconception is that booking through a travel agent means missing out on loyalty points. In many cases, that’s not true. Your agent can often ensure your loyalty numbers are attached to bookings so you continue to earn — while also benefiting from any group rate or supplier perks they’ve negotiated on your behalf.
Protecting Points From Expiry
Loyalty points that expire unused are money left on the table. If you mention to your agent that you have a balance approaching its expiry window, they can help you find a way to use those points before they disappear — even if a big trip isn’t on the immediate horizon.
Let’s put your loyalty points to work on your next trip.
Read the full feature on the CMTA Travel Services blog
Solo travel is one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry — projected to reach $1 trillion globally by 2030. And women are leading the charge: over 70% of solo travellers are women, with women over 50 driving the boom. At CMTA Travel Services, we’re seeing the same trend. More and more women — from Grande Prairie and across Alberta — are choosing to travel on their own terms, on their own schedule, without compromise. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s Driving the Solo Travel Boom
The reasons are as varied as the women themselves: spiritual retreats best experienced alone, bucket-list destinations where no friend shares the same enthusiasm, the desire to prove to yourself that you can handle the world on your own terms. The rise of eSIMs for constant connectivity, GPS navigation, and Google Maps has made independent travel dramatically more accessible. And culturally, more women are choosing not to wait for a partner before living their lives fully — travel is a big part of that.
Solo Doesn’t Always Mean Alone
Many women choose small group tours for their solo adventures — beginning as strangers and ending as fast friends who bond over shared experiences. This is particularly popular with women who want the freedom of solo travel with the security and social connection of a small group. G Adventures, Goway, and similar operators have built entire product lines around this need, with single-rate pricing that eliminates the frustrating solo supplement.
5 Practical Tips for First-Time Solo Women Travellers
First, arrange transfers in advance — arriving at a new airport knowing exactly where you’re going eliminates a major source of anxiety. Second, choose hotels in central, well-frequented areas near transit. Third, learn a few phrases in the local language — even basic greetings open doors. Fourth, build free time into your itinerary: the joy of solo travel is following your own whims. Fifth, work with a Travel Advisor who understands solo travel — they’ll ensure your itinerary flows seamlessly and that 24/7 support is in place if you need it.
Best First Destinations for Solo Women
New Zealand tops the list for safety, English-language ease, stunning natural beauty, and excellent transport infrastructure. Italy and France are both outstanding for solo women who want to be social — Italy for its warm, outgoing culture, France for its more independent pace. Japan is safe, efficient, and extraordinarily rewarding for solo travellers. And closer to home, Atlantic Canada offers a welcoming, English-speaking maritime culture that’s perfect for a first solo road trip.
Ready to plan your solo adventure?
Renée Charbonneau is a Certified Travel Agent and proud member of CMTA Travel Services in Grande Prairie, AB.
Read the full feature on the CMTA Travel Services blog
France has always been a dream destination — and right now it’s having a cultural moment. Travellers are craving the kind of experiences France does better than almost anywhere: elegant living, world-class food, centuries of history, and landscapes that feel cinematic because they genuinely are. Provence. The French Riviera. Paris. The Dordogne. Bordeaux. Each one a journey in itself. Together, they make France one of the world’s most layered and rewarding destinations.
Provence — Where History Meets the Senses
In Provence, medieval villages perch on limestone cliffs, Roman aqueducts stand quietly against rolling countryside, and lavender fields stretch to the horizon in high summer. It’s the France of postcards — but experiencing it in person is something else entirely. The markets, the rosé, the light — there’s a reason artists have been coming here for centuries.
Paris — Timeless and Always Evolving
World-class art, fashion, and gastronomy continue to evolve in Paris while remaining rooted in centuries of tradition. A morning at the Louvre, a long lunch in a bistro, an evening at a brasserie with a glass of Burgundy — Paris rewards slow travel. High-speed trains connect it to the rest of France effortlessly, making it the perfect hub for a broader French adventure.
The Riviera and the Wine Regions
Along the French Riviera, pastel façades meet the brilliant blue Mediterranean. In Bordeaux and Burgundy, vineyard-covered slopes produce some of the world’s most celebrated wines. Gateways International specializes in tailor-made France itineraries that weave these regions together in a way that feels personal rather than packaged — boutique hotels, local guides, and the kind of experiences that don’t show up in a group tour brochure.
Getting to France — Routing from Alberta
France is at the center of global travel inspiration right now, and Gateways International has the local expertise and supplier relationships to get you there in style. For Albertans, a France trip typically routes through Air Transat via Montreal or Toronto — and working with Renée means your flights, hotels, transfers, and experiences are all coordinated from one trusted source.
France is calling — will you answer?
Renée Charbonneau is a Certified Travel Agent and proud member of CMTA Travel Services in Grande Prairie, AB. She builds custom France itineraries for Albertans who want more than a package tour.
The internet is full of travel information. But not all of it is accurate, current, or relevant to your specific trip. A professional travel agent brings a different kind of knowledge — the kind that comes from training, relationships, and experience in the field.
Beyond the Star Rating
Online hotel reviews reflect a wide range of travellers with wildly different standards. A travel agent understands your preferences specifically and can tell you which property genuinely matches what you’re looking for — not just which one has the most five-star reviews. They know which resorts are currently undergoing renovations, which cruise ships are aging, and which new properties are genuinely worth the buzz.
Fam Trips and First-Hand Experience
Professional travel agents frequently participate in familiarization trips — also called fam trips — where suppliers invite agents to experience their product firsthand. That means your agent may have personally stayed at the resort you’re considering, sailed the cruise itinerary you’re asking about, or walked the city streets of your destination. That’s not something a review aggregator can replicate.
Supplier Relationships and Inside Access
Travel agents work directly with airlines, tour operators, cruise lines, and hotel groups. Those relationships mean your agent knows which suppliers consistently deliver, which ones have let clients down, and which ones offer perks that aren’t advertised publicly. When you book through your agent, you’re booking through those relationships.
Knowing When Not to Go
One of the most valuable things a travel agent can tell you is when your dream destination isn’t a good fit for your travel dates. Travelling Southeast Asia during monsoon season, visiting Europe during peak August crowds, or arriving in a destination during a local festival that books out every hotel — these are things your agent flags before you commit. That kind of advice protects your investment.
A Network That Spans the Globe
Through professional networks like The Travel Agent Next Door, Canadian travel agents are connected to colleagues, suppliers, and destination specialists around the world. If your agent hasn’t personally visited your destination, they have a network they can tap for vetted, up-to-date recommendations from professionals who have.
Get advice from someone who actually knows your destination.
Read the full feature on the CMTA Travel Services blog
For Albertans, the Northern Lights are a familiar sight on a clear winter night — but seeing the aurora borealis dance across the sky in Finnish Lapland is something else entirely. No light pollution. No city glow. Just you, the silence of the Arctic, and one of nature’s most extraordinary phenomena. Here’s everything you need to know to plan your Northern Lights trip right.
When to Go
The aurora season in Finnish Lapland runs from late August through early April — when the nights are dark enough to see the lights. Despite what many people assume, winter is not necessarily the best time. Autumn (September–October) and spring (March–April) are actually the most statistically active seasons, when the Earth’s orientation toward the sun maximizes the probability of solar flares interacting with the planet’s magnetic field. In Lapland, the Northern Lights are visible on roughly 200 nights per year — about every other clear night.
Where to Go
The further north you go in Finland, the better your chances. Saariselkä, Rovaniemi (also home to Santa Claus Village), and the remote village of Kilpisjärvi in the far northwest are prime viewing areas. Staying in a glass-roofed aurora cabin — where you can watch the sky from your bed — is an experience that’s become one of the most sought-after in Northern European travel. Book these well in advance; they sell out fast.
Maximizing Your Chances
Clear skies are essential — cloud cover blocks the view entirely. The Finnish Meteorological Institute maintains a space weather page showing real-time aurora activity, and several local apps track conditions. Plan for a minimum of 4–5 nights to improve your odds of catching a display. Evening excursions by snowmobile or reindeer sled away from any ambient light give you the best viewing conditions.
What Else to Do in Finnish Lapland
Lapland isn’t only about the lights. Husky sledding, reindeer safaris, snowshoeing through old-growth forest, ice fishing, and the extraordinary Sauna culture of Finland all add depth to a Lapland trip. Rovaniemi is a legitimate city with good restaurants and the fascinating Arktikum science centre. Winter in Lapland is one of the most immersive travel experiences available — and it works beautifully as a standalone trip or combined with a Scandinavian city break in Helsinki, Stockholm, or Copenhagen.
Ready to plan your Northern Lights adventure?
Renée Charbonneau is a Certified Travel Agent and proud member of CMTA Travel Services in Grande Prairie, AB.
