Travel news: Tree walks, glamping sites and the ultimate Champagne journey

In the works

A Nova Scotia tourism attraction is slated to open late this year: Cape Smokey’s tree walk experience in Ingonish, N.S., is part of a plan to make the area a year-round destination. Located along the famously beautiful Cabot Trail, the lofty structure will offer treetop-level views of the Cape Breton Highlands. On the West Coast, a similar attraction opened in July: Malahat SkyWalk, a spiral tower on Vancouver Island overlooking the Saanich Peninsula.

Glamping quarters

AutoCamp, the outdoor lodging company that specializes in Airstream glamping sites with the feel of a boutique hotel, has opened its latest location, AutoCamp Joshua Tree, just outside California’s iconic national park. Beyond the custom-designed silver trailers, the base camp encompasses a mid-century-modern clubhouse, a wine-stocked general store, indoor and outdoor lounge spaces with firepits, a seasonally heated swimming pool, and mountain bikes for complimentary use. Also set to open this year is AutoCamp Catskills, in upstate New York.

Splash out

Champagne maker Veuve Clicquot will toast its 250th birthday with a bucket-list travel experience aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train (June 5 to 7). The swanky trip — from Reims, France, to Venice — takes inspiration from the route taken by the very first bubbly bottles shipped by the house, back in 1772. The journey concludes with a one-night stay at Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, overlooking the Venetian Lagoon — a dreamy spot for a nightcap.

Testing update

Planning an out-of-country trip? Soon, when you come home to Canada, you won’t need a negative PCR test — as long as you’re fully vaccinated and have a negative antigen test instead (taken the day before your scheduled flight or arrival at the land border). The antigen test can’t be the DIY kind; it must be administered by a lab or similar health care service. The changes in COVID-19 testing requirements for travellers will take effect Feb. 28.

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