TGIF Friday Newsletter Vol 23
Travel, Good Stories, Issues & Fun Stuff
Roadtrip it by bike: Try out Bikesbooking.com
TRAVEL GOOD STORIES ISSUES FUN STUFF
This is the twenty-third TGIF Friday Newsletter, humbly brought to you by Marinarena Creations! Sit back, relax with your preferred refreshment and check out news and stories I have been reading lately plus some miscellany fun thrown into the mix.
Get my curated newsletter release every other Friday!
FEATURES OF THE 23RD EDITION:
Roadtrip Ideas and funny videos U.S. and Canada Travel Relations,
good health news updates and more!
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TRAVEL
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CURATED TRAVEL STORIES
Get a lowdown on all things travel. Recent news bits, tips, travel deals and cultural trends.
From the Epoch Times (invite to read full article):
Staycation’s the thing, esp in Ohio’s Queen city ARTICLE
Like and share my acrostic take on Cincinnati!
From the Epoch Times (invite to read full article):
Go Crete over Santorini ARTICLE
Plan your Athens or Greek Island getaway today via my BOOKING.COM link.
Search “Greece”.
From Frommers:
Beware if you’re driving in NYC to RFK airport ARTICLE
From Marinalife.com
Travel by land or air and head to scenic U.S. marinas. Best ones? See here at Marinalife.com ARTICLE
BOOK TRAVEL at marinarena.com
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For families with small kids who love to travel…
Use my Baby Quip link for equipment rentals to help ease vacay on-the-go
Beach towns to explore for families,
according to BQ ARTICLE
Waiting for a travel deal before booking your summer travel? Don’t hesitate- click my Go City link for slashed excursions for major world cities
TRAVEL, AND THE FEMALE PERSPECTIVE
Check out “Travel” features on EVIE
Evie is now on Substack!
GOOD STORIES
As it turns out, not all is crazy upside down in the world. Lots of stories are out there that focus on the good. I’ve narrowed down a few for you.
FARMER SHOWS LOVE ON FIELD
How a farmer demonstrated love for his wife of 20 years ARTICLE
WHALES, SAVED
In Iceland ARTICLE
Be Humble for Goodness Sake ARTICLE
On The Good Health Front…
Good news on the media transparency front in the U.S. on removal of synthetic food dyes in popular foods, as well as COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.
FDA banning of two food dyes and plans for more bans ARTICLE
Tyson to eliminate petroleum chemical food dyes from food products ARTICLE
Updated labels for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines with warnings regarding heart inflammation ARTICLE
CDC reccomended removal of mercury in flu vaccines ARTICLE
ISSUES
A topic of interest with a tie-in to travel.
U.S. & Canada Travel Relations
Well, yes, they have been messy of late. Ugh…but travel relations between the U.S and Canada will get better. Pesky political strife shall pass. If you drain out the noise from major media, you will have already noticed it’s passing indeed.
The Mess
Oh, politics… Canada got really mad with U.S.A over tariff threats and made a big stink about President Trump’s hyped up, jest-laded 51st U.S. state comments. The big ado became a highly stirred up election issue during the Canadian Prime Minister campaign. In the fallout, a signifcant number of surveyed travelers from the Great North decided to boycott travel to America— for the time being.
Canadian Travel to The U.S. Decreasing
According to official Canadian statistics, there has been nearly a 6% drop of Canadian travel to the U.S. At Toronto’s Pearson airport, there is a 5.3% drop and at Montreal-Trudeau , there is almost an 11% decline.
US Cities Experiencing a Dip in Canadian Tourism in mid 2025
…especially those near the border, such as Detroit. Effect also felt further south in America to destinations such as Virginia Beach.
Thoughts from this American, Marinarena….
From what I gather, Canada is still welcoming Americans despite recent political fallout and travel figures. Check out Eastern Canadian tourism’s campaign to hug-it-out from America below in the clip. I am looking forward to and planning a Canadian trip and don’t have
On the bright side, the majority of those from the Great North (call them silent if you will) are not primarily swayed by politics when deciding to making travel plans. While political concern may have validity, the most pressing issue for typical Canadians making their travel plans is likely more ECONOMICAL than political. (Same story when considering typical American Yankee folk too) Tensions up north are sure to simmer down more so after this politically-charged election year of 2025.
TRAVEL TIPS- Ways to make the border crossing smoother ARTICLE
Larger issue: Are boycotts truly effective against travel?
Maybe so in some cases but usually the effect is not catastrophic, but temporary and minimal. Travel has always way for bouncing back, thankfully.
FUN STUFF
On the lighter side of things…
Roadtrip shorts!
Compare/Contrast: UK V US Roadtrips
And more roadtrip funnies
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MARINARENA POETRY, TRAVEL & CULTURE related POSTS,
both recent and legacy, you may have missed.
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There is lots of interesting information on this post. Well done!