The Traveltini November 2026

Remember. Rest. Reconnect. Rediscover.

November: a little breathing room—and room for your next adventure.

After October’s colour and before December’s sparkle, November offers a welcome pause. A chance to recover our balance, reconnect with people we cherish and rediscover the pleasure of looking forward.

In the United States, Thanksgiving brings families and friends around the table. Here in Canada, our turkey may be a fond memory, but the invitation still holds: gather your favourite people and let the conversation wander.

Because when families gather, travel plans have a way of gathering momentum. Someone mentions a villa in Italy. Someone else suggests Alaska. Suddenly, “we really should” begins to sound like “which dates work?”

Rest — make room for what restores you

Before choosing where to go, consider how you want to feel when you return. Rested? Inspired? Closer to one another?

Perhaps your next holiday needs fewer hotel changes and more lingering breakfasts. A comfortable cruise with the arrangements taken care of. A seaside retreat where the most pressing decision is whether to walk before lunch or after it.

Think storm-watching on Vancouver Island’s west coast, an ocean-view stay in Madeira or an unhurried escape somewhere warm. Choose a pace that leaves room to enjoy being there.

Reconnect — bring your people into the picture

Some of our most meaningful journeys begin with a simple sentence: “I’d love to do that with you.”

An old friend you haven’t seen enough of. Adult children whose calendars rarely align. Grandchildren growing faster than seems entirely reasonable. A partner with whom you’ve shared plenty of responsibilities—and could use a little more adventure.

Travel offers something everyday life often struggles to provide: uninterrupted time together. Shared meals, new discoveries and stories that become part of the family collection.

A cruise can give different generations choices while bringing everyone together for dinner. A villa stay can offer a home base for exploring and cooking together. A river journey can give friends days of discovery without the daily business of packing.

The best group holiday makes room for both shared experiences and individual freedom. Everyone needn’t want the same excursion—or rise at the same hour.

Go Together. Grow Together.

Some of travel’s greatest rewards are the people beside us.

Our recent group experience aboard the Sun Princess on our Mediterranean Odyssey really opened my eyes – and my heart – to one of the great rewards of travel – reminding us that we belong.

Sharing a journey creates time for connections that everyday life can crowd out. Over leisurely breakfasts, winding walks and dinner-table conversations, acquaintances become friends and familiar relationships find fresh energy. A shared discovery—or a small misadventure—becomes a story we’ll tell for years. Especially the misadventure.

Travelling as a group can also build a reassuring sense of belonging. There is someone to share the view, offer encouragement or save you a seat. Each person brings something different: curiosity, humour, experience or an uncanny ability to find the best bakery.

Those bonds can reach beyond the holiday. Travelling companions become walking partners, dinner guests and friends who check in. We return with more than photographs: we bring home a wider circle and a stronger sense of community.

And connection matters to our health. The World Health Organization recognises strong social connections as an important part of physical and mental wellbeing. Group travel offers one enjoyable opportunity to nurture those relationships, alongside shared movement, discovery and companionship.

Rediscover — turn “someday” into something on the calendar

November’s quieter moments are ideal for giving a travel dream a little shape. While everyone is together, ask:

Where have we always wanted to go together?
What kind of experience would suit us now?
When could we realistically make it happen?
What budget would feel comfortable for everyone?

Start with those conversations, then let me help bring the possibilities into focus. Agreeing on dates and a comfortable budget gives us a useful starting point for finding the right journey.

Perhaps it’s Alaska with the grandchildren, Portugal with lifelong friends, a Mediterranean celebration or a Christmas-market cruise that finally escapes the group chat.

Or maybe fulfill a lifelong dream and join us this spring in Japan. We have just a couple of cabins still available in our group.

While you’re together, dream a little together. Your next—and perhaps your best—family or friends’ adventure could begin with a conversation across the table.

The dishes can wait a few minutes. Where shall we go?

November Traveltini: The Armstice

The Armistice Cocktail is featured in another post on this website, documenting the story of Remembrance Day

November Alternatini: The Gathering

Pear, cranberry & rosemary sparkler

Some of the best journeys begin around a table. This November, raise a glass to good company and plans taking shape.

Soft pear, tart cranberry and a whisper of rosemary give The Gathering its autumn character. A splash of sparkling water adds a little celebration—because the designated driver deserves a handsome glass, too.

Ingredients

Makes one drink

60 mL (2 oz) pear juice or nectar
30 mL (1 oz) cranberry juice cocktail
15 mL (½ oz) freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 mL (2 tsp) rosemary syrup, or to taste
90 mL (3 oz) chilled sparkling water
Ice
Garnish: a thin pear slice, a small rosemary sprig and a few cranberries

Make the Rosemary Syrup

Combine ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup water and one small rosemary sprig in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, steep for 10 minutes, then strain and cool. This makes enough for several drinks.