Helen Hatzis, is the Chief Exploration Office and Co-Founder of Trip Jaunt.
Helen is a recipient of the Governor-General Award, has been honoured as one of Canada's Nicest People! A true xenophile at heart, she finds joy in traveling and delights in sharing her experiences through Trip Jaunt (formerly Weekend Jaunt), an online travel community and hub she established in 2010. Her aspiration is to inspire others to explore the world as she does!
Helen is an esteemed advisory member of the North American Travel Journalists Association.
Every summer, millions of visitors arrive at beaches around the world with little more than sunscreen and a good attitude. Most come home fine. Some don’t. And in a growing number of cases, the problem isn’t bad luck or freak conditions. It’s a very specific, avoidable behavior that lifeguards keep watching play out in front
Passengers aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul arrived at Antalya Airport on Thursday expecting a routine arrival. Instead, their Boeing 777 sustained visible damage during the final taxi to the gate. The right wing struck a radar mast, opening a large hole in the fuselage and turning a standard landing into an immediate safety
United States host cities are preparing to welcome the 2026 FIFA World Cup, yet the financial barrier to entry is already shaping who can attend. The tournament’s return to North America after decades away has stirred excitement among longtime supporters. At the same time, reports of elevated ticket costs are prompting many passionate followers to
Minnesota – The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness covers more than a million acres of lakes, streams, and forests in the northeastern corner of the state. This federally protected expanse draws the highest number of visitors among U.S. wilderness areas and supports tourism that sustains regional economies. It also provides habitat for threatened species including
Kansas City – The city enters the World Cup spotlight with low expectations from many outsiders yet holds several clear advantages for visitors. Arrowhead Stadium will host six matches, including games featuring defending champions Argentina, while the surrounding area offers distinctive food and cultural draws. June weather averages a high of 84 degrees Fahrenheit, milder
Huntsville, Alabama – Agents preparing for complex digital threats now have access to a purpose-built indoor environment that mirrors everyday American settings. The facility allows trainees to practice evidence collection and analysis amid functioning networks and devices that behave exactly as they would in the field. This setup addresses the growing need for investigators who
United Airlines is weighing a seating change that could reshape the economy experience on its newest long-range jets. The Chicago carrier confirmed it is studying blocked middle seats in select rows aboard the Airbus A321XLR, a single-aisle aircraft designed for efficient transatlantic service. The move would create extra space for some passengers without shifting them
Most Americans who dream of a wildlife safari picture Africa. The sweeping savanna, the dust clouds kicked up by a running herd, the silence of a predator watching from tall grass. What surprises many seasoned wildlife travelers is that something genuinely comparable is happening right now in the badlands of North Dakota, inside a compact
There’s something quietly magnetic about the Pacific Northwest islands. Not the kind of magnetism that pulls crowds toward neon signs and curated Instagram spots, but the slow, steady pull of salt air, evergreen forests, and a pace of life that feels like it belongs to another era. For travelers who’ve already done Seattle, done Olympic
There’s a certain kind of town that sneaks up on you. You arrive expecting a quick stop, and two days later you’re still there, slightly sunburned, watching the waves crash against dark rock from a bluff-top trail you didn’t even know existed. Cambria, California is that town. Cambria sits roughly halfway between San Francisco and
There’s a number that’s been making the rounds in travel circles, and it keeps getting harder to ignore. A typical week-long Walt Disney World vacation in 2026 for a family of four costs around $7,250. That’s one theme park, one city, one zip code. Meanwhile, for something close to that same budget, a family can
Summer is expensive. Anyone who has tried to plan a warm-weather trip recently knows that hotel rates, hidden charges, and booking pitfalls can quietly drain a travel budget long before you ever pack a bag. The good news is that most of the damage is avoidable. The bad news is that millions of travelers repeat