Travel

I focus my travel stories on health and wellness, with a particular focus on fitness for women 55 plus. Although historically I have written stories on everything from weekend getaways, to food and wine to intergenerational family travel, a wellness focus seems to blend well with our times. Today, we live in the era of COVID, so travel writing isn’t really about crossing distances. But fundamental to travel writing is the exploration of place, and for now that place is home.

So while I won’t be travelling internationally for a while, I continue to focus on staying fit, eating well, and cycling and hiking in Ontario. And because I am 55 years old, I will write about what I know, targetting other active women, who like me, continue to challenge ourselves with daily online fitness classes in our living rooms and cycling and walking and hiking in nature.

My stories have appeared in many major North American publications, including the Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, besthealthmag.ca, Canadian Cycling Magazine, City Parent, Daily Hive, Empty Nest, familyvacationcritic.com, Forever Young, Travel Life Magazine and West Jet Magazine.

The Pearle Spa in Burlington, Ontario: A Visit to Look at the Yin and Yang of the Spa and Wellness World

The idea for this column emerged over an Italian pizza lunch in west Toronto and subsequent discussions and emails. We wanted to use a his/her approach to not just describe the spa experience and its facilities but to share our experience from a male and female perspective. This first column is on The Pearle Hotel & Spa in Burlington, ON.

Initially, I took my desire to walk in Cohen’s footsteps quite literally. Yet my few days on Hydra showed me that the true legacy of Leonard Cohen, and the other artists who have lived on or frequented this island, wasn’t just contained within its buildings or labyrinthine paths. On the contrary, there is a long legacy of creativity on Hydra.

How a Carefully Planned Family Trip Helped My Mom Connect With Fond Memories After Her Dementia Diagnosis

DIANA BALLON | AUGUST 22ND, 2022 Published in the June/July 2022 issue of Zoomer Magazine I was a little worried when we arrived at the Algonquin Resort in Saint Andrews, N.B. last September, and my mum, Heather, didn’t seem to remember anything about the hotel where she worked 69 years ago. “It’s like a foreign country,” she said Continue Reading