Travel

When it came to the squared-circle "Heavy Metal" Ric Savage could never quite equal the heights achieved by that other Savage we all know and love. Sure, he wrestled for well-known promotions like ECW and WCW, but he admits it wasn't really his true passion. "I was big and I could talk well, so I was able to get some little pushes here and there, but I never really made it that far. I wasn't a superstar or anything."

Good thing too, because eventually the road took its toll and after various concussions, reconstructive knee surgery and three back surgeries, it was time to find something else to do. Enter Savage's true passion, American history. "My dream was to be a college history professor," says Savage. Instead, he began collecting relics and meeting people who metal detect and do the same.

"No matter how you slice it, it's treasure hunting," says Savage. "There's really nothing like getting your hands dirty, digging down and seeing what you've got. You get hooked, and once you get hooked on it, that's it."

Now, he runs the top artifact recovery company in the country -- American Savage -- leading a team that includes recovery expert Rue Shumate, battlefield historian Bob Buttafuso, Savage's wife Rita (who manages the business and sources leads for digging) and their 25-year-old son Giuseppe (who is their resident tech expert and acts as the muscle for the operation). They tour neighbourhoods known to be built on former battlefields or towns of the old west and go door-to-door asking residents permission to dig on their private property in hopes of finding valuable relics that they can sell and then split the proceeds with the landowner.

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You told yourself you couldn't afford it and that you could forgo a vacation this year.

But as grey day turns into greyer days you find yourself needing some sun and relaxation or at the very least a change of scenery but you've got nothing planned.

The same thing happened to me a year ago and I've learned my lesson. Though we greatly enjoyed getting away to a warmer climate, my family endured many extra costs resulting from our last minute decision.

As Travelocity Canada's in-house travel expert Brian Simpson said on Walletpop recently, if you book last minute you may not end up with an "ideal" vacation. But if you're cautious and do a bit of research (which we didn't) you can end up saving and still having a stress-free time. Here are some last minute budget destinations that won't have you regretting your impulsiveness.

To view the gallery, click here or on the picture below:

Canadian basketball fans are just as caught up in March Madness as those who are crazy about the US college game south of the border. Here are the five cities in this nation where hoops junkies should feel most at home as they prepare for the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

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1. Toronto - Not only is Toronto home to Canada's only NBA team, but it delivers top-flight talent to the NCAA Tournament each year. The city's playgrounds and high schools are filled with emerging stars and exciting pick-up games. Some of the country's best sports bars, including Real Sports Bar & Grill and the Ballroom, are in downtown Toronto, and they will be packed with hoops fans throughout March Madness. Toronto also has lots of basketball-related history, having hosted the first NBA game in 1946.

2. Almonte, Ontario - Before he invented the game in Springfield, Massachusetts, James Naismith acquired his love for sports and competition in his hometown near Ottawa. You can visit the Naismith Museum in the nation's capital and a statue of Naismith in Almonte, which unveiled the attraction on July 23, 2011 - complete with peach basket.

3. Montreal - After leaving Almonte, Naismith went to McGill University and 10 of its students would later participate in the first organized basketball game in Springfield. Montreal remains a hot bed for this nation's basketball talent and many Canadian fans will cheer for Kris Joseph, the star of No. 1-seeded Syracuse and an NBA prospect who hails from Quebec's largest city.

4. Edmonton - We've all heard about the Harlem Globetrotters, but do you know about the Edmonton Commercial Graduates? This team of Canadian women won 147 straight games and had an overall record of 502-20 during their 25-year history early in the 20th century. Theirs is one of the great sports legacies in the City of Champions.

5. Victoria - The British Columbia capital is home to this nation's greatest basketball player, Steve Nash. The two-time NBA MVP, who was born in South Africa, went to university at Santa Clara in California, where he led the Broncos to three NCAA Tournament appearances. In Victoria, Steve Nash Youth Basketball is developing the next generation of hoops players and spreading love of the game on the west coast.

If you've read our first article on food trucks, you probably learned what it took to launch this new wave phenomenon of gourmet food on four wheels and why lower overhead made so much sense to so many recently laid-off skilled chefs with aspirations, but no money to open their own restaurant. Sure it was an interesting article, but we all realize it was missing the most important element...

The Food.

With all these food trucks across Canada now, one has to wonder, which ones are the best of the best? Who are the best in the game?

It's our mission to answer those questions here. We want to honour good food and originality along with the entreprenurial spirit and enthusiasum for the open road of so many culinary masters. It's not enough to simply make your truck the carbon copy of an existing successful brick and mortar restaurant. You have to bring fresh ingredients and something innovative the country has never seen, whether it's your food combinations, your truck concept and the pizazz you bring to your service.

So who are those select few going to be with so many vibrant food truck scenes sprouting across Canada?

Find out, after the jump...

Related Links:

• What the Truck? The Financials of the Food Truck Phenomenon
• Man vs. Food, Eh? Canada's Greatest Eating Challenges Part 1
• Man vs. Food, Eh? Canada's Greatest Eating Challenges Part 2

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Travelocity Canada in-house travel expert Brian Simpson says that while there are great deals out there for last-minute travellers, people still need to be aware and alert, especially when purchasing a trip for a special occasion.

The learning doesn't have to stop during March Break. Museums and resource centres across Canada have plenty on the go for kids during March Break, including many activities that will teach them about art and culture. Here are five museums in Canada that offer great activities for kids during this month's prolonged recess for school:

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1. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto - With loads of programs, the AGO keeps kids entertained from March 12-16. Activities include a hands-on learning centre, a series of "Tin Tin" episodes to watch, a room where kids can build their own "sculpture garden" using soft plush pieces and family-friendly tours of the galleries.
2. Diefenbunker, Ottawa - If your kid has dreams of being James Bond - or Austin Powers - then the Diefenbunker Spy Camp is for him, or her. Kids will learn the art of espionage, which some parents may not be too keen about, but it's all in good fun. The Diefenbunker, so-named because it was a secret Cold War facility created during John Diefenbaker's administration, features lots of history as well as this unique experience. Kids will create a disguise for going undercover, make and break codes, and configure spy gadgets, among other things. The week-long camp ($225 per child) runs from March 12-16 and is for ages 7-12.
3. Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax - Sculpture, mixed-media and traditional painting are among the skills kids can learn from professional artists at this gallery. Classes run from March 10-18 with full-day ($250) and half-day ($125) sessions available.
4. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal - This fantastic museum has a 2-for-1 admission special during March Break to the special exhibit called "Feininger the Great Carnival," in which the work of Lyonel Feininger is explored. But what makes the Montreal Musem of Fine Arts special is its devotion to Canadian art, as best illustrated in the newly opened Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art. For older kids, the museum offers a cultural insight into Canada that they may appreciate if they're keen on art or the nation's history.
5. TheMuseum, Kitchener, Ont. - Hockey, art and skill development are all rolled into one fun package in this museum an hour southwest of Toronto. "Arena" features art work that comments on the national pastime as well as celebrates it. There are fun interactive displays and excellent art, including hockey masks from Wanda Koop that resemble tribal paintings and Graeme Patterson's mesmerizing stop-animation film featuring Darryl Sittler's famed 10-Point Game. The Canada-Russia Summit Series documentary will transfix parents. It runs continuously on the museum's top floor. With this being the 40^th anniversary of the Summit Series, the memories are even more poignant for some. "Arena" runs until May 6 at TheMuseum.

Don't call it a comeback, they've been here for years.

Yes, food trucks have been serving treats on the streets in North America ever since westward expansion following the American Civil War saw Texas cattlemen travel to New Mexico and through the Canadian prairies supplying meat to the pioneers. But while cattleman were traveling day and night across the continent to feed the settlers, no one was feeding them -- that is, until a man named Charles Goodnight came along in 1866 and invented the first food truck, the chuckwagon.

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Usually when you enter the muddy waters airline fare pricing, things can get confusing.

What you see is not always what you get and the surcharges left out of the advertised bottom line can seriously impact what you end up paying for your ticket to the sun -- and not in a good way. But things are looking up for Canadian travelers.

Air Canada and Porter Airlines Inc. announced last week an all-inclusive airfare policy when it comes to their print ads and websites.

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People are angry about having to pay for hidden fees, especially when it comes to travelling.

"I can't stand having to pay for that (expletive) tax, when I purchase a flight" says Jennifer, a 33-year-old program officer from Ottawa, Ontario.

In 2006, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-11, which requires the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) to regulate how airfare is advertised. But over six years have gone by and the Act hasn't been enforced until now.

Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet has used all-in air price advertising in their display ads, banner ads, website landing pages and print materials since early January 2012. WestJet admits that they have a minor technical glitch that their web provider will resolve within the coming months. Today when you book a flight, you will have to hover over the price and an overlay will provide you with the complete price breakdown of that particular flight. In the near future they hope to display the all-in price without the need to hover over the listed price. This feature is not commonly available around the world, and WestJet expects that this level of transparency will please many consumers. And now, Air Canada, too, is advertising all-in pricing.

Are baggage fees finally forcing you to rethink packing a change of clothes for every day you're on holiday? You're now looking at $15 to $30 for the first checked bag, $40 to $50 for the second, and as much as $100 for a third or fourth.

And that's if none are overweight. United Airlines charges $175 US for every checked bag that weighs more than 50 pounds! Some airlines have even started charging for carry-ons, which, as several comedians have joked, has caused sales of cargo pants to skyrocket.

You could get dinged even more, on top of the checking fee, if you check a bag you didn't pay for when you bought your ticket. Checking even three bags can now cost as much as (or more than) what we pay for airfare, especially if we caught a great seat sale.

Blessing in Disguise

Is this a bad thing? Not unless you're travelling with small children and need a lot of supplies, which is a special class of travel in itself.