What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm

Maddaford Travels

Home
Canada
Vancouver, BC
Maddaford Travels

A motto I took on early in my travels came from a wise person who told me “the cheapest price isn?

09/04/2026

Stories From My Scrapbook | Tower Bridge, London 🇬🇧

Easter break, April 1993. I was in Grade 11, travelling on a school trip to Europe — and for the first time in my life, I was outside North America.

Somewhere along the way, we stopped at Tower Bridge.

I took these two photos, and when I got home, they earned their own page in my scrapbook — complete with hand-cut edges, red marker and, apparently, a fairly comprehensive handwritten explanation of exactly how Tower Bridge worked. 😂

Looking at the page now, I think that's the part I enjoy most.

There weren't hundreds of photos sitting on a phone. If something made it into the scrapbook, I had chosen the pictures, cut them out, arranged them on the page and written down what I wanted to remember about the place.

More than 30 years later, the photographs may have faded a little and my scrapbook design skills are certainly... of their time. But I'm very glad I kept these pages.

Every one brings back another small piece of that first adventure overseas — including things I'd completely forgotten until I opened the scrapbook again.

And apparently, even in Grade 11, I couldn't just visit somewhere.

I needed to know the story behind it too.

09/03/2026

Some journeys begin with a destination.
Others begin with a promise you cannot control. ✨

In a quiet café in Iceland, Miles Wander was learning something about the Northern Lights.

You can plan the trip.
You can choose the night.
You can drive away from the city lights.

But the aurora?

It arrives when it chooses.

So Miles and the others left the warmth of the café behind and headed out into the Icelandic night.

The road disappeared into the darkness.

Snow-covered mountains surrounded them.

And somewhere above those mountains was what they'd come all this way hoping to see.

Then the clouds moved in.

They stopped.

They waited.

And waited.

Four figures standing beneath a sky that seemed determined to reveal absolutely nothing.

Until…

Miles noticed something.

High behind the clouds, the faintest trace of green began to appear.

For just a moment, the sky remembered why they came.

And then…

the green began to fade.

The clouds were moving back in.

Miles kept looking up.

Was that all Iceland was going to give them?

To be continued…

👉 Follow along for Part 2 of The Curious Adventures of Miles Wander.

08/31/2026

🚙 TRAVEL TREASURE | My Little Trabant

Some of the best souvenirs come with a story.

I picked up this little blue Trabant — or “Trabi” — while visiting the DDR Museum in Berlin, which explores what everyday life was like in the former East Germany.

One of my favourite exhibits was an actual Trabant that you could climb into and interact with. Of course, I couldn’t resist getting behind the wheel!

The Trabi was once a familiar sight on East German roads. Small, basic and definitely not known for luxury or performance, it nevertheless became one of the most recognizable symbols of life in the DDR.

After experiencing the real thing at the museum, bringing home my own miniature version seemed only fitting.

Years later, I still have it — box and all — and every time I see it, I’m reminded of Berlin, the museum and the opportunity travel gives us to connect with history in ways that are much more memorable than simply reading about it.

That’s one of the reasons I love collecting little Travel Treasures along the way.

They may not look particularly significant sitting on a shelf, but sometimes the smallest souvenirs carry the biggest stories. ❤️

Do you have a souvenir that brings an entire trip or moment in time rushing back?

08/28/2026

✨ Looking for a little inspiration for your next trip?

I’ve been going through the July issue of Virtuoso Suite Life, and there are some wonderful ideas inside. I’ve pulled out four that particularly caught my attention:

🇭🇷 Istria, Croatia — vineyards, olive groves, historic towns and secluded Adriatic coves. A beautiful alternative to some of the Mediterranean’s better-known destinations.

🛎️ Exceptional Stays — incredible hotels, villas and suites that prove sometimes where you stay can be just as memorable as where you go.

🌴 Silversea’s S.A.L.T. program — discovering the Caribbean through its food, from local flavours and recipes ashore to destination-inspired dining and cocktails onboard.

🛥️ The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection — a more intimate, yacht-style way of cruising that could be particularly interesting for travellers who love luxury hotels but have never really considered themselves “cruise people.”

And those are just four of the stories inside.

If you’d like to explore the full issue, contact me and I’ll be happy to send you a complimentary digital copy of Virtuoso Suite Life.

You never know where the idea for your next journey might come from. ✈️

Which of these four would you want to read first?

08/27/2026

Morning came… and everything was different.

Miles stepped into the corridor and looked through the windows.

The darkness was gone. Towns and countryside slipped past in the morning light, passengers were awake and moving about, and the train that had seemed so strangely still during the night was very clearly carrying them somewhere.

For a moment, Miles didn't know where he was.

Then he saw the conductor.

After everything that had happened—the unexplained stop, the silence, the feeling that something had changed—Miles expected there might finally be an explanation.

Instead, the conductor simply smiled.

“Vienna is next.”

That was all he said.

And somehow… that was enough.

Miles returned to his seat and watched the landscape pass outside the window.

The train had moved even when he thought it hadn't.

The journey had continued even when he couldn't see where it was taking him.

Maybe not every journey needs to make sense while you're in it.

Sometimes you simply have to trust that you're still moving in the right direction.

Miles reached for his phone.

There was one person he needed to call.

“Shane?”

A pause.

“You were right.”

And somewhere on the other end of the line, Miles could practically hear the smile.

The train may have reached Vienna…

but Miles Wander's journey is only getting started. 🌍

08/25/2026

✈️ BEHIND THE BOOKING | What happens before I make a recommendation?

When I send a client a hotel, cruise, flight or itinerary recommendation, chances are I’ve looked at quite a few options they’ll never see.

And that’s intentional.

My job isn’t to send you a list of everything that’s available. It’s to understand how you want to travel, do the digging behind the scenes, and narrow it down to the choices I genuinely think are worth considering.

That can mean comparing locations and room categories, studying cruise itineraries, looking at flight schedules and connections, checking cancellation terms, working through transfer logistics, and figuring out how all the pieces of a trip fit together.

I’m also looking at who we book with. My relationships through Direct Travel and Virtuoso, along with trusted suppliers and local partners around the world, can provide additional benefits and experiences — but they also give me people I can turn to when plans don’t go quite as expected.

Sometimes the least expensive hotel isn’t the best value. Sometimes the most obvious flight isn’t the best choice. And sometimes one small change can make an entire itinerary work better.

By the time you see my recommendations, a lot of the sorting has already happened.

You get the choices that made the cut.

That’s a little of what happens behind the booking. 🌎

08/24/2026

✨ Travel Treasure: St. Petersburg

It’s funny how a small souvenir can bring back an entire chapter of your life.

I bought this little straw box in St. Petersburg while I was working onboard a cruise ship sailing the Baltic. At the time, it was simply something that caught my eye while exploring the city. Today, it’s a reminder of those days at sea and the incredible places I had the opportunity to visit along the way.

The intricate design is created using straw marquetry, with pieces of straw carefully arranged to form the detailed geometric patterns. I’ve always loved how something so simple could be transformed into something so beautiful.

That’s why I still love bringing something home from my travels. The best souvenirs aren’t necessarily valuable because of what they cost — they’re valuable because of the memories attached to them.

This one takes me straight back to St. Petersburg and my days sailing the Baltic. ❤️

Do you have a travel treasure that instantly takes you back to a particular place or time in your life?

08/21/2026

There’s something special about exploring the Mediterranean by small ship. ⚓🌊

Instead of simply sailing from one major port to the next, smaller ships can open the door to a different style of cruising — charming harbours, smaller islands and destinations that can be difficult for larger ships to access.

Think hidden coves, historic waterfront towns, evenings on deck and waking up somewhere completely different the next morning. 🇬🇷🇮🇹🇭🇷

And with fewer guests onboard, the ship itself becomes part of the experience: more intimate, more relaxed and often much more focused on the destinations you came all this way to see.

If a Mediterranean cruise is on your bucket list, the question isn't only where do you want to go?

It's also how do you want to experience it?

There are some incredible small-ship options throughout the Mediterranean, and I'd be happy to help you find the journey that fits you.

⚓ Ready to set sail?

08/20/2026

Something had shifted…

Miles could feel it as he stood in the corridor of the night train to Vienna.

But no one was rushing. No one was asking questions. No one seemed worried.

He could keep searching for answers—or accept that, for once, he didn’t have them.

So Miles went back to his compartment.

Not because he understood what had happened, but because he chose to trust the journey.

Perhaps that’s one of the lessons travel teaches us: we don’t always need to know exactly what comes next.

Sometimes, we just need to keep going.

Part 4 continues next week…

08/18/2026

🚢 Small ship or large ship — which cruise style is right for you?

One of the most common misconceptions about cruising is that one type of ship is automatically better than another.

The reality? It depends entirely on how you like to travel.

⚓ Small ships tend to offer a more intimate atmosphere, fewer guests, destination-focused itineraries and access to smaller ports that larger vessels simply can’t visit.

🎭 Large ships bring a completely different experience — more restaurants, entertainment, activities and onboard amenities, with something happening almost everywhere you turn.

Neither is necessarily better.

I’ve sailed and worked aboard ships of very different sizes over the years, and each offers its own advantages. The key is matching the ship, itinerary and overall experience to the traveller — rather than choosing a cruise based on price or destination alone.

The best ship isn’t always the biggest — or the smallest. It’s the one that fits you.

Which sounds more like your kind of vacation: small and intimate ⚓ or big and bustling 🚢?

Address

Vancouver, BC

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm

Website

https://maddafordtravels.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Maddaford Travels posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Maddaford Travels:

Want your business to be the top-listed Travel Agency in Vancouver?