Thanks for the tip, Karen.  I’ll check it out.  

Andrea the latest news about proposed new entry requirements to the USA for tourists, even those from countries like Australia, isn’t looking encouraging.

This recent news about a requirement to disclose five years of social media history to USA migration officials is likely deter many who would have otherwise not been too concerned about travelling to the USA. 

No kidding. Yet another good reason to avoid the place. And what will they do to someone like Dodie who has ZERO social media prescence, and barely even uses her phone except for GPS and phone calls.

Steve yes exactly.
It’d be the uncertainty and unpredictably of the USA border entry process which is the turnoff. 

If this new social media content vetting by the USA does become a requirement, then it’ll be interesting to see if the border officials do the checks on arrival, or if it’s something they do online before prospective tourists depart their own country, or even buy an air ticket. 

It’s not hard to imagine arriving at LA international airport with boxed bikes and a bag of cycle touring gear, then being told to catch the next plane back to Sydney because some badge-heavy official finds a social media post on your phone they don’t like.

Yet another instance of the firehose of horse manure we get from this detestable administration. One would think the hospitality industry would make some noise about this but 🤷🏻‍♀️. 

Y'know, Andrea, both my wife and I have family Next Door, as well as friends of many years.  With this latest rant, I'm decided not even to chance going to the States.  I don't do social media, unless WhatsApp counts, but even a cursory scan of my emails would tag me as, I dunno, some sort of secular green leftie. (Making a virtue out of necessity, I'll make that a badge of honour.)  I prefer to think of myself as "pro-" various things, rather than "anti-" this'n'that, but such a distinction would probably escape the Thought-and-Speech Police...  We've urged our family to come visit, or to set up a rendez-vous in, say, Québec City, but that's not an option for many people.

For cyclists: please do consider Canada.  Folks are usually very generous, although the weather options are, er, limited -- as I write, the morning temp has just eased past -10 C, with about 15-20 cms of fresh snow.  We've had a few nights around -25 this past week, sans windchill.  There are people who cycle in these conditions,  but I'm not one of them -- motorists are dangerous enough even in mild weather with good visibility.  In these parts (Ottawa and surrounds) , mid-March to late October are usually good touring months.  There The Bugs, of course, notably the Blackfly.  Best to think of those as a test of one's commitment to Life on Two Wheels.

I saw this also, of course.   Really, it's hard to imagine why anyone would voluntsrily come here now.

Graham, a week ago in a hostel I was staying in an Australian mentioned two of his countrymen crossing from Canada to the US being asked what they thought of the president.

The one replied "He is your problem not ours"

For such a negative reply both were refused entry to the US.

The Emperor has no clothes, but do not dare to mention it.

From a selfish Australian perspective, there might be a positive if we could obtain a tourist visa, despite these Orwellian tactics by US border control. 

European tourism numbers are at record highs. Overcrowding is common, not so much because the rest of the world is extra-enamoured with Europe, although that’s part of the reason for the high numbers. The main reason is that Europeans are touring their own backyard in huge numbers, because far fewer of them are heading stateside. 

In theory, these lower numbers should be good for those tourists who do head for the US tourist hotspots.

As you said Andrea, US tourism industry folk must feeling the financial impacts of the downturn.

John at least two of my cycle touring mates are heading to Canada soon. Not to cycle though. To ski.