I have never, ever, felt cold like I have at the top of Quebec's Mont Tremblant. And now, I have a secret weapon to beat it.

I've been carving down Tremblant for going on 25 years, and have seen Eastern Canada's largest ski hill go from independently-owned mess to Intrawest-owned mega-resort. 

But it has always lived up to it's name, which translates to "trembling mountain." I recall one particular pre-Intrawest occasion when, stuck on the north side's decrepid Duncan chair, I genuinely considered jumping from the disabled lift. I'm not sure if the windchill hit triple digits, but the two T-shirts, three sweatshirts, sweater, Ronnie James Dio tank top, fleece and ski jacket I was wearing might as well have been made of cheesecloth. I sat there for what seemed like hours, 20 feet above the slopes, until the lift started inching -- literally -- up the hill. A half-hour later I reached the summit, only to see staff using a winch to get everyone to the top.

This year's Christmas visit delivered another meteorological shock. Dec. 26 was one of the finest days I've spent at Tremblant: minus 2, cloudless, windless, perfect. The next day, 45 centimetres of snow fell on Montreal (a record), with the ski hill only getting a light dusting. What we did get was thick cloud and plenty of wind: 80 km/h gusts at the top; one particularly strong one actually blew my young cousin over a snow fence. Which was kind of cool.

Did I cower in the face of these subzero winds? No! After all, my most susceptible body parts -- no, not those! My hands -- were being pampered by a pair of Kombi Radiator Gloves (pictured at left).

Whoa, here’s a weird thing I didn’t know existed:

There’s a new line of anti-hacker luggage that protects your cash and identity from being looted by electronic thieves.

The Tumi ID Lock™ collection is designed to prevent ‘RFID-hacking’ [which apparently is a real problem, and not just something advertisers invent to scare seniors into buying junky plastic stuff].  

According to Salon.com, “your credit and debit cards, passport and even products you've purchased” contain microchips that “may emit radio frequency identification (RFID) signals that can be picked up by others via a RFID reader.” 

In other words, enterprising thieves can invisibly steal your cash and I.D. by beaming an electronic signal at your suitcases.

It’s day 2 at this tropical resort's fashion show here in glorious Huatulco, Mexico.

The sun’s gleaming brightly, waves pound the shores like a bounty hunter banging on your motel door, and the world’s sexiest fashionistas have gathered on these poolside catwalks to showcase their hip-hugging, body-rocking, haute couture luxury resort fashions.

Our first model today is this strutting Texan day drinker (below). He’s sporting stars & stripes trunks that are simply bursting with patriotic pride.

So we're at an exclusive fashion show in a luxurious, 4-star, adult-only Mexican resort.

While North Americans are shaking and freezing through a horrendously punishing winter, the world’s fashion-elite have arrived in these balmy tropics to show off their new haute couture tropical resort collections.

The sky is a lovely periwinkle blue, the hot sun is bleaching the sand, and it’s a perfectly warm 31 degrees Celsius (88 Fahrenheit). So to combat the heat, we’re sucking on mojitos and ogling glamorous models as they parade up and down these white-hot catwalks by the infinity pools and swim-up pool bar.

If you feel you deserve some sort of reward for making it through what is, on average, the coldest week of the year in Canada, read on. After all, the vacation destinations on this week's podium are either immune to wind chill and frostbite, or make good use of subzero temperatures with snowy slopes down which you can ski or snowboard.

GOLD: As part of Whistler Blackcomb's new "Peak Deals" promotion, North America's largest ski resort has what may be North America's widest assortment of bargains on slopeside lodging. Accomodations wholesaler Lodging Ovations, for example, is offering up to 50 per cent off midweek stays until March 30 (starting at $140 a night, based on double occupancy), while the luxurious Crystal Lodge & Suites (pictured below) has dropped overnight rates to as low as $99 in April. Other options include free stays with multi-day bookings, hotel credits, and combinations of all of the above.    

If you like to relax in Chicago late at night by getting sloshed at O'Hare airport, you'll like this news:

Chicago's city council has unanimously approved 24-hour liquor sales in Chicago's two international airports, O'Hare and Midway. Previously, their airports' alcohol sales were banned between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. (Monday to Saturday) and banned between 3 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sundays.

According to the Chicagoist, "all 32 restaurants at O'Hare and 11 at Midway with liquor licenses now have the OK to stay open 24/7 to keep you drunk before you hit the sky because, hey, what could go wrong?"

And every bar in O'Hare airport has a Bavarian theme

Chicago is such a party town, you can even order beer, wine, and mixed alcoholic drinks from airport pushcarts. Gregg Cunningham, Coordinator of Special Projects at the Chicago Department of Aviation, emailed me to confirm that "there are two (2) pushcarts in operation at O’Hare International Terminal 5 by Parades bar and one pushcart at Midway in Concourse A." 

Just found some fun travel stats.

According to two recent studies by Tingo.com and Smartertravel.com, 50% of hotel guests “dodge the bellhop so they don’t have to tip,” 25% of hotel guests never tip housecleaning, 47% of travellers believe that “misbehaving kids are the worst travel offense,” 58% of travellers “want child-free zones on airplanes” [wait, only 58%?], and 9% of the people surveyed admitted they’ve stayed in a hotel “to get away from a significant other.”

In short, a hefty portion of us want to avoid people on our holidays…and not only because they want our money.

It’s the 9% statistic that’s really got me thinking. Who books hotel rooms to avoid their spouses? And how annoying does someone need to get before you escape them by checking into a hotel?

Winter can be wonderful in unexpected ways. It can be otherworldly, as when watching snowflakes settle on the sandstone spires of Arizona's Grand Canyon. It can be sumptuous, in the form of a stroll through Old Montreal to your luxe digs at the century-old Ritz-Carlton hotel. It can be pleasingly practical, like when you get a good night's sleep mere minutes from Canada's largest airport. And it can be especially wonderful when you get a deal on one of the above via this week's podium: 

GOLD: A few weeks back the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Montreal served up a fourth-night-free promotion to celebrate its 100^th anniversary. Now, the hotel is going one step further by rolling its room rates back to 1912 prices. Until Jan. 30 (for stays until April 30), the third night of a three-night stay will be priced at $3.50 -- which in those days could also get you season's tickets for les Canadiens. The first two nights start at $350 a night (based on double occupancy).

Oh man, this invention made me laugh. If you have trouble sleeping on planes, trains, buses, and automobiles, just strap your head to your seat.

The result: you'll fall into a deep and stable sleep without waking up every 10 minutes with an aching neck and a puddle of drool in your lap.

This ingenious device is called the "Relax ALLY Travel Restband". According to their Indiegogo page, this strap "helps you to relax and sleep while traveling in a sitting posture." Here's a video that demonstrates how it works.

Their company mission is "to get this product available to the travelers around the world. To backpackers, businessmen & women and holiday lovers."

Wish you could have Superman's view of the world as you soar over farms, lakes, and mountains?

Now you can. Delta has introduced their Fly Delta App for iPad (and iPhones) and it's the next best thing to flying in a glass bottom jet, because it lets you see the ground whizzing past beneath your plane.

The Fly Delta app was released last week as part of their new $140 million US commitment to technology. In addition to upgrading their website, mobile apps, and airport kiosks, the app's coolest feature is the "Glass Bottom Jet". This lets passengers using in-flight wi-fi to see the scenery rushing below the aircraft. It's like riding in a spy plane as you cruise over middle America.