From Happyland to Paradise: Cheapflights.ca Spotlights Towns That Capture Canada's Spirit

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - Oct 11, 2016) - While Disneyland may call itself the Happiest Place on Earth, there's a country that displays its sunny ways pretty much every day, even in the names of the towns that dot its vast land. Whether it's the trio of Heart's Content, Heart's Desire, and Heart's Delight in Newfoundland, or Love, Saskatchewan, (where dozens of Valentine's Day cards are stamped at the post office each year), Canadians are positively positive.

To celebrate the awesome Canadian spirit, the travel experts at Cheapflights.ca, the champions of simple travel search, went in search of the towns that capture the essence of Canada. The line-up of warm and welcoming towns and proud, adventurous people made it clear that now, more than ever, the world needs you Canada.

Below are five towns that capture the spirit of Canada -- and helped inspire us to call on Canadians to #ExportYourself:

• Happy Adventure, Newfoundland and Labrador -- Of course there's a Canadian town called Happy Adventure. Would you be surprised if there was an Amour Baguette, France? Or a Loud Freedom, United States? Or a Sipping Tea, England? (There isn't by the way, but we're just saying...) Happiness and adventure might just be the most Canadian things ever. According to a local myth, this town got its name when, more than 300 years ago, an infamous pirate found shelter in the community's harbour. Today, Happy Adventure is home to almost 230 people and offers great vantage points for admiring scenery and watching whales. The town also has an adorable little sandy cove, aptly named Little Sandy Cove, which is an ideal spot for picnics.
  
  
• Leading Tickles, Newfoundland and Labrador -- Don't even pretend reading about a town called Leading Tickles doesn't plaster a big, goofy smile across your face. This little town is home to more than 330 people and, in addition to having what is perhaps the best town name ever, it's also a great place to watch thousand-year-old icebergs float by dramatic cliffs and long, wide beaches. The island town got part of its name from the bridge connecting the island to the mainland, "leading" people over the narrow area of water where two coves connect, says town clerk Doreen Haggett. As for the "tickles" bit, she's not quite sure. What she does know is that it's a town that has that real Canadian character. "Everybody knows everybody," said Haggett, who has lived in Leading Tickles her whole life and says it's the kind of place where doors are never locked and people trust their neighbours. "It's a quiet town," she said. "You've got no worries." 
  
  
• Radville, Saskatchewan -- You know what's a rad town name? Radville. You know what's even radder? The people of Radville -- all 860 of them. During the not-so-rad depression of the 1930s, one Radville youth, Jerry Bertrand, organized a tree planting project. To this day, the town's tree-lined streets remain a source of pride, and Bertrand still lends his name to both a local park and an award that recognizes community volunteerism. Radville also participates in the international traveller's favourite treasure hunt, geocaching. Geocachers can track down nine hidden caches across Radville. Now, that's pretty rad.
  
  
• Flowers Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador -- The proud people of Flowers Cove see it as their responsibility to promote Newfoundlanders' and Labradorians' renowned friendly ways. Now that's the Canadian spirit. "It's quite a great place to live," according to Mayor Keith Billard. He adds, since the population is not large -- only about 270 people -- Flowers Cove residents are a close-knit community. And they're proud of their little slice of Canadian heaven. "You're not only close to the sea, but you're away from the hustle and bustle, close to the forest, the woods and the wildlife," like salmon, moose and more, all of which can be appreciated from the town's extensive walking trails, says Billard. In addition to having a smile-inducing name and a picturesque spot on the coast, Flowers Cove is full of -- yep, you guessed it -- floral history. Home to some of the rarest flowers in the world, Flowers Cove also boasts the well known Thrombolite Walking Trail, which features 650-million-year-old fossils that gave the town its motto: "Flowers Cove: An adventure 650 million years in the making".
  
  
• Love, Saskatchewan -- Love actually is all around when you're in the happy little village of Love, Saskatchewan. Each year around Feb. 14 -- Valentine's Day -- as many as 10,000 love letters from all over the world are sent through the post office of Love to be stamped with the town's iconic postmark: a teddy bear holding a heart. Nope, you're not alone, the world just let out a collective "awww". According to the town's website, the village is home to about 80 inhabitants (Lovers?) and their heritages include European, Asian and more. Despite many requests, there is not yet a Chapel of Love, but the town is dotted with red, heart-shaped road signs and the tourism board has started selling T-shirts. While it's believed the town was named after conductor Tom Love, who conducted the first train to pass through the town, another local legend says railroad workers in the area would remark that the streets were always full of young couples strolling hand-in-hand. Hey Lovers, share a little of that lovey dovey-ness with the rest of the world, will ya?

Other towns that shout the best of Canada in their names and their residents include Heart's Content, Heart's Desire and Heart's Delight, Newfoundland and Labrador; Happyland, Saskatchewan; Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador; Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador and Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Quebec. To get the details on these oh-so-Canadian spots, head to www.cheapflights.ca/news/10-towns-capture-spirit-canada.

And to find out more about Cheapflights.ca's mission to help Canadians export themselves so they can share their attitude, their maple syrup and their sense of humour with the world, visit Cheapflights.ca/exportyourself.

About Cheapflights.ca, part of the Momondo Group
Founded in 1996, Cheapflights is a leading global flight comparison and deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple. It is now a market leader in the UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating more than C$4 billion in global downstream revenue for its partners as it expands into numerous other territories. More than 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes. The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter receive the best deals from more than 120 travel businesses -- for whom it has driven more than C$80 million in revenue this year. Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.

In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.

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