Antigua's beaches are a welcome respite form winter woes. -- Photo by Robin Robinson, SUN

Just when you think you have airport procedures down pat they throw you a curve. Or two. Take my last trip, which involved flying from Pearson's Terminal 3 to Miami, connecting to a flight to the Turks & Caicos islands, and doing the reverse a few days later.

My Miami flight was leaving at 6:58 a.m. I reached Terminal 3 around 4 and checked in immediately, determined to avoid the hour-long wait at U.S. immigration/customs and security I'd faced a few weeks earlier.

This time there were no more than a dozen people ahead of me and I was feeling quite smug until word filtered through that U.S. immigration didn't open until 5 a.m. I questioned the wisdom of lining up so early until I noticed how many people were behind me. At least I wasn't going to miss my flight.

At security, the officer asked for my boarding pass. That's normal. But instead of handing it right back, he said he'd return it "on the other side." He reappeared after I passed the X-ray scan and searched my luggage. Then he asked if I had any injuries he should know about before he patted me down.

In the meantime, my boarding pass had gone astray. After he located it, I asked if this was a new procedure and was told it had been introduced three weeks earlier for anyone entering the U.S.

There was another surprise at the Turks & Caicos, where they did random baggage searches before travellers reached the checkin counter, rather than before boarding.

Miami airport, where I had to clear U.S. immigration, was my first opportunity to witness fingerprint and iris scanning. Canadians are exempt, at least for now.

WHAT'S NEW

- Winter packages are available until March 27 by Ontario's Lake Country, a tourism organization embracing Orillia, Mnjikaning First Nation, Oro-Medonte, Ramara and Severn townships. Go to ontarioslakecountry.com to choose accommodations, an activity and a place to dine. The three price levels start at $89 per person, double, on weekdays.

- Signature Vacations has added Dian Bay Resort and Spa in Antigua to its winter lineup. The 52-room, adults-only property is on the untouched northeast coast. Packages include meals, afternoon tea, drinks, and two spa treatments such as manicures, massages or paraffin treatments per person, per week. Rates from Toronto start at $1,889 per person, per week. Contact signaturevacations.com/antigua or a travel agent.

- It's winter here but it's summer down under, where Tourism Australia has put together three new, eight-night packages. All start with four nights in Sydney, then add four more in either Melbourne, Brisbane or the Great Barrier Reef. Prices include round-trip airfare from Vancouver and start at $1,949 per person for the first two packages, $2,299 for the one involving the reef. They're available until Sept. 30. Visit australia.com or call 877-237-1266.