Good morning! You'll notice this newsletter has had a bit of a facelift – looking fresh, but don't worry, all your favourite travel stories, tips, guides and more are still right here for you to enjoy. Simon |
When an aviation superhighway closes |
The call I was expecting came in just before 5 am on Wednesday. I was in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, base camp for the world's largest Buddhist temple at Borobudur. The dialling code indicated the caller was in the United Arab Emirates – the home of Etihad. Seven weeks ago, I booked a trip with the airline departing tomorrow from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi, with a two-night stay in the UAE capital before flying on to London Heathrow. With intense competition from Emirates and Qatar Airways, Etihad even threw in the hotel stay. Long-haul travellers heading east or south have grown accustomed to an aviation superhighway that funnels passengers from airports across Britain to the Middle East and distributes them across Asia, Africa and Australasia. The airports in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai deliver slick connections and stylish stopovers. That was before the US and Israeli assault on Iran that began 13 days ago. Tehran promptly retaliated, targeting infrastructure in the Gulf nations, including airports and hotels. With missiles and drones incoming, outgoing flights were temporarily halted. The Foreign Office promptly put all the Gulf states on the no-go list. Unlike the FCDO travel advice for countries such as Mexico and Ecuador, no exception has been made for so-called "airside" transit. The Foreign Office says the risks in the region are too high even to contemplate pausing at an airport for a couple of hours to change planes. The customer service lady from Etihad said my flight from Jakarta is going ahead. But the stopover is, unsurprisingly, toast: "You cannot stay more than 10 hours in Abu Dhabi." The airline offered instead an immediate overnight connection to Heathrow. I therefore have a choice of going against Foreign Office advice or spending over £1,800 on the cheapest available alternative, which is on Oman Air via Muscat. That is more than three times the fare I paid for the Etihad journey. Even though my travel insurance will cease to be valid if I go against FCDO advice, I will take my chances in Abu Dhabi duty-free. At least I get to exercise my free will. In Bali, I met Jeff and Wendy Spencer from Surrey. "Stranded in paradise," is how they describe their situation. "It feels like the Hotel California: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave." (For the avoidance of doubt, the property of that name in the Indonesian city of Bandung, below, definitely lets guests out.) The couple have tickets on Emirates from Bali to Heathrow. The airline flies every night from the Indonesian island to Dubai, with onward connections to Heathrow. But their holiday company, Distant Journeys, must adhere to Foreign Office travel advice. Jeff and Wendy are not allowed to take the one-stop express trip. Instead, they face an absurdly complicated journey: from Bali to Bangkok, where they change for a flight to Colombo. After an unexpected overnight stay in Sri Lanka, they will board a special charter flight that Distant Journeys has laid on for them and hundreds of other passengers in the region. Bringing customers home without touching the Gulf will, I estimate, cost the company around £1 million. No doubt the FCDO, whose advice is forcing such extreme arrangements, has good reason for its hard line on airlines. But I recall this is the government department that, during Covid, assured British travellers that Portugal's Algarve coast was as risky as central Kabul and parts of Somalia. |
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| Virgin Atlantic abandons Dubai |
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| A Hollywood film will finally put this underrated corner of Greece in the spotlight. Read more. |
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| Cruise editor Marc Shoffman talks to the women making vital changes to the industry. Read more. |
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| Annabel Grossman reveals the best place to base yourself in the US capital. Read more. |
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How will travel change after the 2026 reset? |
The appalling human tragedy unfolding in the Middle East will affect the decisions of those of us lucky enough to be able to choose where to travel. The region has experienced shutdowns before, as I explored in a recent podcast here. As I heard this week from Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet, the hippie trail that traced a route Across Asia on the Cheap (the title of the first guidebook) hit a geopolitical roadblock when the Iranian revolution happened in 1979. Backpackers in search of enlightenment, beauty and possibly soft drugs switched to Africa and Latin America. Expect a similar swerve in the months ahead.
For travellers who are still enticed by the east: the airlines of China will enjoy an increased competitive advantage over their Western rivals. They fly across Russia, saving time and fuel and staying thousands of miles away from the conflict. Istanbul airport will pick up plenty of business from Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi: it already serves more destinations than any of those Gulf hubs. But Turkey as a whole will be a net loser. Spain and Portugal are already seeing bookings rise as some prospective holidaymakers seek alternatives to Turkey – which will also spell bargains in the latter for those of us happy about escaping to the eastern Mediterranean.
The winter sun market is going to be interesting, now that everyone has a mental map revealing just how close Dubai is to Iran. Egypt, the Caribbean and South Africa are likely to be the beneficiaries. The consensus view is that Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways will be able to entice passengers back simply by cutting fares. But more of us will continue beyond those hubs to new horizons. Fresh discoveries could just make travel even more rewarding.
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I've tried and tested the best carry-on luggage for 2026 – whether you're travelling for business or pleasure, these bags are suitable for most major airlines. If you're looking for a bargain, this EasyJet-friendly cabin bag is under £17 at Amazon, while this Ryanair-friendly backpack has been reduced to just £10. And if those aren't for you and you're looking to splash out, Floyd's cabin bag fits in most standard overhead compartments – as long as you're not flying with one of the budget airlines. |
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Freedom of Scotland for families for £60 a week |
Whether or not you have the good fortune to live in Scotland, or simply want to visit the nation, the Easter deal on a family railpass looks unbeatable. Starting on any day from 3 to 13 April 2026 a family of up to two adults and four children can travel anywhere they like in Scotland for a flat rate of £60 for a week. Yes, that is just £8.57 per day (or £1.43 per person per day, if you are the maximum sized party) to explore from Stranraer to Thurso and Edinburgh to Fort William. Better still: there is nothing complicated about buying the ScotRail Family Pass. Buy online, at staffed stations, or on board where no ticket office is available. Key restrictions:
Applies only to ScotRail services; not valid on other train operators in Scotland.
There must be a minimum of one adult and one child travelling.
From Monday to Friday, you cannot travel before 9.15am. |
Cut-price West Coast Main Line tickets now on sale |
Avanti West Coast will soon face competition on the West Coast Main Line, which connects London Euston with northwest England and Scotland. Lumo – the open access operator that already connects London King's Cross with Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow – will soon start running trains that call at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle and Motherwell en route to Stirling. London-Preston tickets start at £24 each way. Railcard discounts apply. Tickets are currently on sale for travel from 10 July to 28 August, but the launch date for the new services is likely to be earlier. |
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YOUR SWEETEST SUMMER ESCAPE STARTS HERE |
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| Are you deterred from visiting Cyprus or Turkey because of the conflict in the Middle East? |
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This week, I'm asking if ongoing conflict in the Middle East has made you rethink your upcoming travel plans. Have you been deterred from visiting Turkey or Cyprus? Or are your Easter or summer holidays still going ahead in the eastern Mediterranean? Vote by selecting the buttons above. |
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| Last week's poll revealed a split, with 60 per cent of readers fearing airspace closures and flight cancellations could tarnish Dubai's appeal forever. Only time will tell whether the city's reputation has been permanently damaged. |
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Heading for Split for a few days at the end of April. Any thoughts on the area? |
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Late April should see this glorious city at its finest. Crowds will be relatively thin, falling between the Easter surge of visitors and the summer rush. Split offers a rewarding combination of Roman grandeur and seafront sophistication, with worthwhile excursions on offer. The city was chosen by the Roman emperor Diocletian for a palace of pleasures, which has been continuously occupied for 17 centuries. The heart of the city is defined by the ancient fortifications of the palace, centred on the emperor's mausoleum – now the city's cathedral. Explore the maze of ancient lanes and alleyways, then sip an aperitif at one of the bars planted among the palm trees of the Riva, the embankment outside the city wall. Split possesses one of Europe's great city parks, draped over a shaft of rock rising from the western end of the city centre. Marjan Hill, 600 feet above the Adriatic, offers lovely views out to the islands. If you are tempted by a side trip by ferry, I recommend Šolta – an isle just an hour away. Pines drape the hills, fishing boats bob in placid harbours, and city life seems a world away. At the end of your stay, make time to explore Trogir before your flight. This ancient town occupies a small, coffin-shaped island separated from the mainland by a narrow channel. Trogir is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "a remarkable example of urban continuity … with the minimum of modern interventions." The highlight is the exquisite Venetian cathedral of St Lawrence. Happily, it is just a couple of miles west of Split airport, with frequent, inexpensive buses to the terminal. An insider's guide to the city can be found here. |
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How to get the best photos and videos from your smartphone |
In the first of a two-part series for my Independent Travel podcast, top cinematographer and photographer Douglas Bolton tells me how to take better stills with your smartphone. Just don't touch that digital zoom. In part two: are you shooting video vertically – and do you stop filming just as the action gets interesting? |
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