Past editions of our weekly newsletter, sharing travel news and inspiration with the JFC community

Hey there, JFC-ers,
Today I'm coming to you from the comfort of the Glasgow Airport departures lounge.
Like many others, the airport is currently having its security scanners upgraded to the shiny new machines that mean you don't have to remove all your liquids and electronics from your cabin bags. In theory, this should make everything faster, right?
Well, somehow, they're not quite there yet. Despite all the futuristic devices being in situ, the scanning and checking process took much longer than with the old machines; bags were backed up on the belt, the lines of disgruntled travellers extending every direction.
Thankfully, I made it to my gate in good time, though unfortunately the same can't be said for the 99 passengers who missed their morning flight to Porto. Welcome to the beginning of the summer travel chaos! And for more airport shenanigans across the pond, just keep reading&hellip;
Happy travels and safe landings,

Katy - Editor of The Detour

Runway Closures, Delays, ATC shortages, and More: Another Day at Newark Airport

Flight Finder Allan is your US expert on the inner workings of the airline world. If you've ever seen a debut deal on a brand spanking new route or a bonkers drop on an old classic, you've got him to thank!

By Allan

You might have seen some pretty&nbsp;scary headlines about Newark International Airport in the last few weeks: runway closures, air traffic controller shortages, terrible weather, massive delays. And all that right as the peak summer travel season is about to kick off. So, what is happening at Newark Airport right now?
As the resident US airport nerd/aficionado/weirdo here at Jack&rsquo;s Flight Club, I&rsquo;m here to break it all down for you and soothe (or exacerbate) any worries you might have. There are two main causes; Newark Airport has closed one of its two main runways for construction, while the national Air Traffic Control (ATC) shortage has also been hitting the airport especially hard.

Travel Insights

Runway Construction: Newark is an old airport that has been undergoing renovations for years. The busiest runway at the airport has needed renovations for a few years, and they&rsquo;re finally doing it now. That meant weekend closures in March&ndash;April and, since April 15th, a full closure through June 15th. Only two runways instead of three has made traffic far worse, as only one runway can handle wide-body jets, and the other is barely long enough for narrow-bodies.
Air Traffic Controller Shortage: This has been a nationwide issue for a few years, but it&rsquo;s gotten far worse recently. When hundreds of government employees at the Federal Aviation Administration were laid off earlier this year, an already-thin department quickly became thinner. The FAA now claims they&rsquo;re 3,000 air traffic controllers short of where they hope to be for most efficient operations.
New York City has the busiest airspace in the country, which has only made this shortage worse. Newark ATCs were moved from a facility in the area to one in Philadelphia, about 60 miles away. That facility has outdated technology, which last week led to a 90-second radar drop. Thankfully, nothing happened in that time, but several ATCs have taken medical leave following the traumatic incident, affected by the knowledge that something could have gone very wrong.
Further Newark Airport Chaos: May is the start of the peak travel season, meaning an increase in flights and travelers going through Newark compared to a few months ago. Plus, the weather in the New York area has been pretty miserable the last few weeks, further delaying and cancelling flights.&nbsp;
So, combine fewer air traffic controllers and fewer runways with more travelers, and you have a perfect formula to create a massive bottleneck at the US&rsquo;s 12th-busiest airport. But there is a solution on the horizon.&nbsp;

That being said, if you are due to fly from Newark in the coming weeks, it&rsquo;s probably best to avoid the airport if you can spare the cash to book another. Your flight might get off the ground totally normally, but there&rsquo;s a much greater chance of drama than at other New York area airports.
That&rsquo;s my quick insight into the chaos going on at EWR right now, but to be honest, it has never been my favorite airport. As a reward for making it all the way to the bottom of this info dump, let me rant about my own experience at Newark in 2023.&nbsp;
I got to the airport 3 hours early for the hour-long flight up to Rochester, New York, for my brother&rsquo;s university graduation. After a $50 dinner and catching some playoff basketball, I got to the gate for the 10 PM flight. And then the first delay hit, then the next, and another, until finally, at midnight, a cancellation was announced due to a mechanical issue on our plane.
I was panicking. The graduation was at 4 PM the next day and the plane was absolutely full, creating a super long line at the United help desk. I checked Google Flights and noticed a 7 AM flight from JFK on Delta with only 2 seats left. I booked as quickly as I could, and hopped in a far too expensive Uber back to my Brooklyn apartment. 
While in the Uber an hour later, I received a notification from United: they had rescheduled the flight for 10 AM that morning. Lovely information that I would have really appreciated a little earlier, say, right when we were first cancelled&hellip;
In the end, I made the graduation on about 2 hours of sleep and had a good time with my family. But I have since added Newark to my *ONLY WHEN NECESSARY* list, along with &ldquo;walking instead&rdquo; and &ldquo;seaplane?&rdquo;&nbsp;

With journeys spanning more than 30 countries and ten years, Akasha's best memories live in the pages of her passport. She always consults her tarot (and her cats) before any big trip. Currently based in Ireland, when she isn't travelling, she&rsquo;s probably drawing in a caf&eacute; somewhere.

By Akasha

Some peeps want pi&ntilde;a coladas and beach umbrellas. Others? Or should I say, you, dear readers? Abandoned tracking stations in Zanzibar, giant geodes and an eagle named Freedom.&nbsp;
Last week, I asked for your weirdest must-see destinations, and boy, did you deliver&hellip;
Most people chase celebrities. Terri chases eagles. Respect.

"I read the book "An Eagle Named Freedom: My True Story of a Remarkable Friendship" and added meeting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO0O0SAgPuc">Freedom the eagle</a> to my travel bucket list. The book names the wildlife care center that took Freedom in. It has hours open to the public. We were taking a family vacation to Port Angeles, WA, which is a little over 3 hours away from the wildlife care center. So, I forced my family to travel with me to meet Freedom.
&nbsp;It is a LONG, winding 3+ hour trip to the middle of nowhere, WA. But we made it! However, little did I know that Freedom travels around to educational events. And, wouldn't you know it, that she was out traveling that day.&nbsp;
She would not be back until after our plane departed. So I made a separate trip months later, all by myself, to meet her. I got to see her in her outdoor cage, and then I traveled to her educational event. She was incredible.&nbsp;
It is a weird bucket list travel item, but one that made me super happy. And 10 years after our first attempt, it still does!"&nbsp;- Terri

And Matthew? He&rsquo;s living his best apocalyptic life &mdash; with a side quest of snacks.&nbsp;

"When I go on holiday, the first thing my work colleagues will ask me, &ldquo;is there bad weather there?&rdquo;&nbsp;
The reason being that for several years I went to the USA to storm chase (yes tornadoes and yes, there are tours that do it), and Japan &mdash;&nbsp; I want to experience an earthquake, Sicily? Of course, Mt. Etna is erupting!&nbsp;
So whenever I go on holiday now, if there&rsquo;s a chance of a natural disaster&hellip; I am sold. And if there&rsquo;s a food tour I can go on? I have my flight booked." - Matthew

Meanwhile, Liz&rsquo;s love language is all about finding cool rocks.&nbsp;

"In 2022, I was learning Spanish, and we were asked to do a presentation on something to do with the geography of Spain. I found out that in Almeria, in the south-east of Spain, there is the second-largest geode in the world, and that it had recently opened to the public to visit! (The largest is in South America and not open to the public as the temperature is so high it's inaccessible without special equipment).
That summer, my partner and I decided to take a last-minute trip to see the geode. It's called the <a href="https://www.andalucia.com/province/almeria/pulpi/geode">Pulpi Geode</a> in the province of Almeria, which is also the closest airport.&nbsp;
It was a unique experience walking and climbing through a mine to get to the geode, which you can just about climb inside for a photo.&nbsp;
The landscape in that area is beautiful, with a protected area of nature called Cabo de Gata and untouched beaches. It's also a couple of hours away from Granada, so we combined it with a trip to the Alhambra.&nbsp;
What started out as a bit of homework turned into a unique and enjoyable holiday!" - Liz&nbsp;

Jeanne-Marie dreams of Cold-War era Space Stations in Africa. I&rsquo;d like to pre-order the documentary about this quest, please.

"I'd like to visit the locations of the tracking stations for John Glenn's orbits of Earth. My dad was stationed at the Zanzibar Tracking Station, and I just donated some of his memorabilia and audio tapes to the Smithsonian.&nbsp;
I think it would be pretty cool to visit Tanzania in general, Zanzibar in particular, and to <a href="https://www.zanzibarhistory.org/Space-Station-Zanzibar#:~:text=ZANZIBAR%20UNVEILED-,Space%20Station%20Zanzibar,first%20American%20manned%20Space%20Missions.">find that decaying station</a> before it's completely gone." - Jeanne-Marie

Venetia&rsquo;s more of the tree-hugger type. And I&rsquo;m jealous!

"I wanted to share my no1 travel wish list, which I was lucky enough to fulfil last year &mdash; visiting the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/12/saving-dragons-blood-island-refused-let-tree-die-out-socotra-yemen">Dragon Blood Trees of Socotra island</a> in Yemen!
These umbrella type trees are endemic to the one island of Socotra, not growing anywhere else in the world, and I&rsquo;d always wanted to visit. There is 1 flight a week from Abu Dhabi, no roads or hotels, so you have to wild camp around the island. It truly was a bucket list experience!!
There&rsquo;s so much else to see aside from the Dragon Blood trees, including epic dunes, crystal clear wadis and pristine beaches." - Venetia&nbsp;&nbsp;

I guess the best adventures don&rsquo;t just show us new places &mdash; they tap in to new sides of ourselves, and that's pretty exciting. Like, "Wow, I really will fly across the world just to see a tree that looks like it&rsquo;s from a fantasy novel" or, "Huh, maybe I do have the stamina to storm-chase if there&rsquo;s a good BBQ afterward."
So here&rsquo;s to you weirdos and dreamers, keep wandering off the map. Please keep sharing the weirdest, wildest, or most wonderfully bizarre places on YOUR travel list &mdash; we absolutely love to see them! Just hit &lsquo;Reply&rsquo; as usual.

Reader's Corner

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li>Road trip fans, this one's for you: the <a href="https://detour-roadtrips.com/">second-coolest Detour</a> on the net. </li>
<li>As if you needed any more reasons to visit Rio, it's just been named <a href="https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/news/rio-de-janeiro-unesco-world-book-capital/">UNESCO's World Book Capital</a> for 2025. </li>
<li>Fancy getting out of the sun in a <a href="https://www.islands.com/1848237/slovenia-massive-skocjan-caves-harbor-miles-subterranean-trails-one-worlds-largest-underground-canyons/">7.5-mile labyrinth of underground caves</a> this summer? Turns out Slovenia is the place to be. </li>
<li>And finally, one of the perks of business class is obviously the delightful array of beverages on offer at all times. But we reckon that&nbsp;<a href="https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2025/05/08/cathay-pacific-serves-wine-to-3-year-old-child-in-business-class/">serving wine to a 3-year-old</a> may just be taking it a little too far!</li>
</ul>

Travel News

Your Wander Wishlists & the Latest Airport Shenanigans

Hey there, wonderful Detour Readers,
We&rsquo;ve all got those big travel dreams; see the Northern Lights in Norway, sip espresso in Rome &mdash; blah blah blah.
But do you ever feel kinda stuck or paralyzed when it comes to planning what goes on your wander wishlist? I know I do.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s why I want to know the most bizarre, hyper-specific travel items on your list. The kind that makes even the most seasoned traveler stop and say, &ldquo;wait, that&rsquo;s a thing?&rdquo;
Think:
<ul>
<li>Attending Japan&rsquo;s annual Naked Festival (Hadaka Matsuri)</li>
<li>Camping out by the Door to Hell in Turkmenistan&mdash;a fiery crater that&rsquo;s been burning for 50+ years</li>
<li>Tracking down Moldova's last surviving traditional bee shaman. The more niche, the better.</li>
</ul>
The weirder, the more I love it. And bonus points if you&rsquo;ve already done something bizarre &mdash; tell me how it went!
Just hit 'Reply', and we&rsquo;ll share your peculiar travel preoccupations in our next edition, hopefully including some pics from the ground.
Happy travels and safe landings,

Akasha - Flight Finder

How to Collect and Spend Airline Points - with The Point's Guy's Nicky Kelvin

Detour Editor Katy is a budget travel aficionado who has already travelled to more than 50 countries. Whether she's at home or on a foreign adventure, she has a particular talent for stumbling upon tasty Georgian restaurants.

By Katy

Here at Jack's Flight Club, we're all about hunting down cheap flights to help our members travel the world while spending less. But we also know there's more than one way to up your travel game! And that's where airline points programs come in.
Our members frequently ask us for more flight hacks than simply finding those cheap fares, like how to collect air miles without spending the big bucks, and is it actually possible to travel business class without breaking the bank? So I went straight to the source on all things points, and sat down for a chat with&nbsp;<a href="https://thepointsguy.com/">The Points Guy</a>'s very own Nicky Kelvin.
You can <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/collecting-airline-points-points-guy-interview">read the full interview here</a>.

Travel Hacks

<h3 dir="ltr">Hi Nicky! Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us today. Please tell the good people of Jack&rsquo;s Flight Club how you got so clued-up on all things points.</h3>
Thank you so much for having me, Katy. I'm very happy to be here. My name is Nicky Kelvin, and I work at The Points Guy. We help people maximize their travel through points, miles, and loyalty schemes. But in terms of how I found myself being an expert in this space, it was thanks to my sister!
She was British Airways cabin crew, and I had a very charmed teenage life and early 20s flying around the world with her on very cheap tickets. Taxes were lower back then. It was like the dream. And then she ruined my life by getting married and having kids and taking me off her concessions!&nbsp;
I ended up having to find another way to keep travelling in the way I'd become accustomed. And so I got into the world of credit cards points and miles, learned it, became an expert, started talking to more and more people about it, started a blog. I was actually a solicitor for the bulk of my serious career, until I had the opportunity to join The Points Guy to launch it in the UK. And that's how I found myself here.

<h3 dir="ltr">JFC-ers love a flight bargain, and airline points sound like another way to spend less while travelling more.&nbsp;So, can normal travellers actually collect enough points to go somewhere? Or is that just for frequent business travellers?</h3>
It's a very good question, and I think a very common misconception that this is only for the most frequent flyers or business travellers. That's what you imagine &mdash; people who are on the road all the time &mdash; but it's just not the case.&nbsp; There are so many ways that you can earn these points and miles. When I take you through some kind of the headlines of the places you can earn them, you'll see how easy it is to rack them up.&nbsp;
For example, in the UK, you can earn supermarket loyalty points like Tesco Club Card points or Sainsbury's Nectar points. They both convert into airline miles. Nectar points you can convert into Avios, and Tesco Club Card points you can convert into Virgin Flying Club points. So immediately there are millions of people in the UK able to collect points when shopping in Sainsbury&rsquo;s or Tesco, or spending in other places where you can earn Nectar points, like eBay and Argos. So that's one way.&nbsp;
There's also the online shopping portals, and that's a way where you can earn massive multiples of points. They&rsquo;re a bit like QuidCo or Top Cashback, if you know them. They're quite common sites that millions of people use, and those cashback sites operate where you can go on a certain website, you click through to a retailer, and you'll earn a certain amount of cash back. Sometimes that can be as much as 12%.
Airline shopping portals will allow you to earn seven, eight, nine, 10 air miles per &pound;1. These are huge multiples, and that's on almost every retailer you'll find online &mdash; Next, M&amp;S, ASOS. Name your retailer, almost all of them are on there.&nbsp;

In addition to that is credit card earning.&nbsp; So, if you have a rewards credit card &mdash; they're not for everybody those cards, but if they work for you, if you can pay them off in full on time every month &mdash; those rewards credit cards will mean you're earning on every single purchase.
All of those are ways in which you can earn a lot of points, and you've not stepped foot on a plane or stayed in a hotel.
Add on to that any flight or hotel where they do have a loyalty program, and you earn the points from those flights as well. You just punch in your loyalty number, and then you earn those points for free in the background. Combine all those things &mdash; maybe not even the ones from flights and hotels &mdash; and you're earning enough to redeem them for something really good.&nbsp;
On the redeeming side, just to give you an example: let's say you are buying a new TV. You're going to spend &pound;1,000 and a retailer is offering 5 Avios per pound. So you're going to earn 5,000 Avios through the online shopping portal by buying that online &mdash; a one-way flight to Europe can be as little as 5,000 Avios. So, even just from that one purchase using a shopping portal, you could unlock a free flight!

<h3 dir="ltr">We&rsquo;ve all read those articles where people say they&rsquo;ll never fly economy again, and talk about upgrading for free using airline points. What&rsquo;s the best way to achieve the business class dream?</h3>
I get asked this question all the time: How do you get upgraded? What do you wear to the airport? What do you say to the crew?&nbsp;
The answer is just to earn your points, plan ahead and get that redemption. Book your flight using points in business class, and you've got your ticket. You go to the airport, you know what you're getting.&nbsp;&nbsp;
It's very achievable. Especially on those routes like New York, where there are many business class seats available on points every single day of the week throughout the year. You'll even find them at the last minute. It's more than possible to just be buying business class seats outright with points and miles.
There is also the option to use your points to upgrade. It's often really good value, especially in cases where you can find cheap or discounted premium economy flights and then use your points to upgrade to business. That's one of the best value uses of points and miles.&nbsp;&nbsp;
You can sometimes find return premium economy flights to somewhere like New York on Virgin or BA at around the &pound;600-&pound;700 mark when they&rsquo;re at their cheapest. Economy flights usually run between &pound;300 and &pound;500 on a route like that, but cheap economy tickets are generally not upgradable with points on most airlines. However, all premium economy tickets tend to be, and the difference in the points is not always that much.&nbsp;

You could be buying a BA ticket for, let's say, &pound;650 for premium economy return, and the cost to upgrade one leg to business might only be between 10,000 and 25,000 points, which is within the reach of most normal earners. So, it's all always something to keep an eye on.
British Airways allows you to do that all in one go. They have an option where you buy with cash and upgrade with Avios. It searches the cash tickets, finds that pricing in premium economy, and then adds on the Avios price and books you straight into business. That means you're not taking a risk on buying the flights and then worrying is that availability going to disappear once you booked it.&nbsp;
But every airline does it differently. Take Emirates as an example; Emirates will allow you to upgrade tickets, but they ask for different amounts to upgrade. If you've bought an economy ticket, it depends on the type of economy ticket. And then what they ask for you to upgrade into business class may vary. If you have a fully flexible economy ticket, the upgrade cost might be 30,000 points, while if you have a very cheap discounted one, it might be 50,000 or 60,000.
But this is important for JFC-ers to know &mdash; if you grab an unbelievable deal on return economy flights, you may be able to upgrade those into business class even on those tickets, so long as you have the points on tap to do that!

<h3 dir="ltr">It seems like airline loyalty programs are much more common in the US than other countries. What points should Jack&rsquo;s Flight Club members be collecting if they live in the UK, Europe, or Canada?</h3>
Well, it's going to depend on what's available in your territory and then what suits you if you do have an option. So, for example, if you're in Ireland, really the only option to play with there is the Aer Lingus AerClub, and so you're going to focus your attention on that.
In Canada, the Air Canada Aeroplan program is actually brilliant. People around the world use it; lots of people in the UK and US love the Aeroplan program. Air Canada is part of <a href="https://www.staralliance.com/en/members">Star Alliance</a>, so it opens up the whole of Star Alliance for you. I know people who have never been on an Air Canada flight in their life, may not even be earning Aeroplan points from anywhere, but they go and buy the points straight from Air Canada when there&rsquo;s an offer on, and then redeem them to save huge amounts of money that way.
You're right in saying that in the US there are bigger points bonuses, more earnings, and more competition. But there are options around the world. I would say that Canada's got it all right. The UK and Australia are probably next best in the world. And as you start to go into smaller territories, it becomes more limited.
I think you've just got to look usually to your national airlines, which probably offer the most places to earn the points and the most opportunities to spend them. But it does differ greatly by territory.

Katy: That makes sense. I've actually been a Flying Blue member for most of my life, because growing up in Aberdeen, there's a lot of KLM flying to be done.
Nicky: That's a really interesting point, actually. British Airways is often accused of being &ldquo;London Airways,&rdquo; and whilst they do have seasonal flights from Manchester and Edinburgh to places around Europe, generally Heathrow and Gatwick are their homes. And if you're not in London, they&rsquo;re not really the airline for you unless you're going to London. By contrast, KLM now flies to 18 UK airports.
So, actually, if you're in Aberdeen, Leeds, Newcastle, or Belfast, you're probably far better serviced by Air France or KLM, where you can fly to their hubs in Amsterdam or Paris and then fly to the entire world. It actually makes more sense for you to be a Flying Blue member if you live in those places, and do what you can to earn points and status with them.&nbsp;
There's no Flying Blue credit card in the UK at the moment, but maybe that will come back. There used to be different airline credit cards in the UK, but we lost a lot of them. But for example, if you have an American Express card that earns membership reward points, you can convert them into Flying Blue points, along with many other airline programs.
And also bear in mind that Virgin Atlantic is part of SkyTeam now, the same alliance as Air France KLM. That means you can use your Virgin Points on Air France KLM flights, and also earn Virgin Points on those flights.
So if you're in the UK, even if you're in regions where it doesn't quite make sense to be thinking about Virgin Atlantic because they only fly from Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh, it could still be the sensible choice. Virgin points are far easier to earn in the UK than Flying Blue points are, so it's always worth thinking outside the box in terms of how to earn points that work the best for you.
<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/collecting-airline-points-points-guy-interview">Read more...</a>

The Sacred Art of Lake Atitl&aacute;n&rsquo;s Weavers

If there's one thing I love about travelling, it's the surprising moments that offer a glimpse into another way of life and seeing the world.
During my time in Guatemala, I had many. But one little place that stood out to me along the shores of Lake Atitl&aacute;n was a teeny tiny village called San Juan La Laguna.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s just a quick boat taxi from Panajachel (party central) and San Marcos (cosplay hippie central) yet felt fairly overlooked by the masses. Probably down to its size &mdash; you&rsquo;re most likely only there to do one of two things; shop for textiles or start a hike. And that&rsquo;s precisely why I was there, too.&nbsp;

Known for its rich Tz'utujil Maya culture, San Juan La Laguna is home to inspiring<a href="https://www.sanjuanlalaguna.com.gt/en/culture/handicrafts/lema-association"> women-led weaving cooperatives</a> called Asociaci&oacute;n de Mujeres Tejedoras. It was here where I was schooled on the sacred connection of the moon and the importance of Mayan cosmology.
Each hand-woven piece not only carries beauty but is also encoded with <a href="https://www.mayanleague.org/maya-cosmovision">Mayan cosmovision</a>. No pattern is accidental; zigzags represent the mountains, the guardians of the lake, while diamonds represent the four corners of the universe. And that&rsquo;s all guided by the ancient wisdom of the moon.

The moon (known as <a href="https://www.spanishacademyantiguena.com/blog/2021/07/10/ixchel-mayan-goddess/">Ixchel</a>, the goddess of weaving, fertility, and wisdom) influences the energy of creation and plays a crucial role in shaping not only Mayan mythology but everyday life too. The women of San Juan observe the moon&rsquo;s phases to determine the best times for:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Spinning thread &ndash; It is believed that thread spun under a waning moon will be stronger and less likely to break. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Dyeing fabrics &ndash; Natural dyes (made from plants like indigo, cochineal, and avocado leaves) are said to absorb better during specific lunar phases, ensuring vibrant, long-lasting colours.&nbsp; </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Beginning a new weaving &ndash; Starting a textile during a new moon is considered auspicious, as it symbolizes new beginnings and growth.</li>
</ul>
Avoiding weaving on certain days &ndash; Some weavers refrain from weaving during the full moon, as it is thought to bring excessive energy that may disrupt the balance of the work.

As a visitor, I was encouraged to take weaving workshops and learn about the natural dyes made from plants, insects, and materials such as:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Indigo (jiquilite): Associated with the night sky and the underworld, indigo dyeing is often done in quiet, meditative conditions to honor its depth.&nbsp; </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Cochineal (tiny insects on cacti): The vibrant red symbolizes lifeblood and is linked to feminine energy. Harvesting and dyeing with cochineal is sometimes timed with the waxing moon to "draw up" its intensity. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Avocado leaves, basil &amp; other plants: Each carries their own story. For example, avocado pits create shades of pink&mdash;a color tied to dawn and new beginnings.</li>
</ul>

Cooperatives like <a href="https://www.woven-gt.com/pgina-nueva">Flor Ixcaco</a> and <a href="https://www.nomacollective.com/pages/lake-atitlan-women-s-weaving-cooperative">Noma</a> work tirelessly to empower local women, both socially and economically, ensuring fair wages. In many ways, these cooperatives are an act of resilience. Colonialism and globalization suppressed Mayan traditions, but the women of San Juan strive to reclaim their heritage and preserve their ancestral weaving techniques.&nbsp;

This glimpse into local life and ritual allowed me to witness something truly authentic and important to the people of San Juan La Laguna. I&rsquo;d encourage anyone visiting Lake Atitl&aacute;n to take the time to spend a day experiencing the lifestyle here for themselves.&nbsp;
So how can you engage ethically with these traditions?&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Listen and learn: Ask weavers, "How does Ixchel inspire your work?" or "What moon phase is best for dyeing?" Be open to learning about their rich traditions and beliefs without judgment.&nbsp; </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Buy directly from cooperatives: Support collectives like Casa Flor Ixcaco or Asociaci&oacute;n Batz&rsquo;. Avoid markets and online shops where resellers exploit artisans. Sadly, this is a common occurrence.&nbsp; </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Honor the sacred: Some designs may be ceremonial. Ask before photographing or touching, and the same goes for taking pictures of women weaving. And if you do join a dyeing workshop, participate with reverence &mdash; it&rsquo;s a spiritual process.</li>
</ul>

Travel Tales

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week. 
<ul>
<li>Optical illusion or a real-life fairy tale? Here's where to find the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/lake-sorvagsvatn-floating-above-ocean-faroe-islands-11715265">lake that floats above the ocean</a>. </li>
<li>We always love a good list of superlatives, but the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/10/photos-15-tallest-statues-world/574531/">15 tallest statues in the world</a> are a cut above the rest! </li>
<li>Good news for summer travellers to Spain &mdash; Catalonia has delayed the introduction of its proposed <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/catalonia-spain-tourist-tax-rules-b2742635.html">&euro;15 daily tourist tax</a> until October. </li>
<li>And finally, the UK may fail to come top in many vocal competitions, but at least we've retained our title in one: the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz795vx73z4o">Junior European Gull Screeching Championship</a>. That's right, 'junior' &mdash; each year, kids, adults, and groups alike head to Belgium to compete for the accolade of sounding most like a seagull. If you think you've got what it takes to win in 2026, <a href="https://boingboing.net/2025/05/01/congratulations-to-the-european-gull-screeching-champions.html">Denmark's Anna Brynald</a> has the squawk you'll need to beat.</li>
</ul>

Collecting Air Miles Like the Pros

Hey there, JFC-ers,
There's a whole heap of destination inspiration coming your way today!
From one JFC-er's fantastic multi-city trip to your advice on my own Panamanian preoccupation, there's a lot to get through.
Credit cards at the ready, because you'll probably be heading straight to Google Flights reeeaal soon (I know I am)!
Happy travels and safe landings,

Our Tips for an Epic Multi-Stop European Adventure

"We&rsquo;re planning to go to Reykjavik; Lapland, Finland; Copenhagen; and Prague. Any tips? Where to stay, what to do, and what to wear in Lapland?"

Wow, reader, this sure sounds like a bumper adventure! These just so happen to be destinations beloved by many of the JFC team, so you&rsquo;ve got quite the haul of tips coming your way &mdash; grab a cuppa and get comfy.
<h3 dir="ltr">Reykjav&iacute;k</h3>
First up, I&rsquo;ll start with Iceland. I just returned from an Easter trip there on Monday, so the taste of sweet Skyr and the lightly egg-scented air is lingering fresh in my mind.&nbsp;
Where to stay?
Reykjav&iacute;k itself is a lovely, if small, city. Everything you&rsquo;ll want to see and do there is very walkable, so you can&rsquo;t go too wrong when picking a hotel in the city. We stayed at <a href="https://www.centerhotels.com/en/hotel-plaza-reykjavik">Center Hotels Plaza</a>, mostly because it was super central, had decent reviews, and I got a good deal on booking.com.&nbsp;
However, if you have the time, I&rsquo;d highly recommend renting somewhere outside the city for a couple of nights. Icelanders love their &ldquo;summerhouses,&rdquo; so there&rsquo;s no shortage of cabins in the countryside where you can turn into a prune in the jacuzzi while waiting for the aurora to dance.

We spent 4 nights southeast of Reykjavik, near Selfoss. It was around 1.5hrs drive from Reykjav&iacute;k, with epic volcano views and next to no light pollution getting in the way of our nighttime shows. It was also super convenient for hitting all the sights on the ring road, as well as the black sand beaches of the south coast.
What to do?
Before you get out into nature, there are a few things you&rsquo;ll want to do in Reykjavik:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Head inside the iconic church, <a href="https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-iceland/drive/hallgrimskirkja">Hallgrimskirkja</a>, and climb the tower for fantastic views over the city, the bay, and far beyond.&nbsp; </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Grab yourself a legendary lamb hot dog &mdash; Anthony Bourdain is among the masses who have proclaimed B&aelig;jarins beztu pylsur to be the best spot, but <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vikingapylsur/">Vikinga Pylsur</a> gets the vote from locals on Reddit. As do the N1 gas stations you&rsquo;ll find around the country! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">If you&rsquo;re into weird museums, it&rsquo;s got to be the Icelandic <a href="https://www.phallus.is/">Phallological Museum</a>. I&rsquo;ve been to Iceland three times and still not made it there, but I hear that the exhibits are&hellip; enlightening. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Get the chill out of your bones after a breezy day wandering around town by looking for a <a href="https://happyhour.is/">happy hour</a>. Like most things in Iceland, alcohol is pricey, but every bar has a few hours when it stings a little less! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Can&rsquo;t decide what you want for dinner? <a href="http://www.hlemmurmatholl.is/">Hlemmur Math&ouml;ll</a> is a food hall offering everything from Icelandic specialities and fine wines to tacos and frozen margs. Oh, and it&rsquo;s housed in the former central bus station, which is a pretty cool use of the space.</li>
</ul>

Outside Reykjavik, first-timers should hit the Golden Circle. If you can, hire a car and do it yourself &mdash; most tours only offer a few stops in the day, missing cool spots like <a href="https://kerid.is/">Keri&eth; Crater</a> and <a href="https://fridheimar.is/en/">Fri&eth;heimar tomato farm</a> (the smell there is unreal!). Just know that there has been a recent increase in pickpocketing at the busiest sights on the Circle, so keep your valuables secured!
The waterfalls and black sand beaches of the south coast are worth spending (at least) a second day trip on. My favourite waterfall of the 5 we visited during our trip was <a href="https://www.south.is/en/place/seljalandsfoss-waterfall">Seljalandsfoss</a>&nbsp;for the pure novelty of being able to walk behind it! As for beaches with epic cliffs and unique rock formations, I&rsquo;d recommend the stretch between Dyrh&oacute;laey and V&iacute;k.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s just scratching the surface &mdash; there are so many fantastic spots to visit. We had 5 days, and would have needed at least another five to see more of the island!&nbsp;
What to wear? 
I know you asked this specifically for Lapland, but it is pretty handy to mention for Iceland, too. Remember to bring a decent windbreaker, hat, and cosy layers, regardless what time of year you&rsquo;re visiting &mdash; the gusts can really bite, even when the sun is shining!&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re planning on getting up close with those waterfalls, make sure you have some waterproof layers, too; all it takes is a bit of wind or a slip of the foot, and you&rsquo;ll end up damp for the rest of the day. Iceland isn&rsquo;t really into making their natural wonders super accessible, either, so bring supportive shoes fit for clambering up, over, and among rocks to reach the best viewpoints.
<h3 dir="ltr">Finnish Lapland</h3>
Now it&rsquo;s over to Flight Finder Hannah, who visited winter wonderland Rovaniemi in March and has loads of tips to share!

Where to stay?
We stayed in an Airbnb just outside the city, which I&rsquo;d highly recommend. We had our own outside space with plenty of snow, and because it&rsquo;s away from the light pollution, we got to see the Northern Lights from the house on a couple of clear nights! If seeing the aurora is on your list, but you don&rsquo;t want to fork out for a tour, it&rsquo;s definitely something to think about.
What to do?
Honestly, there&rsquo;s loads to do in Lapland! For all things Santa, the aptly named &ldquo;<a href="https://santaclausvillage.info/">Santa Claus&rsquo; village</a>&rdquo; is where you&rsquo;ll find the big man himself, his post office, and his pets &mdash; yes, reindeer included.
But if you&rsquo;re not there for Santa, there is still plenty of wintry entertainment to be had. You can go skiing at the Ounasvaara ski resort, check out the sculptures at the <a href="https://arcticsnowhotel.fi/en/">Arctic SnowHotel</a>, visit a reindeer farm, jump on a snowmobile and ride through the forest, go on a husky ride, or tonnes more other things. We did our tours through the <a href="https://snowmobilepark.com/">Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park</a>, and they were great!&nbsp;
The area is supposed to be great for summer trips as well. You can really get out and about in nature under the midnight sun, feel the wind in your hair atop a fjord, sweat away in the sauna at your lakeside cabin, and even go bear spotting.

What to wear?
I went at the tail-end of the winter, in March, and had temps between -11℃ and 2℃ each day. I wore a base layer, a sweater/hoodie/fleece and coat on top, base layer pants, and fleece-lined thermal leggings over the top of them, and then thermal socks and thick cosy socks, and then winter boots.
Most of my gear was second-hand from Vinted, or I found it in the end-of-season sales. But if you go out to do any organised outdoor activities or tours, like snowmobiling, many of them will include full winter gear in the price to make sure you&rsquo;re kitted out and warm enough to enjoy yourself &mdash; well worth it!
Side note: The Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Xv1oLQTvQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr">Lapland on a Budget</a> is great if you&rsquo;d like some more info or tips on other places to visit in Lapland, like Levi, or Saariselk&auml;.
<h3 dir="ltr">Prague</h3>
Luckily for you, our colleague Cillian on the social media team visited Prague for a long weekend last month. And you just know that being on the social media team means his trip was well documented!

Where to stay?
I recommend staying in an area called Vr&scaron;ovice. It&rsquo;s a little out of the city centre, so you won&rsquo;t have to deal with the noise and crowds of late-night revelry, but there are still lots of local caf&eacute;s, pubs, and parks. <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/25755950?source_impression_id=p3_1745508520_P30vTXIwxhEX8B6V">This is the Airbnb we stayed in</a>, in case you want the full JFC experience!
I found that the tram was the best way to get around, with day tickets only costing around &pound;5/$6.50. The service is really reliable and takes you to all the areas in central Prague that you&rsquo;ll want to visit.
If you&rsquo;d rather be more centrally located, the Old Town or Lesser Town are good alternatives. The Old Town is where you&rsquo;ll find all the classic sights, bars, and restaurants, while the lesser town is more about secluded streets, cute alleyways and gardens. Just be sure to stay on the side closer to Charles Bridge, as the streets up towards Prague Castle can get quite steep!
What to do?
With only four days, there was a lot to squeeze in. You can see all my trip highlights over <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DHy1KAtI7oI/?hl=en">on our Instagram</a>, but here are the key tips:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Charles Bridge is most people&rsquo;s first stop, but it&rsquo;s a bit overcrowded with tourists, especially in the middle of the day. You&rsquo;ll want to cross in the early in the morning instead! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Prague Castle is worth a trip for the amazing architecture and beautiful views of the city on the way up. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Say hello to the nutria, a.k.a. <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/02/giant-river-rats-causing-chaos-prague-get-22481133/">river rats, by the Vltava River</a>. They&rsquo;re massive rodents that look kind of like a beaver crossed with a capybara, and they&rsquo;re generally totally unafraid of humans. They will beg for food if you have some, and while they are pretty cute, they&rsquo;re still rodents, so it&rsquo;s best not to feed them! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">An evening boat tour along the Vlatva will give you sweet sunset views of Prague from a different angle. I can recommend <a href="https://www.getyourguide.com/prague-l10/prague-50-minute-sightseeing-evening-cruise-t357390/?ranking_uuid=ce911087-3100-4068-bbc7-21142ec9294b">this one</a>.<a href="https://livingprague.com/food-and-drink/naplavka-farmers-market/"></a></li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://livingprague.com/food-and-drink/naplavka-farmers-market/">N&aacute;plavka Farmers Market</a> is a MUST. You&rsquo;ll find lots of local vendors selling food, drink, crafts, jewellery, etc. It has great vibes and live music &mdash; what more could you want on a Saturday morning? It runs from 8:00 AM&ndash;2:00 PM. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Petřin Hill is ideal for sunny days when you want some greenery and good views. At the top, you&rsquo;ll find the Petřin tower. Honestly, it can get a bit touristy &mdash; but there is also the <a href="https://prague.eu/en/objevujte/stefanik-observatory-stefanikova-hvezdarna/">&Scaron;tef&aacute;nik Observatory</a>, which is much cooler and cheaper (plus, you can see solar flares from the sun through a telescope)! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/vinarna-certovka">Vin&aacute;rna Čertovka</a>, Prague&rsquo;s narrowest street. It has a traffic light system to say when and when not to walk, which is handy since everyone wants to go down it at least once! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">And if you&rsquo;ve got time for a bit of spooky fun, I loved this <a href="https://www.getyourguide.com/prague-l10/ghost-tour-prague-ghosts-legends-of-the-old-town-t6845/">ghost tour</a>!</li>
</ul>
Oh, and if you&rsquo;re into <a href="https://www.tours-prague.eu/">free walking tours</a>, former Flight Finder Kamil and his friends run some in Prague, so go check them out! 
<h3 dir="ltr">Copenhagen</h3>
Rounding off your trip tip requests is our queen of social media and brand, Danni. She has spent lots of time munching her way around Copenhagen over the last couple of years, and put together her ultimate tips for digesting the best of the city.
Where to stay?
Copenhagen is very walkable, so you can&rsquo;t really go wrong by staying somewhere central. But if I had to choose, I&rsquo;d recommend the <a href="https://www.visitdenmark.com/denmark/plan-your-trip/latin-quarter-gdk412510">Latin Quarter</a>! It has cute little caf&eacute;s, independently run shops, fancy hotels, and a whole lot of atmosphere.

What to do?
A <a href="https://caseincopenhagen.com/f/introducing-the-bun-with-butter-cheese-aka-bmo">bun and cheese</a> a day keeps the doctor away &mdash; that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ve heard, anyway&hellip; and honestly, Copenhagen might just be the perfect place to test the theory. Here are a few of my favourite spots and suggestions, from pastry-fuelled strolls to gentle bike rides.
<ul>
<li>Start in the Meatpacking District: This area&rsquo;s packed with top-notch spots for food, coffee, and people-watching. Grab a cardamom croissant at <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Hart/@55.6754669,12.5455205,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPm2bh30d-Pi2N-o83EuIQomVJHux9XowGGh37y!2e10!3e12">Hart Bageri</a>, then head to <a href="https://g.co/kgs/RULYs1w">K&oslash;dbyens Fiskebar</a> for seafood, or <a href="https://g.co/kgs/MuCYANA">Hija de Sanchez</a> for some of the best tacos you&rsquo;ll find this side of the Atlantic. Don&rsquo;t skip <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/6K9UjufdSpETCtWi6">Prolog</a> for your coffee fix, It&rsquo;s small (one in, one out) but mighty. </li>
<li>Wander along the Nyhavn Canal: Yes, it&rsquo;s touristy. Yes, it&rsquo;s also gorgeous. While I wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily recommend eating here (there are much better spots around the city), it&rsquo;s still a lovely place for a stroll and a few photos of the colourful houses. If you're visiting in August and love literature: Make a detour to Louisiana Literature, an annual event hosted by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Think world-class authors, poetry readings, and thoughtful performances all set in a beautiful venue overlooking the sea. I&rsquo;m going this year, so maybe see you there? </li>
<li>A fancy food court and a local market: Another great spot is Torvehallerne near N&oslash;rreport. Great for grabbing a coffee, a pastry, or simply wandering around if you&rsquo;re not sure what you're in the mood for. </li>
<li>Two wheels (like a local): Copenhagen is a city built for bikes! Yay, flat and smooth (unlike here in Brighton) with over 400 km of dedicated cycle lanes. It's genuinely one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to explore.​ I rented bikes daily with Donkey Republic. Some of the best moments, in my opinion, were when we discovered new neighbourhoods and caf&eacute;s by two wheels, the ones you maybe wouldn&rsquo;t have found otherwise.​</li>
</ul>

Bakeries that are worth the hype!
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Hart/@55.6754669,12.5455205,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPm2bh30d-Pi2N-o83EuIQomVJHux9XowGGh37y!2e10!3e12">Hart</a> &mdash; The cardamom croissant has brought me close to tears. The bun and cheese, of course, were divine. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/hkyDq4WFq1Lv7MBw6">Sonny</a> &mdash; Huge matcha lattes and banana bread dreams, and guess what? They also do bun and cheese! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Juno+the+bakery/@55.7062954,12.5817861,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipNqSvSfBYV14IueyIgTxQWG4HpJFsOohLYZpYNA!2e10!3e12">Juno the Bakery</a> &mdash; Just go. Flaky, buttery, perfect. And bun and cheese? Oh yeah! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/The+Roe+Bar+Copenhagen">The Roe Bar </a>&ndash;&nbsp; a beautifully designed caf&eacute; inside the LOUISE ROE Gallery in central Copenhagen, serving seasonal dishes, Juno pastries, and great coffee and Matcha in a minimalist space. Bun and cheese? Do you even need to ask? Of course.</li>
</ul>
Places to eat (and be very happy about it)
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Diamond+Slice/@55.6861971,12.557949,3a,75y/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipOZNU7rnc52Rq4-YiMN2vIfd_28zubUEy57rEUx!2e10!3e12">Diamond Slice</a> &mdash; Great for a quick bite. We got takeaway slices and wandered the city like locals. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/rkKDjRHsmeJ94fd67">Ramen to B&iacute;iru N&oslash;rrebro</a> &mdash; Incredible ramen, and worth the slightly higher price tag.<a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/rkKDjRHsmeJ94fd67"></a></li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/qKozvD8Zr3h2evkf9">POPL Burger</a> &mdash; From the <a href="https://noma.dk/">Noma</a> team. Enough said. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/gGVe6cKAZu2gMPQ28">Gasoline Grill</a> &mdash; A burger spot styled like a gas station. They also have an airport location, which means you can even squeeze in one last bite on the way home. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/rjaXcwab2U7Jd52K8">Pompette</a> &mdash; A cosy natural wine bar with a great selection and tasty little snacks.</li>
</ul>
And that&rsquo;s a little roundup of some of my personal favourites from Copenhagen! There are so many incredible spots in the city. It&rsquo;s honestly a food lover&rsquo;s dream, and you&rsquo;re spoilt for choice. 
So, dear reader, if all that hasn&rsquo;t given you a taste of your trip to come, I&rsquo;m not sure what more we can do! We can&rsquo;t wait to hear all about your trip once you get back, so please get in touch to share your highlights &mdash; and, of course, your favourite bun and cheese location!
Do you have a question for the team that you&rsquo;d like us to answer in the Detour? Just let us know below 👇

Travel Tips

Pandering to my Panama dreaming

You&rsquo;re all very good to me, Detour readers! Last week, I mentioned that I was intrigued by Panama, and what it might offer beyond its famous waterway. And lo, you have delivered a bucket-load of tips that have convinced me to set up those Google Flights alerts on the off-chance that a cheapo flight from Scotland pops up.
Here&rsquo;s what you had to say:

&ldquo;We booked the trip after seeing a great JFC flight alert and wanted to explore somewhere new&mdash;Panama was perfect. It was a short flight from Atlanta, and we were blown away by how much we loved it.
<a href="https://sallysees.com/casco-viejo-panama/">Casco Viejo</a> was a highlight with its charming architecture, great restaurants, lively bars, and vibrant nightlife. The beautiful cathedrals and the marvel of the Panama Canal were unforgettable. It was also incredibly cost-efficient and easy to get around, with Panama City conveniently close to the airport.
We spent a few days in Playa Bonita as well, which was really nice and relaxing. And honestly, everyone we met was so kind and welcoming. The amazing coffee and chocolates were the cherry on top!
It was such a great experience&mdash;we&rsquo;re already planning to go back!&rdquo; - Stephanie
<hr>
&ldquo;Panama is such a dream that after one visit, I'm already ready to own a place there (I'm serious). I had so much fun when I went back in 2022, and I went the full week of Thanksgiving, and let me tell you, I absolutely loved it!&nbsp;
I spent my time doing a Panama Canal Tour, City tour, hike, food experiences, dance, and language classes. Oh my goodness, I had so much fun and OMG the food is the best! I want to go back so bad and begin looking at places, but timing is everything. It is my number one favorite place I've been to so far (and I've been a lot of places). Check it out when you get a chance.&rdquo; - Malecia

&ldquo;Panama has so much to offer!&nbsp; The main difference between CR is Panama City. On my first trip to Panama, I was going to skip spending time there. Fortunately, a Facebook post convinced me that would be a big mistake! 
I cannot say enough good things about PTY &hellip; Restaurants are incredible! The vibe in the old town is amazing and so much to see. I went on a happy hour bar hopping tour&hellip; So much fun. Local guide for cultural focus, we visited 5 restaurant bars. One had classic cars scattered around a cave-like restaurant. Another place we had cacao local rum (chocolate martinis) that I still dream about!&nbsp; <a href="https://mokumsurfclub.com/panama-city-guide-the-melting-pot-of-new-and-old/">Rooftop bars</a> with panoramic ocean views&hellip; You can watch the ships line up for the canal. It's breathtaking. 
The <a href="https://explorergenes.com/__trashed/">Azuero peninsula</a> is so natural and rustic, with quaint towns like Pedasi and empty beaches like Playa Venao. You can have a local boat captain take you over to the uninhabited islands for the day.
Those are the highlights, but there&rsquo;s so much more to see and do.&rdquo; - Pam
<hr>
&ldquo;We've been to Costa Rica and Panama. Costa Rica is beautiful, the people are kind, and the food is amazing. We stayed in Guanacaste area, but did do many tours and even did a day trip to Nicaragua. Very clean, but again we stayed in a less touristy area.
We stayed in <a href="https://traveladdictedunicorn.com/things-to-do-in-playa-blanca-panama/">Playa Blanca</a> in Panama. I felt that Panama had more to offer for those looking for a variety, and it had a cheaper cost of living. Can't complain when you get 12 Mangos for $2! The people were very kind and beautiful. The beaches were great, but very touristy in Panama City.&nbsp;
We did look at property in both countries, and Panama is more affordable (especially nowadays). Both are similar counties in a lot of ways, so I guess it depends on what you're looking for.&rdquo; - Mark

&ldquo;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/petertaylor/2023/06/14/ive-traveled-to-six-continents-and-bocas-del-toro-panam-is-about-to-become-the-coolest-place-on-earth-heres-why/">Bocas del toro</a> &amp; <a href="https://thelovelyescapist.com/visiting-san-blas/">San Blas islands</a> are both incredible, picture-perfect beaches and islands. We also stopped at the <a href="https://jonistravelling.com/cloud-forest-hiking-boquete-panama/">cloud forests near Boquete</a> on the way through, which rivalled some of the scenery in Costa Rica. Tbh, we skipped most of the highlights of Costa Rica due to the costs on a backpacking budget. Oh, Panama City was also much better and safer than San Jose!
However, depending on how much safety has changed in the last 10 years, I would say Guatemala &amp; Nicaragua were the Central America highlights for me.&nbsp; Lago Atitlan, Antigua &amp; Semuc Champay the highlights of Guatemala. Lago Ometepe, Granada &amp; Leon the best of Nicaragua. Try volcano boarding! It&rsquo;s very randomly how I met my wife.&rdquo; - Steve

Thank you so much for all your tips, readers! If any of you are bursting at the seams to share tips from other recent trips, just hit &lsquo;Reply&rsquo; and we&rsquo;ll share them next week!

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm">Check out the <a href="https://www.timeout.com/news/these-are-the-20-most-walkable-cities-in-the-world-according-to-locals-041725">world's most walkable cities</a> to help save the budget on your next city break. </li>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm">Meet the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/travel/article/20250422-japans-97-year-old-cherry-blossom-guardian">Sakura guardian</a> who has been looking after Japan's cherry blossoms for over 80 years. </li>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm">The&nbsp;pho-scinating history of Vietnam's beloved noodle soup up and down the country. </li>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm">And finally, planning a trip can be more fun when you pick a theme, so why not make it '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIoltoDS3mW/?igsh=bDhhYTM5cm40cmpl">bread</a>'?&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Iceland, Lapland, Copenhagen and Prague - our tips for an epic multi-stop trip

Hi there JFC-ers,
In today&rsquo;s edition of &ldquo;There goes Katy down a rabbit hole,&rdquo; we&rsquo;re visiting Panama. The one with the canal, not the <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/3MG4XTUT63ztpaMF6">confusingly-named city in Florida</a>.
Having been to Costa Rica last year and absolutely loving it, I&rsquo;m keen to return to Central America some day in the not too distant future. There&rsquo;s nothing quite like hearing birdsong echoing out across a misty cloud-forest canopy, or drinking in a volcano-filled vista while sipping on a seriously strong coffee made from local beans.
Costa Rica has made a name for itself off the back of its unrivalled nature, sustainable practices, and safety. But it turns out, neighbouring <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/central-america-caribbean/panama-travel-central-america-cloud-forest-b2729315.html">Panama may not be so far behind</a> &mdash; but with the bonus of fewer visitors vying for the chance to spot an elusive quetzal.
Sounds pretty good, right? If you&rsquo;ve ever been to Panama, I&rsquo;d love to hear about your experiences! Can it really hold a candle to captivating Costa Rica?
As always, just hit&nbsp;&lsquo;Reply&rsquo; to share your stories.
Happy travels and safe landings,

Why New Mexico Really is the Land of Enchantment

San Diego native Olivia left home two years ago to live on the road, but she always ends up back on the West Coast. When she's not hiking through the desert or the woods, she can usually be found exploring her current city and scoping out the best bars and coffee shops.

Written by Olivia

The USA&rsquo;s 47th state has a pretty compelling nickname: The Land of Enchantment. You&rsquo;ll see it on license plates and souvenirs across New Mexico, and it certainly makes a big promise.
But here&rsquo;s the thing&hellip; this place fully delivers on that title. I came to New Mexico with admittedly high expectations, and wasn&rsquo;t disappointed in the slightest. From local heritage to natural beauty, here are five reasons that this state earns its nickname fair and square!
1. It has a unique mix of cultures.
New Mexico has been under a few different jurisdictions. It&rsquo;s the ancestral home of numerous indigenous groups, primarily Pueblo tribes. In the last 500 years, it&rsquo;s been Spanish, Mexican, and American territory.&nbsp;
All these cultures still shape the region today. It&rsquo;s one of the few places in the US where the local indigenous culture feels highly visible and respected. It&rsquo;s also got deeper roots to Spain than most of the region, as it was once a vital part of the empire. Like other Southwestern states, its Mexican heritage runs strong, and there&rsquo;s still evidence of Wild West American history.
You can observe these cultures running together in many aspects of life: the variety of cuisine, the mix of folk art, the emphasis on spirituality, and the preponderance of <a href="https://www.newmexicomagazine.org/blog/post/100th-anniversary-why-we-love-new-mexico-our-adobe-homes-are-timeless/">adobe-style homes</a>. While every US state is a bit of a melting pot, it&rsquo;s rarely as apparent as in New Mexico.

2. The arts are a big deal.
Artists flock to New Mexico. Georgia O&rsquo;Keeffe is the most famous &mdash; she bought two ranches in Abiqui&uacute; and spent about 40 years painting, hiking, and kayaking around the area, so any fans of <a href="https://www.newmexico.org/things-to-do/arts-culture/museums/georgia-okeeffe/">her later work</a> will definitely recognize the scenery around here. You can tour her ranch, or check out her art at the O&rsquo;Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe (just one of the state&rsquo;s many excellent art museums).
But truly, the artistic history of this region is ancient. The Puebloan tribes have lived on this land for millennia, and much of the evidence they left behind is in the form of art. In addition to the <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/new-mexico/petroglyphs">ancient petroglyphs</a> dotted around the state, you can also get up close and inspect ancient pottery in plenty of museums.&nbsp;
And that legacy lives on! Peruse the main thoroughfares in any city, and you might notice that the vast majority of local shops are dedicated to art. You can grab the modern versions of pottery styles that were developed right where you&rsquo;re standing, thousands of years ago. In O&rsquo;Keeffe&rsquo;s footsteps, you&rsquo;ll also find gallery after gallery of gorgeous landscape paintings.
If you&rsquo;re a painter, a potter, a collector, or just a big art nerd, you&rsquo;ll never run out of work to admire in New Mexico.

3. It&rsquo;s full of natural wonders.
Every state in the Southwest gets major bragging rights on beauty, but New Mexico might take the cake when it comes to looking like another planet. The (aptly named) White Sands, for example, could be mistaken for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_qX6rOSE3g/?hl=en">a frozen wasteland</a> from the right angle. And no photo of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP2J8Im1PdA&amp;t=23s">Carlsbad Caverns</a> could ever do it justice &mdash; it&rsquo;s a whole underground world, complete with trippy rock formations and crystal pools.
The areas outside the National Parks are also pretty stunning. Between <a href="https://youtu.be/GvSvnws6pkA?si=X5sDYTHtGlphQwJs&amp;t=31">Shiprock</a>, the Badlands, and the Valles Caldera (which you'll find atop a dormant supervolcano) you could film an entire Star Wars movie solely in New Mexico.
Every drive through this state is a feast for the eyes, from the mountains to the desert. The Chihuahuan is littered with green and gold cliffsides, with <a href="https://www.gardenia.net/plant/yucca-elata">soaptree yucca</a> poking up from the earth. Look out for roadrunners (the state bird) and herds of pronghorns.

4. Its cities are seriously cool (and underrated).
Keep an eye on Albuquerque &mdash; I have a feeling that moving here from out of state is going to become very trendy very soon. There are some rough edges to its reputation, but I think those will be sanded down quickly as people realize what a gem it can be.
For starters, &lsquo;Burque has a bit of a hipster bent to it! Nob Hill, for example, is lush with craft cocktail bars, funky coffee shops, and cute boutiques. Excellent food can be found all over town, from taco trucks to the glamorous (and high altitude) <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ten3tram/">TEN 3</a>. And despite all the hip dives, it&rsquo;s still one of the cheapest cities I&rsquo;ve spent time in.&nbsp;
Santa Fe can&rsquo;t boast the same low pricing, but makes up for it in beauty. Those arts I mentioned earlier? Absolutely&nbsp;king in Santa Fe. Walking around town is like walking through an open-air gallery. While it may be the state capital (and fairly famous), it still retains a quirky small town vibe. It feels a little like being let in on a secret &mdash; a little pocket of escapism in the steppe.
Finally, further up the road, you&rsquo;ll find Taos. Here you'll find similar art and architecture, plus the&nbsp;<a href="https://taospueblo.com/">Taos Pueblo</a>: a traditional indigenous community that's been continuously inhabited for over 1,000 years. 
Winter sports enthusiasts might also recognize this city's name. Despite being best-known for its desert, New Mexico also has <a href="https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/the-best-ski-resorts-in-the-u-s/#:~:text=9.-,Taos%20Ski%20Valley%2C%20N.M.,-A%20unique%20and">some of the most popular slopes in the country</a>&nbsp;up at the Taos Ski Valley.

5. The people are super nice.
Last but not least, New Mexicans are some of the friendliest folks you&rsquo;ll meet on the road! It&rsquo;s never hard to strike up a conversation with a stranger, if they don&rsquo;t start one first. It's pretty laid-back, and everyone can come as they are.&nbsp;
So if I&rsquo;ve sold you on visiting the Land of Enchantment today, rest assured that the local culture will welcome you with open arms :-)

The USA has typically been one of our most-requested destinations at JFC, and the country has so many memorable destinations (like New Mexico!) to write about. 
But following recent developments, we're aware that some of you maybe less keen to travel there.&nbsp;
We want to keep sending you the kind of content you'd like to see. So, please take a couple of minutes to answer a few simple questions and let us know how you feel about US travel right now 👇

Question Time

Navigating Japan Rail &amp; the JR Pass

"Can anyone help me determine how to use the Japan Rail calculator? I haven't been able to figure out if point to point is better than the pass. TIA!"

Larissa is an Aussie expat from Sydney who only sometimes misses the beach. Currently based in London, she&rsquo;s now working on ticking as many European cities (and brunch spots) off her travel list as possible.

Answered by Larissa

Hello! I&rsquo;ve just come back from a 10-day trip visiting Tokyo and Kyoto which (of course) I travelled between via the Shinkansen. I&rsquo;m a train lover through-and-through, and spotting Mount Fuji outside my train window on a beautifully clear day was one of the highlights of my trip!&nbsp;
When you start researching the cheapest way to use the trains, it can be tricky to figure out whether <a href="https://www.jrpass.com/">Japan&rsquo;s JR pass</a> is worth the money, because it does cost a pretty penny upfront. I&rsquo;ve done a little research for you to try and help with your current conundrum!
For reference, a 7-day rail pass is 50,000 JPY (&pound;265) and a 14-day rail pass is 80,000 JPY (&pound;425). It allows you unlimited travel on Shinkansen (high-speed bullet trains) and JR lines (regional inter-city train lines), although the NOZOMI and MIZUHO lines are only partially covered. It doesn&rsquo;t include subway lines, trams or private railways (but it does include some buses), so you&rsquo;ll likely still need to load up a <a href="https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html">Suica card</a> to get around Tokyo, for example.&nbsp;
Confused? Me too. Working out exactly what is covered can be tough, so I&rsquo;d definitely recommend comparing your travel plans against the <a href="https://www.jrailpass.com/faq/japan-rail-pass-trains-included">exceptions listed on this page</a>.

I&rsquo;ll start off by saying that if your itinerary only includes a couple of cities (like mine did), it&rsquo;s almost definitely your best bet to just buy single tickets for each leg. You can buy these in advance online if you&rsquo;re tight on time and need to catch a specific train, or you can rock up at the station and buy your ticket from a machine. We were flexible when travelling in between Tokyo and Kyoto (and back), so this was the best bet for us.&nbsp;
Our tickets cost us about &pound;75 per person each way, although we may have been able to save money by booking in advance. You can check individual ticket prices <a href="https://japantravel.navitime.com/en/plan/">here</a>.
By using <a href="https://www.jrpass.com/farecalculator/">JR&rsquo;s Fare Calculator</a>, I can see that is reflected in the price &ndash; apparently for that journey I would have been out of pocket 21,000 JPY (&pound;110) if I had bought the 7-day JR pass. Definitely glad I just bought the individual tickets!&nbsp;
To use the Fare Calculator, you need to add your itinerary by station, and then you&rsquo;ll see will whether or not you&rsquo;ll be saving money by buying a JR pass, or spending more. If you see &lsquo;add this amount to save&rsquo;, that&rsquo;s when you know you&rsquo;re better buying individual tickets. It does seem like this feature is a little buggy, and it might time out &ndash; <a href="https://japantravel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/route/calculator/">here is an alternative</a>.&nbsp;

I&rsquo;ve inputted various itineraries, and I think that buying the JR pass is only really worth it if you&rsquo;re travelling:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">To more than 10 stations in between Hiroshima and Tokyo in a 7-day period (you&rsquo;ll need to travel even more if you&rsquo;re considering a 14 or 21-day pass.)&nbsp; </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">To a far-away city like Sapporo, since the individual ticket may cost more than the JR pass.</li>
</ul>
Ultimately, this tells me that it doesn&rsquo;t make sense to buy a JR pass unless you&rsquo;re doing a lot of travelling, or you&rsquo;re planning on going to the far-flung corners of the country which are more expensive to reach.&nbsp;
If the JR Pass does make sense for you, you can buy it online up to 3 months in advance. You will then receive a voucher that can be exchanged for the physical pass once you arrive. Top tip from our colleague Drew: make sure you have your passport and a print-out of the voucher handy &mdash; both are absolutely necessary for getting your pass issued.
Hopefully you&rsquo;ve now got a better idea of what will suit you, and I&rsquo;ve managed to help you get your head around the intricacies of the JR pass a little. Have a great time in Japan, it&rsquo;s a wonderful country to explore!&nbsp;

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm">As much as we love wandering off the beaten path, tourists on the island of Tenerife have proven it&rsquo;s not always the best idea. After taking off-road detours and manhandling rocks, they&rsquo;ve earned <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/teide-national-park-environmental-group-b2732764.html">a thorough telling-off</a> from local environmentalist groups.</li>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm">It&rsquo;s time to swap the super soakers for hairdryers as Thailand dries off after a wild few days of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250411-songkran-the-worlds-biggest-water-fight">Songkran water fights</a>. The real winners, though, are those who managed to bag a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIavb2lqIlA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">free Moo Deng plushy</a>!</li>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm">&ldquo;Chicken or pasta?&rdquo;&mdash; the classic in-flight question that haunts us all. Well, your answer might change after you read&nbsp;<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/airlines-best-worst-food-drink-emirates-ryanair-b2732883.html">this recent survey</a> that ranked food from nine of the most popular airlines in the UK. You&rsquo;ll never guess which airlines came last&hellip;</li>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm">And finally, over at Thiruvananthapuram Airport (say that 5 times fast), planes made way for something a whole lot holier than birds on the runway &mdash; a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98gl5q09e6o">centuries-old Hindu procession</a>. For a few hours, passengers had to sit tight while all aircraft were halted to allow the passing of temple idols, golden chariots, and even an elephant or two.</li>
</ul>

Discovering New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment

Hey there, JFC-ers!
In today&rsquo;s edition, I&rsquo;m indulging in a favourite pastime &mdash; moaning. Moaning about the weather, airlines, delays, and a lack of sleep.&nbsp;
However, my complaining pales in comparison to that of the passenger on American Airlines who this week was <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/american-airlines-flight-passenger-meal-cockpit-b2731430.html">so miffed about his in-flight meal options</a> that he attempted to force his way into the cockpit! No doubt my ranting also falls short of the choice words other passengers on board that flight must have had when their plane turned around and landed back at JFK at 3am. 
Likewise, it seems that the passengers who were <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/air-india-crew-told-a-woman-to-give-up-her-business-class-seat-8946908">turfed out of business class in favour of the cabin crew</a> on an Air India flight have had plenty of thoughts to share this week.
The good news is, readers, if you make it through all these tales of woe at 38,000 ft, you&rsquo;ll be rewarded with enough Greek island inspiration to make you forget the potential drama involved in your journey!
Happy travels and safe landings,

Disastrous Delays - Stories from the JFC Community

We&rsquo;ve all been there; you&rsquo;re sitting at the airport, ready to get going, and suddenly the words &lsquo;Go to Gate&rsquo; flick to &lsquo;Delayed.&rsquo; Only the influencers pushing their luck with &ldquo;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/04/travel/airport-theory-tiktok-travel-trend/index.html">airport theory</a>&rdquo; would breathe a sigh of relief at this point. In most cases, <a href="https://www.travelperk.com/uk/blog/delayed-cancelled-travel-statistics/">delays last a matter of minutes</a>. But there are times when those delays last hours, or even days.
Two out of three of my own extended delay dramas have (thus far) occurred during connections at Amsterdam&rsquo;s Schiphol Airport. The first was the more notable, having landed early on an overnight flight back from Havana in 2017.&nbsp;
My mum&rsquo;s connection back to Aberdeen came first and went without a hitch. But no sooner had she taken off than a dense fog descended upon the Dutch capital. This is nothing unusual at Schiphol, however <a href="https://www.schiphol.nl/en/schiphol-as-a-neighbour/blog/flying-safely-in-reduced-visibility/">low-visibility procedures</a> meant that fewer flights were able to operate, and the short-haul routes to Germany, where I lived at the time, were among the first to be cancelled.
No big deal, I thought. I&rsquo;d find a lounger and take a nap until the next flight to Hamburg rolled around in a few hours&rsquo; time. Except that was cancelled too, as was the next. By this point, it was 3PM, and I was wandering aimlessly around Schiphol like a lost, sleep-deprived puppy that smelled&hellip; questionable.&nbsp;

The KLM staff were not weather gods, and couldn&rsquo;t tell me when the fog would clear. But they knew things were looking up for the last flight of the day, around 9PM, and it was still scheduled to fly. I could either wait for that, or leave the airport and catch a train back to Hamburg, for which they would reimburse me.&nbsp;
I opted to wait it out &mdash; after two weeks away, I didn&rsquo;t have the extra cash available to buy an on-the-day international train ticket, nor did I want to abandon my luggage in the bowels of Schiphol. What was a few more hours, when I&rsquo;d already been there since 7am?
As the nighttime flight home approached, I kept my eyes on the departure board. There were no signs of delays, and other short-haul flights had resumed; I was optimistic. I headed eagerly to the departure gate, more than ready to just get home.
And then the announcement came.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re very sorry to report that your flight has been delayed, as the First Officer has a sore ear and cannot fly. We are trying to find another pilot for this flight.&rdquo;

It probably won&rsquo;t surprise you to learn that no pilots stepped forward to take on the final flight of the day. I, along with several other passengers, was left with a choice: run to claim one of the final seats on the flight to Bremen, only an hour or so from Hamburg, or spend the night in an airport hotel, courtesy of KLM. I&rsquo;d come this far, so airport hotel it was.
After waiting around an hour for all the details to be hashed out, I was given my hotel voucher. It was one of the posher hotels attached to the terminal building, so at least I didn&rsquo;t have to go far, and my room was pleasant. But even the free buffet didn&rsquo;t quite make up for the fact I only got 4 hours&rsquo; sleep before having to return to the departures lounge for attempt number 5.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ll be delighted to know, readers, that I made it home safely on that morning flight. It was remarkably uneventful in comparison to the previous day, in fact &mdash; as flights should be when all goes smoothly. But I&rsquo;ll never forget the day I lived at Schiphol Airport for 24 hours. Not least, because my very next connection through Amsterdam also resulted in an overnight stay!
Thankfully, my return visits to The Netherlands have had better luck. Heathrow not so much, but that&rsquo;s <a href="https://jacksflightclub.com/newsletter-2023-15-12">another story</a>.&nbsp;

It turns out that a few of you have had your own unlucky airport overnights, too. JFC-er Scott wrote in to tell us how his family fell foul of the recent Heathrow shut-down:

&ldquo;We recently flew from our small-town regional airport to LAX, with a connecting flight to London Heathrow. Our connection was tight, so we rushed to the United gate and joined the Group 2 boarding line. As we caught our breath, the gate agent made an announcement: &ldquo;We apologize, but we&rsquo;re unable to board due to an &lsquo;issue.&rsquo;&rdquo;
The word &ldquo;issue&rdquo; immediately sparked concerns that something was wrong with the plane. The thought of flying 11 hours over the Atlantic on a problematic plane was not exactly reassuring. Another 20 minutes passed before the gate agent updated us: &ldquo;The issue continues, but it&rsquo;s not with the aircraft. There&rsquo;s an issue at the destination.&rdquo; That was a relief&mdash;the plane seemed fine. But what could be going wrong at Heathrow? Surely, with its modern infrastructure, they had everything under control, right?
Twenty minutes later, another update came: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re terribly sorry, but the delay is causing a backup at the gate, and the plane to London needs to move to free up space for an incoming flight.&rdquo;
I couldn&rsquo;t help but think, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not a good sign.&rdquo;
Another 20 minutes later, we were informed that the flight was canceled due to a large fire outside Heathrow Airport, which had knocked out power to the terminal/Airport. It was now 10:15 p.m.&mdash;two hours past our original departure time. While I could manage the delay on my own, traveling with my 12 and 13-year-old made it much harder. Our new plan? Maybe we could sleep at the airport and catch the first available flight the next day. But Heathrow had other plans: the airport would remain closed for another 24 hours.
I called United&rsquo;s support, hoping they could help us transfer to another airline flying to a different London airport. No luck. They rebooked us on a flight two days later.
Frustrated, I checked Google Flights and found an American Airlines flight departing at 12:00 a.m. from LAX to a different London airport. We rushed across the terminal through LAX&rsquo;s maze of underground tunnels. When we reached the gate, the not-so-friendly attendant told us we couldn&rsquo;t switch from United to American Airlines.
Next, I spotted an Alaska Airlines flight, also leaving around midnight. We dashed back to the tunnels and found a much friendlier Alaska agent, who tried to help. Unfortunately, there was only one seat left&mdash;not enough for all four of us. Once again, we were out of luck.
Exhausted and frustrated, the boys and I sat down to regroup. We decided to find a hotel near LAX and wait for our rescheduled flight two days later. The first four hotels I called were fully booked, but we finally found a less-than-ideal option with availability. At that point, all we cared about was a bed, a shower, and sleep. We took what we could get.
The next two days were not all bad. We spent a sunny day at Southern California&rsquo;s beaches, a welcome diversion after the travel chaos. We also managed to catch up on some much-needed rest. Our rescheduled flight was at a good time, though we were scattered across the plane. A bit of pleading with the United gate attendant helped, and we were finally seated together for the long flight to London.
Once in London, the travel headaches continued. The Tube stopped running at 11:00 a.m. due to a &ldquo;service issue,&rdquo; so we took an iconic double-decker bus to the next station&mdash;only to find it closed as well. We eventually took an Uber to the hotel, relieved to be there safely.
The rest of the trip in London was wonderful. We loved the city, the people, and the food&mdash;it truly was an amazing experience.
As for the airline, they told me to submit receipts for expenses incurred during the extended layover. However, since the delay wasn&rsquo;t their fault, reimbursement was unlikely. I haven&rsquo;t followed through with this yet, but despite the rough start, the trip was one to remember."

As silver linings go, the beaches of Southern California shine pretty brightly, if you ask me! Unfortunately, some of you have had much worse experiences, as JFC-er Maddie wrote in to share:

&ldquo;I was on a flight home from Tenerife. I fell asleep before take-off, and all of a sudden we were landing again. Turns out it was an emergency landing.&nbsp;
The airline was horrendous (Ryanair) at dealing with this. We were taken to a hotel after a few hours. Then told our new flight was at 8 am. Furthermore, only some passengers (not me) received another email saying 1pm, it was a shambles. Luckily, we had got some phone numbers and spoke to people who told us about the extra delay. We were not provided any food at all. Some people were ready for 8 am only to be told it was 1 pm. We were picked up at 10 am. The flight then got delayed by the hour again and again and again, all the way up to 7pm.&nbsp;
The flight was terminated all whilst every passenger was through passport control and after a few hours Ryanair sent us a small voucher for &euro;12 for 2 people, which could maybe have got a drink. There was only a convenience store past the border.&nbsp;
When it got to 4pm, I ended up asking to leave the airport. They scribbled on my actual passport, crossing out a stamp for Iceland, not Tenerife. When I made it outside, the crew were all there. They had all been out drinking the night before, which they were making a mockery out of us for. We were then not told that we were transferred onto a flight to Liverpool.&nbsp;
I have autism and ADHD, so I was using special assistance and a PRM seat to sit next to my carer, but they didn&rsquo;t give me a seat next to my carer. Ryanair told me I don&rsquo;t need it and laughed in my face. I burst into tears whilst they laughed at me even more. They were actively discriminating against me, and I even had someone stick up for me, and they found it even funnier. I&rsquo;ve never felt so hurt!
We were then on a flight to Liverpool, and I had to stand at the side whilst everyone else boarded because they had in fact put me on standby! I told them I need to be sat next to my carer in the event of evacuation/emergency. They told me that when I board the plane, I should stand at the front and shout to ask if anyone can swap seats with me. As someone with autism, this is never in a million years someone like me would be able to do. I was so upset.&nbsp;
Overall, we were delayed over 24 hours.&rdquo;

This sounds like an absolutely horrible experience, Maddie! We&rsquo;re very sorry you had to deal with that, but thank you for sharing your story. Aside from the lengthy delay, which is already bad enough, the airline and crew appear to have made the whole process much harder for you.

Maddie also mentioned that it took a long time to get any response to compensation claims for this trip, and ended up having to go through ADR Aviation to get a result. Whenever we&rsquo;ve spoken about delays and cancellations in The Detour, many of you have recommended using a third party to advocate on your behalf. So, if you have any tips on firms that have helped you get the payout you&rsquo;re entitled to, we&rsquo;d love to hear from you!
As always, just hit&nbsp;&lsquo;Reply&rsquo; to share your tips and experiences!

Sparkling Seas for a Silver Anniversary

"We're interested in going to the Greek Islands with friends to celebrate our 25th anniversaries (same year for each couple) in October 2026.&nbsp; Santorini &amp; Mykonos sound crowded with tourists?&nbsp; My husband will be having a knee replacement this year.&nbsp; Hopefully by then he is more mobile.&nbsp; Our interests are food, culture, oceans and swimming, but I know it's late in the season.&nbsp; Any suggestions?"

Flight Finder Fran is an Italian globetrotter with a passion for remote destinations and snacking. Currently based in Brussels, she'll gladly tell you where to find the yummiest fries around the city.

Answered by Fran

Hello, reader! Since you&rsquo;ll be travelling in the <a href="https://grandangletours.com/blog/cyclade-low-season">shoulder season</a>, Santorini and Mykonos shouldn&rsquo;t be so bad in terms of crowds. That said, although the two islands are gorgeous, the general vibe remains quite touristy even after the summer. If you feel like getting a more authentic experience, here are some of my favourite Cycladic islands, reachable by ferry ride from Santorini &amp; Mykonos:
Folegandros &mdash; A 50-minute ferry ride from Santorini, with no airport and only one main road, it's one of the smallest and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thegabriellaellis/video/7262334658921172266?q=folegandros&amp;t=1722597858238">prettiest islands</a> in the Cyclades. Expect rugged coastlines, turquoise waters, lazy days and even lazier evenings.
Ios &mdash; Only 45 minutes away from Thira Port, the island comes with an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/katogi_greek_tapas/?hl=en">insane food scene,</a> over 35 breathtaking beaches, and a nightlife rivalling Mykonos'. There&rsquo;s no shortage of boat tours to guide you around the hidden coves and turquoise waters, so you&rsquo;ll feel right at home.
If you&rsquo;re in the mood for a diversion inland, take a drive out to the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g196481-d12794581-Reviews-Paleokastro-Ios_Cyclades_South_Aegean.html">ruined Byzantine fortress</a> that looms over Ios. There&rsquo;s a well-paved path up from the road, which should be kind to your husband&rsquo;s knee if he&rsquo;s feeling more mobile &mdash; and if not, the views are still worth it!&nbsp;

Sikinos &mdash; Hop on a two-hour ferry from Santorini, and you'll reach this secluded, forgotten gem filled with endless windmills, pebble-stoned alleys, and picturesque mansions. Don't miss a visit to the <a href="https://www.manaliswinery.gr/?lang=en">Manalis Winery</a>: located on the northwest side of the island, the area has been producing wine since ancient times.
Koufonisia &mdash; Welcome to the <a href="https://www.theisland-list.com/en/the-islands/koufonissi/">small Cyclades!</a> A two-hour ferry from Thira Port will bring you over to these two mesmerizing sister islands. Get ready for a laid-back atmosphere, untouched beaches (literally, don't expect umbrellas or sunbeds!), and a <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Venetsanos+Tavern/@36.9009852,25.5481437,13z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x14981c94b07316af:0x13591514d5a29531!8m2!3d36.9144025!4d25.5910751!16s%2Fg%2F11bwylmb23?entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQwNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D">very lonely tavern</a>. FYI, there's no public transport on Koufonisia, but they're compact enough to be explored by foot.
Milos &mdash; Two hours away from Santorini, you may recognise this volcanic gem from its well-known <a href="https://swtliving.com/sarakiniko-beach-milos-greece/">moon-like beach</a>. Make sure to spend a couple of hours in <a href="https://thewanderbug.com/where-to-stay-milos-greece/">Pollonia</a>: a relaxed fishing village in the north of the island, where it&rsquo;s hard not to scarf down some of the freshest seafood you'll ever taste.

<a href="https://travelbabbo.com/naxos-greece/">Naxos</a> &mdash; A short 45-minute ferry ride from Mykonos, it&rsquo;s the largest island in the Cyclades, offering a perfect mix of history, culture, and natural charm. The island is dotted with ancient ruins, including the iconic <a href="https://explorenaxosparos.com/portara-naxos-temple-of-apollo/">Temple of Apollo</a>, as well as long, sandy beaches that feel deserted in comparison to those on Mykonos!
Paros &mdash; Only 45 minutes by ferry from Mykonos, Paros is the epitome of Cycladic charm. From the quaint streets of <a href="https://thewanderbug.com/naousa-paros-greece-guide/">Naoussa</a> to the peaceful village of Lefkes, it&rsquo;s the perfect blend of laid-back vibes, buzzing nightlife, and <a href="https://www.greeka.com/cyclades/paros/sightseeing/marathi-quarries/">ancient marble quarries</a>.
These are some of my personal favourites, but since there are over 200 islands just in the Cyclades, there are countless options that will fit your group&rsquo;s needs. You have plenty of time to research, at least, so open the map and see where you fancy :-)
Now, if you guys are looking for a more exciting way to island hop, why not book a sailing trip? Websites like <a href="https://www.sailsquare.com/en">Sailsquare</a> and <a href="https://www.crewbay.com/">Crewbay</a> connect boat owners and people seeking sailing experiences. While some opportunities will put you to work, others offer a more gentle introduction to life on the high seas.

Flight Finder Marshall just got back from a voyage between Athens and Heraklion, and in June I&rsquo;ll navigate from Milos to Lefkada in a 6-person sailboat. If you&rsquo;re lucky enough, you might even get the whole boat to yourselves!
Oh, and if you happen to pass by Kea, <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/31813304?adults=1&amp;wishlist_item_id=11004313310718&amp;check_in=2025-10-16&amp;source_impression_id=p3_1744205019_P3ZBptxzSBmEonh6&amp;previous_page_section_name=1000&amp;guests=1&amp;check_out=2025-10-19">this Airbnb</a> looks like heaven on earth!
Wherever you end up going, enjoy your time in Greece! And don't forget to send us some pics :-)

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Struggling to work out where to start researching for your next trip? There&rsquo;s one massive resource that we always recommend: Reddit. <a href="https://www.afar.com/magazine/why-reddit-is-a-great-travel-planning-tool">Here&rsquo;s why</a>! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Theme park lovers, rejoice! A <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz95n2837vgo">new Universal Studios park</a> is on its way, and you&rsquo;ve got 5 years to plan your trip. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">In another tale of questionable choices from a Ryanair crew, one passenger was <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/07/mother-escorted-off-ryanair-plane-after-card-declined/">escorted off her flight by police</a> after a card payment for Pringles and a Coke was declined. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">And finally, I present to you an opening line strong enough to make me book a flight immediately: <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/croatia/croatia-wine-zmajevac-travel-royal-family-b2727546.html">&ldquo;If Hobbiton had a love child with the Loire Valley, the offspring would be Zmajevac</a>&rdquo;. Well done, Marianna Hunt, we salute you!</li>
</ul>

Disastrous Flight Delays - JFC-ers share their stories

Hi there, JFC-ers!
This week has seen fresh new tales of strange flight delays and diversions, a couple of which really caught my attention &mdash; like the flight from New York to Tokyo that <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2025/04/02/plane-turns-back-12-hours-14-hour-flight-instead-completing-journey-22840329/">turned back 12 hours into a 14-hour journey</a> due to a &ldquo;technical issue&rdquo;. Ouch.
Somehow, I suspect it could have felt even worse to be among the passengers on <a href="https://simpleflying.com/emirates-airbus-a380-stuck-landing-new-york/">this A380</a>, which was stuck on the tarmac at JFK for 1.5 hours. Knowing that you&rsquo;ve already endured the 14-hour flight, landed, and now you&rsquo;re so close to that Big Apple, you can almost crunch it.
All it took was one simple wrong turn when taxiing to the gate, and the plane became lost in the black hole of JFK traffic choreography. Unsurprisingly, it comes in handy to know your left from right while in the cockpit.
If any of you have ever fallen foul of unusual diversions or absurd delays, please get in touch. We&rsquo;d love to know where, when, why, and how the airline handled it! Just hit &lsquo;Reply&rsquo; to share your story.
In the meantime, happy travels and safe landings,

&ldquo;Hi Katy and team JFC,
I'm starting to wrap my head around the fact we only have 16 months until my son will start school here in Scotland.
I'm trying to wrap my head around what we should consider prioritising before we're beholden to the school holidays (a week in Oct, 2 weeks at Christmas, a week in Feb, 2 weeks around Easter and 6 weeks from end June to mid-August) and thought you'd be great at helping me figure it out.
Factors
<ul>
<li>Price - are short haul flights more of a premium in holidays?</li>
<li>Weather/Season - we are generally shoulder season people. Fewer crowds, less high heat etc.</li>
<li>Length of time needed - to do a longer trip it will have to be summer which might not fit well with the factors above!</li>
</ul>
Last year we did Fiji, NZ and a little bit of Australia in Sept/Oct (so not adverse to big trips!). In the past we've done we've done east coast USA, Japan, Ethiopia, Caribbean and a good selection of Europe but so much of the world still to see.
It's too overwhelming trying to figure out our best options! If you have thoughts on either places that we should consider going in the next year, or places that will work once we're stuck to school season, we'd be very grateful!
Thank you, Eilidh&rdquo;

Answered by Katy

Hi Eilidh! You&rsquo;re absolutely not alone among our members when it comes to grappling with the idea of only travelling outside of term time. I love the idea of squeezing in those bigger trips and off-peak fares before the wee one goes to school, so I&rsquo;ll do my best to give you some insights into where you might want to prioritise.
Let&rsquo;s start with your first question about short-haul flights. In short, yes; fares during the school breaks are usually much pricier than they would be in the shoulder seasons around May&ndash;June and September. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean you can&rsquo;t still find trips for a decent price!

We talk a lot about how handy it is to be flexible with travel dates, and that still applies during those peak times. For example, if you can travel Wednesday&ndash;Wednesday instead of just on weekends, that can definitely help you find those one-off bargains, even when fares are generally higher.&nbsp;
Another trick we like to use in the UK and Europe in particular is a bit of border hopping. As you&rsquo;ll know, school terms differ around the UK and Ireland, meaning summer fares south of the border often don&rsquo;t go up until later into July. You&rsquo;ll often find cheaper flights from London and Manchester in that period before English schools break up, so I&rsquo;d take advantage of the great long-haul connections and head off on a big trip as soon as summer arrives!&nbsp;
Likewise, for our friends in England and Wales, Scottish and Irish schools usually start again in mid-August. I&rsquo;d suggest checking out transatlantic routes from Dublin and European routes from Edinburgh if you&rsquo;re after a late-August getaway.
To your next point about weather; considering you enjoy calmer, not-so-sun-drenched vibes, it&rsquo;s worth mentioning that in just the last month or so, we&rsquo;ve found JFC-worthy peak summer flights from across the UK to:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/deals/germany-netherlands-in-30s-60s60s-70s-rtn">Germany &amp; the Netherlands in &pound;30s-&pound;60s return</a></li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/deals/canada-in-290s-380s-rtn">Canada in &pound;290s-&pound;380s return</a></li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/deals/svalbard-in-240s-260s-rtn">Svalbard in &pound;240s-&pound;260s return</a></li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/deals/bergen-at-69-rtn">Bergen at &pound;69 return</a></li>
</ul>

These spots may not lend themselves to such big adventures as you might hope for with 6 weeks at your disposal, but those are fares we&rsquo;d consider pretty great at any time of year. For peak dates, we&rsquo;ll sometimes allow up to 20-25% higher, which does broaden your prospects significantly!
For example, North America over summer can sometimes look pretty good at &pound;500 instead of &pound;400, Thailand might be more like &pound;580 than &pound;490, etc. So when you&rsquo;re doing your own searches, factor that in. Popular destinations like Cancun and Mauritius do occasionally drop really low over peak periods, too, but the temperatures and throngs probably won&rsquo;t be on your side!
Now, where should you prioritise before you&rsquo;re beholden to those school dates? If Southeast Asia is a region you fancy, I&rsquo;d suggest trying to fit that in next spring. The weather varies a lot from north to south, of course, but you definitely want to avoid the combo of summer crowds, rain, and heat. Plus, the region really lends itself to a longer trip!
When I visited Vietnam, I was in the minority as someone who was&nbsp;only spending 12 days in the one country. Most other travellers we met were also visiting Cambodia and Laos at a minimum, and some had been on the go for months with no plans of stopping.

Look out for flights to a hub like Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, and then check out the raft of cheap connections you can catch from there. You&rsquo;ll have your pick of all the buzzing cities, tranquil jungle gateways, and salt-scented island hideaways, so really you can make it any kind of trip you like. For me, it&rsquo;d have to include floating down a river in Sumatra, peering through the trees to spot some hairy orange giants.
Another pre-school suggestion would be South America, especially if you want to <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/navigating-the-amazon-in-three-weeks">dip into the Amazon like Flight Finder Fran</a>, or head all the way south to see the towering mountains and iridescent lakes of Patagonia. You can totally take a couple of weeks here and there to see different parts of the continent, but if you&rsquo;re anything like me, it&rsquo;s hard not to add on a (relatively) nearby extra at every given opportunity. Soon, those 2 weeks become 4 &mdash; oops!&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s one last place I&rsquo;d highly recommend taking the little one whenever you get a chance: Costa Rica. I felt incredibly safe when I visited, all the transfers and tours ran like well-oiled machines, and the wildlife is absolutely enchanting. As well as navigating cloudy rainforest trails and pointing your binoculars at every tree you pass, you can kick back and listen to either the Pacific or Caribbean waves tumbling onto the sand &mdash; the choice of coast is yours!
The &ldquo;best time&rdquo; to visit is during the dry season in December to April. Since the country is relatively small and navigable, there&rsquo;s no need to rush this one over the line and make it an extended trip (unless you really want to!). While Christmas trips will always be pricey, the good news is that dates during April tend to be more reasonable, so it can work around school.

I hope all that has helped add a bit of context to your ponderings, Eilidh! Please keep in touch and let us know where you decide to go and when. We always love seeing and hearing about our members&rsquo; adventures out in the wild!
For those of you in other corners of the world still looking for some expert tips on finding those cheap flights to the destinations your heart truly yearns for, just keep reading below&hellip; 
Do you have a question for The Detour? Is there a topic you&rsquo;d love us to take a deep dive into? Just let us know 👇

The Ultimate Guide to Finding Cheap Flights Anywhere

Genora loves spotting a good deal, especially as a flight finder here at Jacks's Flight Club. She's lived in over five countries to date and enjoys adding new places to her ever-growing travel bucket list!

Written by Genora

There's a secret that airlines don't want you to think about: you might have paid 50% more for your seat on a flight than the people sitting around you.&nbsp;
It can happen even if you thought you did everything right to get the cheapest flight. You've probably spent hours comparing different search engines, looking at various airlines, scrolling through dates, and it still didn't make a difference!
Airlines have all kinds of clever tricks and secret algorithms for deciding what price they think they can get you to pay. To help you make sense of it all, <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/find-cheap-flights-to-anywhere">here's our complete guide</a> with all the info you need to know to find the cheapest flights to anywhere. So, take it from us; it&rsquo;s been our job for over eight years.
<ul></ul>
<hr>
<h2 id="h_14362204814891638874646501">1. What do cheap flights look like?</h2>
The first trick to finding a good deal is knowing what makes a good deal in the first place.&nbsp;
It doesn't really matter how many hours or days you spend stalking the prices if you don't know what you're looking for. You've probably experienced that first hand if you&rsquo;ve ever had a flight drop in price not long after booking.
If you always go to the same destination, then it's easier to tell what prices should look like after a year or two, but if you're going somewhere new, there are a few tell-tale signs to watch out for.
We consider many different factors when looking for cheap flights, for example:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Is the price at least 30% less than the standard price?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Is the price lower than the average for that season?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Is the price lower than what other airlines are offering?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Does the price include perks like checked bags and a free, flexible change policy?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">For business class fares: Is the cost less than 2.5x-3x a deal in economy?</li>
</ul>
Now that you know what a cheap flight should be, let&rsquo;s talk about when they're at a price they shouldn't be&hellip;

<h2 id="h_73203446522901638874829471">2. Get notifications for "error fares" with 80%+ discounts</h2>
Have you ever come across a ticket price that made you say, "No way that's real!"? If you have, then you've encountered the mystical &ldquo;error fare&rdquo;.
Error fares are simply mistakes that happen when the airline systems are pricing up flights. You'd be surprised how often they happen, and they&rsquo;re usually gone almost as soon as they show up. (Airlines aren't exactly known for wanting you to score unreasonably cheap flights, are they?)
Here at JFC, we've seen our fair share of error fares over the years in the different regions that we cover. You will do a little happy dance when you spot one (or we email to tell you about one! For example:

<h4>From the USA</h4>
The standard price for flights to Australia is often well into the $1000s and can involve two or more stops. So seeing one-stop tickets go down to $300s felt like winning the lottery.
<img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/4a4320ca7dddd977f107f95500cc23f986347853" width="480" height="211" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<h4>In the EU/UK</h4>
The standard price for a good business class fare (including lie-flat seats and the usual add-ons) can kick the price up well over &pound;2000. When you see a long-haul business class flight that only costs three digits, you have an error fare!
<img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/ab2a503bfea47a27fc9a2fcd8398f26085b008d4" width="486" height="204" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
If you spot a price that seems outrageously low (sometimes cutting as much as two-thirds off the standard price), book first and ask questions later! Flight deals are like the stock market, they fluctuate ALL the time, and the <a href="https://jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/how-long-do-cheap-flight-deals-last/">best prices don't stick around for very long</a>. That&rsquo;s even more true with error fares as you&rsquo;re racing to beat the airline fix their mistake.
To catch an error fare, you pretty much have to be constantly looking for them on flight search engines. We can tell you that it&rsquo;s a lot of work to spot them!
<blockquote>
Sidenote: Error fares can be canceled and refunded by the airline, but over 70% of them are honored. Follow these <a href="https://jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/what-is-an-error-fare-and-how-to-book-one/">error fare guidelines, and you won't lose out.</a>
</blockquote>

While being snappy is essential for booking error fares, it's often true of flight deals in general - that&rsquo;s why our business is to make you the first to find out about them.
<h2></h2>
<h2 id="h_21864538025141638874838227">3. Avoid booking last minute, but here&rsquo;s when to try for a last-minute getaway</h2>
If you've ever looked for a flight for a weekend trip anywhere on a difficult Wednesday afternoon at work, you&rsquo;ve probably noticed that flights get very expensive on short notice&hellip; Why? The simple answer is that airlines know they can charge more.
Statistically speaking, most people who buy last-minute tickets are business travelers who don&rsquo;t pay much attention to the cost since their company pays. Airlines are aware of this, and they charge accordingly.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="Concur.com" title="Average airfare by booking window between 2018 - 2020." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/8df58c6509e39485b0a252571857e4c55a1c24c6" alt="Concur.com - Average airfare by booking window between 2018 - 2020." width="512" height="451" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a>
Concur.com - Average airfare by booking window between 2018 - 2020.
The way they do this is through a system called <a href="https://jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/the-highs-and-lows-of-how-flights-are-priced">yield management</a>.&nbsp; Basically, airlines charge different prices for a single seat, which their algorithms adjust based on demand.
But in recent times, the type of last-minute travelers has been changing thanks to the pandemic. According to CheapAir&rsquo;s study, we&rsquo;re seeing more last-minute travel due to constantly changing travel restrictions, unexpected trips, and family emergencies.&nbsp;
Don't panic just yet, there's a silver lining - when airlines struggle to fill up seats, they do the reverse and churn out last-minute deals. While we wouldn't recommend relying on these for a specific trip you have planned, there are times when grabbing a flight at short notice may be suitable.&nbsp;
In that case, there are many sites like lastminute.com and CheapOair that help airlines fill up seats, as well as airlines like TUI (in the UK and Europe) that drop their last-minute fares.
Since these tickets are basically on clearance, be prepared to make some compromises by giving up extra perks like early seat selection.
There are a few tips and tricks for landing a cheap last-minute flight, but it can sometimes just boil down to luck.

<h2 id="h_610419728981638874850485">4. Forget these money-saving myths</h2>
We guarantee you&rsquo;ve heard some of these myths when looking for cheap flights before. Some of them stem from old truths, others&hellip; not so much. So let&rsquo;s get into debunking the most common myths:
<h5>Myth no. 1: Hide your cookies when booking</h5>
This myth seems to be everywhere! As it goes, airline search engines track your interest in a flight and hike up the price if you come back to book it later!
The "unfortunately the price has gone up" message on Google Flights brings no joy at all for anyone.
<img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/5787657fd8f0c847991821dce1f60b3e34f0c9f6" width="490" height="112" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
While there is no denying the airline industry's nickel and diming ways, this particular myth doesn't hold much weight. Our team goes through hundreds of flights every day, including multiple searches to the exact location. The fare price doesn't change because you&rsquo;ve visited a web page before.
This may have been a trick some dodgy travel agencies tried in the past, but those days are long gone.
It&rsquo;s always possible that a flight you were eyeing goes up just because of how frequently the prices change. Or maybe someone else has booked the same flight, triggering a change to a new price bucket.
<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/find-cheap-flights-to-anywhere">Keep reading...</a>

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Following recent extreme rainfall and flooding in the Aegean, <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/travel/advice/is-it-safe-to-visit-the-greek-islands-travel-advice-after-extreme-flooding-82qscnlgh">here&rsquo;s what you need to know</a> if you&rsquo;re due to visit Greece for an Easter break. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Look beyond Toronto and Vancouver for your next trip to Canada &mdash; <a href="https://www.thecanary.co/discovery/travel/2025/04/03/2025-travel-trends-why-edmonton-canada-made-the-list-and-must-visit-spots/">Edmonton</a> looks to be the next big thing. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Only in Japan could you expect to find a <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/26/japan/station-3d-printer/">3D-printed train station</a>! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Bali has had enough of <a href="https://www.timeout.com/news/dont-swear-and-cover-up-bali-announces-strict-new-rules-for-tourists-032825">disrespectful tourists</a>, so be sure to wash out your mouth with soap and cover up before you jet off. </li>
<li>And finally, next time you&rsquo;re in Alberta and looking for some light relief from all those breathtaking landscapes, why not stop by the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DHriLwCMGGU/?igsh=Nmg0MnZxbjJlcTk4&amp;img_index=1">taxidermied gopher museum</a>?</li>
</ul>

Cheap Flights During School Breaks - do the stars ever align?

Hey there, JFC-ers!
Happy Friday, and happy Finland! That's right, for the&nbsp;eighth&nbsp;year in a row, Finland has been named the <a href="https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-worlds-happiest-country-is-all-about-reading-coffee-and-saunas">happiest country in the world</a>, with the rest of the Nordics following closely behind.
Some claim it's being at one with nature that keeps the Finns cheery, while others attribute it to their tendency to oscillate between freezing bodies of water and sweaty saunas.&nbsp;
Flight Finder Hannah just had to find out for herself, so she winged her way up to Lapland last week. Turns out, the key to happiness has been hiding in a <a href="https://arcticsnowhotel.fi/en/">snow hotel near Rovaniemi</a> all along!
<img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/689f8acb842681eb7be31e35227a6d4e8f12be7a" width="289" height="385" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
 Happy travels and safe landings,

It's our Spring Sale!

Spring into travel with 25% off every single one of our Premium subscription plans! 
Go Premium for as little as &pound;3 a month (billed annually). But don't hang around &mdash; this offer won't last long!

JFC Premium Promo

Spring into travel with 25% off every single one of our Premium subscription plans! 
Go Premium for as little as &euro;3 a month (billed annually). But don't hang around &mdash; this offer won't last long!

Spring into travel with 25% off every single one of our Premium subscription plans! 
Go Premium for as little as $3.75 a month (billed annually). But don't hang around &mdash; this offer won't last long!

Taking a Break from Barcelona

Written by Katy

Our JFC travel community is a hive of activity over on Facebook, so I always like to keep an eye on things to see what&rsquo;s hot and happening. This week, I spotted the return of an ever-popular topic: where to spend a Big Birthday in Europe, away from the usual tourist spots?

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m turning 50 and want to have a European weekend away, but not in the usual Barcelona. What&rsquo;s your favourite city with good food, Drink and culture??&rdquo; - Lynsey

Lucky for Lynsey, you JFC-ers understood the task and came up with some great recommendations. Among them were many of Spain&rsquo;s other popular spots, like San Sebasti&aacute;n and Malaga, cool capitals Budapest, Lisbon, and Berlin, and then some altogether more niche suggestions! 
You can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2422437634778750">jump into the conversation here</a> to see what everyone suggested, and even add your own two cents. But for now, I&rsquo;ve picked out my favourites from the list to help inspire your next alternative European getaway.
<h4 dir="ltr">Porto</h4>

Here we&rsquo;ve got some insider tips from Flight Finder and Porto native Andreia!&nbsp;
This city oozes charm from the get-go, and you're never too far from a stunning view or a mouthwateringly good <a href="https://portoalities.com/en/best-francesinha-in-porto/">Francesinha</a>. Just make sure to bring your walking shoes, as the city is a tangle of cobblestone stairways and hills. It might take you a while to cover ground, too&nbsp; &mdash; it's hard not to stop and admire the countless <a href="https://www.everysteph.com/best-azulejo-tiles-porto-portugal/">Azulejos</a> everywhere that glaze the walls of buildings, fountains, and churches.
In terms of cuisine, you won't be short of spots to wine and dine, but if we were to recommend somewhere with real heart, it's <a href="https://casadahorta.weebly.com/">Casa de Horta</a>. This cultural space/caf&eacute; is far off the tourist trail and allows visitors a glimpse into Porto's social and political scene &mdash; they also serve the most delicious, affordable homemade meals with a vegetarian twist.
Of course, even though it is known to tourists, a boat tour up the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=douro&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjuiuzljODxAhUD_RQKHYyjAc0Q_AUoAXoECAEQAw&amp;biw=1536&amp;bih=722#imgrc=n6VTy2w3ENOxiM">Douro Valley</a> is a must in warmer months. Cruises departing from Ribeira go far up the river to regional villages like Castelo de Paiva, R&eacute;gua, or Marco de Canaveses. These spots are very quiet, and you'll be able to find hotels with beautiful views overlooking the river. And best of all, you can eat authentic meals with wine and desert for about &euro;12 total!
<h4 dir="ltr">Gdańsk</h4>

Flight Finder Kash here! Ever since our members raved about it as one of their favourite <a href="https://jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/skip-this-see-that28-places-that-our-members-hated-and-loved">underrated cities</a> in Europe, I have been dying to see if it lives up to the hype. And boy, were they right.&nbsp;
Historically, the city is a treasure trove with rich <a href="https://www.inyourpocket.com/gdansk/wwii-in-gdansk_73591f">WWII history</a> and perfectly restored candy-coated architecture. You'd never guess by the looks of it that it was completely destroyed. In fact, the first shots igniting the war were fired just a few miles from Old Town.&nbsp;
Nowadays, the city feels incredibly safe and there's no better thing to do than get lost in its charm. After dumping your bags at your accommodation (I recommend family-run <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/pl/wicker-house.pl.html">Wicker House</a>), start with the picturesque Ulica Mariacka, lined with charming caf&eacute;s and merchants selling Baltic Amber.
Follow the street over to Długi Targ, where its colourful facades and fountain of Neptune will make your Instagram pop. Eventually, you'll reach the waterfront, greeted by the sight of its iconic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lichAotxdTQ">galleon ships</a> majestically floating in the harbour.
When you&rsquo;re in the mood for a proper Polish bite to eat, make a beeline for some pierogies. They&rsquo;re a classic dish, so you won&rsquo;t have a hard time finding them. But if you want the choice of every flavour from the traditional to the downright experimental, Editor Katy recommends heading to <a href="https://pierogarnia-mandu.pl/en/gdynia/menu/">Mandu</a>.
&nbsp;After all that, try telling me you're not a fansk of Gdańsk! :-)&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Nantes</h4>

When <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/first-time-guide-to-nantes">Lonely Planet calls somewhere &ldquo;quirky&rdquo;</a>, you know it&rsquo;s probably worth visiting!&nbsp;
Only a couple of hours&rsquo; train ride away from Paris, and easily reachable by air from all over Europe thanks to budget airlines, it really is a mystery that Nantes hasn&rsquo;t become more of a tourist destination.&nbsp;
Having once been the capital of Brittany, Nantes is now (somewhat controversially) the capital of the Pays de la Loire region. To say there&rsquo;s a lot of history in that alone would be an understatement! Culturally, however, you&rsquo;ll find a whole load of Breton goodness around every corner.&nbsp;
From palaces to <a href="https://loirelovers.fr/en/passage-pommeraye-nantes/">passages</a>, the architectural wonders never cease. There are also galleries galore, but you definitely mustn&rsquo;t miss the mechanical imaginings of <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/machines-isle-nantes">Les Machines de l&rsquo;&icirc;le</a>. The idea of coming face to face with giant mechanical creatures is equally alarming and intriguing, kind of like a steam punk Jurassic Park.
As for food and drink, you&rsquo;ll be spoiled for choice. The classic <a href="https://en.lebonbon.fr/nantes/tops-food-and-drink/creperie-nantes-the-best-addresses-for-a-delicious/">Breton cr&ecirc;pe</a> (or galette, if you have more of a savoury tooth) is prolific, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if you find yourself enjoying a different one every day. Seafood, such as clams, scallops, and oysters, is another major feature on local menus, and always expect it to be served in a rich beurre blanc. Wash it all down with a glass of local <a href="https://www.cellartours.com/france/french-wine-regions/muscadet">Muscadet</a> or cider, and consider it a weekend trip well done.
 Those are only three out of the hundreds of cities around Europe that we could have mentioned. So tell us, readers, where would you go? Hit 'Reply' to let us know your picks for a European break off the beaten tourist path, and why!

Our Insatiable Italian Infatuation Continues&hellip;

Questions answered by Fran

"Hi, we're planning a small honeymoon road trip to Toscana after our wedding day and before our big honeymoon trip to Fiji. Do you have some recommendations for a Toscana road trip? Must-see villages, stops across the region?" - Salv &amp; Fanny

Hello! Tuscany is so pretty, and you&rsquo;re gonna have suuuuuch a great time.
Starting with the basics &mdash; the Florence-San Giminiano-Siena area is a must. Filled with medieval towns, rolling hills, vineyards, and historical landmarks, it&rsquo;ll be the Tuscany that everyone hopes for. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@brigrc/video/7379482089822981409?q=volterra&amp;t=1742836784682">Volterra</a>, Monteriggioni, Colle di Val d'Elsa and Montalcino are some lesser-known villages that I really like.

If you&rsquo;d rather check out a less touristy part of the region, I&rsquo;d recommend <a href="https://lovefromtuscany.com/where-to-go/cities-in-tuscany/arezzo/">Arezzo</a> and its collage of Etruscan, Medieval, and Renaissance buildings. It&rsquo;s got the prettiest main square I&rsquo;ve seen in Italy!
From Arezzo, you could even drive all the way down to Perugia and Assisi if you feel like it! The Tuscany-Umbria border, filled with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/poggiodellecaviere/">idyllic agriturismi</a> and incredible producers of wine, olive oils, and cheese, is less crowded and with a more authentic feeling than the upper parts of the region. And guess what? It&rsquo;s obviously less pricey!
Now, onto a real treat &mdash; the Saturnia Thermal Spas, in the lower western part of Tuscany (the Maremma) are a highlight for honeymooners.
The area is divided into two main parts:
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/saturniatermelibere/">Cascate del Mulino</a> &mdash; This is the free, more rustic part of the springs, where the water slides down a series of picturesque limestone terraces, creating natural pools. It&rsquo;s open year-round and accessible to anyone. The setting, with the old stone mill as a backdrop, is especially beautiful.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a href="https://www.termedisaturnia.it/">Terme di Saturnia Resort &amp; Spa</a> &mdash; This is a luxurious thermal spa and golf resort built around the main spring. It offers a more exclusive experience, with pools, treatments, and wellness services.
</li>
</ol>

Whether you decide to treat yourself to the Resort &amp; Spa, or DIY with the free part, I truly recommend stopping at Saturnia.
Oh, and if you decide to visit Pisa, too, don&rsquo;t miss out on Lucca &mdash; riding a bike around the medieval city walls is non-negotiable!

"Any tips for just going to Bergamo itself? (E.g. with a toddler, going further afield isn&rsquo;t always the easiest!) Thanks" - Evelyn

Hey Evelyn! Bergamo can be a lot of fun, but if you&rsquo;re not planning to rent a car and explore outside the city, I would suggest staying for about three days.
With a toddler in tow, these are the activities I&rsquo;d recommend for your visit:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Take the funicular from the Lower Town to the Upper Town &mdash; <a href="https://www.emaroundtheworld.com/cittaalta/">Citt&agrave; Alta</a>. It&rsquo;s a scenic ride with great views, and kids usually love it. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Climb the Torre Civica and check out the Rocca di Bergamo (city fortress) &mdash; the latter has huge gardens perfect to roam around. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Visit the city&rsquo;s Natural Science Museum if dinosaurs &amp; fossils are your thing. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Spend a day at Leolandia &mdash; a kids adventure park just outside the city.</li>
</ul>

If you don&rsquo;t mind hopping on a train, you could even think about spending a day or two in Lake Garda. There are shallow waters suitable for paddling with little ones, plus a sea life centre, zoo with safari area, and theme-park-cum-toddler-heaven, <a href="https://www.toddleronatrip.com/blog/gardaland-italy">Gardaland</a>.
Hopefully that's given you a few pointers. But whatever you decide to do on your trip, I hope you enjoy your time in Italy!

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li>One of JFCs most popular destinations, <a href="https://travelobiz.com/japan-travel-authorization-jesta-who-needs-it/">Japan, is launching the JESTA</a> and will soon join the growing list of countries requiring visitors to obtain electronic travel authorization.&nbsp;&nbsp; </li>
<li>Behold <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/voters-crown-the-worlds-ugliest-animal-as-new-zealands-fish-of-the-year-180986287/">New Zealand's fish of the year</a>, chosen for its "unconventional beauty". </li>
<li>Passengers sailing on the maiden world voyage of Cunard's Queen Anne ship got an <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/tiktok-cunard-cruise-line-queen-anne-pirates-warning-b2721636.html">unexpected warning</a> this week, as they passed through an area off the Philippines at risk of piracy threats.&nbsp;&nbsp; </li>
<li>And finally, everyone's favourite budget-airline CEO finally got a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/michael-oleary-ryanair-restaurant-extra-charge-luvida-b2721151.html">taste of his own medicine</a> last week! When Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary went to pay to his bill at a restaurant in Ireland, the staff had decided to add on a few cheeky extras for legroom, priority seating and a "quiet reservation area". Lucky for Michael, the restaurant's policies were more flexible than his own, and he escaped without having to cough up.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Take a Break From Barça with These Alternative European trips

Ciao,&nbsp;JFC-ers!
I've not long returned from spending the best part of a week on the glorious banks of Lago Maggiore for team JFC's first-ever in-person meet-up. And it was nothing short of fantastic!
Waking up to views over the glistening water, perfectly framed by snow-peaked Alps, is something I didn't quite realise I needed until it hit me square in the eyeballs. In fact, you should all add it to your to-do list if you haven't already! And as inspirational settings go for a productive week of team building, I'd say we nailed it.
Of course, we also had to pop over to visit Maggiore's more famous neighbour, Lake Como (would have been rude not to)! We didn't have time to stop in at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.myprivatevillas.com/travel-magazine/george-clooneys-lake-como-holiday-retreat-beyond-a-luxe-escape-guide/">George and Amal's lakeside mansion</a>, but we certainly enjoyed the views as we whizzed on past towards the cobblestone streets of <a href="https://lifewithbugo.com/travel-guide-to-bellagio-lake-como/">Bellagio</a>.

As a company of avid travellers (after all, we're JFC members too!), it was hardly surprising that most of us took the opportunity to extend our trip a little when it all came to an end on Thursday. When (almost) in Rome, as they say&hellip;&nbsp;
For those of us living in and around Europe, it was a great chance to add on a little weekend break in the city or on the slopes. But for my colleagues from the US, Canada, South Africa, and the Caribbean, it was an epic adventure that definitely called for even more!&nbsp;
I hopped on a flight to Paris with Andrea from Antigua for a whirlwind tour around the sights she'd only ever seen on the big screen before. Meanwhile, Jo, Allan, and Jake headed south for history buffing in Rome and Naples, Marshall set sail for the Greek islands, and Kat headed north for an Amsterdam city break. Phew!
All that to say, readers, that we're just like you. We love to travel, experience new places and cultures, make the most of every trip, and hopefully give you inspiration to do the same. If we've put you in the mood for a bit of northern Italy now, keep scrolling to read some of Flight Finder Fran's top recommendations for things to do near Milan.
Happy travels and safe landings,

A Journey Through St. Croix's Most Historic Distillery

The island of St. Croix is dotted with conical, flat-topped stone structures. If you don&rsquo;t catch them as they fly past your car window, you&rsquo;ll definitely notice them in the gift shops, where they grace everything from postcards to oven mitts.
One of the most notable of these structures is located at the Cruzan Rum Distillery. That&rsquo;s your biggest hint, if you haven&rsquo;t yet figured out what they are.

They&rsquo;re sugar mills! While these old stone giants are no longer used, they&rsquo;re a visible record of St. Croix&rsquo;s long history in rum production. There are a few operating distilleries left on the islands, including Captain Morgan&rsquo;s (whose reviews were not inspiring) and the historic Cruzan Distillery, (established 1760, 4.7 stars on Google). We knew we wanted to visit one of them, and it wasn&rsquo;t a hard decision.
So today, I&rsquo;m taking you along for a tour! We frequently recommend the Cruzan Rum tour in our deals to St. Croix due to good word-of-mouth, so I was excited to finally see it for myself and make sure it lived up to our hype.
Booking
The tour was $25 USD per person and booked on <a href="https://www.cruzanrum.com/tours-and-experiences#id=cruzan-general-admission-tour">the brand site</a>. I immediately clocked this price as crazy cheap &mdash; drinks on the islands were around $10-$15, and this came with two cocktails and four samples at the distillery bar. The tour didn&rsquo;t even need to be anything special for this to be a great deal.
And while the drinking age in the USVI is 18 (lower than Americans are used to), younger kids can still take the tour,&nbsp;sans all that free booze.
We booked for 1pm on a weekday, which turned out to be the perfect time. The three of us were the only people on our tour.&nbsp;
The Tour
Our guide was Janae, and she was fantastic. It was clear very quickly that our $25 ticket would have been a bargain even without the free booze. My brother is quite the nerd about alcohol, and she easily answered every one of his questions, most of which I didn&rsquo;t even understand.

Highlights included a stop at the aforementioned old stone mill (lined by the flags of every country that has ever governed St. Croix, pictured above), several gigantic vats of fermenting goop, and a pipe spewing molasses into a tank.
We were allowed to taste this molasses. Before I bothered to think, I blurted out, &ldquo;That tastes like molasses!&rdquo;&nbsp;

Janae informed me that on every single tour, someone says the same thing, and she will never understand why.&nbsp;
Towards the end of our journey, we encountered the barrel-maker. Yes, that is &ldquo;maker&rdquo; singular, and yes, it&rsquo;s a person and not a machine.
Turns out, every barrel from Cruzan is handmade by one artisan. Apparently, he&rsquo;s the only one that can do it just right. We found him sitting in a chair, surrounded by several pieces of wood, and lost in focus. Janae tells us they&rsquo;re hoping to find an apprentice for him, so&hellip; if you&rsquo;re good with your hands and want to live on a beautiful Caribbean island, continuing a centuries-old tradition surrounded by rum, maybe give them a call.&nbsp;
Cruzan rum is bottled on the mainland, so our last stop is the delivery trucks. They&rsquo;re labeled as &ldquo;ethanol&rdquo; with no branding whatsoever, which we&rsquo;re told is for anti-theft reasons. A giant tank labeled &ldquo;FRESH CARIBBEAN RUM&rdquo; would simply be too tempting.

The Taste Tests
Janae was also our bartender for the afternoon, so we headed to the bar. It was wide-open, almost outdoor, with a breeze blowing through. There were three of us, which meant we could try six cocktails and 12 samples in total, so we started planning.&nbsp;
Well, the guys started planning. I mostly sipped on rum punch and enjoyed the ambience.

While we drank, we chatted with Janae about life on the island. By this time, it was after 3pm, and the place was definitely starting to fill up. We left her a good tip, hit the gift shop, and then retreated to the lawn to vibe (and sober up from all those samples).
The gift shop had the usual t-shirt and shot glass wares, along with every single kind of rum we&rsquo;d tried. Some flavors are extremely rare or unavailable outside the area, but there&rsquo;s good news &mdash; flights from the islands back to the mainland have looser restrictions on alcohol, provided your booze came from the USVI. So there&rsquo;s really nothing stopping you from stocking up :-)
Between the informative tour, the historic setting, our lovely guide, and drinks enjoyed at a breezy, palm-lined patio bar, we couldn&rsquo;t have been more pleased. There&rsquo;s a reason every guide to St. Croix name-drops this spot, and I can happily add myself to its list of fans.

Flight Finder Fran's Guide to Spots Near Milan

Inspired by our trip to northern Italy, now seems like the perfect time to roll out native Milanese Fran's tips on <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/why-you-should-take-that-cheap-flight-to-milan-even-if-youve-already-visited">what to do when you see those cheap flights to Milan</a>&hellip;

Written by Fran

<h3>Franciacorta</h3>
Some people like to call it the &lsquo;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmzAG2P1IcE&amp;ab_channel=PaoloAbeni">Tuscany of the North</a>&rsquo; because of the endless vineyards in the region.
Basically, if you&rsquo;re coming to Franciacorta, you&rsquo;re coming for wine. Just take a look at this&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://franciacorta.wine/en/wineries/">map</a>&nbsp;that demonstrates the sheer number of wineries in such a tiny area. The sparkling wines are the worldwide speciality, and they&rsquo;re specifically made with only with three types of grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Nero.
What&rsquo;s so special about Franciacorta is that its wines are still mostly made in family wineries run by craftsmen, meaning wine tastings are very intimate and unique. You can expect plenty of family owned&nbsp;agriturismi&nbsp;(farm stays) offering activities such as horseback riding and mountain biking. One of my favourite is&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.solive.it/en/">Cascina Solive</a>, which is immersed in vineyards and olive trees, without the inflated prices of other touristy areas :-)

Best time to be here:&nbsp;Every year, the&nbsp;Franciacorta in Cantina&nbsp;festival celebrates the best wineries and local delicacies. It's usually sometime in mid-September (16th-17th in 2023) but keep an eye&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.festivalfranciacorta.wine/">on their website</a>&nbsp;for up-to-date information.
How to get there:&nbsp;Just like in Tuscany, you&rsquo;ll get the most out of Franciacorta if you can drive around the fields and vineyards in a car. You can easily rent one at Orio al Serio Airport, and it will take you only 30 minutes to drive to Borgonato/Torbiato, where I recommend you base yourself.&nbsp;
<h3 class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-h3 css-d91h7b">Camonica Valley / Adamello</h3>
More into endless valleys and forests? You just gotta go a bit further north.
The little sisters of the Dolomites are just above Lake Iseo, and have tonnes of&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="http://www.reidsitaly.com/planning/lodging/mountain_huts.html">rifugi&nbsp;and&nbsp;bivacchi&nbsp;</a>ready to host you during your hiking adventure. If you&rsquo;re more of a day-tripper, base yourself in the villages of&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.boundlessroads.com/ponte-di-legno-vacation-alps/">Ponte di Legno</a>&nbsp;or Edolo, where plenty of hiking trails start.
During the winter, adrenaline junkies can hit the slopes at&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@harezaayy/video/7205264067752103174?lang=en">Passo del Tonale&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;ski area. But if you don&rsquo;t feel like getting those pesky skis on, you can always relax at the very fancy&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.latanadellorsopontedilegno.it/en/">La Tana dell'Orso</a>.

FYI, Valcamonica was the first Italian site on the UNESCO World Heritage List thanks to the&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.italia.it/en/lombardy/things-to-do/valcamonica-the-rock-art#:~:text=Generic%20error-,Why%20Valcamonica%20is%20a%20UNESCO%20site,as%20Seradina%2DBedolina%20and%20Sonico.">gigantic collection of petroglyphs</a>&nbsp;(the largest in the world!) held within its valleys. If you want to see a small chunk of them, make a stop at the&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Parco+nazionale+delle+incisioni+rupestri+di+Naquane/@46.0168421,10.3006253,12z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x4783ca3f9c7004a3:0x735580ac994d711e!8m2!3d46.0283408!4d10.3507878!16s%2Fg%2F122qy7nt?entry=ttu">National Park in Naquane</a>.
How to get there:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">By train: From Bergamo station, get the train to Brescia. From there, you can hop on the teeny tiny&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.trenord.it/en/">Trenord&nbsp;trains</a>&nbsp;all the way to Edolo. To reach Ponte di Legno, you can hop on one of the local buses from Edolo.</li>
<li aria-level="1">2hr by car from Bergamo Airport.</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-h3 css-d91h7b">Trenino Rosso del Bernina</h3>
You may have already seen videos of this ridiculously scenic train route. A dream of many, the Red Bernina Train is considered the&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIKylDWAoZs/?hl=en">prettiest ride</a>&nbsp;across the mountains, going from the Italian Alps all the way to Saint Moritz, in Switzerland.&nbsp;
Included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the train leaves from the town of Tirano, close to the border with Switzerland, and reaches the fancy town of Saint-Moritz in 2hr 5-min. Through the large train windows, you can admire valleys, lakes, and even &lsquo;touch the sky&rsquo; at 2,253 m (the highest point reached by a train line in Europe!).

Depending on the ticket you select, you can get back into Tirano the same day or stay in Saint Moritz overnight. You can also extend your stay and head to the town of Lugano with the&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways css-1broqmw" href="https://www.interrail.eu/en/magazine/did-you-know/bernina-express-everything-you-need-to-know#:~:text=The%20Bernina%20Express%20is%20one,a%20UNESCO%20World%20Heritage%20Site.">Bernina Express Bus</a>&nbsp;(the bus travels along the shores of Lake Como!), the possibilities are endless :-)
Note:&nbsp;For the best views on the train, sit on the left side of the train going south to north, and the right side in the opposite direction.
How to get there:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">By train: Getting to Tirano from both Bergamo and Milano Centrale is pretty easy. From Bergamo, catch the train to Lecco, and from there hop on the connection to Tirano. From Malpensa, get the train to Milano Centrale and change for the train to Tirano.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Tirano is a 2hr 5-min drive from Malpensa Airport.</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/why-you-should-take-that-cheap-flight-to-milan-even-if-youve-already-visited">Keep reading...</a> 
Do you have a topic or destination you'd like to see in The Detour? Ask us here 👇

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm css-xhcohm">As St. Patrick's Day revellers painted the town green on Monday, here's how and why&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rd.com/article/chicago-river-green/">Chicago's river</a> follows suit. </li>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm css-xhcohm">London's Heathrow Airport was fully closed on Friday, with most in- and outbound flights cancelled or diverted. While the airport has now reopened, we should <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/heathrow-airport-flights-departures-fire-london-today-latest-news-b2719767.html">expect disruption</a> to continue for days to come. </li>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm css-xhcohm">Swap Spain's touristy hotspots for one of these <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2025/03/21/5-lesser-known-spain-destinations-tourists-hardly-ever-visit-22769610/">five delightfully under-visited cities</a>. </li>
<li class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 css-xhcohm css-xhcohm">And finally, we're taking a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2025/mar/07/stopped-in-their-tracks-secret-life-congo-rainforest-nouabale-ndoki-national-park-wcs-photographer-will-burrard-lucas">look inside the rainforests of Congo</a>! It's the second-largest tropical forest area in the world, and home to endangered African forest elephants, the elusive palm civet, fanged deer, giant pangolins, and more.</li>
</ul>

St Croix - a Journey Through the Island's Most Historic Distillery

Hey there, JFC-ers,
This edition of The Detour comes to you from the comfort of an SBB train through the Swiss Alps! Team JFC is full of beans this weekend, as many of us wing our way to Italy for our first-ever in-person team meet-up. But of course, true to the name, I&rsquo;m taking a little detour en route to stop by Liechtenstein and spend the 10 Swiss Francs left on my Revolut card.
After 8 years of hard work finding thousands of awesome flights for you, dear readers, this trip is well deserved. But it won&rsquo;t be all fun and games &mdash; we&rsquo;re also looking forward to brainstorming exciting new ideas for JFC! Most importantly, though, we can finally put to bed the question of how tall all our colleagues are, having only ever seen most of them through a webcam lens!
Happy travels and safe landings,

JFC's Eleven Most Chaotic Cities in the World - As Chosen By You

It&rsquo;s official, dear readers &mdash; you have been to some very chaotic destinations indeed. After my escapades in Ho Chi Minh City brought back more than a few memories for Detour reader Avril, she suggested we all put our heads together and come up with a list of the most chaotic cities in the world.
As always, you obliged. So, without further ado, here are Jack&rsquo;s Flight Club&rsquo;s top 11 most chaotic cities around the globe&hellip; well, technically it&rsquo;s thirteen. Oops.
<h3 dir="ltr">11. Paris, France</h3>

She&rsquo;s busy and bustling, the City of Light, and it seems that a lot of that light comes from headlamps. Considered one of the world&rsquo;s most congested cities, getting in a car there can feel like a whole adventure &mdash; especially if you&rsquo;ll be <a href="https://youtu.be/-2RCPpdmSVg?si=rMjSG-6Kw1TSsKlV">passing by the Arc de Triomphe</a> or tackling <a href="https://fabricofparis.com/2022/11/18/the-last-wall-of-paris-the-story-of-the-boulevard-peripherique">Europe&rsquo;s busiest urban motorway</a>.
Personally, I&rsquo;d rather just hop on the Metro, but even there it&rsquo;s a wild ride. The stations are notoriously smelly, the trains jam-packed like a tin of sardines or cancelled at short notice.&nbsp;
And then there&rsquo;s going by foot. Size-wise, Paris is fairly walkable, but the rules of the road for pedestrians may well confuse any level-headed visitor. In theory, jaywalking is illegal in France &mdash; but only if there&rsquo;s an official pedestrian crossing within 50m &mdash; and the fine if you get caught breaking the rules is a whopping &euro;4. Unsurprisingly, most locals don&rsquo;t care and just cross where they like.
Reasons to visit anyway: It&rsquo;s Paris, of course! It&rsquo;s iconic, having long been a shining star of stage and screen. Aside from seeing the major sights, there&rsquo;s something about the art, culture and history oozing from the city&rsquo;s pores that make it undeniably appealing. You could say, it&rsquo;s got a certain je ne sais quoi. 
<h3>10. Rome, Italy</h3>

Much like Paris, Rome is a bustling European capital. This time, with added mopeds!&nbsp;
Crossing the road here is often a challenge, as the scooters weave in and out of the cars, hurtling across pedestrian crossings without much care for those on foot.&nbsp; But this site offers up some handy tricks you can employ to make sure that you reach the other side in one piece:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Make eye contact with drivers or politely hold your hand up to signal to them that you want to cross</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Once you step out into the street, commit! There&rsquo;s no turning back.</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Find an older person to cross with (sure, drivers might respect them more, but they&rsquo;ve also been doing it for a good while</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Find a nun to cross with &mdash; they have God on their side, after all!</li>
</ul>
Reasons to visit anyway:&nbsp;Pizza, pasta, the Colosseum! Rome is brimming with alluring sights going far beyond the ones you&rsquo;ve heard of. Want to see where Caesar was murdered? Or maybe you just like cats? Either way &mdash; head to the <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/torre-argentina-roman-cat-sanctuary">Torre Argentina</a>. Or how about visiting an old-school <a href="https://anamericaninrome.com/2018/05/boccione-forno-in-romes-jewish-ghetto/">bakery in the Jewish Ghetto</a> that&rsquo;s been serving up ricotta and cherry cake for 210 years?&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr"> 9. Bangkok, Thailand</h3>

&ldquo;The article about crossing streets in HCMC brought back memories of trying to cross streets in Bangkok. We deployed a similar strategy: wait on the side of the road until a critical mass of people is achieved, and then all move across at the same time. It was scary/exhilarating! We arrived back at the hotel each night covered in grit from the diesel exhaust.&rdquo;
<hr>
&ldquo;No list would be complete without Bangkok!&nbsp; You've just got to run and hope for the best!&rdquo;

The city&rsquo;s hectic roads are only part of the chaos, though &mdash; the glowing neon billboards and huge malls next to ancient temples are enough to give you whiplash. The stench of durian and street food stalls mix with exhaust fumes from the city&rsquo;s 7 million cars. It&rsquo;s a lot by any standards!
Reasons to visit anyway: 9th place may not seem like it gives Bangkok enough chaos credit where it&rsquo;s due, but the main thing that offsets it is the <a href="https://youtu.be/NFw-WizIt50?si=w1giE5keLa5t5DeQ&amp;t=704">cracking public transportation</a>. Getting around the city is easy once you know how, so you&rsquo;ll have no problem whizzing between the markets and temples &mdash; probably not <a href="https://farandwild.travel/wilder/article/temples-of-bangkok">all 400</a> though, that&rsquo;s a stretch even for us!
Plus, we JFC-ers loooove all the other <a href="https://www.google.com/travel/explore?tfs=CBwQAxoZKABqBwgBEgNCS0tyDAgEEggvbS8wNzNxMRoZKABqDAgEEggvbS8wNzNxMXIHCAESA0JLS0ABSAFgyAFwAoIBCwj___________8BmAEBsgEEGAEgAQ&amp;tfu=GioaKAoSCbQXY2AIFTNAEcTVEHxtilxAEhIJF17BaFHbEEARxNUQfMVkV0A">cheap Southeast Asia flights</a> you can pick up once you&rsquo;re there!
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">8. Phnom Penh, Cambodia</h3>

&ldquo;Hello there. Regarding traffic chaos, I have to include Phnom Penh. It's crazy enough as it is, but come 4pm and the "rush" hour, it gets particularly bonkers with both moto riders and tuk tuk drivers mounting the pavement to make a right turn more quickly.&nbsp;
I'd advise either viewing this spectacle from above with a drink or actually in a tuk tuk. Both much safer than being on the back of a motorbike trying to weave a path through the chaos. Enjoy!&rdquo;

Much like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Phnom Penh seems to take a &ldquo;good luck out there&rdquo; approach as it waves you off to cross the street. Then there&rsquo;s the added fun of tuk tuks, and the extra challenge of a lack of marked crossings. But all in all, <a href="https://youtu.be/bHvlYCULD3s?si=B9BpQg3mLBGJzQ6l&amp;t=123">this guy</a> makes it look pretty simple.
Reasons to visit anyway: Cambodia&rsquo;s history is intense and at times grim, but visiting the Killing Fields and learning about the Khmer Rouge will give you a real insight into the country&rsquo;s people and culture. It&rsquo;s also home to&nbsp;<a href="https://helloangkor.com/the-ancient-temples-near-phnom-penh/">ancient, intricate temples</a> that are way less touristed than famous Angkor Wat, so take the time to explore them with a little more breathing room. 
<h3 dir="ltr">7. Kampala, Uganda</h3>

&ldquo;There are almost as many motorcycles as other vehicles, and they:
1. drive down the middle of traffic in both directions,&nbsp;
2. drive on the pavements
3. carry dangerous cargos - I have seen the passenger carrying huge mirrors
4. drive through traffic lights
The roundabouts are road carnage - no sense of giving way to the right, so a total snarl
Traffic lights often are not working, but the police man major junctions to direct traffic (ignored by motorcycles)&rdquo;

Reasons to visit anyway: If you&rsquo;ve been a JFC-er for a while, you&rsquo;ll no doubt know exactly why you should head to Uganda. The clich&eacute;d thing would be to<a href="https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/gorilla-trekking-in-uganda-a-complete-guide/"> go gorilla trekking</a> (we're not knocking it, it's genuinely fantastic), but you might also want to spend a minute exploring<a href="https://moafrikatours.com/lake-victoria/"> Lake Victoria</a> by boat. It's the largest lake in Africa and just teeming with wildlife. We'd suggest not swimming in it, however, unless you don't mind sharing the waters with a few hippos and crocodiles.
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">6. Kathmandu, Nepal</h3>

&ldquo;I traveled there by myself 10 years ago, just before the big earthquake of 2015. Imagine a metro area of 1.5 million people, where many of the "main" roads look like the last time they were paved was maybe 30 years earlier: remains of asphalt surrounded by dirt, deeply rutted.&nbsp;
The main roads were a non-stop stream of cars, trucks, motorcycles, tuk tuks, and bicycles. It's hard to describe how many traffic lanes there were; every vehicle is weaving in and out, maybe 4 or 5 or 6 deep in each direction. With cows standing in the middle of the road chewing their cud. I have no idea how THEY got there.&nbsp;
I hired a driver one day to take me to a couple of shops that were right across the street from each other. When it was time to cross the road, he simply took my elbow and steered me through the moving traffic. I still don't know how he did it. It felt like the Red Sea parting for Moses and the Israelites. Except the traffic never stopped flowing.&rdquo;

Reasons to visit anyway: You don&rsquo;t have to be into Himalayan trekking to enjoy Kathmandu (although, that helps). From <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/detour-173-cheapest-safari-in-tanzania">temples to tigers and the &lsquo;Toothache Tree</a>&rsquo;, Kathmandu is more than just your starting point for the long road to Everest Base Camp &mdash; it&rsquo;s a whole experience in its own right. 
<h3 dir="ltr">5. Ho Chi Minh City &amp; Hanoi, Vietnam</h3>

Okay, I&rsquo;m biased here because I&rsquo;ve lived through it &mdash; Ho Chi Minh City was an assault on the nerves and senses. At times, we found ourselves weaving on and off pavement between mopeds, people enjoying a coffee, and actual free-roaming chickens. In the middle of the city!&nbsp; It sounds like Hanoi isn&rsquo;t much different:

&ldquo;I feel Katy&rsquo;s pain with HCMC but another assault course is Hanoi. The narrow roads are no better even though you think you&rsquo;ll be safer &mdash; they come from all angles rather than travelling in the same direction!&rdquo;

And JFC-er Avril isn&rsquo;t the only one who thinks so &mdash; every traveller I met in Ho Chi Minh who had been to Hanoi agreed that the Vietnamese capital was just as bad. Somehow, I&rsquo;d imagined the ancient city with its traditional Old Quarter to offer a little respite. Apparently I was way off, and getting around there also requires <a href="https://www.contiki.com/six-two/article/cross-road-hanoi/">Jedi mind tricks</a>.&nbsp;
While Hanoi&rsquo;s Metro is still a relative novelty with only a few lines, that is a couple more than Ho Chi Minh has to offer at this point. One tip I can offer is using those Metro underpasses to get across big junctions, if you can!
Reasons to visit anyway: Both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi offer a great introduction to Vietnam&rsquo;s history and cuisine. The War Remnants Museum in HCMC was a tough visit, but essential to understanding the lasting effects of the Vietnam war on the country. They&rsquo;ll also give you a crash course in Vietnamese coffee and tea culture, with every second shop front hosting at least a few people with a cuppa in hand.&nbsp;

<h3 dir="ltr">4. Colombo &amp; Kandy, Sri Lanka</h3>

We&rsquo;ve already heard from you about hectic Colombo, so let&rsquo;s turn to nearby Kandy:

&ldquo;I live in Sri Lanka, near Kandy, which is much worse than Colombo. Sri Lanka has way more tuk-tuks per head of population than does India, and I would suspect more than anywhere else on the planet. In Kandy, they infest the streets, along with nose-to-tail buses belching black fumes.&nbsp;
Pedestrian crossings exist in theory but in practice are just road decorations, completely ignored except the single one which is light-controlled. The one way system was designed by a madman, in order to maximise the length of time vehicles spend stationary or near-stationary.&nbsp;
The walk around the otherwise picturesque Kandy Lake is spoilt by the continuous traffic jam next to you. Add to that the fact that the city lies in a hollow surrounded by mountains, a magnet for air pollution, and you have plenty of ingredients for chaos.
Nonetheless, although we're always glad to retreat to our home in the delightful Hanthana mountains half an hour away, I'd still miss Kandy. It's a fine line between positive bustle and negative chaos, I guess, and Kandy bestrides it.&rdquo;

Reasons to visit anyway: The lush jungle, epic views, stunning temples, and mouthwatering curries are incredibly popular among the JFC team &mdash; so much so that our Business Analyst Tara has returned to spend several months there yet again! You can read all about <a href="https://jacksflightclub.com/detour-140-sri-lanka">her 2024 visit here</a>, and take a look at some snaps from Flight Finder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DHJkgxHInxV/?hl=en">Lauren&rsquo;s recent trip here</a>. 
<h3 dir="ltr">3. Delhi</h3>

There are nearly 35 million people living in Delhi, so it&rsquo;s hardly surprising that things get a little busy. Add in the tourists flocking to the same major sites, all attempting to tackle the same stretch of road but with little understanding of how local drivers operate, and it&rsquo;s sheer chaos.
You want an idea of what it&rsquo;s really like to cross the road in Delhi? I feel like <a href="https://youtu.be/H6bPVEUwnhc?si=34Lta5sWHZEDMEeo">this video</a> sums it up nicely. It&rsquo;s not a case of standing by the side, looking out across the pedestrian crossing, and waiting for a window. There will be no window. You can hardly see the other side for the moving walls of tuk tuks that stand between you and your goal.&nbsp;
Most of that chaotic energy can be found in Old Delhi, where livestock, vehicles, and street food vendors all weave frantically between one another. This truly is a city where the early bird catches the worm, and that worm is a gap in the traffic.
Reasons to visit anyway: Spectacular spots like the <a href="https://www.transindus.co.uk/highlights/red-fort-delhi/">Red Fort</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Jami-Masjid-mosque-Delhi-India">Jama Masjid</a> make the buzz worthwhile. And you can even escape for some peaceful moments in <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g304551-d324106-Reviews-Lodhi_Garden-New_Delhi_National_Capital_Territory_of_Delhi.html">Lodhi Gardens</a>. It&rsquo;s also an essential stop on the <a href="https://jacksflightclub.com/newsletter-2024-15-03">Golden Triangle</a> route, a veritable trip of a lifetime.
<h3 dir="ltr">2. Mexico City, Mexico</h3>

&ldquo;Having got back from Mexico City last week, it is on another level compared to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi! Everyone literally barges their car past everyone else and we saw two actual fights almost break out. Half the cars had broken windshields too. Absolutely chaotic.&rdquo;

In the city where drivers &ldquo;<a href="https://mexiconewsdaily.com/mexico-living/pedestrians-in-mexico/">consider a red light to be a mere suggestion</a>,&rdquo; crossing the street on foot is inadvisable, but likely unavoidable. Lanes of traffic won&rsquo;t always be going in the direction you expect, so taking your time to assess the situation in full is essential.
The Metro is a cheap and fast option for getting across the city. But there are lots of lines and, as you&rsquo;d expect in a city of nearly 23 million, it&rsquo;s pretty darn busy at peak times. 
Reasons to visit anyway:&nbsp;&ldquo;Mexico City can be overwhelming &hellip; One of the cheapest sightseeing things to do is ride the <a href="https://youtu.be/Mwz7MikjAcA?si=A4MpccCbr3FrEiQB">cablebus public transport cable car</a> over the top of the city and see all the painted roofs and people going about their lives. Super fascinating, and there is <a href="https://www.blondevoyagenashville.com/home/mexico-city-from-taquerias-to-fine-dining-where-to-eat-in-mexico-city">tons of good food</a> to be had for cheap everywhere!&rdquo;
<h3 dir="ltr">1. Cairo, Egypt</h3>

&ldquo;There aren't [pedestrian crossings] in Egypt (at least not in Cairo) - nor are there really any traffic lights (I saw three when I was there last year - two were near the airport). People also run across motorways!&rdquo;
<hr>
&ldquo;I agree with Cairo as one of the most chaotic cities.&nbsp; We got an Uber to the new Egyptian museum from our city hotel. 270 (Egyptian) pounds. Coming back, the taxi drivers were waiting, and the negotiations started at 800 pounds. We agreed on 500 including tip, and the driver said "follow me". We were by the side of a motorway. The "taxi" was on the other side. The cars were coming thick and fast. We had to cross it.&nbsp; What to do???
Looked the other way and there were the police. They will stop us, I thought. But no. &ldquo;Come on,&rdquo; said the taxi driver, so we stepped out and followed him across the motorway without looking either way. Survived, despite horns blowing. "We shouldn't have done that," said my husband. I was just relieved to get across.&rdquo;
<hr>
&ldquo;I was in Cairo a few years ago and the taxi I was in missed a motorway turn, so he just reversed up the motorway (into a bus!) - we were all alright, so no worries really. I have been to Cairo a few times before and thought I had it down with the road crossing etc, but reversing up a motorway is a new one for me!&rdquo;

Reasons to visit anyway: Pyramids are where most of us start when we plan a trip to Egypt. And the pyramids themselves may be breathtaking, but the crowds, the pushy street sellers, and the intensity that come with them can be a bit much. Thankfully, Flight Finder Kristi shared fantastic tips on escaping Cairo&rsquo;s chaos in a previous edition of The Detour &mdash; you can read all about her <a href="https://jacksflightclub.com/newsletter-2024-09-02">escape to Egypt&rsquo;s nature here</a>. 
That&rsquo;s your lot, readers! We had several more suggestions, too, including Lagos, Johannesburg, Dhaka, and Beijing. And if there's one thing I've learnt from this, it's that you can always find an instructional road-crossing video on YouTube to prepare yourself for the madness before touching down!

No, not Dakha in Bangladesh. This time we&rsquo;re talking about Dakhla in the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14115273">disputed Western Sahara region</a> to the south of Morocco. &ldquo;But why?&rdquo; you might ask. Well, it just got a whole lot cheaper to travel there, so you know that our Flight Finders have suddenly become obsessed.
Ryanair recently launched flights from Spain to Dakhla, so now you can combine a Madrid city break or a Lanzarote beach week with a few days rambling the Western Saharan sand dunes and catching the waves.
The city is squeezed between the waters of the Atlantic and the Sahara desert. With <a href="https://www.iksurfmag.com/travel-guides/africa/morocco/dakhla/#:~:text=Dakhla%20is%20known%20for%20its%20constant%20wind%2C%20an%20estimated%20340%20days%20per%20year">300+ windy days</a> a year, this is the place for anyone who appreciates a sprinkling of adrenaline atop their breach holiday. Kite surfing aficionados and newbies alike will want to make a beeline for the <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/style/article/2022/07/11/dakhla-a-windswept-lagoon-in-morocco_5989759_40.html">Dakhla lagoon</a>, if only to try and look as cool as <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@stighoefnagel/video/7225899792101133595">this guy</a>.&nbsp;

Next stop, the white dunes. Now, this one isn't strictly for you adrenaline junkies &mdash; I mean, who could say &ldquo;no&rdquo; to a stroll&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Chzvv1fP_x0/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">along this beauty</a>? But don't leave without trying your hand at <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/OAcVymvtJG8?feature=share">sand-boarding</a>, too! After a long, hard day of fun, head to the local oyster farm to sample the local speciality.
Beyond the adrenaline and aphrodisiacs, the region is also home to the Sahrawi nomadic people. The harsh desert heat sees them migrating towards the coast during summer months, while winters are spent further inland. For a traditional desert experience while there, a guided camel trek to a Bedouin camp is likely on the cards.
So if you&rsquo;re in the mood for somewhere more than a little different, but not too far from the usual European suntraps, perhaps Dakhla is your next stop. And if you&rsquo;ve already been, we&rsquo;d love to hear all about it! Hit &lsquo;Reply&rsquo; to share your experience with your fellow Detour readers :-)

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul></ul>
<ul></ul>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Note to self: <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2025/03/12/tsa-turtle-mans-pants-newark-liberty-international-airport/82304392007/">remove turtle from pants</a> before travel. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">After a number of incidents involving overheating power banks on planes, some airlines are cracking down and <a href="https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/singapore-airlines-power-bank-battery-ban">banning use</a> on board. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">From ghost towns to graveyards, check out these <a href="https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-11-18/the-most-stunning-abandoned-places-on-earth?_sp=4df24eff-b5dc-4c90-857a-c025195fd1ba.1742040541031">creepy and fascinating abandoned spots</a> around the world. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">And finally, today we bring the joyous (and, let&rsquo;s face it, unsurprising) news that the EU&rsquo;s ETIAS entry &ldquo;visa&rdquo; has been <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/news/europe-travel-visa-etias-what-to-know/">pushed down the line</a> yet again. Non-EU visitors should still expect their biometrics to begin being collected from October this year, but current forecasts suggest the electronic travel authorisation won&rsquo;t be mandatory until the end of 2026. Hooray?</li>
</ul>

11 Most Chaotic Cities Around the Globe

Hey there, JFC-ers,
We've got a lot to celebrate this week! The party kicked off with <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2025/03/photos-carnival-2025-around-world/681910/">Mardi Gras and Carnival</a> celebrations around the world, while those of us in the UK whipped out the pancakes on Tuesday. In fact, some parts of England have turned into <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g089vvn4ko">quite the sport</a>. Here at JFC, we celebrated our own way, with a brand-new <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/new-orleans-destination-guide">New Orleans guide</a>.
Next came time to digest all the excitement with a quiet moment on World Book Day. The bookworms among you may fancy taking a look back at our article on&nbsp;<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/unique-and-quirky-destinations-for-book-lovers">quirky destinations for book lovers</a> to help plan your next trip.
And then comes tomorrow's International Women's Day! From the <a href="https://www.exodus.co.uk/insights/historys-boldest-female-travellers">inspirational travellers</a> who came before us, to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unearthwomen.com/5-matriarchal-societies-where-women-are-in-charge/">women-led societies</a> that still exist around the world, I'll be celebrating by letting the women of this world fuel my insatiable wanderlust.
Happy travels and safe landings,

Arizona's Essential Out-of-This-World Road Trip Pit Stop

If you&rsquo;ve ever driven down the heavily trafficked Interstate 10 through Eastern Arizona, you have probably encountered a few billboards for a mysterious roadside attraction:&nbsp;
&ldquo;THE THING? YOU&rsquo;LL BE AMAZED!&rdquo;
&ldquo;THE THING? IT&rsquo;S A WONDER!&rdquo;
&ldquo;THE THING? YOU WON&rsquo;T FORGET IT!&rdquo;
In a distinctive shade of sunny yellow, these cryptic billboards arrive every fifty or so miles down the highway and have been turning heads <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/t9ju4y/the_thing_arizona_1967/">since the 1960s</a>. If you&rsquo;re a connoisseur of tacky roadside attractions like me, they&rsquo;re highly effective at making you memorize that exit number (exit 322) and flick that righthand turn signal when you see it.
When I finally arrive at the exit, a matching yellow building promises a museum and gift shop.

The Detour

Your Wander Wishlists & the Latest Airport Shenanigans

Collecting Air Miles Like the Pros

Iceland, Lapland, Copenhagen and Prague - our tips for an epic multi-stop trip

Discovering New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment

Disastrous Flight Delays - JFC-ers share their stories

Cheap Flights During School Breaks - do the stars ever align?

Take a Break From Barça with These Alternative European trips

St Croix - a Journey Through the Island's Most Historic Distillery

11 Most Chaotic Cities Around the Globe

Arizona's Essential Out-of-This-World Road Trip Pitstop

Chaotic cities JFC-ers would rather avoid

Lazy Planner's Guide to Brazil Bumper Special

The cheapest safari in Tanzania: our Flight Finders reveal all

New Zealand anew - JFC-ers top tips for the perfect Kiwi trip

The Lazy Planner's Guide to New Zealand

Cocktails and cutlery at 38,000 ft

From Australia to Kyrgyzstan, the Pyrenees, and beyond - recommendations from the JFC team

Bolivia, Japan, New Orleans, and beyond - our best trips of 2024

Take a Detour back through 2024

Two Years Living in Airbnbs: Here's What I've Learnt

Big tour Vs. Little tour - Flight Finder Allan on the pros and cons of group travel

The Curse of Cheap Flights via Istanbul

How to do Marrakesh, the JFC way

The Very Honest Airline Review You've All Been Waiting For...

Real Travel Experiences to Guide Your Next Adventure