Hey there, JFC-ers!

We've come to our final edition of the year, and what a year it has been for exciting travels.

January kicked off with a bunch of the JFC team making the most of an error fare to Tanzania that our flight finding geniuses dug up in late 2023. Of course, they made it their duty to test out all the sun, sea, sand, and safari they had time for so that they could whip up a cracking Zanzibar guide for you on their return.

Then in February, I put on the Out of Office and headed off on my honeymoon. Our week's Caribbean cruise was a great experience — very different to the way I usually travel — but topping that off with Mardi Gras in New Orleans and 5 days taking in the Costa Rican cloud forest truly made it a trip to remember.

Come spring time, Flight Finder Fran took off on a tasty Sakura-hunting adventure in Korea and Japan, while Lauren hit the Andes with a trip to Peru and Bolivia. 

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan were next on my list, and I wasn't the only one, as Flight Finders Kash and Kristi also found their way to Central Asia courtesy of cheap fares from Pegasus Airlines. Meanwhile, our Flight Finders from across the pond found themselves hitting Europe — but not without a couple of hurdles.

Across the team, we've rounded out the year with trips to Spain, Georgia, Turkey, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, and more, and honestly we couldn't feel more fortunate. So, where did you visit this year, and what were your memorable moments? Just hit 'Reply' to share your travel tales :-)

Today, we're going to keep things simple and share a couple of our favourite articles from earlier this year — our team's top packing hacks, and Bali tips from the JFC community. 

And as for 2025, here's to another great year of travel! We look forward to sharing all our travel tips and stories with you, our wonderful Detour readers! 

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You love low fares, we love low fares. It’s why Jack’s Flight Club exists, and it’s why you’re here! If you’ve ever tried flying anywhere on a budget, you’ve no doubt run into low-cost airlines like Ryanair, easyJet, Spirit or Frontier. With fares that are often dirt-cheap, it’s hard not to be lured in…

But when it comes to actually booking your flight, you quickly find out that these prices come with seemingly endless additional fees for things we used to take for granted. Sitting with your travel companions, having a drink (even water!), and—their top moneymaker—bringing a regular-sized cabin bag onboard can apparently be classified as true luxury these days.

That’s where so-called “one bag travel” comes in. More than just a logical way of being tight-fisted and sticking it to the man by refusing to pay up, it’s become a whole way of life with a passionate online community. In fact, many travellers prefer the one-bag life, even when they don’t have to pay extra for a checked bag.

It won’t surprise you that many among the JFC team also like to travel light (or, in my case, resent the idea of paying for a full-size cabin bag!). Knowing that it’s something they do a lot, I asked them for their top tips on keeping those bags under control:

You can find lots of “10 best collapsible water bottles” articles online, with options for all budgets. I’d recommend checking reviews for mentions of durability and leakage—the last thing you want is your one bag to be soaked through!

Absolutely no disagreements from me. Flight Finder Lauren swore by packing cubes to keep everything in order when backpacking across Europe, and I’d go as far as to say that packing cubes are now an essential part of my packing regime at all times.

Regardless whether I’m travelling light or with a full suitcase, I rely on them to maintain some semblance of organisation. Even my giant, sturdy (absurdly neon) Herschel number gets the packing cube treatment these days!

Flight Finder Kristi puts her somewhat superhuman packing skills down to her cubes, too:

Next step, packing the kids in the cubes?

I must admit, it does look like an especially smart solution for carrying a suit or dress that you don’t want to get creased in your bag. Not everyone is an expert in tight rolls!

…but you’re worried about all the tourists? You’re not alone.

Even with a reputation for being firmly on the beaten track, lots of us just can’t shake that longing to see the lush terraced rice paddies and Hindu temples of Ubud with our own eyes.

The JFC Facebook community seems to be chock-full of Bali-ebers (hey, if Justin Bieber can do it, so can Bali). So when member Laurie shared her draft itinerary and admitted that she was overwhelmed by the choice of places to visit there, it was all hands on deck!

First up, sorting out the schedule. With around three weeks, how would JFC-ers divide their time? Our main takeaway: Ubud is worth the hype!

Kuta, on the other hand, is nobody's favourite:

Despite its tiny stature, Gili Trawangan gets rave reviews. Unlike much of Bali, you won’t find any mopeds here, so it’s all about that bicycle life. It’s the place to go for snorkelling, diving, and catching epic sunsets by the shore. And that’s all before the nightlife kicks in!

But over the water lies the real gem in Indonesia’s island crown—Lombok.

Just next door, but so much less popular with the Instagram crowd (except maybe Pink Beach!). The landscape on Lombok is varied, with hikeable volcanoes, a deluge of waterfalls, and a huge selection of quiet beaches, where you can build sand castles without worrying some big brute will come and kick them over. Unless you’re on Selong Belanak beach at sunset when the water buffalo come out.

Some of our favourite important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this year.

• January: A flight attendant went viral last year after he worked out how to bake a cake at 30,000 ft and shared the evidence on TikTok. Unfortunately for Miguel, it also seems to have been his downfall.
• February: According to the South Korean Food Ministry, you really shouldn’t eat deep-fried tooth picks. Nope, not even when topped with powdered cheese.
• March: Take a look inside the unexpectedly vibrant rave scene of Lagos, Nigeria. Warning: you may suddenly feel the urge to dance!
• April: Watch out for the owls in the bog! Enjoy these 20 incredibly entertaining idioms from around the world. Lid shut, monkey dead.
• May: Meet the 101-year-old passenger who keeps getting mistaken for a baby when she flies American Airlines.
• June: This video from the BBC Archives reminds us what life was like for women pilots back in the 1970s.
• July: Oslo wins the internet this week with its brand-new city tourism ad. Less of a "look how amazing it is here" and more of a humorous insight into real life in the Norwegian capital, we're already packing our bags to hop on the next flight over!
• August: Here’s the moment a giant humpback whale took part in the Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti.
• September: *Moo Deng entered the chat* Who knew it was possible for snot bubbles to be so cute that they’d have their own fan base?
• October: Whether you’re a fan of obscure locations, a budding Geoguessr champ, or really just don’t want to run into anyone else on your next trip, this map of America’s loneliest roads should come in handy.
• November: Airlines in the US now have even more reason to make sure their services run on time, and the automatic refund rule comes into effect.
• And finally, December: Thanks to its new route connecting Istanbul with Santiago de Chile, Turkish Airlines has bagged itself a Guinness World Record! Operating in 131 countries around the world, it has officially been named the airline that flies to the most countries around the world.