Bolivia, Japan, New Orleans, and beyond - our best trips of 2024
Updated:
May 30, 2025
11 min read
Happy new year, JFC-ers!
I hope you all had a lovely New Year's Eve, however you chose to spend it.
Hogmanay here in Scotland had a bit of a dampener cast upon it, with extreme wind and rain cancelling Edinburgh’s street celebrations days before they were even set to happen. Thankfully, we’ve never needed a scheduled event up here to tell us when to have a dram and sing Auld Lang Syne!
This festive season wasn’t great for aviation, with two major plane crashes that you’ve no doubt seen all over the news, and two further incidents that you may not have. Thankfully, neither of the smaller incidents had such tragic consequences as those in Kazakhstan and South Korea.
With all the talk of bird strikes and landing gear failures, you’d be forgiven for having doubts about rushing to get back on a plane. Is it really the safest mode of transport, like the experts say it is? These flying stats and facts should help put your logical mind at ease for all your 2025 adventures.
Safe travels, and all the best for the year ahead,
Katy - Editor of The Detour
Where We've Been and Where We're Going
As you’ve probably gathered by now, we on the JFC team are all pretty nuts about travelling. Our 2024 trips took us far and wide, and 2025 has even more adventures to offer. So, before last year becomes a distant memory, we wanted to share with you their top trips from the year gone by, as well as where they’re excited to go over the next 12 months.
Lauren - Flight Finder
Top trip of 2024? Almost 10 years ago, I was gifted a huge Lonely Planet book listing the world's most beautiful places. And, right at the very start, was a huge glossy picture of the Bolivian salt flats in Uyuni. The image looked completely unreal, and I knew some day I had to go and visit to see it with my own eyes.
Finally, after spotting some cheap flights to Lima in March and taking far too many overnight buses, I found myself in the town of Uyuni. As we drove into the salt flats, I watched in awe as the dusty landscapes melted away into a bright white vastness. To my amazement, it was even more unreal than the photo in my book. Thanks to some perfectly timed recent rain, there was a thin layer of reflective water on the salty surface, creating a heaven-like optical illusion.
Honestly, it was magical!
Where are you looking forward to in 2025? I've had Sri Lanka on my bucket list for years, and I've finally booked my flights for February 2025 — I can't wait! I'm planning for lots of hiking, surfing, whale watching and eating <3
Anywhere you’re hoping we find an error fare for? SVALBARD! This is the year, I'm manifesting it.
Ian - Marketing
Top trip of 2024? Japan — it has to be the coolest country in the world. And I got engaged there too!
Where are you looking forward to in 2025? I’m planning a trip to China to visit my family, but I also want to head to Thailand, Dubai, Serbia, Albania…
Anywhere you’re hoping to see an error fare for? Somewhere in Africa would be amazing!
Kat - Member Experience
Top trip of 2024? Kruger National Park, South Africa. I have been going for the last 34 years, almost every year of my life. It's out in nature, an escape from the world, where each day is its own journey. I get to see animals in their own environment, and you never know what will be around the next corner!
This year was particularly special, as it was Blackjack's (my Service Dog) first time coming with me, and he absolutely loved it.
Where are you looking forward to in 2025? More Kruger National Park! I just always want to go back. I’m mostly just travelling within South Africa (Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal) at the moment. It’s great getting to see friends and family and spend time with them.
Anywhere you’re hoping to see an error fare for? Scandinavia (or somewhere I can see the Aurora Borealis)!
Fancy a safari in 2025?
Kruger takes the crown as the most popular and famous safari destination in South Africa, and rightly so — it is huge, well-connected, and has loads of accommodation options. But for smaller, more intimate experiences, or spots accessible from other cities, there are other options 
Olivia - Flight Finder
Top trip(s) of 2024? I have a few!
1. Bombay Beach: I went for the weird art and the desert, and loved meeting all the people who lived out there.
2. New Orleans: Mardi Gras! I loved the culture and the people.
3. Prague: My friend was already going, and I enjoyed seeing all the architecture and learning about the history.
4. Scotland: Because I got to hang out with my awesome colleagues!
Where are you looking forward to in 2025? So far on the books is the US Virgin Islands and New Mexico, but not sure after that. I’m excited about the USVI for the beaches, and NM for the desert hiking and artsy stuff.
Anywhere you’re hoping to see an error fare for? Thailand, please!
Pop back next week for more of the JFC team’s travel tales and 2025 plans!
Daytime Transatlantic Flights — Where Have They Gone?
“One question: Air Canada and a couple of other airlines used to have a daytime flight to the UK - but now it’s impossible to find an airline that has daytime flights to the UK - only night flights, which cause jet lag and is a pain. Do you know why the airlines have stopped day time flights? Thank you.” - Frances
Answered by Allan
Flight Finding Team Lead Allan is your 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!
Hey there! Flight Nerd Allan here telling you all about daytime flights from North American to Europe. I actually happened to fly on one of the few in 2023 from New York to London, and I really enjoyed getting in without having to deal with any kind of jet lag.
As far as I can see, London is really the only European city with daytime flights from North America. You can fly from DC or New York and that's just about it. Especially after Delta ended their day-time service to Paris this summer, the landscape remains relatively barren. And the answers are simpler than they might seem.
The first, and most obvious, is that it’s harder for scheduling. If a plane leaves for Europe at 8:30 AM US Eastern Time, it’ll land at 8:30 PM London time. That means the plane has to sit overnight at the airport until it can fly back the next morning. Turning around the plane in a few hours and flying back over the Atlantic at 11:30 PM doesn’t really happen either.
The second is a lack of connectivity. That flight landing at 8:30 PM can’t really have any onward traffic, as few flights take off after 9 PM. So any connections will have a 12 hour+ layover OR not happen at all, meaning that route has to be strong enough for point-to-point travel to sustain it entirely, which is rare for Europe.
So that’s why you only have a handful of these daytime European flights. I know it’s frustrating, as I love them too and will fly them whenever they make the most sense for my travel schedule. But that small amount of consumer appreciation doesn’t make up for the economic losses airlines feel with these services. Maybe we just need to convince airlines to offer connections across Europe at 11 PM instead :-)
Have you got a travel question you'd like us to answer in the Detour? Is there a destination you'd like to read more about? Let us know below 
Airbnb: Your Experiences
Following Flight Finder Olivia's article on long-term stays using Airbnb, lots of you wrote in to share your experiences. Needless to say, it was a mixed bag!
One thing everyone seems to agree on, however, is that if you do decide to book your accommodation through Airbnb, you should read the listings very carefully, and maybe even do a little background research if there aren't many reviews...
Here are just a few of the messages we received.
"I haven’t done Airbnb for a long-term stay (though that may change soon), but I have done lots of 1-3 day stints and plan to continue. Almost all stays were excellent. What has changed, however, it that when I started out, there was always some human contact with a host, even if that person was living somewhere else. Now, for many of my stays, I (we) check in, stay, check out, and never meet the person in whose home we are staying. That’s just a “rent-a-night” deal and not what I think Airbnb should be about." - Bruce
"I use AirBnBs regularly. I’ve used them in several countries in Europe and Latin America. For a long-term stay, you can save hundreds in accommodations and dining.
Earlier this year, I spent 4 weeks in Puebla, MX, 4 weeks in Medellin, CO, and about 5 weeks in Peru. I agree wholeheartedly that you have to go through the amenities list. I recommend reading the reviews thoroughly as well. Things like heat and hot water cannot be taken for granted. In fact, I picked the Airbnb in Cusco specifically because the listing mentioned a space heater (heating wasn’t included on most listings). When I first got to my Airbnb in Cusco, I wasn’t certain that I could spend a few weeks there because I had to go outside to get to my kitchen. I already knew this from the listing and although it wasn’t ideal, the price was the deciding factor.
The problem was a dog that was frequently in the courtyard. The hostess saw my discomfort when I arrived and she spoke with me the next day and assured me that the dog wouldn’t bother me. I encountered the dog a lot but it didn’t bother me, especially after it realized I wasn’t receptive to it. It was not the perfect situation but I got through it.
I spent a weekend at an Airbnb in Cartagena right in the middle of the action in the older part of the city. As instructed, I picked the key up from a local hotel. The unit was in a multi-purpose building, which was not fully occupied. The unit was clean and provided everything listed, but the stairs and corridors of the building were dark and the place seemed empty. I felt like if something happened to me there, no one was there to help or even see that something was amiss. I didn’t feel safe. If it had been my first experience with Airbnb, it probably would have been my last.
One last note, I read or saw a news account of two parents suing Airbnb because their son rented a unit in Brazil and he died from carbon monoxide poisoning inside the unit. That’s another reason to comb over the amenities list. Since CO is odorless, detectors are lifesaving. Most Airbnb units I’ve rented have no detectors, smoke or CO. There’s a solution to every problem though. I bought a detector and traveled with it just to be on the safe side. I plan to keep using Airbnb for long stays." - Francesca
"I was just reading your section on Airbnb and I have to say I have totally been put off using Airbnb after a really bad experience with them this year.
We turned up to a listing that was on an abandoned building site, that was basically left in covid because they ran out of money - so we found out. The host listed it as having some “cladding work” which absolutely was not the case! I filmed a load of videos and after spending hours fighting with Airbnb I managed to get my money back. They gave me assurances that they would look into the host and the listing so other guests didn’t have to suffer what I did.
Then came the battle with reviews. Airbnb removed my very honest review, along with another disgruntled guest who had stayed the week before us and they allowed the host to leave a review on my profile which suggested I was out for free stay and that I didn’t get a refund (I have recipes from Airbnb as proof).
The listing still reads the same at the moment, with poor unsuspecting guests thinking they are getting an “idyllic treetop stay near Disney Florida…” when in fact it’s an unsafe health and safety nightmare and Airbnb do nothing but send me copy and paste responses since I got my refund.
I personally will never be using Airbnb again after that experience! For anyone interested to see my clips of where we stayed, I put them together on YouTube.
I get that they can’t check every listing, but when one is brought to their attention like this, it seems wild they don’t do anything about it.
On further research, I found out the host had listed the property before and taken it down when she got bad reviews and put it up as a “new listing” again, which is how we came across it. And with only photos of the inside, we were none the wiser until we arrived!
Anyway, wishing you all a merry Christmas!" - Katie
As always, thanks so much for sharing your stories and opinions! We love hearing from the Detour community and appreciate all your feedback. Keep it coming!
Pick of the Clicks
All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.
- Aiming for superlative glory, China's new Dalian International Airport is set to win the title of largest airport in the world to be built on an artificial island when it opens in 2035.
- But being the biggest doesn't necessarily make you the most popular — just ask Japan's Seikan Tunnel, the world's longest underwater tunnel.
- For a spot of island sunshine somewhere altogether under-the-radar this winter, consider looking to Africa instead of the Caribbean.
- And finally, if picking your airlines more wisely is among your New Year's resolutions, you might want to take a look at who can keep a schedule! All I'll say is that, if this were a list of "ins and outs" for 2025, SkyTeam airlines would be "in", while those Canadian airlines… well…
