Australasia

A fantastical world of giant trees, harmonious lyrebirds, and the chug of a steam train…

Paris

France

Melbourne

Australia

Melbourne 🦘 at €763 rtn

London Heathrow

England

Sydney

Phuket

Thailand

Chiang Mai

Bangkok

Australia & Thailand 🌞 in £300s-£500s rtn  

Not sure where to go for your next holiday? Just take our quiz!

Dublin

Ireland

Auckland

New Zealand

Brisbane

Auckland and Brisbane 🌊 in €810s-€860s rtn

Super cheap fares to one of THE best views!

Edinburgh

Scotland

Newcastle

Glasgow

Inverness

Sydney 🐨 in £650s-£690s rtn

There are so few trips at this price, they might go by the time you're done reading this!

Frankfurt

Germany

Luxembourg

Melbourne 🦘 in €600s-€670s rtn

Adelaide

Darwin

Perth

Manchester

Belfast City

Northern Ireland

Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand ✨ in £500s-£870s rtn

Nightmare scenario (or at least three at once!), as I needed to travel to Australia to validate my Australian visa, as I had an upcoming deadline to do so (toward mid 2025).  I was about to arrange a flight to Australia &amp; hotel to valid my visa to ensure this was within the time required…until my mum intervened &amp; used guilt/ pressure to convince me that I should book a flight &amp; cruise package (cruise departing Sydney), so she could travel with me (as she wanted to have a holiday herself too &amp; wouldn’t be able to is I didn’t agree!), &amp; despite my protestations (as I have no interest in cruising, &amp; actually preferred to fly alone rather than risking having a family member on the same flight!).  Situation went from bad to worse, as a number of issues with the sale by the cruise agent became apparent immediately after booking (including not providing required info about their being visa/ health requirements, &amp; that they would have known were likely be impossible to meet in the short timeframe to departure…&amp; even worse, advertising the package including destinations that they were aware were red-flagged by the FCDO due to civil unrest, without stating this!).  Despite the code of conduct that they were signed up to requiring that they provide the appropriate info prior to sale, &amp; also offer/ agree to cancellation where such FCDO travel advice exists, &amp; where appropriate info wasn’t given about that &amp; other required things, the company refused to provide refund in line with this…so this was followed by a battle/ delay to pursue refund for a number of weeks (&amp; having to report the matter through the relevant authority), followed by waiting for a partial refund (&amp; agreeing to dispute the remainder of the matter on my return)…&amp; then having to search/ make alternative arrangements that had become more &amp; more expensive the nearer to my required departure!

Other elements of the cruise packages were for cancelled for each of us, but I had to keep my own flight &amp; just cancel my mum’s to minimise the cost of cancelling (as the company were at that time refusing to refund cancellation charges for the flights if we cancelled them, despite the matter being their fault!)…&amp; as I needed to enter Australia by the required deadline (&amp; therefore couldn’t’ also risk then struggling to find another flight by this later stage).  This meant I was now therefore limited to flying into Sydney (as they also refused to change the flight to another Australian city either, as they were also refusing to cover/ refund any flight change charges!), so I therefore had to find alternative accommodation in Sydney…again more expensive the closer it got to travel, due to the length of time it took to battle with them to agree any refund!

I then managed to book alternative accommodation through a very well-known an online booking site, &amp; as the accommodation was listed by a ‘private advertiser’ I contacted the booking site to obtain reassurance of the measures in place if there was an issue with the accommodation – &amp; was assured that if there were any issues, the booking site would provide me with alternative accommodation with the same or better amenities &amp; standard etc.  When I landed in Sydney (after a long flight from the UK), I had initial problems with my mobile phone not being able to make/ receive calls (despite having roaming calls included in my UK package, &amp; having called the UK provider to notify them before my trip &amp; to confirm that my roaming service was switched on!), &amp; I tried to resolve these in the hours I had to wait after my early morning arrival, before I could check in.  It seemed that the only thing that was working was texts &amp; data/ internet access.  Fortunately I had my previous Australian SIM with me (with PAYG credit still on it, so I could then make calls to try to check in to my accommodation).  However, when I was finally able to try to contact my accommodation, the accommodation were completely unresponsive!

Despite still having some phone issues (&amp; only PAYG credit for calls on my Australian phone), I managed to contact the booking company &amp; they unsuccessfully also tried to contact the accommodation – after some calls with the booking company back  forth, the booking company asked me if I wanted to cancel my accommodation (to which I said ‘absolutely no’, &amp; told them ‘I wanted them to do as they had promised/ assured would happen if there were issues’) – instead though, the booking company informed me they could not honour this &amp; refused to do so, &amp; simply told me they had instead cancelled my accommodation anyway, despite me telling them I did not want them to do so!  I was simply  left in Sydney airport after a long flight from the UK, with absolutely no accommodation (despite me telling them that this was the case &amp; that I was sitting in the airport after a long flight with no accommodation), &amp; still struggling with issues with my mobile phone &amp; therefore struggling (being unable to contact anyone in the UK that might be able to help &amp; them being unable to contact me either!).  I was left having to sit in the airport for the entire day with all of my luggage, spending my entire time trying to sort out the issues &amp; trying to search for last minute accommodation options that I could travel to (which was difficult with only a small mobile phone &amp; without space to use a laptop), &amp; I was forced to frantically search for &amp; book accommodation for that night which I could travel to.  Fortunately I had ensured that I had installed &amp; set up Uber sometime beforehand (although hadn’t ever used it at that point) but after finding accommodation for 1 night later that day I was successfully able to make my way to  the accommodation for that night.

Due to some accommodation being fully booked for certain nights, I was forced to spend the next 5 or 6 days hopping between hotels using Uber, having to spend each evening after being able to check-in searching for accommodation for the following night using my laptop, &amp; then having to check out early the following morning with all of my luggage (&amp; then having only a mobile phone to continue searching).  After the first 5 or 6 days I was able to book one hotel that I could travel to for the remaining 10 nights of my stay!  Despite having travel insurance, the insurance company also refused to help with sorting the issues &amp; recovering any of the additional costs etc. afterwards (which I presume was as the accommodation had been fully refunded despite me not agreeing to it simply being cancelled/ refunded!).  There were a few other fairly substantial issues along the way too (but those ended up seeming like nothing in the scheme of things!).  The issues took many months to finally conclude after returning…needless to say, despite absolutely needing the holiday by the time I went on it (&amp; then needing a further holiday to get over the things during it), my experiences left me feeling a bit nervous about the risks…especially as this holiday was the first trip I’d decided to take without my partner (although I imagine he was relieved he wasn’t on it!).  However nerve-wracking, I’m still determined that I won’t let the experience stop me considering a trip alone in the future…although hopefully subsequent trips will be minus the drama!  It would be so useful to know about other people’s experiences when it comes to experiencing issues (&amp; to perhaps have useful guides on what to do, where to look, who to approach, advice for avoiding/ mitigating problems…as even though I tend to be someone who is obsessive about research, preparation &amp; planning for even the most unexpected things etc., there can always be situations which can cause problems despite the best efforts to anticipate, avoid, plan for &amp; mitigate them!).

Postcard from JourneyingThroughLife

I booked this flight Manchester to Brisbane but had difficulty booking through link and google flights so went through Cathy Pacific. I chose extra legroom seats. Found by booking flex through Cathy I could save £100 on total cost. So extra leg room seats cost £400 rather than £500

Postcard from Peter

….a huge thank you! Round trip for 2 to Sydney to see our son, for £2088 (booked with the airline, felt safer!) half the price of what we had seen in previous weeks! 

Postcard from Stephen

Thank you Jack&#39;s Flight Club, this is exactly why I joined. 
Have booked MAN - SYD return in November for £827 (although I paid a further £100 to make the fare refundable).
Now I can visit my son and his family, including my new granddaughter!
Keep up the good work

Postcard from Tim

Booked this flight Feb 2024 returning March 2024, the second time we had flown using this route, the previous one being in November 2022.  It was also part of a multi city stop in Oz as we went to Tazmania, then Melbourne, driving to Adelaide then flying back to Perth. 
Unfortunately 12 hours before we were due to fly back on QF9, and having checked in and got our boarding passes, 39 of us got kicked off this flight and put on an Emirates flight via Dubai.
Whilst we did get home, we were not entitiled to any compensation on flights we had booked 11 months before, so be aware.
We paid for a direct flight, which we did not get.
Also Qantas fly form a different terminal at Perth Airport to the International one, which is a 10 minute drive away. We did get a taxi voucher after requesting it, and a meal voucher which was not valid in the International Terminal.

Postcard from Bob

Booked 2 adults Manchester uk to Melbourne 27/03/24 till 08/05/24 economy premium 

Postcard from Brack

Italy

United States

Hey there, Travellers,
Rarely ones to rock the boat, fancy Middle Eastern airline Emirates has been causing a bit of drama recently among their bougiest customers.&nbsp;
The airline plans to prevent travellers from collecting or spending rewards points on <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/emirates-skywards-kids-first-class-policy-b2829003.html">kids sitting in first class</a>. That in itself may not seem like a big deal, but it's sparked a debate about whether the young'uns should even be allowed in premium cabins.
So what do you think, readers? Are you happy to share your slice of paradise at 38,000 ft with children? Let us know <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-204-month-in-melbourne#comments">in the comments</a> or in the inbox.
Happy travels and safe landings,

Katy - Editor of The Detour

Win A Glamorous Night Out In London

It's said there are three great quests in life:&nbsp;1)&nbsp;To find love.&nbsp;2)&nbsp;To find meaning.&nbsp;3)&nbsp;And to win an insane competition for&nbsp;the ultimate luxury night out for four people&nbsp;involving wine, cocktails, and unique luxury dining experiences.&nbsp;
Which, our friends over at London's finest city guide&nbsp;<a href="https://thenudge.com/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thenudge.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1756982549610000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2x3wyahJgW_cUf8P1PJEUh" rel="noopener">The Nudge</a>. can help with.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s involved? Well, first you and three (incredibly grateful) buddies will start with cocktails at Mexican-Japanese&nbsp;Los Mochis, City, where you&rsquo;ll have&nbsp;&pound;100 to spend on&nbsp;stunning drinks&nbsp;either in their world-class Agaveria and lounge, or on their panoramic rooftop terrace should the weather see fit.
Then, things move onto&nbsp;LUNA&nbsp;-&nbsp;an intimate omakase restaurant&nbsp;perched on the 9th floor, overlooking the city.&nbsp;With only 12 seats in the whole restaurant, your group will be taking up a full third of the jewel-box space. And what follows will be a dozen courses from a theatrical, boundary-pushing menu that fuses storytelling with spectacular food. Expect welcome cocktails, some incredible food, wine pairings, and no bill at the end.
To enter, you don't need to guess how many jellybeans there are in a jar, or solve a riddle, or do a backflip - just click below&hellip;

In Partnership with The Nudge

Rails, Restaurants &amp; Road Trips: One Month in Melbourne

The 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

When incredibly wise Travellers like yourselves join Jack's Flight Club, we ask which destinations are on your wishlist (you can update those in your <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/settings/profile">Members Lounge profile</a> btw). The top ten is surprisingly consistent across all regions, with countries like Spain, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Canada, and the USA firm favourites for everyone.&nbsp;
But there's another li'l place you might have heard of that pops up time and time again: Australia. And since we've been seeing sooo many great&nbsp;<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/flights">Flights</a> there recently, it only seems right that we revisit one of our fave reader questions from a couple of years ago&hellip;

Q: Off to Melbourne in November for over a month. Do you have any tips that will help us make the trip better?

Good choice, reader, Melbourne is a cracker! It has newly been crowned Australia&rsquo;s largest city, yet still lives in Sydney&rsquo;s opera-house-shaped shadow. A month is a long time, but we&rsquo;re more than happy to recommend a few ways to maximise your stay.
Getting around
Don&rsquo;t worry about buying a transport pass for getting around. Many of Melbourne&rsquo;s most popular tourist attractions are located in and around the CBD (central business district) and the Docklands. Not only does this mean it&rsquo;s pretty walkable, but it also means a lot of the places you want to visit are within the city&rsquo;s <a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/free-tram-zone">Free Tram Zone</a>.

For the full hop-on-hop-off tour experience, stick to the <a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/australia/articles/the-best-stops-along-melbournes-free-tourist-tram/">City Circle Tram</a> (no. 35). It provides plenty of history and cheesy chat at no extra cost, plus the added charm of an old school tram. The main downside is that it&rsquo;s marketed squarely at tourists, so it&rsquo;s likely to be packed full of slightly lost-looking rucksack wearers during summer in particular.
As you&rsquo;re staying for over a month, reader, you&rsquo;re likely going to be spending time outside the CBD, too. We recommend picking up a <a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki">myki travel card</a> for those days when you&rsquo;re travelling on trains, buses and trams outside the Free Tram Zone.
Food, glorious food
Usually we wouldn&rsquo;t suggest disappearing down back lanes to escape the hustle and bustle, but we&rsquo;ll make an exception in Melbourne. It&rsquo;s famous for &ldquo;European-style&rdquo; cobblestone laneways featuring <a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/art/where-to-find-the-best-street-art-in-melbourne">bold street art</a> and hole-in-the-wall bars and restaurants that spill out onto the street.
The city has earned itself a reputation as a foodie paradise, and it&rsquo;s in these backstreets that you&rsquo;re going to stumble across the&nbsp;<a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://www.visitmelbourne.com/regions/melbourne/eat-and-drink/restaurants/laneway-dining">cr&egrave;me de la cr&egrave;me</a>. From a simple pastrami on rye to Malaysian street food and Italian fine dining, there's a treasure trove of cuisines hidden away in the labyrinth.

But how do you choose where to start when the world is (somewhat literally) your oyster? Here are a few JFC favourites to help you get started:
<ul>
<li><a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://www.instagram.com/lunecroissant/?hl=en&amp;lid=wzftnohjnk2d">Lune Croissants</a>: Never thought you&rsquo;d queue round the block for a cruffin? Think again. They are (somewhat controversially) home to the&nbsp;<a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://www.escape.com.au/destinations/australia/victoria/melbourne/lune-croissants-yes-melbournes-best-croissants-are-worth-the-queue/news-story/e5655d69f8ee6cec8697345ac1763f41?lid=e6gftdokyxjw">best croissants in the world</a>&mdash;including any in France. Our in-house Aussie, Larissa, recommends going mid-morning to avoid the mad rush.</li>
<li><a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://www.instagram.com/hardwaresociete/?hl=en&amp;lid=0si0cege4man">Hardware Soci&eacute;t&eacute;</a>: Fancy Aussie brunch with a French twist. So fancy, in fact, that they even have caf&eacute;s in Paris and Barcelona, so you know it&rsquo;ll be worth the wait. It&rsquo;s walk-in only, so the earlier you get there, the better.</li>
<li><a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://www.instagram.com/brunetticlassico/?hl=en">Brunetti Classico</a>: A true Melbourne institution for anyone with a sweet tooth. It&rsquo;s an authentic, family-run Italian caf&eacute; known for its cakes, pastries and gelato. Even if you don&rsquo;t have time to sit in, stop by their gelato bar for a scoop or two!</li>
</ul>

Out and about
We jumped into the <a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/577601325929066/search/?q=melbourne">JFC Facebook Community</a> to see what our members were recommending for Melbourne, and the number one thing that came up again and again was a day trip along the <a style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-family: 'Work Sans',Helvetica, Arial !important; color: #0ebfff;" href="https://fullsuitcase.com/great-ocean-road-best-stops/">Great Ocean Road</a>.
<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/melbournes-best-eateries-and-the-great-ocean-road">Keep reading...</a>

Travel Tips

Celebratory Escapes &amp; Italian Dreaming

"Hello, I am writing because I am looking for the best option to take my girl on a trip over Thanksgiving. My girl is turning 15 this December, and would like to take her on a trip for her quincea&ntilde;era (15th birthday).
I am a cancer survivor I just had my tests and everything looks good so we want to celebrate both lives, her birthday and my clear results. Please advise me about how to find a good deal for 2 tickets to New York, Paris, or some dream city like this. We are in Austin, Texas. Thank you in advance for your time" - Maria&nbsp;

Allan is your expert on the inner workings of the airline world. If you&rsquo;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!

Answered by Allan

Hey Maria!&nbsp;
Thanks so much for getting in touch and asking for help finding an awesome trip. First off, big congratulations for surviving cancer, as well as for your daughter's birthday. It's always worth celebrating!
Unfortunately, Thanksgiving can be a really expensive time to fly. Fares to Europe, which we like to see under $550 RT, are frequently closer to $1,000 RT. That being said, there are still good options out there if you're a bit flexible to come back on the Monday or Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
Here are a few suggestions:
<ul data-stringify-type="unordered-list" data-list-tree="true" class="p-rich_text_list p-rich_text_list__bullet p-rich_text_list--nested" data-indent="0" data-border="0">
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><a target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.google.com/travel/flights/search?tfs=CBwQAhopEgoyMDI1LTExLTI0KAFqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcgwIAxIIL20vMDVxdGoaKRIKMjAyNS0xMi0wMSgBagwIAxIIL20vMDVxdGpyCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptQAFIAXABggELCP___________wGYAQE" data-sk="tooltip_parent" href="https://www.google.com/travel/flights/search?tfs=CBwQAhopEgoyMDI1LTExLTI1KAFqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcgwIAxIIL20vMDVxdGoaKRIKMjAyNS0xMi0wMigBagwIAxIIL20vMDVxdGpyCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptQAFIAXABggELCP___________wGYAQE&amp;tfu=EgIIACIA&amp;curr=USD" rel="noopener">Paris</a></li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><a target="_blank" class="c-link" data-stringify-link="https://www.google.com/travel/flights/search?tfs=CBwQAhoqEgoyMDI1LTExLTI1KAFqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcg0IAxIJL20vMDJfMjg2GioSCjIwMjUtMTItMDIoAWoNCAMSCS9tLzAyXzI4NnILCAMSBy9tLzB2em1AAUgBcAGCAQsI____________AZgBAQ" data-sk="tooltip_parent" href="https://www.google.com/travel/flights/search?tfs=CBwQAhoqEgoyMDI1LTExLTI1KAFqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcg0IAxIJL20vMDJfMjg2GioSCjIwMjUtMTItMDIoAWoNCAMSCS9tLzAyXzI4NnILCAMSBy9tLzB2em1AAUgBcAGCAQsI____________AZgBAQ" rel="noopener noreferrer">New York</a></li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><a target="_blank" class="c-link" data-stringify-link="https://www.google.com/travel/flights/search?tfs=CBwQAhopEgoyMDI1LTExLTI0KABqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcgwIAhIIL20vMDRqcGwaKRIKMjAyNS0xMi0wMygAagwIAhIIL20vMDRqcGxyCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptQAFIAXABggELCP___________wGYAQE" data-sk="tooltip_parent" href="https://www.google.com/travel/flights/search?tfs=CBwQAhopEgoyMDI1LTExLTI0KABqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcgwIAhIIL20vMDRqcGwaKRIKMjAyNS0xMi0wMygAagwIAhIIL20vMDRqcGxyCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptQAFIAXABggELCP___________wGYAQE" rel="noopener noreferrer">London</a></li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><a target="_blank" class="c-link" data-stringify-link="https://www.google.com/travel/flights?tfs=CBsQAhopEgoyMDI1LTExLTI1KAFqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcgwIAhIIL20vMDZjNjIaKRIKMjAyNS0xMi0wMigBagwIAhIIL20vMDZjNjJyCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptQAFIAVIDVVNEcAF6dENqUkljVGt3Tm05U2NqQm9VRlZCUXpsVlRXZENSeTB0TFMwdExTMHRMUzEyZEhWaE0wRkJRVUZCUjJwTlNYZG5TMnBQTWtGQkVneEJRekV3TkRKOFFVTTRPVEFhQ3dqUTZRTVFBaG9EVlZORU9CeHcwT2tEmAEBsgESGAEgASoMCAISCC9tLzA2YzYy&amp;tfu=GgA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CAUQtY0DahgKEwjguvu_zeKPAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ2AM" data-sk="tooltip_parent" href="https://www.google.com/travel/flights?tfs=CBsQAhopEgoyMDI1LTExLTI1KAFqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcgwIAhIIL20vMDZjNjIaKRIKMjAyNS0xMi0wMigBagwIAhIIL20vMDZjNjJyCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptQAFIAVIDVVNEcAF6dENqUkljVGt3Tm05U2NqQm9VRlZCUXpsVlRXZENSeTB0TFMwdExTMHRMUzEyZEhWaE0wRkJRVUZCUjJwTlNYZG5TMnBQTWtGQkVneEJRekV3TkRKOFFVTTRPVEFhQ3dqUTZRTVFBaG9EVlZORU9CeHcwT2tEmAEBsgESGAEgASoMCAISCC9tLzA2YzYy&amp;tfu=GgA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CAUQtY0DahgKEwjguvu_zeKPAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ2AM" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rome</a></li>
</ul>
If you do need to travel only that week, the best options I can find are:
<ul data-stringify-type="unordered-list" data-list-tree="true" class="p-rich_text_list p-rich_text_list__bullet p-rich_text_list--nested" data-indent="0" data-border="0">
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><a target="_blank" class="c-link" data-stringify-link="https://www.google.com/travel/flights/search?tfs=CBwQAhonEgoyMDI1LTExLTI0agsIAxIHL20vMHZ6bXIMCAISCC9tLzBkNmxwGicSCjIwMjUtMTEtMzBqDAgCEggvbS8wZDZscHILCAMSBy9tLzB2em1AAUgBcAGCAQsI____________AZgBAQ&amp;tfu=EgIIACIA" data-sk="tooltip_parent" href="https://www.google.com/travel/flights/search?tfs=CBwQAhonEgoyMDI1LTExLTI0agsIAxIHL20vMHZ6bXIMCAISCC9tLzBkNmxwGicSCjIwMjUtMTEtMzBqDAgCEggvbS8wZDZscHILCAMSBy9tLzB2em1AAUgBcAGCAQsI____________AZgBAQ&amp;tfu=EgIIACIA" rel="noopener noreferrer">San Francisco</a></li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><a target="_blank" class="c-link" data-stringify-link="https://www.google.com/travel/flights?tfs=CBsQAhopEgoyMDI1LTExLTI0KAFqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcgwIAhIIL20vMDk0N2waKRIKMjAyNS0xMS0zMCgBagwIAhIIL20vMDk0N2xyCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptQAFIAVIDVVNEcAF6dENqUklSV1ppYTNjd1VFcDVlVEJCUTNSNFoyZENSeTB0TFMwdExTMHRMWFozZVc0eE1VRkJRVUZCUjJwTlUxZHJSV2xLZHpKQkVneEJRVEl5T0RkOFFVRXhPVGdhQ3dpcDJBUVFBaG9EVlZORU9CeHdxZGdFmAEBsgESGAEgASoMCAISCC9tLzA5NDds&amp;tfu=GgA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CAUQtY0DahgKEwiQ74jQ8uKPAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ5wE" data-sk="tooltip_parent" href="https://www.google.com/travel/flights?tfs=CBsQAhopEgoyMDI1LTExLTI0KAFqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcgwIAhIIL20vMDk0N2waKRIKMjAyNS0xMS0zMCgBagwIAhIIL20vMDk0N2xyCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptQAFIAVIDVVNEcAF6dENqUklSV1ppYTNjd1VFcDVlVEJCUTNSNFoyZENSeTB0TFMwdExTMHRMWFozZVc0eE1VRkJRVUZCUjJwTlUxZHJSV2xLZHpKQkVneEJRVEl5T0RkOFFVRXhPVGdhQ3dpcDJBUVFBaG9EVlZORU9CeHdxZGdFmAEBsgESGAEgASoMCAISCC9tLzA5NDds&amp;tfu=GgA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CAUQtY0DahgKEwiQ74jQ8uKPAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ5wE" rel="noopener noreferrer">Milan</a></li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><a target="_blank" class="c-link" data-stringify-link="https://www.google.com/travel/flights?tfs=CBsQAhopEgoyMDI1LTExLTI0KAFqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcgwIAhIIL20vMDFjeF8aKRIKMjAyNS0xMS0zMCgBagwIAhIIL20vMDFjeF9yCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptQAFIAVIDVVNEcAF6eENqUkliRVpST1Zkbk5FRk1WREJCUkdwaU5FRkNSeTB0TFMwdExTMHRMUzEyZEhSb01VRkJRVUZCUjJwTlUyRm5SSEppYzBOQkVnNVhUak0wTm54WFRqTXdNREVqTVJvTENKU1FBaEFDR2dOVlUwUTRISENVa0FJPZgBAbIBEhgBIAEqDAgCEggvbS8wMWN4Xw&amp;tfu=GioaKAoSCSO2tFH_t0lAEcj1sjqRTUzAEhIJ2mGYPaMkP0AR5HpZneiCWcA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CAUQtY0DahgKEwiQ74jQ8uKPAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ8wY" data-sk="tooltip_parent" href="https://www.google.com/travel/flights?tfs=CBsQAhopEgoyMDI1LTExLTI0KAFqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptcgwIAhIIL20vMDFjeF8aKRIKMjAyNS0xMS0zMCgBagwIAhIIL20vMDFjeF9yCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptQAFIAVIDVVNEcAF6eENqUkliRVpST1Zkbk5FRk1WREJCUkdwaU5FRkNSeTB0TFMwdExTMHRMUzEyZEhSb01VRkJRVUZCUjJwTlUyRm5SSEppYzBOQkVnNVhUak0wTm54WFRqTXdNREVqTVJvTENKU1FBaEFDR2dOVlUwUTRISENVa0FJPZgBAbIBEhgBIAEqDAgCEggvbS8wMWN4Xw&amp;tfu=GioaKAoSCSO2tFH_t0lAEcj1sjqRTUzAEhIJ2mGYPaMkP0AR5HpZneiCWcA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CAUQtY0DahgKEwiQ74jQ8uKPAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ8wY" rel="noopener noreferrer">Boston</a></li>
</ul>
Prices over this period can be so expensive, but I hope this helps. Airfares will keep going up and down over the next couple of months, so if none of these seem quite right, keep an eye on <a href="https://www.google.com/travel/explore?tfs=CBwQAxobEgoyMDI1LTExLTI0KABqCwgDEgcvbS8wdnptGhsSCjIwMjUtMTEtMzAoAHILCAMSBy9tLzB2em1AAUgBcAGCAQsI____________AZgBAbIBBBgBIAE&amp;tfu=GioaKAoSCSrcEvZ26FBAEQUAANdVuDxAEhIJIFv1CFdpNMARAAAgRZX_YMA&amp;hl=en-US&amp;curr=USD">Google Flights</a>.&nbsp;
Congratulations again to you and your daughter, I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time, wherever you celebrate.<a aria-label="Yesterday at 19:05:09" data-stringify-type="replace" data-stringify-text="[7:05 PM]" data-stringify-requires-siblings="true" data-ts="1758218709.118079" data-sk="tooltip_parent" class="c-link c-timestamp" href="https://jacksflightclub.slack.com/archives/C036V7GU4RK/p1758218709118079?thread_ts=1758009535.703689&amp;cid=C036V7GU4RK"></a>
<h3>La Dolce Vita</h3>
Here are some of the fantastic tips you shared for Akasha's upcoming Italian jaunt. Spritzes at the ready!

&ldquo;Sestri Levante is one of our favourite coastal towns &mdash; we live nearby in Pontremoli. Lucca is also a gorgeous day trip, with cycling or walking the city walls highly recommended.
Another hidden gem nearby: the Appenines and Lago di Santo, with magical forest walks and swimming in a crystal-clear lake.&rdquo; - VivaciousCosmopolitan17217
<hr>
&ldquo;Lucca is a gorgeous town - definitely recommend cycling or walking round the walls. Also Restaurant de Ubaldo for the wacky interior and friendly staff. They do a music festival every summer in the town square, pretty cheap tickets for some big names in an incredible setting - plus you can pop out for cheap drinks from the local bars.&rdquo; -&nbsp;Thrill-seekingSolivagant80929

Over to you! Got any tips, questions, or recent travel stories to share with your fellow readers? Pop them <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-204-month-in-melbourne#comments">in the comment section</a>. Nothing's off limits (except the things that are, obviously)!&nbsp;

Reader's Corner

<ul data-stringify-type="unordered-list" data-list-tree="true" class="p-rich_text_list p-rich_text_list__bullet p-rich_text_list--nested" data-indent="0" data-border="0">
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">First came Boaty McBoatface, then came Gritney Spears and David Plowie. Now, I present to you, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgv80mxry1o">Ctrl Alt Deleaf</a>. </li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">"Hold on to your hat, it's about to get windy!"&nbsp;- the words somebody should have said to their now cold-headed travel buddies at Yellowstone National Park. </li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">The World Stone Skimming Championships might sound fairly wholesome, but this year's competition found itself thrust into headlines thanks to a scandal we can only describe as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp982r99rrmo">Pebblegate</a>. </li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">From spores to shore, this mycologist just made history by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/07/mushroom-kayak-plastic-alternative">rowing&nbsp;a fungus kayak</a> across the open waters of the Atlantic, inspiring eco-innovation talks. </li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">And finally, Fat Bear Week has begun once again! It's a grizzly competition, and we wouldn't be surprised if the claws come out. Who&rsquo;s the chonkiest?&nbsp;<a href="https://explore.org/fat-bear-week">You decide</a>!</li>
</ul>

Travel News

One Month Down Under & Celebratory Escapes

Vietnam

Hey there, JFC-ers,
I&rsquo;m hopeful that by the time you receive this edition of the Detour, you're all safe and well, and none of us have been blown away by the latest storm barrelling through the UK and Ireland. Needless to say, the red weather warnings for high winds, snow and torrential rain are not filling me full of optimism for a weekend free from travel chaos.&nbsp;
But thankfully, in just a week&rsquo;s time, I should be heading off to sunnier climes in Vietnam. And when I get there, I&rsquo;ll be armed with a gazillion recommendations from you, lovely readers!&nbsp;
Having taken&nbsp;<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/detour-165-big-tour-little-tour-pros-and-cons">your suggestions</a> to heart, we&rsquo;ll be spending a few days in Ho Chi Minh City before heading north to Hoi An, staying at An Bang beach. One of the most remarkable things I found when booking accommodation in Vietnam is just how far your money goes. I&rsquo;d always heard it was very affordable for visitors from Europe and North America, but I hadn&rsquo;t quite realised I&rsquo;d be getting rooftop pools, welcome drinks, and afternoon teas included!

On top of a spot of luxury at bargain prices, I&rsquo;m really looking forward to experiencing&nbsp;<a href="https://vietnamtour.in/hoi-an-lantern-festival/">Hoi An&rsquo;s lantern festival</a>, which takes place each full moon. The town switches off electrical lighting for the day, illuminating the streets instead with colourful paper lanterns hung between its historic buildings.
Outside the city, we&rsquo;ll be heading to the dramatic <a href="https://whereangiewanders.com/marble-mountains-vietnam/">Marble Mountains</a> and their caves, as well as dragging ourselves out of bed early for a sunrise trip to the ancient <a href="https://vietnam.travel/things-to-do/explore-global-cultural-and-historical-values-my-son-sanctuary">My Son Sanctuary</a>. While I&rsquo;m not one for comparing apples and oranges, one review did call it &ldquo;the Angkor Wat of Vietnam,&rdquo; so I&rsquo;m expecting to be impressed!
But there&rsquo;s another place that comes up in lots of tours and blogs that I&rsquo;m just not sure will be worth the hype &mdash;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/things-to-see-giant-hands-unusual-bridge-da-nang">The Golden Bridge</a>. Sure, a long bridge held up by giant hands looks cool in drone pictures, but is it as awesome when you&rsquo;re standing on top of it? The fact that it&rsquo;s also part of the <a href="https://rollercoastertraveller.com/sun-world-ba-na-hills/">Sun World Resort amusement park</a> makes me even more sceptical.&nbsp;
That said, I do love a cable car ride! And it would be wasteful of me not to go and bring back a full review for you all, for better or worse.
Happy travels and safe landings,

I Planned for New Zealand (So You Don&rsquo;t Have To)

Based in California, Flight Finder Jake loves nothing more than traveling, saving money, and doing both things at once!

Written by Jake

I come from a long line of procrastinators and improvisers, so planning for a trip is&hellip; not exactly my favorite thing. Don&rsquo;t get me wrong, I love to travel! I just hate making plans.
It&rsquo;s been six months since I booked my flight to New Zealand, and I spent about five of them wishing a travel angel would come down from the heavens and deliver me a perfect pre-made itinerary for my visit.&nbsp;
That never happened, sadly. But I did sit down and plan my trip. So, to all the other New Zealand-bound lazy planners out there: Let me be your travel angel. Use my outline as your own.

<h3 dir="ltr">North Island</h3>
I knew I wanted to hit both the North and the South Island, especially since I had a full two weeks to work with. That left me a little rushed, so I broke one of my usual rules and skipped the post-flight rest day.&nbsp;
Instead, I&rsquo;ll be landing in Auckland around 9 AM, picking up my rental car, and immediately heading out to Rotorua. The landscape there is supposed to be pretty incredible, shaped by some wild geothermal activity. We&rsquo;re talking geysers, hot springs, sulfur pools, all kinds of stuff. You can book guided tours of the coolest spots, but I decided to just pick up a ticket to <a href="https://www.waiotapu.co.nz/">Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland</a> and do some wandering on my own.
Rotorua is also pretty close to the next two places on my list: Hobbiton and the Waitomo Glow Caves.&nbsp;
You could probably do a whole Lord of the Rings-themed itinerary in New Zealand, but I decided to limit myself to the <a href="https://www.hobbitontours.com/">Hobbiton set</a>. You can&rsquo;t just walk around here, unfortunately, and the tour slots fill up pretty quickly, so I wouldn&rsquo;t procrastinate on this booking.
As for Waitomo, how could I possibly pass up a subterranean cave lit by eerie blue glowworms? That&rsquo;s a unique experience!
There are actually a <a href="https://www.waitomo.com/glowworms-and-caves">few different caves</a> at Waitomo, each of them requiring a reservation. You can supposedly bundle the main glowworm cave with another one, but their website wouldn&rsquo;t let me do it. More power to you if you can figure that out, though.
I&rsquo;ll be wrapping up my time up north by driving down to Wellington and catching the ferry to the South Island. That&rsquo;s about six hours from Rotorua, so I&rsquo;m making it a travel day&mdash;If you happen to know that area, hit me with some recommendations for places to stop along the way!

<h3 dir="ltr">South Island</h3>
The South Island is the bigger of the two, so this part of the trip involves a lot more driving. As soon as the ferry lands in Picton, I&rsquo;ll be hopping back in the car and driving down to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. The sun will be down by the time I arrive, most likely, but that just gives me a chance to do some <a href="https://www.mackenzienz.com/explore/stargazing-and-astrophotography/">stargazing in the dark sky reserve</a>.
The area around Aoraki/Mount Cook is one of the prettiest places in New Zealand, right in the middle of the Southern Alps. I&rsquo;m giving myself a whole day to poke around the park and do some hiking before moving on to&hellip;
&hellip;the next national park, Fiordland. While Aoraki has your typical gorgeous alpine views, Fiordland features more varied landscapes, with mountains, waterfalls, and even some rainforest. Oh yeah, and fjords. Milford Sound is the most famous one, but there are a handful of others if you&rsquo;re pining for a fjord-heavy vacation.
After wrapping up the fjords, it&rsquo;s time to make the drive&nbsp;allllllll the way back up to Picton. That&rsquo;s a 12-hour schlep spanning nearly the entire South Island, so I&rsquo;m splitting it up into two days. Consider this another shameless request for recommended places to stop!

<h3 dir="ltr">North Island (Part 2)</h3>
After taking the ferry back to Wellington, I&rsquo;ll have a couple of days to make it back to Auckland before my flight home. That&rsquo;s just enough time for one more big stop: Tongariro National Park.
I&rsquo;m technically breaking my promise here &mdash; Hobbiton was supposed to be my only Lord of the Rings stop, and the volcanic landscapes of Tongariro are where they shot the Mordor scenes. But hey, it&rsquo;s not my fault Peter Jackson chose to film at <a href="https://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/the-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy-filming-locations/">all the prettiest places</a> in New Zealand!
From there, it&rsquo;s just a drive up to Auckland and a 13-hour flight back to San Francisco. Easy-peasy.
This itinerary is my gift to you, lazy planners. You&rsquo;re welcome!

Travel Inspiration

Aus-some Tips for Breaking Up the Trip Down Under

"Hi, I am planning a trip to Sydney in February and wondering which is the cheapest route (avoiding Chinese Airlines). I would like to stay a 2/3 nights on the way out and then a week's holiday in Thailand on the return journey. Can you suggest anything? Thank you for your help. Kind regards, Mike"

Flight Finding Team Lead Larissa is an Aussie expat from Sydney who only sometimes misses the beach. Based in London, when she's not busy checking for brunch spots in her next trip, she's writing about flight deals for Jack's Flight Club.

Answered by Larissa

Hi Mike! You&rsquo;re not alone in asking us this kind of question recently, and it&rsquo;s one that can get pretty complicated. From someone who is very familiar with the route between the UK and Sydney (AKA my adopted homeland and my, well, actual homeland) I&rsquo;ve got a few tips for you.&nbsp;
In the past, when I&rsquo;ve wanted to save a few pennies, I&rsquo;ve turned to Chinese airlines to get me from A to B &mdash; they are generally a lot cheaper than European, Middle Eastern and other Asian options. And while they do often fall down in convenience (<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/jfc-honest-airline-reviews-saudia-airlines-and-more#China%20Southern">my 8-hour-long stop in Guangzhou airport</a> comes to mind), they are, in my experience, a fairly comparable inflight experience to their long-haul counterparts.&nbsp;
But I know not everyone wants to fly via China, and so for your question I&rsquo;ve turned to the other routes to get Down Under. You&rsquo;ve essentially got 3 options &mdash; stopping over in the Middle East, Asia, or North America (or if you&rsquo;re made of money, in Perth). 
The first two options are likely your best bet, price-wise &mdash; once we take away Chinese airlines, the cheapest prices we see on the London to Sydney route are with Emirates (stopover in Dubai) and Singapore Airlines or Lufthansa (which both take you via Changi airport). But you can also stop over in Hong Kong or Istanbul, depending on when Cathay or Turkish put their prices down.&nbsp;

Because you&rsquo;re hoping to stretch out your stop-overs, Turkish Airlines is particularly worth a mention. They&rsquo;re the only airline of those above that has a dedicated <a href="https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-gb/flights/stopover/">stop-over program</a>, where you actually get a free 1-night hotel stay in Istanbul. To apply, you must have a 20+ hour layover in IST, and you must apply at least 72 hours before your first flight via email. They did have other perks included in the past, but these have vanished post-Covid. Qatar Airways also has a similar <a href="https://www.qatarairways.com/en-gb/offers/qatar-stopover.html">stop-over program</a>, but instead of a free stay, your night&rsquo;s accommodation is heavily discounted.&nbsp;
To work out which option will work best for the dates you&rsquo;re planning, use Google Flights&rsquo; &lsquo;Multi-City&rsquo; tool, which lets you play around with stop-over length and sub out different cities to see which may come up cheapest. You can check our article on <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/travel-hub/how-to-find-and-book-cheap-multi-city-flights">building multi-city</a> trips for more.&nbsp;
What I will say, though, is that adding long stop-overs into what can also be done as a simple round-trip ticket will almost always jack up the price of the overall trip. Even if you do manage to snag a free hotel room, it&rsquo;s likely that you&rsquo;ll be paying more overall on the return leg. 
For example, if you decided to plan your 2-3 day stopover in Singapore or Hong Kong, it&rsquo;s likely you&rsquo;d be flying with Singapore or Cathay Pacific. But a week in Thailand on the way back will mean you&rsquo;re likely at the mercy of Thai Airways (unless, of course, you don&rsquo;t mind extra layovers along the way). All these mixing and matching of airlines will, in general, be more expensive than just choosing one airline and sticking with them.&nbsp;
That being said, I think the idea of splitting up what is a very long trip (and gets longer every time, it feels like!) is definitely the best way to go if you have the time! Another option for you could be a more DIY approach, similar to what we explain in the multi-city trip guide. This could look something like booking return flights to Asia, and then onwards flights to Sydney and back between your Asian dates.&nbsp;

Using the Google Flights map view, you just need to add your dates and see what takes your fancy. <a href="https://www.google.com/travel/explore?tfs=CBwQAxpREgoyMDI1LTAyLTExKAI6Ak1VOgJDWjoCWkg6AkNBOgJXNDoCVzY6Alc5OgJVMjoCSFVqDAgDEggvbS8wNGpwbHILCAQSBy9tLzBqMGuQAegCGlESCjIwMjUtMDMtMDEoAjoCTVU6AkNaOgJaSDoCQ0E6Alc0OgJXNjoCVzk6AlUyOgJIVWoLCAQSBy9tLzBqMGtyDAgDEggvbS8wNGpwbJAB6AJAAUgBcAKCAQQIARADmAEBsgEEGAEgAQ&amp;tfu=GioaKAoSCdwWEhiy4z9AEdLUUc_7bGFAEhIJJpd3vFO7EsARpamjnjeMUkAiAA">In this example</a>, I&rsquo;ve used the airline filter to exclude low-cost European airlines, as well as Chinese airlines, to help you get an idea of the routes and prices available.&nbsp;
Bangkok is a great jumping-off point for the rest of Southeast Asia. And since you&rsquo;re hoping to spend some time in Thailand on the way home, it could offer you the most flexibility in terms of destinations and timing, without forcing you to spend a crazy amount. From Bangkok, you can take advantage of the <a href="https://www.google.com/travel/explore?tfs=CBwQAxpREgoyMDI1LTAyLTExKAA6Ak1VOgJDWjoCWkg6AkNBOgJXNDoCVzY6Alc5OgJVMjoCSFVqDAgDEggvbS8wZm4yZ3ILCAQSBy9tLzBqMGuQAegCQAFIAXACggEECAEQApgBArIBBBgBIAE&amp;tfu=GioaKAoSCUI_yJgYlDpAEXenjXqq4GJAEhIJThmJY_ttJcAR7k4b9ZRzVUAiAA">cheap one-way fares</a> to see somewhere else en route to Sydney.
This approach definitely involves a lot more logistics when it comes to planning, but you might avoid the hiked-up prices of the more traditional carriers that operate on these routes. Best of luck in planning, and have a wonderful time in Aus!&nbsp;
 Do you have a question for our Flight Finders? Let us know below!

<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Beware all those who dare to fly Spirit Airlines, in particular <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/23/travel/spirit-airlines-dress-code-removal/index.html">those who picked up questionable tattoos</a> in their younger days. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">While Storm &Eacute;owyn may have brought disruption across the UK and Ireland, it did offer a silver lining for passengers flying across the Atlantic this week. A BA flight from <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/storm-eowyn-flight-wind-speed-british-airways-b2685672.html">LA to London reached near subsonic speeds</a> of over 800mph, cutting the flight time by an hour! </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">A new obsession for travel-loving public transportation nerds has entered the room: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/jan/20/why-chongqing-china-is-my-wonder-of-the-world">welcome, Chongqing</a>. </li>
<li>And finally, if you think you find air travel stressful, spare a thought for <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/mittens-cat-becomes-accidental-frequent-flyer-getting-mistakenly-left-rcna188690">Mittens the Maine Coon</a>, who found herself making three trips across the Tasman Sea in just 24 hours. Just imagine the tails she must have to tell!</li>
</ul>

The Lazy Planner's Guide to New Zealand

United Kingdom

Japan

Spain

Costa Rica

Federated States of Micronesia

India

Season's greetings, JFC-ers!
There's something about all the joy and glee going around in December that makes me actively seek out the weirder side of the festivities. And this year's Creepy Crimbo Crown goes to... Greece's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.argophilia.com/news/kallikantzaroi-greek-christmas-goblins/232499/">kallikantzaroi goblins</a>!
Much like Iceland's Yule Lads, these wee guys roam around causing mischief, until they're banished on 6th January. But don't worry, just hang a pig's jawbone above the front door and your house will be just fine. How very festive indeed!
Safe travels and happy holidays,

Katy - The Detour Editor

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

Flight Finder Olivia splits her time between San Diego and Seattle. When she&rsquo;s not at her local coffee shop writing about the benefits of slow travel, you&rsquo;ll find her hiking or road tripping along the West Coast.

Written by Olivia

I&rsquo;ve spent almost two years living in Airbnbs full-time as a digital nomad. I usually stay for about 1&ndash;3 months (with some shorter term rentals in between) so it&rsquo;s safe to say I&rsquo;m pretty familiar with the lifestyle.&nbsp;
Airbnb is an incredible resource for slow travel, but there&rsquo;s definitely a learning curve to it, and lots to look out for when it comes to using it safely, affordably, and ethically. There are also some misconceptions that could use clearing up, and some secrets that should be shared!
I usually stay in the US or Canada, with a couple stays in England. So I&rsquo;ve checked in with my fellow writer Kristi, who has a lot of international experience with long-term Airbnbs, and verified that these tips apply pretty widely around the world.
We&rsquo;re also not affiliated with Airbnb in any way &mdash; that&rsquo;s how you know you&rsquo;re getting the real truth here.

Misconceptions
Let&rsquo;s get these out of the way first &mdash; while it&rsquo;s far from a perfect company, I think a lot of hesitation towards Airbnb comes from inexperience. Here&rsquo;s my take on some popular complaints, and why they don&rsquo;t stop me from using the service.
&nbsp;&ldquo;Airbnb owners drive up housing prices and wreck the market!&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s&nbsp;some truth to this, but it&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/28/economy/housing-affordability-airbnb-vrbo-backlash/index.html">nowhere near as widespread as people imagine</a>. There are too many other factors at play controlling rapid rent inflation.&nbsp;
Without getting into too much detail about housing markets, I can say from experience that many properties on Airbnb are not places that would be available for permanent housing if the website disappeared. Think basements, spare rooms, guest houses, and trailers. Some people even rent vacant lots to campers. Those flashy mansions on the homepage represent a surprisingly small fraction of what&rsquo;s actually available.
So if this is what&rsquo;s holding you back, you&rsquo;ll be happy to know I&rsquo;ve never found it difficult to book the sort of place that wouldn&rsquo;t be on the market at all without Airbnb, one where I know my money is mostly going into local hands.

&ldquo;That must be super expensive!&rdquo;
Monthly Airbnb rentals are always going to be pricier than standard leases in the same neighborhood, but there are a few things to consider:
<ul>
<li>You have nearly absolute flexibility on move-in and move-out dates. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">You don&rsquo;t have to do a credit/background check or fill out applications like you might with a regular lease. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">It&rsquo;s fully furnished, with utilities included. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">You have a host (usually onsite or close-by)&nbsp;whom you get to review at the end. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">You will almost never pay the nightly price. Most hosts offer massive discounts for stays of 30+ days. This has saved me over $1,000 a month before. There&rsquo;s a reason I prefer hotels for short stays and use Airbnb for longer rentals.</li>
</ul>
I generally stay in one-room homes like guest houses (comparable to a studio apartment) in either small cities or rural areas in the US and Canada. My monthly costs range between $1,100 and $1,400 USD per month. In my hometown of San Diego, studio apartments regularly cost $2k-$3k, so it&rsquo;s actually far cheaper for me to switch Airbnbs every month than to try and rent a permanent spot at home. While you can definitely find some swanky places on the site, you don&rsquo;t need to break the bank to use the service.&nbsp;
More cost-saving tips below!
&ldquo;Airbnbs have crazy rules and cleaning expectations!&rdquo;
I&rsquo;m honestly not sure where this myth comes from. Hosts set their own rules, so you&rsquo;ll find some oddball requests once in a while, but you don&rsquo;t have to book those rentals. That is absolutely not the norm. The most I&rsquo;ve ever been asked to do is not throw parties or smoke indoors, and to take the trash out before I leave. Just read the listing thoroughly to make sure you&rsquo;re okay with the host&rsquo;s expectations.

My tips for booking long-term Airbnbs
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Book as far in advance as you can. Prices don&rsquo;t typically fluctuate like airfare. Because you need long stretches of availability, it&rsquo;s best to book your spot as soon as you&rsquo;ve made your decision. I usually aim for 3&ndash;5 months in advance. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Stay in each spot for at least 30 days to get the discount. Hosts set those discounts, so some might offer it for 14 days, or 60 days, but there&rsquo;s almost always a discount. Play around with the trip length until you&rsquo;re satisfied with your savings. </li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Be flexible on location (or prepare to make other compromises). There are three main components to a good booking: location, quality of home, and price. You need to be highly flexible on at least one of those criteria, and I suggest you loosen up on the location. You&rsquo;re there for at least a month! You&rsquo;ll have time to explore. You don&rsquo;t need to be right next to the action. Especially if you work from home, you&rsquo;ll be happier in a nicer room. I cast pretty wide nets: &ldquo;Southern Utah&rdquo; or &ldquo;anywhere in England&rdquo; or &ldquo;somewhere in the desert&rdquo; are all criteria I&rsquo;ve started with and found comfortable, affordable spots. When I want to stay in a specific city, I generally have to either take a huge hit to my comfort level, splurge for a month, or get extremely lucky. </li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">Read listings with a fine-tooth comb. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t need to make sure that amenity is listed, every home has that!&rdquo; WRONG. You have no idea what kinds of things can be missing from Airbnbs. If you have deal-breakers (even basic things like heating or hot water) then you need to ensure they are either listed on the page, or message the host and ask. And be warned &mdash; it&rsquo;s common for hosts to say they have a &ldquo;kitchen&rdquo; when what they really mean is a mini fridge and a microwave.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>You can haggle. You can also reach out to hosts and try to negotiate a lower price. Kristi did this all over Europe and regularly saved cash ($500&ndash;$1200 a month!) &nbsp;Her advice: &ldquo;Find 3&ndash;5 options that are slightly higher than your budget and send a friendly and polite message stating your maximum budget and ask if they would be willing to negotiate on the price. I found that at least 1 of the 5 would say yes, and I would go from there.&rdquo;</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Lastly, remember that the host also reviews you as a guest. Bad reviews can tank your chances of securing bookings, but if you&rsquo;re polite, follow the rules, and don&rsquo;t leave the place a wreck, you&rsquo;ll be fine. </li>
</ul>
So, while Airbnbs can absolutely be expensive, complicated, and unethical, they don&rsquo;t have to be. There's a reason they became so popular so quickly, and that homely comforts aspect really can win out over a hotel, especially if you'll be staying awhile like me.
If you&rsquo;re thoughtful and open-minded about your decisions, living full-time in short-term rentals makes a great way to explore the world without dropping your entire savings on a vacation. 
Do you have experience of staying long-term in Airbnbs (or similar)? I'd love to hear your tricks for finding your next temporary home, and hear about what makes short-term rental accommodation more appealing to you than a hotel. Just hit 'Reply'!

Since this is officially our festive edition, we thought we'd rustle up our own take on a famous Christmas song, and gift you 12 altogether less usual travel ideas for 2025...
🥁For twelve drummers drumming: Head to Japan over Easter, 19th-20th April, for<a href="https://www.festicket.com/festivals/let-it-roll-open-air/"> </a>the <a href="https://narita.com/topics/archives/113?lng=en">Narita Drum Festival</a>. Expect a whole weekend of traditional Taiko drumming echoing through the streets as part of the 35th annual festival.&nbsp;
The event typically sees around 200,000 spectators flock to the impressive venue of <a href="https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6401.html">Naritasan Temple</a> over the course of the weekend, so prepare to compete for a good view!
🎺For eleven pipers piping: You shouldn&rsquo;t be shocked by this one &mdash; it&rsquo;s a bagpiping festival in Scotland! <a href="https://bagpipe.news/event/piping-live-2025/">Piping Live!</a> and the World Pipe Band Championships will be taking place in Glasgow from 10th&ndash;17th August, attracting pipe bands from all over the world for a week of concerts, parades, and good old-fashioned bagpipe show downs.
😈For ten lords a&rsquo;leaping: Head to the little town of Castrillo de Murcia in northern Spain, which hosts one of the world&rsquo;s strangest festivals every year during June&hellip;<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/el-colacho-baby-jumping-festival-murcia-spain">El Colacho.</a>
During the week-long religious festival, performers in devil outfits run riot through the streets, insulting and whipping passers-by and generally causing chaos &mdash; before they&rsquo;re finally driven out by the good men of the town.
El Colacho ends somewhat controversially, with the performers symbolically leaping over the town&rsquo;s babies (who are laid gently on a mattress, we should emphasize) to protect the infants&rsquo; innocence.
We have to admit that it all sounds a bit terrifying, but there have been no reports of accidents in the festival&rsquo;s history, thankfully. And for less child endangerment, there&rsquo;s always the<a href="https://youtu.be/SzTyn3qxi8s?si=RZP9jQoL5i1Uhqwr"> adumu jumping rituals</a> of the Maasai.

💃🏻For nine ladies dancing: Take a trip to the beautiful<a href="https://www.visityap.com/getting-here/"> subtropical Yap</a> in Micronesia.
Yap&rsquo;s waters are home to over 100 manta rays, and if you go for a dive at the islands&rsquo; cleaning stations between December and April, you might just witness nature&rsquo;s most spectacular dance-contest.
As part of their courtship rituals, female manta rays will lead hordes of males through the sea on<a href="https://blog.mares.com/photographer-engulfed-manta-ray-mating-dance-yap-micronesia-6485.html"> long, elaborate dances</a> for hours at a time. Uncanny. Unearthly. Unforgettable.
🐄For eight maids a&rsquo;milking: Fly over to the city of Bra in northern Italy during September, and take part in<a href="https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/"> Cheese 2025.</a>
It is (yes, you guessed it), the world&rsquo;s biggest dairy festival, with crowds coming in their thousands to sample delicious curds and whey from across the face of the globe
The event's chill vibes and focus on animal welfare and environmental sustainability is a great fit for Bra in general.
It's<a href="https://prettyslow.life/cittaslow-movement-slow-city-sustainable-living/"> a 'Slow City'</a>, part of an Italian movement that has deliberately stepped back from factories and industry to embrace relaxed, peasant-style eco-living &mdash; with a fully pedestrianised city centre, an array of communal vegetable gardens, and more.
🦢For seven swans a&rsquo;swimming: Stop by <a href="https://en.japantravel.com/hokkaido/otofuke-tokachigawa-swan-festival/66204">Tokachigawa Onsen</a> in Hokkaido, Japan during late January to mid-February each year.
Renowned for its hot springs and glorious winter views, this charming town also plays host to a yearly &lsquo;swan festival&rsquo; of lights, with an impressive illuminated display in the snow that&rsquo;s meant to resemble the elegant movement of birds. Because what says &ldquo;elegance&rdquo; better than a <a href="https://youtu.be/8-XIgPFTQvc?si=-C1SWSPe0Rj8RECs">laser show</a>?

🐣For six geese a&rsquo;laying: Visit the Mother Goose House, found in a town called Hazard, in rural Kentucky. This<a href="https://www.kentuckytourism.com/hazard/history-heritage/historic-districts-sites/mother-goose-house"> bizarre and delightful home</a> was built to resemble a colossal goose back in the 1930s, and has since become a beloved local landmark.
Tragedy struck a few years ago, when strong winds led to<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/kentucky-town-rallies-to-restore-beheaded-mother-goose-people-b1823424.html"> Mother Goose being beheaded</a>. Local residents rallied around, and successfully raised the funds required to rebuild her.
💍For FIVE GOLD RINGS: Book your flights to Australia, where you can legally<a href="https://www.trulyaus.com/gold-panning-australia/"> buy a miner&rsquo;s permit</a> and search for gold buried in the hills like an old-fashioned prospector.
Your odds of finding a nugget as big as your fist are slim, unfortunately &mdash; but in 2019, one prospector<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-22/large-gold-nugget-found-near-kalgoorlie-as-gold-price-soars/11135228"> stumbled onto a $100,000 lump of gold</a> near Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia, so we&rsquo;d suggest starting there!
Alternatively, head to the<a href="https://www.sovereignhill.com.au/visit/"> old-timey town of Sovereign Hill</a> and learn more about the fascinating history of gold mining in Oz.
🦜For four calling birds: Pay a trip to the sprawling <a href="https://www.monteverdeinfo.com/cloud-forests">cloud forests of Monteverde</a>, Costa Rica, home to magnificent waterfalls and a ton of rare wildlife, including the Resplendent Quetzal (what a name!).&nbsp;
There are over <a href="https://www.birdingplaces.eu/en/birdingplaces/costa-rica/monteverde-cloud-forest-reserve">400 species of bird</a> living in Costa Rica&rsquo;s cloud forests, so don&rsquo;t forget your binoculars, a little patience, and a rain jacket &mdash; unsurprisingly, it can get a little damp up there (evidence from my trip there this year below).

🐔For three French hens: Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kentucky is the place to head for a real hen party &mdash; on the last weekend of September each year, Laurel County hosts the <a href="https://chickenfestival.com/">&lsquo;World Chicken Festival&rsquo;</a> in honour of its very own state hero, Colonel Sanders.
If giant skillets of deep-fried chicken don&rsquo;t sound like your thing, you can always take a walk in the 700,000-acre depths of the nearby<a href="https://www.kentuckytourism.com/an-insiders-guide-to-the-daniel-boone-national-forest"> Daniel Boone National Forest.</a>
🐢For two turtle doves: Stop by the coastal village of Velas in western India during March.
This is the time when adorable, baby Olive Ridley turtles hatch from their eggs and crawl towards the shore - and Velas holds a yearly<a href="https://www.travelandleisureindia.in/featured/velas-turtle-festival/"> Turtle Festival</a> in honour of the event.
If you&rsquo;re crying out, &ldquo;but wait, those are turtles, not turtle-doves!&rdquo; then you might prefer a trip to eastern England during the spring&ndash;summer breeding season. Turtle doves can be tough to spot, so your best bet is to <a href="https://operationturtledove.org/see-a-turtle-dove/where-to-see-habitat-and-time-of-year/">head to a nature reserve</a> that they&rsquo;re known to visit.
🍐For a partridge in a pear tree: As Nat Geo sensibly points out,<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/animals-birds-holiday-culture-christmas"> partridges don&rsquo;t tend to sit in pear trees.</a>
But if you go cycling through the<a href="https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/hidden-gems/apple-and-pear-trees-in-blossom/"> Normandie-Maine Regional Natural Park</a> in France during the spring, you&rsquo;ll be treated to the spectacular sight of the region's pear trees in bloom.
There&rsquo;s even a<a href="http://poire-domfront.fr/tourism-and-poire-domfront/itineraries/"> &lsquo;Pear Route&rsquo; you can follow</a>, stopping off at the charmingly colourful town of Domfront which is renowned for its delicious pear cider). Sant&eacute;!

All&nbsp;the&nbsp;important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across&nbsp;the&nbsp;web this week.
<ul>
<li>Bleary-eyed revellers suffering the effects of the office Christmas party last weekend could have been forgiven for thinking they were hallucinating, as <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/santacon-attendees-overrun-new-york-boozy-event-2000954">thousands of Santas ran rampant</a> through the streets of New York City.</li>
<li>Also on the loose this week is the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/worlds-largest-iceberg-a23a-breaks-free/">world&rsquo;s largest iceberg</a>, which is slowly making its way north from Antarctica.</li>
<li>It looks like Editor Katy was ahead of the curve on this one, as <a href="https://www.timeout.com/news/this-central-asian-country-has-been-named-the-worlds-most-desirable-emerging-destination-121624">TimeOut puts Uzbekistan top</a> of its &lsquo;most desirable&rsquo; list.</li>
<li>And finally, it turns out pigs really can fly! Dutch airline KLM had an absolutely stinking week, as a flight from Amsterdam to Mexico City had to be diverted to Bermuda due to the awful pong emanating from the 100 pigs in the cargo hold.&nbsp;
After a 30-hour beach break and a stretch of the trotters, passengers, pigs, and crew were all able to return to the plane and continue their journey.
</li>
</ul>

Australia

Melbourne at €763 rtn

Australia & Thailand in £300s-£500s rtn

Auckland and Brisbane in €810s-€860s rtn

Sydney in £650s-£690s rtn

Melbourne in €600s-€670s rtn

Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand in £500s-£870s rtn