Europe

From the historic pubs of London to the dramatic, castle-dotted landscapes of Scotland, we track down the fares that make flying to the UK easier than figuring out which side of the pavement to walk on. We’re constantly spotting low-cost flights into major entry points like London, Manchester, and Edinburgh, as well as smaller regional airports, connecting you to every corner of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 
But we don't just find the tickets—our articles are your secret weapon. They cut through the tourist traps to give you the real intel: how to navigate the infamous train network, where to find world-class food that isn't fish and chips, and the secret spots that aren't plastered all over your Instagram feed. Consider this page your definitive cheat sheet to unlocking an incredible, and surprisingly affordable, UK adventure.
Top tip: Don't forget your rain jacket.

A coastal getaway that's as cheap as (fish and) chips 🐟

Belfast

Northern Ireland

Jersey

United Kingdom

From the historic pubs of London to the dramatic, castle-dotted landscapes of Scotland, we track down the fares that make flying to the UK easier than figuring out which side of the pavement to walk on. 

Glasgow

Scotland

Liverpool

England

London Luton

London Gatwick

Manchester

Jersey ⛵ in £40s-£60s rtn

Dublin

Ireland

Newquay

Newquay 🐟 at €47 rtn from Dublin

Yearning for the windswept cliffs of Bouley Bay? 

Newcastle

East Midlands

Leeds Bradford

London Heathrow

Jersey 🏰 in £100s-£180s & €110s-€140s rtn  

Jersey ⛵ at £58-£59 rtn from Luton

Looking for a summer holiday? There are plenty of trips here for you :-)

Aberdeen

Shetland Islands

Kirkwall

Campbeltown

Barra

Tiree

Belfast City

Inverness

Exeter

Bristol

Shetland Islands, Stornoway, Jersey, and more 🏞️ in £80s-£190s rtn 

Paris Gare du Nord

France

St. Pancras International

Brussels Gare du Midi

Belgium

Amsterdam Centraal 

Netherlands

Rotterdam Centraal 

Cologne Central Station

Germany

Europe via train 🚂 in €50s-€70s rtn 

Best value for money so bought 2 so I went with my daughter. She treated me bless her

Postcard from NomadicNavigator41329

The 18,000-Mile "Short Stopover" 15 April 2010: The plan was simple. Fly home to London from Sydney, where I’ve just spent two weeks with family, with a breezy two-hour leg-stretch in Singapore. Before departure, I’d seen the news about some unpronounceable volcano in Iceland—Eyjafjallajökull—coughing up a bit of ash. Plot twist! This was definitely not on the itinerary.
As we touched down in Singapore, the captain’s voice didn’t deliver the usual "local time" update. Instead, he essentially delivered a eulogy for European aviation. All airspace was closed. The "Kangaroo Route" had run out of hop. Then came the two most expensive words in the English language: Force Majeure. Because the eruption was an “Act of God”, I was essentially on my own. No hotel. No vouchers. No help from my travel insurer. I was stranded in the humid Singapore heat, essentially told to wait for the sky to stop falling.
I spent three days in Singapore fuelled by equal parts desperation, spicy Chilli Crab, and chicken satays, staring at a world map, waiting for airspace to open to no avail. So instead of hunkering down for a possibly weeks-long wait, I decided that if I couldn’t fly West, I could fly east until I hit London from the other side. The "Scenic" Route home looked like this: - Singapore to Tokyo (Narita): Flying via ANA into the Rising Sun - Tokyo to San Francisco: Chasing the clock across the Pacific - San Francisco to New York (JFK): A transcontinental dash via American Airlines - New York to Dublin: the closest I could get to the UK without hitting the "No-Fly Zone" - The Final Stretch: A bus to Dublin port, a very bouncy ferry across the Irish Sea to Holyhead and a final train into London Euston.
By the time I finally collapsed onto my sofa in London, I hadn't just flown home; I had accidentally completed an accidental circumnavigation of the globe. I traveled roughly 18,200 miles—nearly 8,000 miles further than my original ticket intended. I learned two things on that trip: - Never underestimate a traveler who just wants to sleep in her own bed. - If I ever hear a newsreader struggling to pronounce a volcano’s name, I'm staying in Sydney.

Story from Zana711

Your email came at the perfect time. Ive been wanting to go on a trip with my mum for a while. She has trouble flying so knew it would have to be business/first class for any flight. So to see this email! I hopped skipped and jumped to the flights and booked it! We&#39;re going istanbul whoop whoop! We both love Turkish culture (my mums been, I havent) ,I would have definitely missed these flights if i didnt sign up to your emails.

Thanks, 😊
J

Postcard from Janelle

Went to Amsterdam a couple of years ago and have wanted to go back since.  When I saw the Eurostar sale, I had to book again! This time I’m off to Rotterdam. Thanks!!

Postcard from Zakia

Just booked the Eurostar to... London, baby, LONDON!
Thank you, Jack! 😁🚝🧳💸🎉

Postcard from Emélie

Postcard from Rhiann

United States

Italy

Hey there, Travellers,
This week's news has been nothing short of alarming ahead of summer travel. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/jet-fuel-shortage-flights-cancelled-easyjet-klm-lufthansa-b2959701.html">Airlines everywhere are cutting flights</a>, and experts are warning that Europe only has six weeks of jet fuel left. So should we expect to be grounded?
In short: it's unlikely. Although much of the world's jet fuel usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz, only around a quarter of Europe's supply tends to come from the Middle East. North America's supply is relatively unaffected, and the US has upped exports of jet fuel to Europe to help compensate.&nbsp;
What we will all likely continue to notice is price. Higher fuel costs mean airlines may charge more, and they'll slim down their services to maximise efficiency. Less popular routes could face the chop, and you might have to look for alternative flights to reach your destination. So where possible, bake in some flexibility to your plans, and always make sure you have travel insurance.
Happy travels and safe landings,

Katy - Editor of The Detour

P.S. A note to our valued Takeoff and First Class members: We wouldn't usually show you advertisements in The Detour, but this week's offer is genuinely great, and I want you to have the chance to grab it too. Take a look below!

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Wanderlust&nbsp;is your passport to the world&rsquo;s most inspiring destinations. Each issue is brimming with inspirational travel writing, stunning photography and advice from seasoned explorers.

In Partnership with Wanderlust

Cathedrals, Canyons, and Crimes: Wild West Mythos from the Nevada Desert

A San Diego native, Olivia left home two years ago to live on the road. Since then, she's had homebases everywhere from Quebec to England to New Orleans, 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.

By Olivia

If you&rsquo;re a regular reader of The Detour, you&rsquo;ve probably heard at least one or two of my tales from the American deserts. I&rsquo;ve got a lot of fun stories about Southeast California and Southern Nevada in particular &mdash; that&rsquo;s one of my favorite areas, and I&rsquo;ve spent a lot of time out there. At this point, I&rsquo;m practically an evangelist for the Mojave and Colorado deserts. There&rsquo;s simply nowhere else like it.
Growing up near the edge of that unbelievably vast, often inhospitable landscape sometimes felt like being at the edge of an enchanted forest. While I&rsquo;m familiar with the region, I&rsquo;m always going to be an outsider, just a kid wandering through the woods and trying to make sense of what they find. The more you stray from the towns and drive out into the wild valleys and canyons, the fewer rules seem to apply.

There&rsquo;s a deep-rooted cultural idea that people take their worst secrets out of the city and into the dirt. After all, every crime thriller set in SoCal or Vegas has a scene where someone drives out to the desert to meet a shady contact or bury some evidence.
The darker tales are particularly common in rural areas of Southern Nevada, which has a century-long reputation of absorbing any actions too sinful even for Sin City. While Vegas has long since left its mafia heights in the rearview, there&rsquo;s a reason no one was shocked when the receding water of Lake Mead&nbsp;<a href="https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/heres-what-we-know-about-all-of-the-remains-found-at-lake-mead/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reopened some old missing persons cases</a>. Everyone knows that some pretty shady stuff has happened outside the reach of those casino lights.&nbsp;
If you repeatedly stick your nose into anything that looks interesting (and there are a&nbsp;lot of interesting, oddball things in Nevada), you might stumble upon the remnants of that darkness yourself. That&rsquo;s what happened to me when I drove out to an unassuming canyon off the highway, and I couldn&rsquo;t believe how much lore I learned in the process.
This is a story about one man&rsquo;s attempt to build something beautiful out in the dirt, the Wild West legend connected to it, and how, sometimes, you never really know what horrible things have taken place on the ground beneath your feet.
<h2 dir="ltr" id="what-i-found">What I found</h2>
This adventure started like most of my desert adventures: learning about some funky landmark off in the dirt somewhere, and deciding to try and find it. In this case, my target was a hole in the ground called &ldquo;Cathedral Canyon,&rdquo; which I knew absolutely nothing about, besides the fact that it was notable enough to be labeled on Google Maps.
An hour from Vegas and just barely inside the state line, the canyon is actually pretty easy to reach. You only make a couple of turns off the highway south from the town of Pahrump, head deeper into the valley backroads, then park in the dirt once you notice the ground opening up beside you.
As usual for spots like this, it was dead quiet when I got out of the car. Not a soul for miles. Just me and the rocks, the rustle of wind through the creosote, and the giant ditch I was about to enter:

As I started climbing down into the canyon, my first thought was, &ldquo;This place used to be something.&rdquo; A crumbling plaster statue with a missing head, decorative brick frames built into the cliffs, doors carved into the canyon walls that led to nowhere and contained nothing, random sets of concrete steps &mdash; all worn down and clearly abandoned, but intentional. Someone tried to build something here.
A theme quickly became apparent. The brick frames seemed to be shrines. A few crosses had been left behind. The plaster statue above me, desiccated beyond recognition, was labeled &ldquo;CHRIST OF THE ANDES.&rdquo; Okay, someone tried to build something religious here.

There&rsquo;s a decent bit of overlap between desert hippie culture and Christian hippie culture (<a href="https://salvationmountain.org/salvation-mountain/about-salvation-mountain/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Salvation Mountain</a> is a prime example) so this made total sense. Still, it&rsquo;s easy to catch the heebie-jeebies when you&rsquo;re poking around abandoned stuff in the desert, and the contextless, decomposing religious artifacts didn&rsquo;t exactly help.
I felt like I was intruding. I was clearly alone, and in a spot labeled as open to the public by Google Maps! But I couldn&rsquo;t shake the feeling that I was breaking that cardinal rule and sticking my nose in someone else&rsquo;s business. It felt like someone was about to pop out of one of those strange door holes and fire a shotgun over my head. I&rsquo;ve felt that way in the desert before, but it was particularly strong this time.&nbsp;
When I was finished investigating all the nooks and crannies, I walked under the rusted metal archway at one end of the canyon, and hopped back up to the surface.
If I believed in ghosts (and I very much do not), I might have attributed my heebie-jeebies to the tombstone I noticed on the way back to my car:

Image by Tami Force of <a href="https://nvtami.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nvtami.com</a>
The inscription read:
&ldquo;QUEHOE
1889-1919
NEVADA&rsquo;S LAST RENEGADE INDIAN
HE SURVIVED ALONE&rdquo;
I made a mental note of the name &ldquo;Quehoe&rdquo; and headed on home, head full of questions to research when I got there.
Here&rsquo;s what I learned.
<h2 dir="ltr" id="what-is-this-place-who-built-it">What is this place? Who built it?</h2>
The story of Cathedral Canyon begins with a man called Roland Wiley, who moved to Las Vegas in 1929 to find work as a lawyer. This turned out to be a smart career move, because he was elected as the Clark County District Attorney less than a decade later. You can read his entire fascinating story in&nbsp;<a href="https://archive.org/details/AnInterviewWithRolandWiley/page/n17/mode/2up">this interview</a> (featuring a cameo by infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel!), but our story is about the land he purchased with his DA earnings.
In 1936, Wiley bought a large swath of desert outside the city and began to develop a ranch. Decades into that process, in 1972, he experienced a vision. Some sources call it a &ldquo;vision from God&rdquo;; others say he simply had a fever. One very old blog post claims it was brought on by infected rabbit meat.&nbsp;
Whatever the cause for this vision, Wiley began building his masterpiece immediately afterwards. Using a natural gorge on his property and spending exclusively his own money, he constructed a suspension bridge, a stairway, a network of paths, and dozens of artworks across the canyon. He even wired it all for electric power so it could be lit up at night and stay accessible to visitors 24/7. He called his project &ldquo;Cathedral Canyon&rdquo; and wanted it to be a peaceful place where folks could enjoy the beauty of the desert along with their spirituality.

Cathedral Canyon during its heyday. Image from the Center for Land Use Interpretation.
For the next 22 years, Wiley and his canyon hosted regular church services and various events, including a wedding and a rock concert.
In 1994, Roland Wiley passed away at the age of 90, leaving no instructions or resources for the canyon&rsquo;s preservation. Since then, the canyon has been slowly settling into disrepair. Artifacts and structural pieces disappeared one by one, and his artwork faded and was covered by graffiti. What I encountered on my trip in 2024 was all that&rsquo;s left behind of Wiley&rsquo;s masterpiece.&nbsp;
So that&rsquo;s the rise and fall of Cathedral Canyon: one man&rsquo;s mark on the desert, an attempt to turn an ordinary gorge into a place of reflection. And like most things that get abandoned in the desert, its bones will rest quietly in the sand for decades to come, occasionally hosting curious visitors like me. This story ought to end there, on a melancholic but tranquil note.
<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/cathedrals-canyons-crimes">But we still have a tombstone to talk about...</a>

Travel Tales

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

It&rsquo;s marathon season around the world. Each weekend seems to reveal a new crop of very sweaty, healthy folk wondering if their knees will ever be the same again. And if you&rsquo;re one of them &mdash; well done!&nbsp;
But once you&rsquo;ve done a few of these, surely you need a change of pace; a new incentive or a change of scenery, perhaps. Good news: I have just the suggestion for all you fit foodie travellers! Bake a tasty race into your future trips, combining local delicacies with your athletic endeavours, and see somewhere new along the way.
From ultramarathons involving tacos, to downing vintage wines in French vineyards on the trot, there&rsquo;s something for every (slightly crazy) runner. Here are our top picks for food-and-drink-themed races around the world.
<h2 dir="ltr">NYC Pizza Run, New York</h2>

&ldquo;New York&rsquo;s Sauciest Run&rdquo; sounds a little messy to us, but in the best of ways. The 5k race involves three laps around a city park, with scoffing a slice of essential for passing &ldquo;Go&rdquo; each time around.
2025 saw the 15th edition of the race, which took place in Brooklyn&rsquo;s Forte Green Park in September. The 2026 race hasn&rsquo;t been announced just yet, but keep your eyes peeled for updates on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/nycpizzarun/">the race Instagram page</a> (or their website).
<h2>Treviso Tiramisu Run, Italy</h2>

In under half an hour by train from Venice, you can be in Treviso, the home of tiramisu. Each October, dessert makers and tasters from all over the world converge on Treviso to compete for the crown in the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tiramisuworldcup/">Tiramisu World Cup</a>. And the cocoa-dusted icing on the cake is <a href="https://www.lamezzaditreviso.com/la-10k/iscrizioni-10k/">a sweet 10k</a>.
You can work up a hunger running through the ancient canal-lined city, before settling into that creamy coffee hit when you&rsquo;re done. Top it off with a spritz in a peaceful piazza, and it sounds like a pretty good weekend, if you ask me.
However, if you&rsquo;re less into the race and more into the recipes, judging the World Cup may be more your speed. Applications haven&rsquo;t opened yet, but you can <a href="https://tiramisuworldcup.com/en/judges/">subscribe to their newsletter</a> to get updates.
<h2 dir="ltr">Marathon du M&eacute;doc, France</h2>

This one is for all you long-distance runners who like to get a little silly (and a little squiffy). Touring the vineyards of southern France with 8,500 other runners, you&rsquo;ll have to visit 23 stops along the 42.2 km course. Each stop is hosted by a different winery offering samples of their finest vintage, and if you&rsquo;re lucky, maybe also a little hors d'oeuvre to line the stomach.
This might all sound a little highbrow, especially when you see oysters on the menu along the way. That illusion is quickly shattered when you realise that fancy dress is mandatory, and you only have 7 hours to complete the course. Easy for a seasoned marathon runner, perhaps, but how often have you done it on a <a href="https://www.aladyofleisure.com/marathon-du-medoc/">stomach full of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild</a>?&nbsp;
 <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/food-and-drink-runs-around-the-world">Keep reading for pastries, cider, donuts, and more...</a>

Travel Tips

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.
<ul>
<li>Back in the headlines with talk of an imminent demise, could this be <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/15/spirit-airlines-could-liquidate-as-early-as-this-week-sources-say.html">the final countdown for Spirit Airlines</a>? </li>
<li>From medieval castles to quiet beach towns, try these <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-small-towns-italy-from-frequent-visitor-in-calabria-tuscany-2026-4">four offbeat spots</a> for your next Italian getaway. </li>
<li>Before embarking on your first business class flight, <a href="https://simpleflying.com/what-cabin-crew-notice-passengers-flying-business-class-1st-time/">here's how to pass</a> as someone who knows how to turn left. </li>
<li>Was an overhead flight to blame for <a href="https://abc7.com/post/large-ice-block-mysteriously-crashes-whittier-home-la-county-supervisor-demands-faa-investigation/18886947/">this huge block of ice</a> crashing through a California ceiling? </li>
<li>And finally, don't forget to bring a bag of kibble if you're flying through Hong Kong airport over the next couple of weeks. A giant feline known as <a href="https://newatlas.com/holiday-destinations/hong-kong-cat-airport/">Catzilla has moved into the terminal</a>, and he's ready for treats!</li>
</ul>

Travel News

Tales from the Wild West & International Full-Speed Feasting

&ldquo;New York&rsquo;s Sauciest Run&rdquo; sounds a little messy to us, but in the best of ways. The 5k race involves three laps around a city park, with scoffing a slice of essential for passing &ldquo;Go&rdquo; each time around.
 2025 saw the 15th edition of the race, which took place in Brooklyn&rsquo;s Forte Green Park in September. The 2026 race hasn&rsquo;t been announced just yet, but keep your eyes peeled for updates on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nycpizzarun/">the race Instagram page</a> (or their website).
<h2>Treviso Tiramisu Run, Italy</h2>

This one is for all you long-distance runners who like to get a little silly (and a little squiffy). Touring the vineyards of southern France with 8,500 other runners, you&rsquo;ll have to visit 23 stops along the 42.2 km course. Each stop is hosted by a different winery offering samples of their finest vintage, and if you&rsquo;re lucky, maybe also a little hors d'oeuvre to line the stomach.
This might all sound a little highbrow, especially when you see oysters on the menu along the way. That illusion is quickly shattered when you realise that fancy dress is mandatory, and you only have 7 hours to complete the course. Easy for a seasoned marathon runner, perhaps, but how often have you done it on a <a href="https://www.aladyofleisure.com/marathon-du-medoc/">stomach full of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild</a>?&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Glasgow Bun Run, Scotland</h2>

A non-competitive half marathon combining tasty baked goods and a summer jaunt around Scotland&rsquo;s best city (yes, I said it), the <a href="https://www.letsdothis.com/gb/e/bun-run-glasgow-266453">Glasgow Bun Run</a> is making its debut in August 2026.&nbsp;
The key here is fun and buns, with no prizes or racing element involved. It&rsquo;s essentially an organised bakery crawl, where delicious treats from the city&rsquo;s many independent bakeries are both your challenge and your reward.&nbsp;
Fingers crossed the Scottish summer plays ball; otherwise, you could be in for some seriously soggy croissants. 
<h2 dir="ltr">Ciderthon, Henley-on-Thames, England</h2>

If you liked the sound of the Marathon du Medoc but wished it wasn&rsquo;t wine, the <a href="https://www.ciderthon.com/">Ciderthon</a> might be for you. Don your fancy dress and weave your way through the English countryside via a series of cider sampling stations. Serious runners can opt for a half marathon, while fun runners can stick to an easier 5k.
While the runs are the main events here, it&rsquo;s actually a whole summer weekend bash, with live music, an open-air cinema, camping, and a morning pilates session to loosen you up before your jog. Oh, and plenty of cider behind the bar.
<h2 dir="ltr">Taco Bell 50K, Denver or D.C.</h2>

This one is exactly what the name makes it sound like: <a href="https://tacobell50k.com/">an ultramarathon combined with tacos</a>. And not just any tacos; Taco Bell tacos.
Here&rsquo;s the scoop: there are ten taco stops along the course, and all entrants must eat from at least 9 of them. Specific menu items are non-negotiables by certain stages of the race, and indigestion remedies are strictly forbidden. Ouch!
Anyone mad enough to take part has 11 hours to complete the challenge. If that sounds too easy, there are optional extra challenges involving the evocatively named Diablo sauce, or drinking a total of 2L of Baja Blast during the course without puking.
Personally, I&rsquo;ll be skipping this one. But if it sounds up your street, you can choose from Denver or DC.
<h2 dir="ltr">Beer Lovers Marathon, Liege, Belgium</h2>

Beer lovers, rejoice, for <a href="https://www.beerloversmarathon.be/en">there is a race for you, too</a>. Sixteen Belgian beers over the course of 42 kilometers, complete with DJs to keep the hype going at every stop. The beers on offer come from local craft brewers and big names like Chouffe alike.
Don&rsquo;t worry, you can line your stomachs with the snacks at each checkpoint too, plus there&rsquo;s a big ol&rsquo; pasta party in the evening to top up on carbs afterwards. And in case you&rsquo;ve not had enough beer by that point, the Li&egrave;ge city tour the next day will see you off with breakfast and a beverage.
This year is the race&rsquo;s 10th edition and will celebrate with a theme close to all our hearts &mdash; travel! So pack your favourite national dress and prepare to hit the trail.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Krispy Kreme Challenge, Raleigh, North Carolina</h2>

Now to end with a spot of dessert. If running 5 miles in an hour sounds like a casual weekend warm-up, why not throw in the added challenge of <a href="https://krispykremechallenge.com/">shoving 12 Krispy Kreme donuts in your face</a> at the halfway point?&nbsp;
Personally, I can think of a few reasons why that sounds like a poor choice. But over 2600 brave runners took on the 2026 challenge in Raleigh, all in the name of raising cash for the local children&rsquo;s hospital.&nbsp;
The race has been going for 22 years already, and has contributed over $2.4 million dollars to the UNC Children&rsquo;s Hospital funds. Sure, some of this year&rsquo;s participants were bested by the dough along the way, but their valiant efforts still counted towards a $160k donation. On the downside, they&rsquo;ll probably never be able to look at a donut the same way again.
 Which of these races would you pick, readers? Tell us about your foodie race dreams (or nightmares) in the comments!

Food and Drink Runs Around the World

Spain

Portugal

Austria

Norway

Poland

Hi there, Travellers,
February has whizzed by, and somehow we've reached the end of the month already!&nbsp;
While January was full of meeting members old and new at travel shows, this month has been all about bringing together everything we learned from you. The feedback was so great to hear, so please continue to get in touch with ideas.
One thing we know makes a difference before booking a big trip is getting the inside scoop from someone who's been there, done that&mdash;and that applies to which airlines we fly with, too. Two of our most-viewed articles are our reviews of lesser-known airlines,&nbsp;<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/jfc-honest-airline-reviews-saudia-airlines-and-more">Saudia Airlines</a> and <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/jfc-honest-airline-reviews-china-southern">China Southern</a>, and we'd like to keep sharing the intel.
So if you've had a memorable airline experience (for the right or wrong reasons), or you've flown on an airline you weren't familiar with beforehand, <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/home?contribute=airline">send us a little airline review</a> to help the Jack's Community go further.
Happy travels and safe landings,

Will EES Give You Border Control Nightmares This Summer?

Answered by Katy

<blockquote>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to know your views on the new EES system which is due to roll out in April &lsquo;26. I&rsquo;m a UK passport holder travelling to Kos in August and concerned about the potential delays at passport control.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Hey there, Traveller! Great topic, and very timely too.&nbsp;
Since October 2025, countries in the Schengen Zone have been rolling out the EU Entry/Exit System (EES). By collecting your biometric data upon arrival (photo &amp; fingerprints), countries within the zone are aiming to track visitors more consistently and ensure that nobody is overstaying their welcome.&nbsp;
This doesn&rsquo;t feel like anything new in terms of border control techniques (I&rsquo;ve been attempting not to make silly faces in photos at international borders for years), so you&rsquo;d think it wouldn&rsquo;t be a big deal. However, when you try to get <a href="https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/what-is-the-ees">29 countries</a> to roll out one system across 500+ airports, all major ferry ports, land border crossings, etc., things get a little complicated.
Anyone entering the Schengen area on a non-EU passport will now need to go through the process of biometric checks upon arrival. Well,&nbsp;probably.&nbsp;
Like you, reader, airports and border control agents are getting anxious about the surge in summer visitors possibly leading to utter chaos at immigration. For that reason, the EU has confirmed that, although April 9th is still the legal deadline for implementation, all countries have the <a href="https://etias.com/articles/eu-entry/exit-system-full-implementation-still-april-9,-with-flexibility">ability to pause the EES checks</a> for up to 90 days after that date. They&rsquo;ve also given the possibility of a further 60-day extension on that, with early September as the final final deadline.
All that to say, you may not even have to deal with the new EES system upon your arrival in Kos. But if you do, there&rsquo;s no knowing whether it&rsquo;ll be hellish or plain sailing. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2734116543610856/">We asked our Facebook community</a> for their experiences so far, and it really was a mixed bag.

&ldquo;Really quick with lunchtime arrival in Vienna on February 16th. Through in under 10 minutes.&rdquo; - Susan
<hr>
&ldquo;Straight through in Lille, took seconds, and in Fuerteventura they had specific machines for people who hadn&rsquo;t previously done theirs and no queues at all.&rdquo; - Sally
<hr>
&ldquo;Barcelona last month - easy peasy and done in no time.&rdquo; - Liz
<hr>
&ldquo;Alicante in January, returned Feb&hellip;no issue.&rdquo; - Lesley

<h2 dir="ltr">The confused</h2>

&ldquo;Been through Faro (where we did our prints and photos done on the way in) and Rome Ciampino. In Rome when I scanned my passport an official told me to go with him, I was a bit worried but it was just to get my passport stamped and I went straight through. Unfortunately because he was dealing with me, he missed my husband who had to go through the whole process and was almost last through! Teething problems!&rdquo; - Fiona
<hr>
&ldquo;Two very different experiences. One was 2 hours (Tromso), and the other was all automated with self-service scanners! I was pleasantly surprised at Tenerife.&rdquo; - Sophia
<hr>
&ldquo;When I went to Spain, there were some new, very confusing lines, and none of the staff really knew which queues to put people in. When I got to the desk at the front, a grumpy man told me to look into the camera, then do my fingerprints, and that was it. It took around 30-40 minutes, I think, but that was mostly down to the lack of organization; they had people switching queues constantly.&rdquo; - Lauren
<hr>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been through various, and I think depends upon destination. Montpellier in France is a regular trip, and time-wise for me at least, nothing is out of the ordinary. Did experience about an hour delay at Prague, where they seemed to be struggling, and it took about 40 mins at CDG Paris.&rdquo; - Simon
<hr>
&ldquo;We went through with Eurostar in Paris on Wednesday. It was fine and quick for me, but then our train was delayed because so many people, who had arrived at the time the email and tickets told them to arrive, were stuck in big queues at security.
I think, to be honest, it was the bag scanning that slowed it down there, as the staff manning that section could not have been less helpful.&rdquo; - Danielle

&ldquo;Scanner took a while to scan the passport, and the fingerprint scanner didn't work at all no matter how hard or soft you pressed! (Leeds/Bradford) so had to go the usual route anyway, and the queue was enormous!! So it wasn&rsquo;t just us that had a problem.&rdquo; - Jules
<hr>
&ldquo;2 hours to get into Krakow&hellip;&rdquo; - Beverley
<hr>
&ldquo;A nightmare in Lanzarote. Not clear what to do. Those that didn't scan their passports couldn't then get through passport control at the gate. All UK flights were delayed last night.&rdquo; - Anon
<hr>
&ldquo;Scanners "down" at Lanzarote on way in and took ages to get them back up, so there were big queues. There was no one easily found to ask questions of, and I could see that some of the questions might take some folk down rabbit holes&rdquo; - Karen

The main thing I&rsquo;m taking away from all these stories is that it really varies wildly from airport to airport. Anyone arriving in the Schengen Zone on a non-Schengen passport this summer should plan to queue for at least 30 minutes at border control. If the EES system is in use, many people will be going through for the first time and will need to register their details, causing delays. If it&rsquo;s not in use, you&rsquo;ll still have to wait for a manual check and/or stamping.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re on a tight schedule, book seats close to the front of the plane so you&rsquo;re first off. Don&rsquo;t stop to use the facilities on your way&mdash;plan ahead and use the toilet on the plane before landing. And it&rsquo;s always worth making sure you have your roaming or eSIM sorted in advance so you can keep on top of your transport plans during delays.
Waiting in a line for hours isn&rsquo;t fun for anyone; however, I would suggest doing your best to go into the situation expecting it but not dreading it. It is what it is, and it will be over eventually. That sentiment may be particularly beneficial for anyone heading to Lanzarote, it seems!
But if you&rsquo;re lucky, reader, Kos will have you through border control in under ten minutes, and you&rsquo;ll be sailing off into the Grecian sunset in no time.

It&rsquo;s worth noting that the EES system is linked to the new <a href="https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/about-etias/what-is-etias">Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)</a> in Europe, similar to the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/eta">Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)</a> that the UK brought in this week. While visitors to the UK need an ETA already, ETIAS will only be necessary from late 2026 and won&rsquo;t be a problem for your August trip. However, keep an eye out for updates if you&rsquo;re travelling again later in the year.
I hope this helps you feel a little more prepared for your upcoming trip, reader. It may not be plain sailing, but it shouldn&rsquo;t be the end of the world. Do let us know how it goes once you&rsquo;re back!&nbsp;
Have you been through the new EES system already? <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/will-the-new-ees-system-give-you-border-control-nightmares-this-summer#comments">Share your experiences in the comments</a>!

Reader's Corner

Calling All Vicarious Travelers...

We love seeing the bargain Flights you, our fantastic Community, have bagged, and hearing stories from your trips. It helps us all travel vicariously through each other when we can't be out on an adventure ourselves.
Here are some of our fave moments of escapism from the last month:

"Always wanted to do a safari and the cheap flight offer defo made it doable for me!! Best trip ever!" -&nbsp;Postcard from DynamicVoyager84378

Kenya

"Had a brilliant time, it was amazing!" -&nbsp;Postcard from Calts63

Slovakia

"Took a very romantic road trip from Athens to see the ancient ruins and monasteries, something I had wanted to do for so long! The food was also absolutely fantastic!"&nbsp;- Postcard from PassionateHolidaymaker60896

Greece

"I had two weeks of a lifetime solo in Barbados after working through the Christmas period. I&rsquo;d never have been able to afford it otherwise and I stayed with a local in the country. After a few days of getting the bus, I hired a car and really saw the island. I made friends who live there, and now I&rsquo;m absolutely dying to go back. It was an amazing trip, I saw so much!"&nbsp;- Postcard from Polly!

Barbados

<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/postcards">Head to our Postcards wall</a> to see more!
We'd love to have your pics and tips joining them up there. <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/home?contribute=postcard">Send us a Postcard</a> to let us know about an awesome trip you found through Jack's, or share all your tips, tricks, and tales in <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/home?contribute=story">a travel story</a>.&nbsp;

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from around the Jack's Community this month.
<ul>
<li>Help! Jack's Traveler Samina from our Facebook community needs your tips for her upcoming <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2741791856176658/">family trip to the Seychelles</a>. Go give her a hand, would ya? </li>
<li>Cheap flights to Asia sometimes mean a long layover in China&mdash;but don't let that put you off! <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DU2m52MDD5r/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">Our Navigators shared their top tips</a> for making the most of it. </li>
<li>Now we didn't mean to get you all riled up, but when we asked <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2726200921069085/">where you'd&nbsp;never travel to</a>&mdash;not even if it was free&mdash;there were plenty of opinions flying around. </li>
<li>Jack's Traveler Nina shared some <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVJi-7mkWYg/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">stunning pics</a> from her recent trip to Northern Vietnam. The rest of us immediately went to book flights. </li>
<li>Layovers, who'd have 'em? Community members shared their thoughts, feelings, and experiences on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2722718518083992/">transiting through the USA</a>. </li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2723282631360914/">AMA: Ask Masuma Anything</a>. Jack's member Masuma answered all our questions about her recent trip to Sri Lanka, and, boy, were we envious! </li>
<li>And finally, Navigator Akasha challenged an unsuspecting Jack's member on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVORuEBjPKK/?hl=en">a fundamental part of plane etiquette: manspreading</a>. We think he passed the test.</li>
</ul>

Community Chatter

Community Dispatches & European Border Control Chaos

<blockquote>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to know your views on the new EES system which is due to roll out in April &lsquo;26. I&rsquo;m a UK passport holder travelling to Kos in August and concerned about the potential delays at passport control.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Hey there, Traveller! Great topic, and very timely too.&nbsp;
Since October 2025, countries in the Schengen Zone have been rolling out the EU Entry/Exit System (EES). By collecting your biometric data upon arrival (photo &amp; fingerprints), countries within the zone are aiming to track visitors more consistently and ensure that nobody is overstaying their welcome.&nbsp;
This doesn&rsquo;t feel like anything new in terms of border control techniques (I&rsquo;ve been attempting not to make silly faces in photos at international borders for years), so you&rsquo;d think it wouldn&rsquo;t be a big deal. However, when you try to get <a href="https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/what-is-the-ees">29 countries</a> to roll out one system across 500+ airports, all major ferry ports, land border crossings, etc., things get a little complicated.
Anyone entering the Schengen area on a non-EU/Schengen passport will now need to go through this process upon arrival. Well,&nbsp;probably.&nbsp;
Like you, reader, airports and border control agents are getting anxious about the surge in summer visitors possibly leading to utter chaos at immigration. For that reason, the EU has confirmed that, although April 9th is still the legal deadline for implementation, all countries have the <a href="https://etias.com/articles/eu-entry/exit-system-full-implementation-still-april-9,-with-flexibility">ability to pause the EES checks</a> for up to 90 days after that date. They&rsquo;ve also given the possibility of a further 60-day extension on that, with early September as the final final deadline.
All that to say, you may not even have to deal with the new EES system upon your arrival in Kos. But if you do, there&rsquo;s no knowing whether it&rsquo;ll be hellish or plain sailing. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2734116543610856/">We asked our Facebook community</a> for their experiences so far, and it really was a mixed bag.

It&rsquo;s worth noting that the EES system is linked to the new <a href="https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/about-etias/what-is-etias">Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)</a> in Europe, similar to the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/eta">Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)</a> that the UK brought in this week. While visitors to the UK need an ETA already, ETIAS will only be necessary from late 2026 and won&rsquo;t be a problem for your August trip. However, keep an eye out for updates if you&rsquo;re travelling again later in the year.
I hope this helps you feel a little more prepared for your upcoming trip, reader. It may not be plain sailing, but it shouldn&rsquo;t be the end of the world. Do let us know how it goes once you&rsquo;re back!&nbsp;
Have you been through the new EES system already? Share your experiences in the comments!

Will the New EES Give You Border Control Nightmares this Summer?

Kyrgyzstan

Singapore

Hi there, Travellers,
I hope you're all easing back into post-holiday life without too much stress. No such luck here at Jack's HQ, I'm afraid, as our team of eagle-eyed Navigators keep spotting yet more special January offerings from the airlines.
Suffice it to say, this edition of The Detour nearly didn't get to you today, as I got distracted debating with myself about grabbing non-stop flights to South Korea.
It was a close call, but in the end, I decided I would wait to see what Pegasus Airlines offers up for the Caucasus and Central Asia when their sale rolls around at the end of the month. And as a bonus, you all get to read about Navigator Akasha's experiences from the last time their January sale lured us in...
Happy travels and safe landings,

The Whirlwind Before The Storm in Kyrgyzstan

Navigator Akasha finds phenomenal Flights faster than you can decide where you want to take a trip to next. A pro at finding the best of the best fares, she's also a master at sharing must-visit spots for when you land.

By Akasha

An old Kyrgyz woman turned from the stove, a red-hot spoon steaming in her hand. Before I could flinch, she loomed over me, her calloused hands holding my chin with a vice-like grip, and she pressed the scalding metal to the back of my throat.&nbsp;
I hear my father&rsquo;s voice echoing in my head, &ldquo;God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change&rdquo;.&nbsp;
I wish I could tell you that she was a witch doctor, a hoarder of jars and remedial elixirs promising to restore the HP of weary, wide-eyed travelers. But truthfully, I was too weak to ask. And nor did I care. I was too transfixed by the spectral shapes circling us, fairly certain they were shadows only I could see.
Four days earlier, medical access was the furthest thing from my mind. I was scurrying across Bishkek&rsquo;s streets with my friend and colleague, Kristi, on the hunt for our 4&times;4 rental. We had met for the first time in real life just a few days earlier, having planned this insane trip over Slack.&nbsp;
Pixelated camaraderie and a dirt-cheap Pegasus winter sale convinced us that the next logical step was to commit to ten days mostly off-grid in a &lsquo;Stan. What followed were months of deeply philosophical debate between riding skirts and rain pants, seat savers versus padded cycling shorts.&nbsp;
The only sane solution? Bring it all.

You might think you&rsquo;ve heard this tale before in <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/kyrgyzstan-snapshots-from-an-expedition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kristi&rsquo;s photo diary </a>&mdash; think again. My experience of life in the steppe went a little differently&hellip;

Now, armed with a list of off-road coordinates and a bag of mechanical tools thrust our way with a Russian rental contract, we chuckled at the sheer absurdity of our gamble and hit the road smiling. The next four days would be entirely out of service and off-grid.&nbsp;

Our plan was to drive 4.5 hours from Bishkek to a village called Kyzart, meet our guide, and start our horse trek into the Tian Shan. We would stay in traditional yurts with nomadic herders, something I&rsquo;ve always wanted to do, and make our final ascent to the alpine lake of Song Kul.&nbsp;
After the trek, we&rsquo;d head another 5 hours south to the town of Naryn and spend the night at a hostel. Next, we&rsquo;d drive off-road deeper into the mountains to guide us through the Kok Kiya valley toward one of Kyrgyzstan&rsquo;s most stunning remote lakes, K&ouml;l-Suu. 
We&rsquo;d need a special border permit to cross a military checkpoint (it&rsquo;s located near a sensitive border zone near China), a few gallons of extra fuel, and old-school coordinates to guide us. No biggie.&nbsp;
Soon enough, I'd discover that I needn't have worried about that permit...&nbsp;

Driving in Bishkek is a touch above beginner level. I had only just gotten my full license a month prior, and so I happily let Kristi take the wheel in what can only be described as Russian roulette.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Oh god, Kash, where are the lanes?&rdquo; she mumbled, half-drowned by the incessant shrill of honking horns and screeching tires. The only thing soothing her anxiety? Taylor Swift, of course.&nbsp;
Turns out, the only thing I needed to do to experience culture shock was to plop myself in the passenger seat of a Toyota, eyes wide at the blur of life unfolding, &ldquo;Anti-Hero&rdquo; crackling on the radio. I could&rsquo;ve saved myself some serious saddle burn.
Genghis Khan statues, hawkers dishing out roadside plov. Overturned transport trucks, twisted carcasses on asphalt. Mosques pressed against Orthodox churches. Wild horses completely unbothered by it all.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Arggggh, are we driving on the left or the right? Why are those guys driving on the right?&rdquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Ummm, maybe it&rsquo;s both?&rdquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Woah, are those billboards made from rocks? Cool!&rdquo;
&ldquo;Should I go? Do I have time to merge?&rdquo; &ldquo;Go, go, go!&rdquo; 
&ldquo;Wait, is that a baby?&rdquo;&nbsp;

The biggest culture shock, however, wasn&rsquo;t Bishkek&rsquo;s vehicular chaos. I had lived in Mexico. I thought I knew things. I had spent two years acclimated to the toilet paper bin. I took whatever the street-food gods threw at me. But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared me for Kyrgyz toilets.
Allow me to rephrase: Nothing on God&rsquo;s green earth had prepared me for Kyrgyz ROADSIDE toilets. I won&rsquo;t go into detail here; some things are better left unspoken. But heed these words of advice: Brace yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually. Don&rsquo;t breathe. Don&rsquo;t look down. Remember, it&rsquo;ll be over soon (probably).&nbsp;&nbsp;
And for the love of all things holy, empty your pockets.&nbsp;

<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/dream-and-delirium-on-the-kyrgyz-steppe">Keep reading...</a>

Oops, we did it again. We asked our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksflightclub/permalink/2683271538695357">Facebook community</a> a big question, and we should have known that they'd only go and answer. That big question? Which airports do&nbsp;you&nbsp;think are the best and worst in the world?
Nobody will be surprised to hear that Singapore Changi Airport is a popular choice. After all, it has been named Best Airport in the World by Skytrax 13 times. It has a butterfly garden, a cactus garden, an indoor waterfall. And it's actually quite nice.&nbsp;

Other airports getting a shout-out include everywhere from Osaka to Alicante, Schiphol to St. John's.&nbsp;
One (very confused) Traveller even seemed to think London Heathrow was great, but plenty more piled in to condemn it to the seventh circle of hell, where it belongs. I personally am right onboard with that assessment, as the sharper minded among you may recall from <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/delays-and-drama-are-flagship-carriers-any-good">my 2023 rant about BA</a> and, by extension, Heathrow.&nbsp;
So tell us, readers &mdash; which airports would you nominate for the titles of best or worst in the world, and why? Jump into <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-219-realities-of-a-dream-trip-great-airport-debate#comments">the comments</a> or drop us an email to share your thoughts.&nbsp;

<h2 id="plus-everlasting-ink">Plus: Inking Abroad</h2>
After last week's&nbsp;<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-1226-Ringing%20in%202026%20with%20Our%20Travel%20Memories#travel-tales">travel tattoo stories</a>, a few of you were keen to write in and suggest we discourage getting tattoos abroad due to the risk of contracting hepatitis A &amp; B, HIV, or infections.
Health concerns are always important to take into consideration. However, what I'd like to do instead, is recommend the exact same as I would to anyone getting a tattoo in their home country: do your research and get informed before going under the needle.&nbsp;
Pick a studio and artist with positive reviews. Make sure you're satisfied with the cleanliness and hygiene standards, e.g. that they use sterile, single-use equipment, and that you feel comfortable in the environment. &nbsp;
Beyond the artist and studio, it's also on you to ensure that you'll be in a position to give the tattoo the necessary aftercare during your trip. That means keeping it clean, moisturised, out of the sun and swimming pool, among other things.
Tattooing is an ancient art that has been <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tattoos-worldwide-history-144038580/">practiced all over the world</a> for thousands of years. If we choose to take part, regardless of where in the world that may occur, it is on each of us to do the risk assessment.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/3d0e6ffe9f2e987fb9255ff2ce420a7e0fdf4590" width="287" height="287">
And in case you were wondering, here are some of the tattoo artists around the world that I would gladly hop on a plane to visit:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sollefe/?hl=en">Sollefe</a> - Based at Papaya Tattoo Studio in Hamburg, I've already synced up three visits to the Hanseatic city with ink appointments. The one above is my fave.&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/maxmurphytattoo/?hl=en">Max Murphy</a> - Absolutely worth the detour to Ellicott City next time you're visiting Washington, D.C., I'd say. Problem is, it's super hard to get an appointment!</li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/suflanda/?hl=en">Suflanda</a> - Like getting an ornate children's storybook character etched into your skin, it's definitely worth booking an appointment first and then planning your trip to Manchester around it.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/pittakkm/?hl=en">PittaKKM</a> - As though I needed any more reason to visit Seoul, these colourful ornamental designs and whimsical clouds lure me in a little more every day.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/rit.kit.tattoo/">RitKit</a> - If you're having a "Live, Laugh, Love" moment in Bali, this is the artist who'll help connect you with nature for good, using real plants as stencils.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
So, readers, are there any tattoo artists you'd travel for? Or is there something similar that you'd hop on a plane for a chance to be part of? <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-219-realities-of-a-dream-trip-great-airport-debate#comments">Let us know below</a> :-)

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li>Slope fiends, assemble! Someone's only gone and done the research on whether it's actually <a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/is-it-cheaper-to-ski-in-europe-than-in-the-us-11880026">more affordable to go skiing in Europe or the USA</a>, and we finally have an answer: it depends. </li>
<li>There's a new entry for the shortest scheduled widebody service in Europe: At just 53 nautical miles, <a href="https://simpleflying.com/just-53-miles-ethiopian-airlines-launches-europes-shortest-airbus-a350-flights/">Ethiopian now flies from Geneva to Lyon</a>.&nbsp; </li>
<li>It's been a hard week in the skies over the UK and Europe, with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy59k13e7eqo.amp">hundreds of flights cancelled</a> due to freezing conditions. Bad news for anyone hoping to travel this weekend: it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/09/storm-goretti-germany-heavy-snowfall-strong-winds-france-northern-europe">ain't getting better.</a>.. </li>
<li>The <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/most-reliable-punctual-airlines-aeromexico-b2895541.html">most punctual airlines in the world</a> have been named, and for the second year in a row, Aeromexico takes the global win.&nbsp; </li>
<li>And finally, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8v5z15551o">potential competition </a>seems to be <a href="https://www.visitlondon.com/blog/eurostar-new-routes-london">scaring Eurostar into action</a>. But are they all talk, or will these new routes actually come to fruition? Guess we'll find out sometime in the 2030s...</li>
</ul>

The Harsh Realities of a Dream Trip & The Great Airport Debate

Canada

Hey there, Travellers,
My friend Rachel was recently telling me about her alter ego, Airport Rachel. Airport Rachel and Everyday Rachel are not the same person; one is caring, patient, and up for a laugh, the other has no time for your nonsense, and will see you at the gate.&nbsp;
And she's not alone. Those of us who regularly navigate airports on our own have our system worked out, and throwing someone you care about into the mix might not be the fun start to a trip that you'd hope for.&nbsp;
Enter: <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/travel/inspiration/comment-inspiration/airport-divorce-travel-trend-huw-oliver-7jgs8kncs">the airport divorce</a>. A temporary parting of ways in an overstimulating environment that's often full of people you might perceive as utterly bonkers.
What do you think? Is an airport divorce the secret to happy transit? Or do you have another trick to calm the turbulence before you take off? <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/detour-212-sale-predictions-travel-blunders#comments">Let us know in the comments</a>.
Happy travels and safe landings,

Over the past few years, airlines have been dropping sales left, right, and center as that pandemic hangover has worn off and travel numbers have soared to pre-2020 levels and beyond. But, are these sales actually worth it?&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ve rounded up the best Black Friday deals from the most popular airlines we&rsquo;ve seen in the past, to shed some light on what you can expect from this year&rsquo;s sales.
Round-trip flights to Europe under $300, Tahiti at $644 including a checked bag, and five-star flights to Osaka at $690 only scratched the surface of Black Friday deals we've found from across the United States.
Since demand has remained high in the years since the pandemic, it&rsquo;s highly likely that prices might be a smidge higher across the board than a few years back. We&rsquo;re keeping our fingers and toes crossed that 2025 will be another year of (good) surprises!&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/e3235eb3eee4b5ad8ff76d7b46cdbccd250b74da" width="524" height="315" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<section id="southwest airlines">
<h2 id="h_7267660882881698760985610">Southwest Airlines</h2>
Free bags, open seating, and a generous change policy once made Southwest our favorite &ldquo;no-frills&rdquo; airline, hands down. But a lot has changed over the past year, and they've recently embraced the same cost-cutting methods used by other low-cost carriers, putting an end to the generous policies they were known for. Free checked bags, we hardly knew ye!
Their Black Friday sales have traditionally focused on domestic trips under 100 buckaroos, but anything goes with the new Southwest.
<h4>What we expect in 2025</h4>
Southwest has ignored Black Friday in favor of Cyber Monday for the last four years, and we expect that to continue. They're not the only ones, either&mdash;we saw an overall shift to Cyber Monday in 2024. But hey, as long as the sales are good, it's all the same to us!
We figure Southwest's sales are likely to go in one of two directions this year. Either they'll continue to cut costs and deliver some lackluster discounts, or they'll make up for the new lack of perks by slashing their fares even lower. Either way, they'll be the first place to look for domestic flights in 2025.
<section id="united airlines">
<h2><img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/bb8231d8276f64dd3a212d3189f33458ffb83cfc" width="524" height="353" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></h2>
<h2 id="h_3436739416281698761090755">American Airlines</h2>
We had low expectations for American Airlines last year, after they completely skipped Black Friday in 2023. But they surprised us with some&nbsp;killer discounts this time around, landing at the top of 2024's nice list. Great job, guys!
American is the world&rsquo;s biggest airline and has the most robust network, so seeing them drop a BF sale is always a good thing. Especially as they usually tend to shy away from sales just like their friends at Delta, positioning their product on that more premium tier.
When they do offer sales, they typically focus on short-haul domestic routes. But American has an enormous international network with flights all over the globe, so there's always the chance for some top-tier fares to the rest of the world too.
<h4>What we expect in 2025</h4>
We're riding high on last year's great sale, so we have great expectations for American in 2025. We're guessing they'll probably focus on domestic routes again, especially since that's been a trend all this past year. But they might choose to leverage their global network and surprise us with some great international ones too.
We'll be keeping an eye on their Asian routes this time around&mdash;while American's reach is pretty limited in that part of the world, flights to Asia have been super popular in 2025. Could they be looking for a bigger slice of the transpacific pie?
<section id="turkish airlines">
<section id="avianca">
<section id="spirit airlines">
<img src="https://cdn.jacksflightclub.com/id/3fdb1ccf7e4d05669598ec646a11fba1c0c8a9f6" width="523" height="392" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<section id="alaska airlines">
<h2 id="h_68266749033301698761151853">Alaska Airlines</h2>
Alaska has had a big year since last Black Friday, completing a merger with Hawaiian Airlines and solidifying themselves as the premier carrier for the western US. They've also turned their eyes to Asia, launching new non-stop flights from Seattle to Tokyo, with a Seoul route coming in September.&nbsp;
An Alaska Black Friday sale is almost a certainty - they absolutely love doling out discounted fares across their domestic and regional routes every holiday season.
<h4>What we expect in 2025</h4>
Alaska is one of the most consistent US airlines when it comes to Black Friday sales, so we're expecting the same from them yet again. We're sure to see some really terrific discounts on domestic routes, including to rarer spots like Bozeman or Redmond.
There's also the possibility of better deals on flights across the Pacific this year, falling in line with yearly trends and Alaska's new focus on Asian travel. Could this be the year we get crazy cheap fares to Tokyo?
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<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/black-friday-flight-deals-usa-what-to-expect-in-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more Black Friday predictions for the US...</a>
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Black Friday Predictions

Over the past few years, airlines have been dropping sales left, right, and center as that pandemic hangover has worn off and travel numbers have soared to pre-2020 levels and beyond. But, are these sales actually worth it?&nbsp;
Canadian airline prices might be a bit higher than other markets, but there are still fantastic deals to be found. We&rsquo;re talking round-trip flights to Europe for under $400 RT, non-stop to Japan in the $600s RT, and&nbsp;five-star&nbsp;seats to Phuket for $894 RT &mdash; and that&rsquo;s just scratching the surface.
We&rsquo;ve rounded up the best Black Friday deals from the most popular airlines we&rsquo;ve seen in the past, to shed some light on what you can expect from this year&rsquo;s sales.
<h2 dir="ltr">Air Canada</h2>
On average, Air Canada&rsquo;s prices tend to be higher than the rest of the Canadian airlines, but with them comes better service and&nbsp;usually a cushier flying experience.&nbsp;
Unfortunately, as of January 2025, they&rsquo;ve nixed the free carry-on for their lowest short-haul fares. But they&rsquo;re still the largest airline in the country, and have an extensive flight network around the world. Plus, they offer nice amenities like seat-back entertainment and a focus on comfort.
We frequently see minor sales on routes within Canada and the US, but they also offer some bigger, rarer sales to Europe and Central/South America too.&nbsp;
<h4>What we expect in 2025</h4>
Air Canada left us hanging last Black Friday. Their 2024 sale was pretty underwhelming, and honestly, we&rsquo;re bracing for a repeat this year.
But don&rsquo;t despair just yet! In the past, Air Canada has come through with better discounts on both Cyber Monday and Boxing Day &mdash; and we think that&rsquo;s where the best deals will be again this year. So, if you&rsquo;re hoping to snag a bargain, keep your eyes peeled for those sales instead.
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<h2 dir="ltr">WestJet</h2>
Another Canadian favourite, WestJet also has an extensive flight network. Although we don&rsquo;t see quite the same level of coverage as their big brother Air Canada, their consistently lower fares are good enough. Similarly to Air Canada, they don&rsquo;t offer a free carry-on for their lowest fares unless you&rsquo;re flying to Europe or Asia.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ll see consistent &ldquo;sales&rdquo; throughout the year, but the biggest ones tend to be Cyber Monday, Boxing Day and random September sales (don&rsquo;t ask us why). The sales tend to be best for Canadian destinations, so don&rsquo;t expect to find any dramatic deals for the rest of the world.&nbsp;
<h4>What we expect in 2025</h4>
WestJet knows how to throw a <s>party</s> sale. It might not have been the widest-ranging collection of destinations, but we did see their lowest prices of 2024 last Black Friday. That being said, we didn't get a random September sale this year, so fingers crossed that means they're going to toss it all into one massive BF extravaganza!&nbsp;
Whatever they decide to do for Black Friday, we expect to see the absolute best deals on Cyber Monday again.&nbsp;
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<h2 dir="ltr">ZIPAIR Tokyo</h2>
Not to beat this dead horse, but if Flair is the Flair of Canada, and Arajet is the Flair of South America, then ZIPAIR must be is the Flair of&hellip; ok, you get it.&nbsp;
ZIPAIR is a low-cost Japanese airline connecting Canada to Asia (just Tokyo). Although it is no-frills, they offer free in-flight entertainment and, shockingly, free wifi too! Even with consistently low prices,&nbsp; from time to time they offer sales with really low prices, so it&rsquo;s definitely worth holding out.&nbsp;
<h4>Last year</h4>
2024: Their Black Friday sale saw non-stop routes to Tokyo at $678 RT. They were the lowest prices of the year, so well worth the wait!
<h4>What we expect in 2025</h4>
ZIPAIR keeps things simple with its Vancouver&ndash;Tokyo route, but that&rsquo;s exactly what makes this one to watch for Black Friday. Demand for Japan trips is sky-high right now, and ZIPAIR consistently offers some of the lowest fares you&rsquo;ll find. 
We expect a solid BF sale, including the cheapest ways to get to Tokyo this winter &mdash; perfect for anyone itching for sushi, ramen, and neon lights!
<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/black-friday-canada-airline-flight-sales-what-to-expect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more Black Friday Predictions for Canada...</a>

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are on their way once again&hellip; but is it all hype, or do airlines really make it worth the wait?
Last year, we saw a higher concentration of sales during the actual week of Black Friday. This differed to previous years when we noticed the first &lsquo;Black Friday&rsquo; sales pop up much earlier in the month.&nbsp;
For the first time, there were even a few airlines who, despite announcing a sale on or around Black Friday, attempted to distance themselves from the label of &lsquo;Black Friday&rsquo;&mdash;yet they still held a sale. Go figure! Maybe they wanted to try to stand out from the crowd?&nbsp;
We also noticed a decline in the &lsquo;one and done&rsquo; type of sale, with many airlines advertising multiple sales over the period, or even a different sale every day in the lead up to Friday. You can probably expect to see this again in 2025.
Read on to find out what kind of flight deals we&rsquo;ve seen in past Black Friday sales, and see more of our predictions for what to expect in 2025.
<h2 id="aer-lingus">Aer Lingus</h2>
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Ireland&rsquo;s airline isn&rsquo;t just for trips from Ireland. Their connecting flights to airports across the UK make them a compelling way to fly to the US &amp; Canada, especially thanks to the <a href="https://www.dublinairport.com/flight-information/travelling-to-usa/usa-preclearance/us-customs-and-border-protection-video">security preclearance in Dublin</a>.
They&rsquo;ve focussed their Black Friday sales mainly on their routes to the US, Canada, and the Caribbean over the past few years.
Considering they&rsquo;ve previously been one of the earliest to announce their BF sale, we were a little surprised they held off until 3 days before Black Friday last year. Along with plenty of long/short hauls from Ireland, their non-stop route from Manchester to Barbados was a standout.
<h4 dir="ltr">What to expect in 2025</h4>
In 2023 they launched early, in 2024 they launched (relatively) late, so maybe this year they'll go back to being early birds? They were one of the first airlines to announce their end of summer sale this year, so maybe that's a sign.
And speaking of summer sales, their Black Friday offering last year was essentially a re-branded version of what they'd previously offered at the end of August. So if you want a hint at what you'll be seeing this time around, it'll likely be <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/tip/europe-canada-barbados-and-the-us-in-60s-520s60s-390s-rtn?utm_source=JFC-Deals&amp;utm_medium=share&amp;utm_campaign=%5BJFC%5D-deal-sharing&amp;utm_content=deal">similar to this</a>.&nbsp;
<h2 id="british-airways">British Airways</h2>
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If you live in the UK, and especially if you live in London, the British Airways sale is always one to watch out for. They fly to pretty much everywhere you&rsquo;re interested in travelling to.
If you&rsquo;re looking to go to any major US or Canadian city or to one of their many Caribbean island destinations, their Black Friday sale is likely a good time to book, too.
They usually have sales at the end of August and from Boxing Day on, but British Airways jumped into the Black Friday game properly in 2018 to bridge the gap between their main sale seasons.
Last year, the main bulk of the UK sale was made up of short-haul flights, with the unexpected exception of a pleasantly cheap route from Newcastle to Boston. Discounts from mainland Europe seemed a little more diverse, but still very USA-heavy. The stand-outs were a sprinkling of India and Mexico.
<h4>What to expect in 2025</h4>
British Airways holding a Black Friday sale is definitely something you can count on. Bagging an actually decent bargain, on the other hand, now that's a different story.
While you can safely assume to see reductions on their short-hauls across Europe, and long-hauls (mostly focused across the USA &amp; India), the prices appear to be getting increasingly underwhelming with every sale.
That being said, last year they just about pipped Virgin Atlantic to the post with a slightly stronger sale offering &mdash; a winning title they held on to during the battle of the end of summer sales. So, if we had to put our faith in one of the two airlines this Black Friday, it'd still be BA.
<h2 class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-h2 mui-lqgaod" id="sas">SAS</h2>
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While 2023 was all about business class, 2024 was all about short-haul economy.
But what really made SAS stand apart from the other Scandi airline sales were the routes on offer. We don&rsquo;t often see spots like Lule&aring; (AKA Swedish Lapland) and S&auml;len go cheap from the UK. Plus, they came with a huge span of dates up until June.
Don&rsquo;t forget that SAS has a pretty decent year-round&nbsp;<a class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-inherit MuiLink-root MuiLink-underlineAlways mui-1broqmw" href="https://www.flysas.com/en/sas-young/">youth discount scheme</a>, offering at least 10% off all economy fares for anyone under the age of 26.
<h4 class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-h4 mui-1nst6g4">What to expect in 2025</h4>
Honestly if we could have a mix of the previous two years, with long-haul, short-haul, economy, and business, that'd be great!&nbsp;
SAS often delivers on cheap US flights, from Scandinavia in particular, but judging by what we've seen this year, we'll also be keeping an eye out for some bargain fares to Svalbard, and maybe some routes to Asia too.
<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/black-friday-uk-ireland-airline-flight-sales-what-to-expect">Read more Black Friday predictions for the UK and Europe...</a>

Travel Mistakes We'll&nbsp;(Hopefully)&nbsp;Never Make Again

We&rsquo;ve all been there. Wide-eyed, in a foreign land, full of glee. You no longer feel the sharp ache of life&rsquo;s shackles, those burdens feel a million miles away. The butterflies in your stomach remind you that you&rsquo;re on your path. You&rsquo;re doing you. You&rsquo;re alive!
And damn, is that not the most intoxicating feeling? That's what travel is about.
But then there are those moments in travel that we don't always talk about, when those butterflies suddenly turn into a giant pit.
Missed flights, forgotten passports, ten years on a secondary security screening list&hellip; Our members and the team at Jack&rsquo;s recently shared those travel mishaps they hope never to repeat. And honestly, some of these are a masterclass in exactly what&nbsp;not to do.&nbsp;
Except our Editor, Katy, that is. When asked, she simply said:&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really a very good traveller, so not much stupidity to offer.&rdquo; An admirable stance. A suspicious one, but admirable&hellip;
Here are some of our favorites (and a handful of lessons we&rsquo;ve learned right alongside you).
<h3 id="from-bali-to-frostbite">From Bali to&hellip; Frostbite?</h3>

&ldquo;When our visa for Indonesia couldn&rsquo;t be extended, I booked a week in Shanghai in February. While it was 25&deg;C in Indonesia, we arrived in Shanghai to 0&deg;C and frost!
Also, it was Chinese New Year &mdash; everything closed, no food stalls, not even local eateries. We made the best of it and booked tourist excursions until we could go back to Indonesia.&rdquo; - Elisabeth

Going from beach vibes to freezing winds wasn&rsquo;t quite the mid-trip refresh Elisabeth had in mind&mdash;but hey, at least she got to experience a very different side of Asia - sans dumplings.&nbsp;
Our takeaway: Always check the weather and the national holidays before booking that spontaneous side trip.
<h3 dir="ltr" id="never-again-gambia">Never again - Gambia.</h3>

&ldquo;Never go to Gambia ever again - rubbish on beaches, sea too rough to swim in, and constant harassment by locals asking for money.&rdquo; - Kaminee

Our takeaway: Sometimes a destination just doesn&rsquo;t click - and that&rsquo;s okay. Not every beach is a paradise, and if you&rsquo;re looking for just a quick sun holiday with your creature comforts, there might be better places. But we wouldn&rsquo;t write off Gambia just yet. 
Where the country shines is in the interior and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vejPcqNLmHc">on its river</a>. Take a journey upriver, either as a day trip or a multi-day excursion, and you'll have the opportunity to learn more about the true Gambian lifestyle.
Whether that&rsquo;s spotting&nbsp;<a href="https://perchancetoroam.com/2025/05/10/chimpanzee-spotting-and-other-cool-things-to-do-in-river-gambia-national-park/">chimpanzees</a>, cruising along the Bao Bolong Reserve, or visiting <a href="https://perchancetoroam.com/2025/05/24/visiting-wassu-kerr-batch-and-other-megalithic-stone-circles-in-the-gambia/">megalithic stone circles</a> and traditional villages, can you really say you&rsquo;ve seen Gambia without venturing into its interior?
<h3 id="overpackers-anonymous">Overpackers Anonymous</h3>

&ldquo;Taking too many things on our trip to North and Central America meant we had to take an extra hold bag. Costing &pound;70&ndash;&pound;110 each flight we took!&rdquo; - Albert&nbsp;

That &ldquo;just in case&rdquo; sweater and 10 more pairs of underwear? Not worth a hundred quid per flight.&nbsp;
Our takeaway: Give our genius <a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/one-bag-packing-hacks-to-change-the-way-you-travel">one-bag packing hacks</a> a read - non-negotiable.
<h3 dir="ltr" id="leaving-the-hotel-and-forgetting-where-it-was">Leaving the hotel... and forgetting where it was</h3>

&ldquo;This is basic, but leaving the hotel in a foreign country and not remembering its name or address so you can get back to it.&rdquo; - Robin&nbsp;

Our takeaways: A quick photo of the entrance (or a pin on Google Maps) can save you an embarrassing game of charades with taxi drivers.
<a href="https://members.jacksflightclub.com/articles/travel-mistakes-well--never-make-again">Keep reading...</a>

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.
<ul>
<li>Thailand may be known as a party destination, but don't get tripped up by their <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/thailand-alcohol-ban-drinking-fine-b2863488.html">new drinking rules</a> next time you visit. </li>
<li>If Saudi's recent push for tourists has put it on your radar, the country's <a href="https://www.experiencealula.com/en/places-to-go/hegra">first UNESCO World Heritage Site</a> should be firmly at the top of your to-visit list. </li>
<li>Level up your festive European trip with <a href="https://www.timeout.com/europe/travel/best-winter-train-journeys-in-europe">these wintry train journeys</a> beautiful enough to bring a tear to a glass eye. </li>
<li>And finally, most of us have wondered what it would be like to just sack it all in and hit the dusty trail. But very few of us have ever gone right ahead and done it. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/09/hike-continental-great-divide-trail">Here's what happened</a> when one intrepid adventurer spent 5 months walking over 3,500 miles from Mexico to Canada. No mention of how many Compeed she went through, we notice...</li>
</ul>

United Kingdom

Jersey in £40s-£60s rtn

€42-€51 rtn

Jersey in £100s-£180s & €110s-€140s rtn

£58-£63 rtn

Shetland Islands, Stornoway, Jersey, and more in £80s-£190s rtn

Europe via train in €50s-€70s rtn