We’re just about at the end of Ramadan – the Islamic month of prayer, fasting and reflection – with Eid forecast for later this week, and my story about best countries to experience Ramadan as a traveller.
To misquote Taylor Swift, January slipped away like a bottle of wine – I spent a lot of time on radio and podcasts, chatting about the travel trends of 2026.
My big takeaways;
Egypt: A radio announcer said while he was introducing me that no-one is going to the Middle East right now. Hello, Egypt? With the Grand Egyptian Museum finally, fully opening in late 2025, all that pent-up demand for Egypt has broken, like the Nile in flood. New Nile cruisers of all persuasions, from petite luxury to giants jostling for space at the docks – it’s all happening this high season.
Every tour company scared off by the disaster happening next door as Israel continues to bomb a population of old men, women and children into oblivion has, of course severely (and deliberately) damaged the tourism industry in the region over the past two years, but with ‘ceasefires’ and the like broken, Egypt is working on a new normal.
Central Asia: Uzbekistan is the ultimate dinner party brag destination right now, and this trend is only going to grow, with all the five ‘stans, including deeply weird Turkmenistan, getting more tourists, more trains and infrastructure as we come for the plov and the turquoise mosques , madrassas and public squares.
Japan: More than a million Australians a year are heading to Japan, it’s not stopping any time soon. Cherry season, ski season, summer, winter – it’s an all-rounder.
Australia still loves Bali as hard as ever, Paris still the top city for visitors, Italy hot as ever while we chase our euro-summer… Canada and Mexico will benefit from the 2026 FIFA matches – it remains to be seen what happens with the third host country, the US, given a high proportion of attendees will not be US citizens. That’s just me slipping the boot in here.
I could go on, or you could simply tap into some of the radio interviews I’ve done recently for ABC Adelaide, ABC nationwide summer, 3GB…
I also had a fun chat with Rory McLaren on ABC Adelaide about travel experiences you can’t have these days – think climbing Uluru (thankfully, because this sacred rock and icon of Australia doesn’t need any more poo on it), inflight cockpit visits (mourning this one) and smoking on trains/flights/most places. Any you’d like to add? I’d love to hear in the comments below.v
Take a listen: https://soundcloud.com/user-367644299/abc-adelaide-radio-lost-travel
In the meantime, travel well!
Tea drinkers, come join my tea party!
“It’s a sultry morning in the Maldives and the mechanic is sweating as he tinkers with the sparkling La Marzocco espresso machine. All the while, hopeful guests watch, desperate for a morning hit.
“We’ve flown the mechanic in twice this month, as the humidity plays havoc with the machine,” explained the suave French general manager of this boutique, no-walls, overwater resort.
Unperturbed, I order my usual cup of tea. Earl grey, no lemon, no sugar and absolutely no milk on the side, thank you.
Unlike the coffee, the tea arrived moments later; a pot of hot water and two budget supermarket-brand tea bags languishing, insouciant as a couple of down-at-heel gatecrashers, by the pot.
Not leaf tea. Not even a decent bag, but the sort of pesticide-laden, waterproof tea bags that make you want to thump your head on the table in the midst of breakfast service. Reader, this particular resort cost $1000 a night.”
And so sets up my campaign for good tea.
Is it a crime to want a decent cup of tea? I love great coffee as much as anyone, but my start to the day is gentler, and more simple. Tea, hot water, cup. No expensive machinery required. And yet, hotels still fob tea drinkers like genteel Austen readers, mild-mannered to the point of insipid. Foolish, even.
The story has galvanised tea drinkers sharing their plight and the ways to negotiate travel (even luxury travel) while the world conspires against us. Many, like me, carry tea bags, or cheerfully pocket a rare, quality bag of tea in their hotels. Some travel with mini hot water elements to avoid using hotel kettles. Others pack tea cups to avoid the inevitable, hard-to-break, thick-lipped mugs forced upon us in hotel rooms.
“I ordered tea in a Hotel in Colombo and was served Lipton teabags in a tea pot, in a country which produces great loose leaf tea.”
“Well said! Am so over begging baristas in hotels and resorts for a tea pot so I can give my leaf the respect it deserves. And as for respect, be great if these venues could show a little to tea drinkers. Infuriating that I need to bring decent tea to kick start the day while coffee drinkers around me are indulged with flat whites, macchiatos and double shot espressos.”
How many times have you been in a cafe, your partner orders a cappuccino and you order an English Breakfast tea. For the same price they get an expertly barista crafted espresso and you get a cup of barely hot water with a no-name brand tea bag and tiny thimble of milk.
Hotels, restaurants and cafes will finesse the espresso, coo over the pour-over, obsess with the cold-press. Meanwhile, the rusted-on tea drinker is ignored.
You can read the full story, printed in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers, here:
https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/i-didn-t-want-coffee-so-my-1000-a-night-resort-gave-me-cheap-tea-bags-20251107-p5n8h9.html
Some readers told me to get a life (and stop paying $1000 a night for a hotel) but that’s the job! To review hotels, and to call them to account, from the $20 guest house to the $2000 a night Maldivian overwater villa.
There was also a lot of debate about tea bags, but I maintain that Singaporean brand TWG does an excellent tea bag (albeit at a price), but I will also pay homage to the tea counter at Harrods when in London, and Mariage Freres in Paris
What do you think? Are you a tea drinker?
In Tasmania’s Central Highlands, in Australia’s deepest lake, that’s where we’re all going this week, for walking, wine and wombats at Pumphouse Point.
Stuck at the desk? You can still come along to Tasmania via our latest episode of The World Awaits travel podcast. Jump on the pod to hear this week’s chat, (which I recorded while sitting on the floor of the business centre at Niyama Private Islands in the Maldives, while my co-host Kirstie Bedford was packing for Athens. If you’re going to be in a business centre anywhere, I thoroughly recommend this one, because you can look at at a turquoise lagoon in the Dhaalu Atoll while you’re working)
Listen via Apple Podcasts
Spotify
or via our website https://theworldawaits.au
Set in the glacial Lake St Clair, the lake lodge has recently opened its new Retreats, beautiful cocoons amidst the remote wilderness. The central highlands also a hub for walkers, wine and wombats; https://lnkd.in/gpia2S9N
Also, leading wine reviewer the Halliday Wine Companion reveals Australia’s top cellar door to put on your travel list https://lnkd.in/gVXNehpf and we’re sharing some great tips to save when travelling around Switzerland on its Swiss Rail Pass, https://lnkd.in/gAwp-_9p
And a spot of trivia; what do you think is the most expensive thing left in Brisbane Airport’s Lost & Found? Lloyds Auctions recently put all the items under the hammer, including one pretty surprising, pretty pricey item that would be hard to forget…
I am so pleased to announce that I’m the Australian Society of Travel Writers’ new Travel Writer of the Year!
The awards were announced at a gala celebration hosted by the City of Greater Bendigo, and I couldn’t be more proud. It is the second time I’ve won this prestigious award, the last time was two years ago.
The three stories in my portfolio were drawn from Saudi Arabia, Oman and southern Spain, places I love equally, and were published in the Traveller section of the The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and in Luxury Escapes‘ glossy Dream magazine.
Traveller: AlUla, Saudi Arabia with The Royal Commission for AlUla Read the story here
Traveller: Southern Spain train odyssey with InnTravel Read the story here
Luxury Escapes: Heaven Scent in Oman, with Emirates, Anantara Hotels & Resorts and Shangri-La Group
The very generous prize is two business class tickets on Virgin Australia‘s domestic and short-haul international network – I reckon they’ll be easy to use!
Thank you to the Australian Society of Travel Writers, to the editors including Paul Chai, Craig Platt, Anthony Dennis, Jane Reddy and Trudi Jenkins, and to the tourism companies that continue to help travel journalists and writers produce detailed, quality (fact-checked) features, and to the public relations professionals who support and back us, even as budgets tighten and soundbites shorten. Huge thanks to Barking Owl Communications, Julia Spence PR, Lara McCabe at Burson, Nick Flynn, Zoe Shurgold and of course the sponsors, Virgin Australia
And a shout out to the team at Niyama Private Islands Maldives where I’m currently working on my next story (yep, it’s as tough as it sounds), who baked me the most beautiful cake when they heard the news.
The Great Ocean Road is Australia’s most iconic road trip, running along the coastline of Victoria. I wrote this guide to the drive for Lonely Planet, sharing some of my favourite stops along the Great Ocean Road, with tips on the best places to eat, my favourite swim spots and some of the new, beautiful architecture along the way.
The route starts west of Melbourne at Torquay and ends at Allansford, on the way to Adelaide. Buckle up for 243km of heart-burstingly beautiful surf strips and quiet coves, pine-lined beach towns and country roads fringed by forests.
You can read more about the Great Ocean Road, the best walks along the route on the Lonely Planet website, or see more on the official website of the road here: https://visitgreatoceanroad.org.au/
and you can see more on Tourism Australia’s website: https://www.australia.com/en/places/melbourne-and-surrounds/guide-to-the-great-ocean-road.html
To read the full story, visit https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/guide-to-the-great-ocean-road
As Australia celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Uluru Handback, host Belle Jackson shares how you can take a bite of the red dust on a roadtrip around the Red Centre Way.
From Alice Springs/Alice Springs to Watarrka/Kings Canyon and Uluru, here’s your list of where to stay, what to eat and some of the best experiences on a drive holiday in the Northern Territory.
Also, the world’s best hotels are recognised in the new Michelin Key hotels guide; Australia’s Lizard Island is the only the three-key hotel, with Longtitude 131 near Uluru, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island and Drift House in Port Fairy, Victoria. Click here for the full list.
And dogs on planes – are you on board? Virgin Australia has become Australia’s first airline to allow dogs in the cabin, launching its new trial, as well as more generous carry-on limits.
Belle’s recommendations on the Red Centre Way include:
Ooraminna Station, 40 mins from Alice Springs, https://www.ooraminna.com.au/
Ormiston Gorge, West Macdonnell Ranges https://nt.gov.au/parks/find-a-park/tjoritja-west-macdonnell-national-park/ormiston-gorge
Kings Creek Station https://kingscreekstation.com.au/
Ayres Rock Resort, https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/
Standley Chasm, West Macdonnell Ranges, https://standleychasm.com.au/
Northern Territory Tourism https://northernterritory.com/
Other places mentioned:
Melbourne Winery https://www.melbournewinery.com.au/
Virgin Australia https://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/
#northernterritory
There’s great nightlife, it’s summer all year round, and really, really hospitable people. Add to that fabulous architecture and a blossoming food scene, and what’s not to love about Malta?
In Australia, he’s Mr Malta – Maltese-Australian chef, restaurateur and TV presenter Shane Delia has been returning to the Mediterranean island nation since he was 13, so he knows a thing or two about exploring Malta’s food, beaches and lifestyle.
Shane joined me on the podcast just ahead of Maltese Independence Day.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or via our website and all other great podcast apps.
His restaurants include Maha in Melbourne, Layla in Brisbane and the Biggie Smalls kebab chain, and he appears on Channel 9’s Postcards every week. He says Malta is blossoming with high-end restaurants.
“But while it’s well documented where we’ve been, young Maltese chefs are asking, ‘Where can we be, who can we be?'” he says. His hot tips include Marsaskala Bay for swimming and Sphinx Malta for delicious pastizzi. Follow Shane at @shanedelia
Also, be compensated for late or cancelled flights here in Australia: you can have your say on the proposed Aviation Consumer Protection Scheme, see http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/aviation/aviation-consumer-protections
And finally, car rental group VroomVroomVroom says that Australian airports are the most common place for bingles in your hire car.
Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ep-112-exploring-malta-with-chef-shane-delia-payouts/id1689931283?i=1000727243372
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Tuu5FlHKAg7WOmyaBBB7W
From pier runners to the bargain hunters, which one of these 10 cruise personalities are you?
My story in the Australian Financial Review’s High Seas magazine decode the most common ocean journey archetypes, including the Old Salt and Round-the-World Devotees, and why you should google upside-down pineapples before you cruise. There are the wellness cruisers, the hypermilers, and the round-the-world devotees.
Click here to read the full story and to see if you are, actually, a Pier Runner. Thanks to Simon Leitch for the great illustrations.
In this edition, I also got to put the case for why sea days are the best days on ship, in a cheeky little essay recalling my mum’s inability to find a glass of water on an epic Seabourn cruise.
Click here to read the full story, where you can forget the destination, cruising is all about the journey. Watch the ocean, soak up the sun and enjoy the curious sensation of seeing nothing on the horizon.
I’m very, very pleased to announce that I’ve been shortlisted again for Travel Writer of the Year in the Australian Society of Travel Writers 2025 awards!
I titled my collection of three features The Underrated and the Understated, reporting on a train journey in southern Spain, AlUla in Saudi Arabia and Oman (that’s me, stopping to smell the roses, after being trapped in flooded Dubai on the way to that mountain of fragrance).
Thanks to ASTW and to the companies who continue to support travel journalism, including InnTravel, Saudi Tourism, Emirates, Shangri-La Muscat in Oman and Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, and their PR representatives
And thanks also to the editors at the Traveller section of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers and Luxury Escapes’ Dream magazine, who commission features from these adventures, which sometimes (Ok, often) slip away from the conventional path.
The competition is daunting – my friends Justin Meneguzzi and Kate Henessey complete the trio shortlisted for the TWOTY (best acronym, right?) Luckily, they are both great humans as well as extremely talented writers.
@hh_510 thank you so much, once again, for this photo from Al Jebel Al Akhdar It’s one of my favourite travel photos.