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This Month

Transfagarasan switchbacks

When the world’s most picturesque drive and Mother Nature collide

A pleasant spin along a storied mountain pass seemed like the perfect way to experience the beauty of Romania. The weather had other ideas.

Fujiyoshida Sengen Shrine at the foot of Mount Fuji.

Asian tourists are avoiding Japan. The reason might surprise you

A viral manga prophecy predicting a massive earthquake on July 5 has led to slashed flights and emptied Mount Fuji trails – rattling the tourism industry.

June

Tourists visit the Acropolis in Athens. Webjet is one of the biggest travel agencies in Australia, and is now entirely exposed to leisure travel after being spun out of its corporate services business.

BGH demands Webjet return $100m, hoping to flush out rival bidders

The private equity firm is working with veteran corporate raider Gary Weiss to acquire the business, but is being stymied by a rival travel agency, Helloworld.

The best way to fly to Europe

Flying over the Middle East? Australians rethink their Europe plans

The Iranian attack on a US airbase in Qatar has put popular flight paths under question. Here are the facts to consider if you plan to fly to the Continent.

May

Step into a Studio Ghibli dreamscape on this Japanese island

From mossy gorges to volcanic trails, Yakushima Island and Kagoshima in Japan’s far south are a hiker’s paradise.

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Did Jesus really visit the English coastal idyll of Cornwall?

A lap around the countryside of the UK’s very own surfers’ paradise is a picturesque pleasure, bursting with history.

Amouage chief creative officer Renaud Salmon in Oman

48 perfect hours in Oman, according to a luxury insider

Renaud Salmon of fragrance house Amouge doesn’t waste a second of his weekends, with sunrise runs, sailing and evenings of high culture on the itinerary.

Castellabate in the foreground and behind it where I have just walked from,  santa maria di castellabate

Finding serenity on a new walking tour in southern Italy

Solitude, stunning scenery and a slower pace of life await on a multi-day trek through the Cilento National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

April

Washington DC’s antidote to the Trump slump

If you think the US capital is nothing but monuments, museums and people dressed in power suits, the neighbourhood of Union Market may well change your mind.

Stolen shoes and dancing at breakfast – is this the ultimate wedding?

An invitation to a traditional, multi-day affair is an exciting – and daunting – experience. Our writer navigates the dress codes and customs of this jubilant occasion.

Meet the train fanatic making global rail travel a whole lot easier

The founder of the online guide seat61.com, Mark Smith has turned his singular passion for train travel into a worldwide resource.

March

The tiny Balkan town at the heart of the action for centuries

If Europe’s oldest olive tree could talk, it would reveal a fascinating tale of the rise and fall of empires.

A 13th share in this four-bedroom apartment in central Italy’s Mercatello is up for sale for $40,000 through Second Home. 

How to buy an Italian apartment for $40k

Want a second home in Europe, New Zealand or Asia? Australians are catching on to the notion of co-ownership of luxury holiday properties.

February

Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson has pulled off an impressive balancing act.

This is the big winner from Qantas and Virgin’s battle for the skies

Competition is going to rise following the approval of the alliance between Virgin and Qatar Airways. The big winner is already emerging.

Travel stocks were subdued today.

Travel agencies smashed as airfares tumble

Flight Centre and Helloworld released disappointing results with the former’s average international fare decreasing by 6.5 per cent over the December half.

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England’s most quintessential country escape isn’t where you think

Forget the rural idylls of Austen and Brontë – the epic skies, sweeping vistas and seaside charm of North Norfolk are just as worthy of song and story.

Scaling Mount Kilimanjaro with no training and sheer determination

It’s touted as suitable for beginners but reaching Africa’s highest point means contending with intense exhaustion, freezing temperatures and extreme altitude.

January

Hiking the Wadi Rum Desert, Jordan

Epic new walking holidays for your bucket list

As the popularity of hiking grows, countries from Jordan to Sweden and Albania are launching trails to lure travellers who’ve already ticked off Spain’s Camino.

A breakfast worth getting out of bed for the StandardX in Melbourne

Three hotel breakfasts to make you spring out of bed

In their rush to create drawcard restaurants, many establishments overlook what is still arguably the most important meal of the day. Not these ones.

Heyscape cabins, in Denmark Western  Australia

Sign up, check in, chill out: What not to miss in Australia in 2025

From a hot spring trail in outback Queensland to duelling pianos in Darwin and a clutch of cool hotel debuts, here’s what’s happening on the home front.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/travel-hny