Records & People
How a Sherpa guide decides to send you back down the mountain
With altitude symptoms you sleep no higher tonight. The NHS rules, the signs that mean descend now, and what a guide watches that you cannot see in yourself.
News desk
Archive
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World Destinations
The airports where a pilot needs a special licence just to land
US law names them, Bhutan lets in a handful of its own pilots, and Lukla has a 527 m runway on a 12% slope. Why these six close when the cloud comes in.
World Destinations
What the Santorini and Mykonos cruise fee costs you this autumn, and when it drops
€20 a person per stop until 30 September, then €12 in October and €4 from November. Other Greek ports charge €5, €3 and €1.
Breaking Flights & Access
Virgin Australia Cancelled 30 Flights Because Its Own Cabin Crew Said No to Extra Shifts, Here's What That Means If You're Flying This Week
Virgin Australia scrapped about 30 flights over one weekend after cabin crew refused rostered days-off requests, and says more disruption could follow while contract talks continue.
Breaking Flights & Access
Two US Airports Lost Their Systems Within a Day of Each Other, Here's What Actually Helped Stranded Travelers
A severed cable grounded flights into Philadelphia and Newark, then an IT failure froze check-in at San Diego a day later. Here's what actually got people moving.
Safety & Advisories
US measles cases have passed last year’s total, and what to check before you fly abroad
3,471 cases by 17 September, against 2,289 in all of 2025. The CDC wants every traveller aged six months and up vaccinated two weeks before leaving.
Money & Insurance
How much Americans actually spend on a trip to Spain, against everyone else
€2,297 a head in 2025, the most of any country Spain’s statistics office reports and 65% above the average visitor. The British still spend more in total.
Visas & Entry
Australia Just Turned Your Second Working Holiday Year Into a Lottery, Here's How the Ballot Actually Works
A ballot for 45,000 second-year and 5,000 third-year places replaces automatic approval, announced by Australia's Home Affairs Minister on 17 September 2026.
Breaking Safety & Advisories
Typhoon Dujuan Just Grounded 275 Flights Near Tokyo, Here's Whether You Should Still Fly to Japan This Week
Four dead, six missing and 275 flights cancelled as Typhoon Dujuan hit Tokyo, here's what the US, UK and Australia are actually telling travellers.
Visas & Entry
Thailand visa-free stays just changed, and what it means for American travellers
Since 15 September, Americans get 30 days visa-free instead of 60, and every visitor must file a free digital arrival card in the three days before landing.
Breaking Flights & Access
Britain's Flight Control System Just Failed Twice in 13 Days, Here's What That Actually Means If You're Flying This Autumn
A Prestwick network fault cut UK airspace capacity 60% on 21 September, thirteen days after a software defect grounded 2,000+ flights nationwide.
World Destinations
Before you book a New England leaf-peeping trip, look at what happened to Maine
Maine went from 12% to 100% in drought in seven weeks while southern New England got wetter. What that means for this year’s color, and how to time a trip.
Breaking Safety & Advisories
If you have a flight through Dubai this month, here's what three governments are warning you about
The UK, US and Australia now advise against non-essential UAE travel, and several airlines are still avoiding Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Safety & Advisories
Dubai and Abu Dhabi flights are still landing normally, but the US and UK are giving very different advice about going there right now
The US rates the UAE a Level 3 risk while the UK just says 'stay alert' — what each government is actually telling you before you fly.
Deals & Routes
Gokyo Ri or Kala Patthar, which Everest viewpoint should you actually add to your trek
Kala Patthar is 5,644m and gives you Everest up close, Gokyo Ri is 5,357m and gives you four 8,000m peaks at once. Here's which one earns the extra day.
Deals & Routes
Annapurna Circuit or Upper Mustang, here's how to pick between Nepal's two classic treks
One climbs to a 5,416m pass with real altitude risk, the other stays under 4,000m in a walled desert kingdom. Here's the honest trade-off.
Safety & Advisories
Manaslu climbers are racing a storm to the summit, and the forecast is against them
A record 493 permits, two deaths on Sunday, and heavy rain forecast from 24 September. Some teams are climbing, some are waiting, and one has gone home.
Flights & Access
What airlines actually owe you when air traffic control fails, in the US, UK and EU
Usually no cash payout, because ATC failures count as extraordinary. But UK and EU airlines still owe meals and hotels, and US refund rules still apply.
Breaking Trail & Weather
Heavy rain is forecast across Nepal from Thursday, and here is what it means for a trek starting this week
Nepal’s weather office expects heavy to very heavy rain from 25 to 27 September. Here is what is known, what is not, and how to protect a trek.
Flights & Access
The Northeast flight meltdown snarled thousands of flights, and here is what your airline really owes you
Air traffic control failures are rarely something airlines pay for. Here is what US and UK rules give you after Monday’s ground stops.
Visas & Entry
Where Americans can travel without a passport, and the catch in each case
Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Marianas need no passport. American Samoa and closed-loop cruises accept a birth certificate.
Industry & Tourism
Do you actually need a porter on a Nepal trek, or is a daypack enough?
No porter is required, but a 15 kg Lukla baggage limit and a TAAN wage floor of NPR 2,400 a day settle most of the decision. Here is when to hire one.
Safety & Advisories
Is Mexico safe for Americans right now, state by state from the State Department
Mexico is Level 2 overall, but six states are do-not-travel and two are Level 1. Cancún, Los Cabos and Mexico City all sit at Level 2.
Safety & Advisories
No Atlantic hurricane yet this year, and what it means for an autumn Caribbean trip
Six named storms, zero hurricanes, the latest start of the satellite era. NOAA still says one storm is enough, and the peak runs into October.