The stragglers were only just returning from unintended overstays in Paris and Amsterdam, caused by last week's Channel Tunnel problems, when I turned up at Gatwick on the second day of the new year. My destination: the Costa Blanca, that ever-reliable stretch of Spain's Mediterranean coast. After a fruitless encounter with the entry-exit system, I boarded the bus to Benidorm. Forty minutes later, I stepped off in the middle of a resort devoted to the promotion of human happiness. The bars and restaurants were buzzing, the Christmas lights sparkling, and the streets of the Old Town meandering as reliably as ever. After a short break that I should have made longer, I returned to the UK on a Ryanair plane that made an impressively smooth landing at a snow-covered Norwich airport. Norfolk sees relatively few international flights, and for most of the past week the KLM daily links with Amsterdam have been grounded – as have hundreds of other flights to British airports. I speculated whether extreme disruption at the Dutch hub could increase the premium passengers will pay for direct flights. Friday morning sees yet more disruption. Birmingham Airport closed at 9.30pm last night, leaving more than 1,000 passengers – many of them on Emirates flights to Dubai – stranded. A few thousand inbound passengers were dispersed to airports across Britain, and this morning's Tui arrival from Barbados to Birmingham landed at Manchester instead. The West Midlands airport finally reopened at 7.15am. The scale of disruption is highest, though, at London Heathrow – where 50 flights, most of them on British Airways, have been cancelled. Under air passengers' rights rules, travellers whose flights are cancelled or diverted are entitled to be taken to their destination as soon as possible. But when your flight is abruptly cancelled, it really hurts. If you are caught up in the chaos, whether air, rail or sea, you can ask me a question or two. At 1pm today, I will host the first live Ask Me Anything session of 2026. If you can't tell your ETA from your ETIAS, or you simply want a recommendation for some low-cost winter sun, do join me then.
Elusive Paris: Iberia flight to the French capital ends up at Luton airport
Rail rights: Your entitlements if your train is late or cancelled Socotra stress: 400 tourists stranded on beautiful Yemeni island Flight bites: British Airways cuts hot breakfast from eight short flights | |
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Prime site: Whatever you think about Benidorm, it provides holiday joy for millions each year |
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| From the alluring Spanish coast to the wilds of Kyrgyzstan, these are the hottest places for a getaway. Read more. |
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| Get a front row seat for the solar eclipse from the comfort of a cruise ship. Read more. |
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| Tokyo may be known for its busy streets, but this quiet corner contrasts the city's constant hum. Read more. |
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| Best changing robes, tested by a cold water swimmer |
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Essential listening: Independent travel podcasts |
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Last week I mentioned the annual Rail Sale was soon to begin – but only once it actually starts can I pick out the real bargains for cheap train travel in Britain over the coming 10 weeks. A quick reminder of the rules: book by Monday 12 January for travel up to 25 March 2026. The vast majority of rail tickets that you and I typically buy are not available at a healthy discount; the whole point of the exercise is to boost discretionary travel – in other words, encourage people to make extra trips, or lure people out of their cars and onto the railway. Prices for identical trips are about 6 per cent higher than in the Rail Sale last year. But there remain some outstanding deals. The best: just £7 from either Liverpool Lime Street or Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. Tickets at that price are available on a wide range of dates, but with a catch. These journeys are not on Avanti West Coast expresses, but require a change at Crewe to London Northwestern Railway, taking over an hour longer. You can trade speed for savings on other routes. From Portsmouth to London is only £4 on Southern's longer journey to Victoria via Gatwick Airport, rather than the fast South Western Railway service to Waterloo (£10). Journeys not involving London offer excellent value: Newcastle to York, Sheffield to Leicester, and Norwich to Colchester are all under a fiver. Booking direct with the operator makes things easier if there is a problem with the journey. But independent rail retailers use smart tech to detect whether "split tickets" – for example, combining Rail Sale fares on part of a trip with regular-price tickets – are available. For a Newcastle–London trip next month, I shall take TransPennine Express to York and Grand Central from there for a most agreeable £17. |
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Should every airport offer a smoking or vaping zone? |
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In today's newsletter, we're asking: Should every airport offer travellers a smoking or vaping zone? Or are nicotine users no exception to smoke-free terminals? Vote using the buttons above. The results from our latest poll are emphatic. Asked whether they would be willing to pay extra to access US National Parks, 93 per cent of readers said no – suggesting most are firmly against the idea of being charged to visit America's most famous natural landscapes. |
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Super-quick cruise with a lavish promise |
This Royal Caribbean voyage in early summer caught my eye: "Depart from Southampton, England on Liberty of the Seas on your epic journey through unforgettable landscapes and world-renowned cities. Gaze in awe and wonder at wow-worthy architecture and natural beauty as you travel throughout the region."
This is a journey from the Hampshire port across the Channel to Le Havre, and back the following night. But if you've not cruised before, this could be the entry-level voyage you need. Sails on 29 May, current price around £300 including meals and entertainment. Le Havre has spectacular post-war architecture and is a gateway to the Normandy coast. You get 14 hours ashore. |
Gatwick rail link to close for next three weekends |
Britain's second-biggest airport, London Gatwick, will have its main link from the capital disconnected for the weekends of 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25 January. Network Rail says: "Replacement buses will be in operation along most of the sections where trains are not running. Buses will also be running to link Three Bridges or Gatwick airport to/from East Grinstead from where frequent trains will be running in and out of central London via East Croydon. In addition, a train service will run between Gatwick airport and London Victoria using a diversionary route, calling at Clapham Junction." Journeys will typically take over an hour, rather than around 30 minutes. Engineering work will also close the Great Western Railway from London Paddington to Bristol and Cardiff all weekend. Trains will be diverted through Berkshire and Wiltshire, adding up to an hour to journeys. |
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Two nights and one day in Lyon. What do you advise? |
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Start early at the quietly elegant 15th-century Cath̩drale Saint-Jean. Then take the funicular railway to the summit of Fourvi̬re hill. From the terrace, on a fine day, you can see the French Alps. Explore the extravagant late 19th-century basilica, Notre-Dame de Fourvi̬re, whose towers represent the cardinal virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Force and Justice. Visit the impressive Lugdunum complex, which presents the Roman history of the site Рincluding a remarkable theatre. Head back down to river level and explore some of the traboules that are a Lyonnais speciality: they feel like secret passages between the main streets. For another dose of culture, the Mus̩e des Beaux-Arts de Lyon contains plenty of appealing paintings housed in a former Benedictine convent. Rubens, Monet, Gauguin, Picasso and Matisse are all represented on the second floor. The walls of the city themselves form an outdoor gallery: Lyon has around 200 murals, some of them vast, all adding colour and style. Lyon makes a reasonable claim to be the gastronomic capital of France. My favourite spot is the magnificent Brasserie Georges, a vast dining hall close to Perrache railway station. It has been a Lyonnais institution since 1836. |
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| Craving adventure? Save on a huge range of guided tours and river cruises in Trafalgar's sale. Explore Colorado's national parks, experience New Zealand's epic landscapes, or cruise the Danube –plus many more unforgettable trips. Learn more. |
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| Now's the time to book your next getaway with Tui's biggest sale in full swing. Save big on a whole host of destinations around the world. Use code SALE to save. Based on departures from May 2026 to October 2027. Learn more. |
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| Keep your feet comfy on every adventure and stock up on socks for less in Peper Harow's winter sale. |
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| Lonely Planet's experts reveal the best ways to bag a travel bargain in The Travel Hack Handbook – now under £12 at Amazon. |
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