Good morning -
Weather, price, activities, travel time….these used to be the factors people considered in summer travel planning. This summer fuel-price spikes, closed airspace, cancelled flights and visa bans also play a role. Geopolitics are a big factor in 2026 summer travel. If you’ve already made plans, you might be on the edge of your seat wondering if they’ll still be possible.
It seems silly to talk about travel when people are dying and the the majority of the news is so, so bad.
But travel is a huge industry, important to many economies, and––I like to still think––a way to learn and boost compassion. If you’ve been anywhere in the Middle East, you know the region is so much more than current politics. That goes for pretty much everywhere, including the U.S. People are very different, but also the same everywhere. It’s saccharine, it’s overdone, I sound like such an early 2000s travel blogger. And yet, I do think getting outside your comfort zone and meeting people you wouldn’t have otherwise met is, if not a cure for the world, at least a step in the right direction. Plus, travel makes you happy.
This week, I shared all my summer planning resources in one place. Lots of destination inspiration and practical tips here. Answering specific questions in the chat. Come join!
And Charlotte Cook wrote a fantastic Highlands Guide that has me looking at the calendar to find a time to visit Scotland this fall.
The travel news keeps on coming this month, so let’s get to it!
Travel News to Know – March 27
Airlines/Airports
As I write, we’re waiting to see if the House will vote on whether to approve funding for TSA agent pay. The Senate voted early this morning to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down for more than a month. House Speaker Mike Johnson has not committed to putting legislation on the House floor, but Trump has said he would sign it into law. The Senate bill would fund TSA and most of DHS, but, crucially, not ICE. Democrats in Congress have been pushing for more restrictions on ICE agents. Long security delays, missed flights and TSA officers resigning has put pressure on lawmakers to make a deal.
For now…. My sister-in-law sent the family group chat a horrifying video from Houston yesterday. The security line snaked back and forth, back and forth, stretching outside the airport. She arrived 4.5 hours before her flight and was in line for three hours. Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, a friend breezed through security. Houston is supposedly the worst airport right now for TSA wait times, but long lines in Atlanta, LaGuardia, and elsewhere are also making the news. My Milwaukee friend had been checking Reddit, which seems like a good idea, as some airports seem to have very long lines during certain hours, but only normalish long lines at others. I am typically a get-to-the-airport-at-the-very-last-minute person, but these days I would be cautious and go early. Dont’ forget to sign up for Touchless ID! (Some airports don’t use TSA at all, and at those, you should be fine.)
Also for now, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are stationed at around a dozen airports across the U.S. “They have been deployed ostensibly to ease the hourslong security lines amid a shortage of T.S.A. workers, but have largely patrolled hallways and stood watch,” reports the New York Times. So far, that hasn’t helped with lines. “Some passengers worried that federal immigration agents were not qualified or authorized to carry out the responsibilities of T.S.A. officers. And some immigrants were concerned that they would be targeted by ICE.” Heidi Altman, vice president of policy at the National Immigration Law Center, said the deployment to airports was an affront to Americans after they had “watched ICE agents terrorize their neighborhoods for over a year.” More from NYT here.
Beating the same drum as last week. Book your summer travel now! United, the latest airline to talk about price increases, said it could raise fares 20 percent to keep up with fuel prices. He also said he expected fewer people to travel this summer if the war continues. American Airlines and Delta said fuel expenses increased $400 million in the first quarter. This Bloomberg graphic shows that some fares have already surged 560 percent (!!!).
Then there’s SAS, which cancelled a few hundred flights in March and said it would likely cancel at least 1,000 flights in April due to high fuel prices. Rival carrier Norwegian Air added 120 flights in March and April to absorb SAS cancellations.
Most flights to the Middle East remain out of operation. Lufthansa announced this week it won’t resume flights to Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Dammam, Riyadh, Erbil, Muscat and Tehran until Oct. 24. Flights to Dubai and Tel Aviv are expected to resume May 31.
American aviation is near collapse. The Atlantic has a good analysis on why U.S. airlines are so terrible. “The U.S. commercial aviation system used to be a modern marvel––but years of disinvestment capped by political dysfunction, have left it quietly eroding from within.
This week, thousands of passengers were stranded across Asia as 195 flights were cancelled and 2,660 delayed due to weather, operational failures and logistics issues.
Ok, let’s have some good news! United Airlines announced major updates. It debuted three new ‘Coastliner’ planes that will have Polaris seats on domestic routes, including new, larger Polaris Studio business class seats that include caviar service. There’s also a new regional jet with lockers in first class, rather than overhead bins. But most exciting for me, and I think for many families, is the Relax Row. These are economy seats that can turn into lie flat seats (if you book the whole row). No details on pricing yet, or exactly which routes they’ll be available on once they launch in 2027. But as a family of three I will 100 percent be trying to book these seats for longhaul flights.
American Airlines launched a new feature on its app and website that tells customers why their flight was cancelled or delayed.
Luxury airline beOnd will launch new routes from London and Paris to the Maldives.
Business travelers leaving UK airports can expect higher fares starting April 1, as the country increases its Air Passenger Duty. The rate hike, first announced in 2024, will add £2 to an economy class short-haul flight. Long-haul flights will incur a 13 percent rate rise, and taxes on private jets will jump by almost 50 percent.
Tourism
Fewer foreigners are interested in visiting the U.S. From the Economist: “Today there are more international trips than ever: 1.5bn overnight visits last year, calculates the UN, above the pre-pandemic high in 2019. But there is the ambient sense that America has become a less friendly place. A poll found the share who don’t feel welcome there has more than doubled in a year; outright refusal to visit the country has almost tripled.”
Related, from the same article: “Last year Israel welcomed 1.3m international visitors, down by 71% from 2019. (Christian pilgrims and residents’ relatives are the most stalwart guests.)” And France is by far still the most popular country.
Devastating storms hit Oahu earlier this month, and Maui this week. Outside Magazine has a piece on whether you should cancel your trip, and Honolulu has tips on how to help.
Zambia is upgrading its transport infrastructure, in part to boost tourism. The Chinsali to Nakonde highway will link Zambia and Tanzania, making multi-country trips easier. It’s also restoring trains and adding rail routes.
Cyprus is safe, says the government (and me). But war in the Middle East is impacting summer tourism.
Morocco welcomed a record number of tourists in 2025––19.8 million visitors.
The UK is considering charging foreign tourists for entry to its national museums and galleries, which are currently free to all.
Japan approved a new tourism plan that says “quality of life for residents in popular destinations is being impacted by large concentrations of visitors and that Japan needs to strengthen overtourism measures.” The plan doesn’t limit visitors. In fact, the government wants to increase inbound visitors to 60 million (there were 42.7 million visitors in 2025) and annual visitor pending to $94 billion. But it does focus on improving transportation, urging people to visit regional destinations rather than a few well-known places, and potentially implement dual pricing at museums and other attractions, where foreign visitors would pay more than residents.
Hotels
FIFA has cancelled thousands of hotel rooms in World Cup host cities, just three months before the event. FIFA cancelled 2,000 reservations in Philadelphia, and 40 percent of its Mexico City reservations. From the Philadelphia Inquirer: “The cancellations coincide with U.S. host cities grappling with a delay in federal security funding, mostly paid out for police overtime associated with World Cup events. While the money was stuck in limbo for most of this year, many U.S. host cities have scaled back plans for large-scale fan festivals, including in New Jersey, Boston, Miami, and San Francisco. Many fans who can’t afford World Cup match tickets visit host cities for the atmosphere these festivals provide.”
Soho House is building its first “countryside retreat” in Rhinebeck, New York. “Set across a 250-acre property of the former working farm, it will blend the balance of nature and experience with restored 19th-century buildings anchored by a historic manor house. It will include bedrooms, various food and drink outlets, plus hiking, cycling, and spa and wellness offerings.” Soho House also plans to open its first Japan location in Tokyo, and a Los Cabos location with a beach club, among other new openings.
Trains
The new Paris to Berlin night train from European Sleeper made its first departure yesterday. It stops in Mons, Liège, and Brussels. Looking forward to taking this!
Other
The UN General Assembly voted this week to declare the trafficking of enslaved Africans “the gravest crime against humanity.” Ghana brought the resolution, which the U.S., Israel and Argentina voted against. Despite being non-binding, the resolution goes beyond simple acknowledgment and asks nations involved in the slave trade to engage in restorative justice. "The United States also does not recognise a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred," said US ambassador Dan Negrea. It’s worth noting that France, the UK, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal abstained. A reminder that colonialism started in Europe, and that no matter how many progressive policies Europe now has (which are easy to have in homogenous societies), many places are far from perfect.
Weekend Reading
“In the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, the authorities have arrested hundreds of people since the war began last month, accusing some of spreading rumors and others of merely sharing videos and imagery of Iranian attacks, according to statements published by their official news agencies.”
The nostalgic allure of the GuestCheck. I took sooo many essay notes on spare GuestChecks while working in restaurants.
What Greeland reveals about resilience, dependence, and the skills we no longer have, by Joanna Hutchins.
“Writing this from my office, I know that when Iran launches missiles or drones towards the UAE, my phone will alert me to seek shelter, and advanced interceptor systems will likely neutralise the threat. My safety is not an accident. It is engineered, enabled by technology and is a privilege many do not share.” Thoughts from Wired Middle East’s editorial director.
Had to Share
Read: I read There Are Rivers In the Sky (affiliate link) for book club and loved it. It alternates between time periods, between ancient Mesopotamia, London and Iraqi Kurdistan. It’s exciting and beautiful and a little sad, but hopeful. It’s been raining in Belgium (surprise) and I’m not thinking about raindrops in the same way anymore. Also recommend joining a book club if you’ve recently moved and are trying to make friends!
Do: Come follow my new Instagram account, please. Here’s a semi-awkward intro video.
Drink: Nathan came back from South Sudan with a bottle of Raki, thanks to a layover in Istanbul. It’s been awhile since we’ve had it and it puts me right back on the Turkish coast (see below). Perfect if you’re grilling this weekend (those of you somewhere warm.)
Thanks for reading!
💛 – Rebecca
What an epic post; thank you, Rebecca!
This really captures how travel is shifting from something we plan to something we have to constantly reassess. It makes you wonder if uncertainty is becoming part of the experience itself.