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A hiker on a sharp granite ridge above a sea of clouds at sunrise in the Dolomites

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Where we'd go this month

Dossiers our editors have re-checked most recently, with the season on their side.

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The fluted green sea cliffs of Kauai's Na Pali Coast rising from the Pacific in late-afternoon light, with a small sailing boat below them for scale

United States, island

Kauai

Sea cliffs with no road, a red canyon in the clouds, and an island that closes its beaches when the ocean says so.

Best May–JunFrom $130/day

Table Mountain across Table Bay at golden hour, with a thin cloud spilling over its flat summit and waves breaking on the beach at Bloubergstrand

South Africa

Cape Town

A flat-topped mountain in the middle of town, a cold Atlantic at its feet, and a city still reckoning with its own map.

Best Feb–MarFrom $50/day

The five-storey Yasaka Pagoda rising above the wet stone slope of Yasaka-dori in Higashiyama at blue hour, wooden townhouses with lit windows below

Japan

Kyoto

A thousand years of capital kept in wood, moss and gravel, and at its best before 8am.

Best Apr, NovFrom $65/day

Icebergs drifting on Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon at sunrise, with the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier behind

Iceland

Iceland

A country where the weather sets the itinerary, and the reward for patience is a sky that moves.

Best Jun–AugFrom $120/day

The stone facade and twin bell towers of the Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Oaxaca City at golden hour, with agave plants in the atrium garden and mountains behind

Mexico

Oaxaca

Mole, mezcal and Zapotec stone in a highland valley that still keeps its market days.

Best NovFrom $35/day

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Latest from the desk

Guides, reviews and the news that changes your plans.

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Guide

Japan Rail Pass or point-to-point tickets: the 2026 arithmetic

At ¥50,000 for seven days, the pass loses to ordinary Shinkansen tickets on a Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka loop by about ¥20,500, roughly breaks even once you add Hiroshima, and only wins clearly when Kanazawa and Hiroshima share one week.

By Spike Travel Editorial Desk

Guide

Lisbon in three days: ride up, walk down

Three days that let trams and the metro do the climbing and your legs do the descending: the castle hill and Alfama, Belém on a day it is open, and Bairro Alto by night, with the tickets to book and what each day costs.

By Spike Travel Editorial Desk

Guide

One bag, two weeks: packing to Europe's strictest cabin limits

A fortnight fits in a soft under-seat bag of about 24 litres if you pack three of everything that touches skin, wash something every evening, keep liquids to 100 ml and check each airline's box before you fly.

By Spike Travel Editorial Desk

Review

Wise card review: the real exchange rate, with an ATM catch

We checked Wise's card fees, conversion prices, ATM allowance and spending limits on 12 October 2026, then priced the same spending on Revolut and on a bank debit card that charges 3% abroad.

By Spike Travel Editorial Desk

Deals worth a look

Checked by an editor, with the catches spelled out.

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Flight

Qantas sale to New Zealand from AUD 359 one way

Qantas's New Zealand Red Tail Sale prices one-way Economy flights from Australia to Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington from AUD 359 on selected dates between 2 November 2026 and 30 September 2027, if you book by 11.59pm AEDT on 19 October 2026.

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