Monday newsletters at all times characteristic prime 10 journey lists to encourage.
As we speak: My 2026 journeys that I’m most enthusiastic about
I want you all a cheerful, secure, wholesome, and affluent 2026. In a world that usually feels more and more complicated, polarized, and fast-moving, journey stays one of the crucial significant methods to reconnect with curiosity, empathy, and marvel. Few quotes seize this higher than Martin Luther King Jr.’s timeless reminder that darkness can not drive out darkness—solely gentle can try this. Journey, at its greatest, is a type of gentle: it broadens views, fosters understanding, and reminds us of the wonder and variety of our planet.
On the finish of final 12 months, I appeared again on my most memorable journeys of 2025, reflecting on what made them particular and what they taught me. Now, as a brand new 12 months unfolds, it’s time to look ahead. In 2026, I’ve a collection of exceptional journeys deliberate, combining aviation deep dives, luxurious resort stays, and galvanizing locations. These journeys shall be shared intimately on my Wednesday weblog posts—at all times that includes flight journey studies or luxurious resort critiques — in addition to on my Instagram account and my YouTube channel, the place visuals and storytelling carry these experiences to life in numerous methods.
You probably have some ideas and options for my upcoming 2026 journeys, please share them within the feedback part beneath!
10. Flying Emirates A380 Enterprise Class
Few airline merchandise have achieved the legendary standing of Emirates A380 Enterprise Class, a cabin that for a lot of vacationers outlined a whole period of aspirational long-haul flying. When the superjumbo entered service, Emirates reworked Enterprise Class into one thing way more experiential, making the journey itself a spotlight. The onboard lounge on the rear of the higher deck rapidly grew to become iconic, encouraging passengers to depart their seats, socialize, and luxuriate in premium drinks at 40,000 toes, whereas the general cabin design projected confidence, glamour, and scale. In 2026, I’ll be stepping again onboard Emirates’ A380 Enterprise Class cabin and assess whether or not this as soon as ground-breaking product nonetheless lives as much as its stellar fame in a market that has developed dramatically. Through the years, rivals have launched more and more personal enterprise class suites, sliding doorways, and extra customized service ideas, basically elevating expectations. This flight shall be a complete assessment, analyzing seat consolation and sleeping ergonomics, cabin ambiance, inflight leisure, catering high quality, wine program, and repair consistency all through the journey.
9. Snowboarding within the Dolomites
Draped throughout the excessive Alps, the place Italy, Austria, and Switzerland converge, the Dolomites are one of the crucial dramatic and visually placing mountain ranges on the earth. With 18 peaks rising above 3,000 meters (10,000 toes), the Dolomites are outlined by vertical rock faces, sheer cliffs, and a dense community of deep, slender valleys that create a very otherworldly panorama. Shaped and eroded over greater than 200 million years by landslides, floods, and avalanches, the huge Dolomite massifs have developed right into a spectacular assortment of needles, towers, and pinnacles. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Web site in 2009, the Dolomites provide excellent outside experiences all year long. From December to March, it transforms into a real winter wonderland, boasting 12 ski resorts, state-of-the-art raise methods, and over 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) of groomed slopes suited to all ranges. Including to the thrill, 2026 is a milestone 12 months, because the Winter Olympics shall be hosted within the Dolomites, additional highlighting the area’s international enchantment. Throughout my keep, I’ll be checking into the COMO Alpina Dolomites, one of many space’s most interesting luxurious ski lodges, completely positioned to get pleasure from each the slopes and the timeless alpine fantastic thing about this extraordinary area.
8. Visiting the Kingdom of Cambodia
Cambodia is a vacation spot that leaves an enduring impression, not solely due to its historic temples and dramatic landscapes, but in addition due to the resilience, heat, and creativity of its folks. My 2026 journey by way of Cambodia will discover the nation by way of a rigorously curated assortment of lodges that mirror each its previous and its future. I’ll start with a keep at Six Senses Krabey Island, a personal island retreat that blends barefoot luxurious with sturdy commitments to conservation and wellness. In Siem Reap, I’ll keep at Shinta Mani Angkor, a property that stands out for its up to date design and deep engagement with native communities, all inside simple attain of Angkor’s awe-inspiring temples. Phnom Penh will observe, with a keep on the Rosewood Resort, occupying the higher flooring of the capital’s tallest constructing and providing sweeping views over the Mekong River. The journey will culminate at Tune Saa Non-public Island, an eco-luxury pioneer that proves significant sustainability and indulgent consolation can coexist fantastically.
7. Exploring Europe’s Grand Motels
Whereas long-haul adventures are at all times thrilling, Europe continues to supply a few of the world’s most refined, storied, and culturally wealthy resort experiences, the place historical past and hospitality are inseparably intertwined. In 2026, I’ll be embarking on a number of journeys inside the continent, centered round iconic properties that signify the very pinnacle of European luxurious and repair traditions. In Amsterdam, I’ll be staying at Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, a real masterpiece set alongside town’s historic canals, the place meticulously restored Seventeenth-century palaces are paired with understated up to date class and flawlessly polished service. Switzerland may even characteristic prominently on my itinerary, with a go to to the spectacular Bürgenstock Resort, dramatically perched excessive above Lake Lucerne and providing sweeping panoramic views of the encircling Alps, mixed with world-class wellness and eating experiences. These European journeys will deal with the enduring enchantment of grand lodges, the artwork of intuitive and extremely customized service, and why Europe stays unmatched on the subject of mixing historical past, tradition, and luxurious right into a seamless, deeply immersive journey expertise that continues to face the take a look at of time.
6. A Safari Journey to Zimbabwe
Boasting magnificent wilderness and the spectacular Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe is a lesser-known but actually fabulous off-the-beaten-path safari vacation spot. Its nationwide parks stay wild, distant, and largely untouched, whereas nonetheless providing a exceptional assortment of intimate, high-end safari lodges that rival the very best in Africa. Bordering Botswana, Hwange Nationwide Park is the nation’s largest recreation reserve and impresses with its various landscapes, starting from semi-desert scrub on the sting of the Kalahari within the south to forests, granite hills, and expansive mopane woodlands within the north. The park is residence to greater than 100 mammal species, together with lion, leopard, and rhino, and is very famend for considered one of Africa’s largest elephant populations. Hwange can be extremely accessible, with most camps providing each day and evening recreation drives. Throughout my journey, I plan to mix Hwange with a go to to Mana Swimming pools Nationwide Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site since 1984. Situated in northern Zimbabwe alongside the mighty Zambezi River, Mana Swimming pools is taken into account considered one of Africa’s most interesting locations for strolling safaris, made attainable by Zimbabwe’s exceptionally rigorous skilled information licensing system, which ensures guides are certified to trace and stroll safely amongst harmful recreation.
5. Flying Thai Airways A350 Enterprise Class
One other journey I’m notably enthusiastic about in 2026 is flying in Thai Airways’ Enterprise Class aboard the Airbus A350, an plane that has change into a favourite for long-haul vacationers due to its quiet cabin, fashionable air circulation, and refined onboard atmosphere. Thai Airways has lengthy been admired for its gracious service, elegant presentation, and distinctly Thai sense of hospitality, qualities which have helped the airline keep a loyal following even throughout more difficult intervals in its current historical past. What makes this flight particularly intriguing is the reported inclusion of caviar in Enterprise Class on choose routes—an indulgence historically reserved for First Class and one which instantly raises expectations. Nonetheless, past the novelty issue, this journey will deal with the basics that actually outline a premium expertise: seat ergonomics, sleeping consolation on lengthy in a single day sectors, inflight leisure high quality, meal presentation and style, and the general service movement from boarding to touchdown. The A350 offers a superb platform for consistency and luxury, and I’m notably focused on seeing how Thai Airways balances its sturdy service traditions with fashionable expectations of in the present day’s premium traveler in an more and more aggressive Enterprise Class panorama.
4. A Vacation within the Island of Gods, Bali
Bali continues to carry a particular place on the earth of luxurious journey, not just for its pure magnificence however for its distinctive potential to mix spirituality, wellness, design, and deeply rooted traditions into a very transformative expertise. In 2026, I’ll be returning to the Island of the Gods for a multi-stop journey that highlights Bali at its most refined and various. My keep will start within the jungle close to Ubud at COMO Shambhala Property, a legendary wellness retreat the place holistic dwelling, mindfulness, and nature-driven therapeutic outline each side of the expertise. I’ll then enterprise deeper into Bali’s highlands to remain at Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, a rare “no partitions, no doorways” idea that reimagines luxurious by way of radical openness, immersive nature, and a profound sense of seclusion. Alongside the island’s dramatic west coast, I’ll expertise the minimalist class of Soori Bali, set between black-sand seashores and volcanic landscapes. The journey will proceed with a keep at phenomenal Alila Villas Uluwatu, a benchmark for sustainable clifftop luxurious, earlier than concluding in Seminyak at Potato Head Suites, the place design, tradition, and sustainability converge in considered one of Bali’s most inventive and forward-thinking hospitality experiences.
3. Getting Off the Crushed Path in Palau
Annually, I make a acutely aware effort to incorporate a minimum of one vacation spot that sits firmly off the overwhelmed path, and in 2026 that vacation spot shall be Palau. This distant Pacific nation is widely known for its untouched marine environments, vibrant coral reefs, and dramatic limestone islands that rise abruptly from turquoise lagoons, creating a few of the most pristine seascapes on the planet. Palau’s long-standing dedication to conservation, marine safety, and sustainable tourism makes it one of many world’s most distinctive and significant journey experiences, particularly for these searching for one thing past conventional luxurious. My keep shall be with 4 Seasons Explorer Palau, providing a uncommon mixture of ultra-luxury service and real expedition-style exploration, from guided diving and snorkeling to distant island excursions. Palau isn’t about ticking off landmarks or following tendencies; it’s about slowing down, immersing your self in nature, and recognizing the accountability that comes with visiting fragile ecosystems. This journey will discover how luxurious journey can evolve into one thing extra considerate, academic, and purposeful—with out sacrificing consolation or service—and why locations like Palau are more and more essential in shaping the way forward for high-end journey.
2. Exploring the Galapagos Islands
I’ve been dreaming about taking a visit to the Galápagos archipelago since a very long time, and I hope this dream will lastly come true in 2026. The Galapagos Islands, located within the Pacific Ocean some 1,000 km (600 mi) from the Ecuadorian coast, remained a closely-guarded pure secret for thousands and thousands of years. This archipelago and its immense marine reserve is named the distinctive ‘dwelling museum and showcase of evolution’. Its geographical location on the confluence of three ocean currents makes it one of many richest marine ecosystems on the earth. Ongoing seismic and volcanic exercise displays the processes that fashioned the islands. These processes, along with the acute isolation of the islands, led to the event of bizarre plant and animal life – resembling marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, big tortoises, enormous cacti, endemic bushes and the various totally different subspecies of mockingbirds and finches – all of which impressed Charles Darwin’s idea of evolution by pure choice following his go to in 1835. I’ll divide my time within the Galapagos between a keep at a luxurious resort (Finch Bay) and a cruise on a personal yacht (La Pinta), however I’ll additionally mix my Galapagos vacation with a couple of nights on Ecuador’s mainland, extra exactly within the capital metropolis (the place I’ll keep on the historic Casa Gangotena Resort) and the close by cloud forest, which is residence to Ecuador’s most unique resort, Mashpi Lodge.
1. A Return Journey to the Maldives
No 12 months of journey feels full with out a return to the Maldives, a vacation spot that continues to redefine the very concept of barefoot luxurious, castaway escapism, and refined indulgence in concord with nature. Even after many visits, the Maldives retains a uncommon potential to really feel timeless and endlessly inspiring, due to its luminous lagoons, overwater structure, and fixed evolution on the highest finish of hospitality. In 2026, I’ll be revisiting two standout resorts that every signify a definite but equally compelling interpretation of Maldivian excellence. At Soneva Jani, I’ll as soon as once more immerse myself in a philosophy rooted in sustainability, privateness, and imaginative design, the place huge overwater villas characteristic retractable roofs, personal slides into the lagoon, and an emphasis on experiential eating that turns each meal right into a story. In distinction, my first go to to Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi will showcase a extra polished and up to date imaginative and prescient of luxurious, unfold throughout a sprawling personal island with impeccably designed villas, a powerful assortment of eating ideas, and a degree of service outlined by precision and consistency.
*** Comply with me on Instagram, YouTube, X (Twitter) or Fb for a every day second of journey inspiration ***
