Twenty years ago, if you told someone you’d never been to Bali they’d look at you like you had a Bintang singlet on backwards.
I jumped on the Bali train a bit later than most, but pretty quickly could tell tales about being attacked by monkeys in Ubud and the best bars for sundowners in Seminyak.
Now I find myself a candidate for another public shaming. I think I’m the only person I know or ever heard of who didn’t go to Japan this year.
In fact, I’ve never been at all.
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Over a million Aussies visited Japan this year. (Getty)
My excuse is that back in the day Japan was horrendously expensive, and there always seemed to be another cheaper adventure to be had elsewhere. Now, there’s no excuse.
The Japanese yen is at an all-time low against the Aussie dollar and down down, prices are down.
The best places to visit in Japan – besides Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka
So, in 2026, Japan heads my holiday hit list. This time next year I’ll be writing stories about the best place for udon and dos and don’ts for travelling on the bullet train.
What I’m looking forward to most about going to Japan is that I’m going somewhere for the first time. Travelling overseas is not cheap, so we tend to want some guarantees that we’re going to enjoy it.
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It’s easy to fall back on old favourites while travelling – but it’s good to branch out. (Getty)
That’s why you hear people say ‘I’ve been to Bali eight times’ or ‘we go to Fiji every year’. Because they know what they’re going to get and don’t want to spend all that money and be disappointed. I can be a bit like that.
I’ve been to India and Hawaii multiple times. Love them both for different reasons. I love the colour and chaos of India and the chill factor of Hawaii.
Both countries always deliver what I expect. But it’s a big world out there and although I’ve been lucky to see a lot of places, there are still many more I haven’t seen.
So that’s my challenge to you (and myself) in 2026, break out of your holiday comfort zone and experience something new. If you always drive south for your holidays, drive north. If you always hike in the mountains, veg out on the beach.
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You could try out the beaches of Vietnam. (Getty)
Instead of Bali go to Phuket. Instead of Thailand go to Vietnam. I’d always said I’d never go on a mega cruise ship with six or seven thousand people, but earlier this year I was fortunate enough to get to experience Star of the Seas – not just a big cruise ship the biggest of all time. I loved it. I had a completely false sense of what the experience would be like, and now I’d go back in a heartbeat.
And these new choices don’t have to be extravagant like I’ve been to the North Pole so I’ll go to the South Pole. It can be as simple as we always stay in a hotel but this time we’ll camp.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a two-hour drive from your house or a 22-hour flight. The adventure is the new activity, not how much you paid or how distant and exotic it is.
We shouldn’t take ou own backyard for granted, either. (Tourism Australia)
The other thing to consider in 2026 is to not take destinations for granted. We are all guilty of this, especially when it comes to Australia.
I’m going to Greece this year because I can see Uluru anytime. How often have you heard that? I didn’t get to Kakadu until six years ago because I thought Kakadu would always be there.
The problem with this philosophy is you keep putting off destinations like this and never end up going! The country I’m most guilty of taking for granted is New Zealand.
I haven’t seen near enough of New Zealand. I always thought it’s so close I could go anytime and I’ve ended up barely going at all.
So, to practice what I preach I’m putting New Zealand on my 2026 list as well.
Lichtenstein will always be there.
Unlikely city sees huge 145 per cent jump in holiday interest from Aussies
AloJapan.com