January 7, 2026 — 5:00am
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It’s hard work making yourself better. All these New Year’s resolutions, they’re always so difficult. Losing weight, drinking less, powering through your career goals, being a better parent … I mean, who has the time?
So this New Year, I’m setting aside all those worthy and challenging self-improvement goals and instead focusing on summertime fantasies that require no actual work of my own (it’s becoming tradition).
Please let’s have some more politeness around reclining seats in 2026.iStock
If you could change the world of travel, what would you do? If, with a magical wave of your hand, you could alter the experience of holidaying and moving from one place to another, what would you wish for in 2026? These are mine.
12pm checkouts will become the norm
There are some hotels that do this, but plenty that do not. An 11am checkout is considered generous – some even make you leave by 10. This year, my fantasy is for 12pm check-outs across the board. And more flexibility on arriving early.
People will stop booking up all the Japan flights
Flights to Japan are full, so fares are expensive.iStock
I say this with tongue in cheek, because I understand the attraction of Japan more than anyone. The only problem with going there in 2026, however, is that the country is so popular that all the flights are getting booked up and the airfares are very expensive. Couldn’t you all find somewhere else to go?
AI will start doing menial household chores
You would hope that AI would alter our lives for the better, that we would no longer have to bother with boring household chores and life admin work and sitting on the phone to Qantas for hours and instead do fun things like facilitate our next holiday or create something beautiful. Instead, AI seems to do all the fun things – create artworks, plan holidays – while still making us empty the dishwasher. What gives?
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The world will not spiral into war
There is a genuine fear right now, among travellers and everyone else I’m sure, that the world is on the precipice. The US is toppling leaders and chasing oil. Russia continues its war in Ukraine. The ceasefire in Gaza is tenuous. World powers watch on and weigh their own ambitions. It’s a dangerous time, and we can only hope it passes.
Hotels will be as good as Airbnbs
I want to love hotels. I want to patronise hotels. I can recognise that short-term holiday rentals do damage to many of the places they exist in, particularly over-touristed cities with limited housing for locals. But we still need hotels to lift their game – offer better amenities, stop petty rip-offs like mini-bar prices, be genuinely family friendly – to properly compete.
Airport security will all make sense
Take your laptop out of your bag; leave it in your bag. Take out your liquids; leave them in. Take off your shoes; leave your shoes on. Take off your jacket; unless it’s buttoned up, in which case it’s fine. We all do our best with airport security and its myriad requirements, but would it be too much to ask for some consistency?
Australia won’t be so cripplingly expensive
As with hotels, I want to love travelling in Australia. I want to take my family on Australian adventures, to share what’s so amazing about the country they are growing up in. But I also wish it wasn’t so expensive. As an example, to take our kids “glamping” just an hour or so from our house – a pretty basic domestic holiday – would cost us $400 a night, plus fuel and other expenses. You can buy a return budget airfare to Vietnam for just a little more than that. One fare per night. It’s a hard sell.
We’ll appreciate our own restaurants (and wineries)
Just as we should love travel in Australia, I firmly believe we should appreciate our home-grown restaurants. There are no Michelin stars here, and no restaurants in the World’s 50 Best list, which may make it feel like our eateries lack gravitas or that they don’t stack up against the rest of the world – but that is absolutely not true. And while we’re at it, drink more Australian wine. It’s amazing.
We’ll stop staring at our phones
I don’t mean to get all “back in my day” here, but still, there was a time when travellers had no other option but to talk to each other (or read a book), and you ended up meeting some amazing people and doing incredible things. Now, everyone just stares at their phones. Me included. We need to stop.
Australia will get high-speed rail
Fast trains like those found in Japan are doomed to remain on the fantasy list.iStock
I included this in last year’s list and I will put here again, if for no other reason than I am manifesting Australia’s groaning lurch towards a 21st-century transport network. Right?
People will recline with courtesy
You’re allowed to recline your seat when you fly. But, in my opinion at least, you shouldn’t do it on short domestic flights unless you have a medical issue, and any time you do, recline slowly, so the person behind you has a little warning, and make sure it’s back upright at meal times.
The US will not introduce new entry requirements
Late last year, US authorities announced planned changes to its ESTA visa-waiver program, including taking DNA samples from travellers and forcing them to reveal social media history and phone numbers and email addresses from the past decade. The American public has until February 9 to comment on the changes, which could then become law. Here’s hoping they don’t, because these are regressive, restrictive ideas that would seriously harm the tourism industry of one of Australia’s favourite destinations.
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Mexico will make its way closer to Australia
I love Mexico, and I’m super-keen to get back there as soon as possible. However, if the US brings in its mooted new ESTA laws, I will not be keen to travel through Los Angeles or another US port to get there. And going through South America is a long journey. Could we somehow bring Mexico closer?
We’ll stop destroying our favourite experiences
It’s unfortunate, to say the least, that travelling to do the things you love also harms the things you love. Climate change is smashing the ski industry, it’s destroying coral reefs, it’s causing destructive weather events across the globe. We need to figure out a middle ground.
I’ll find a neck pillow that actually works
I’m jealous of people who love neck pillows, because they always seem to be so comfortable, and I definitely am not. I’ve tried a lot of neck pillows, and none of them make flying better for me. Maybe 2026 is the year…
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Ben Groundwater is a Sydney-based travel writer, columnist, broadcaster, author and occasional tour guide with more than 25 years’ experience in media, and a lifetime of experience traversing the globe. He specialises in food and wine – writing about it, as well as consuming it – and at any given moment in time Ben is probably thinking about either ramen in Tokyo, pintxos in San Sebastian, or carbonara in Rome. Follow him on Instagram @bengroundwaterConnect via email.From our partners
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