Editorial team, Remote, everywhere
Staff-written, editor-checked briefings from the Spike Travel newsroom.
The Editorial Desk byline is used for staff-written briefings that pass through at least one editor and a fact-check before publication. Pieces under this byline are updated as facts change; the "last verified" date on each page tells you when we last re-checked prices, rules and opening hours.
News
Where Kauai's recovery stood on 16 October 2026: the parks, trails, harbours and hotels that have reopened since the 7 September storm, and the ones that have not.
Dossier
Sea cliffs with no road, a red canyon in the clouds, and an island that closes its beaches when the ocean says so.
Guide
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.
Guide
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.
Guide
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.
Review
We checked Airalo's prices for Japan, Thailand, the USA and Europe on 12 October 2026, along with its fair use policy, refund rules and device requirements, and set them against Holafly and local SIMs.
Review
We read SafetyWing's May 2026 policy wording, its live price calculator and its FAQ. Essential costs $62.72 per 4 weeks if you are under 40 and has no deductible. Its limits and exclusions decide whether that is a bargain for you.
Review
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.
News
Since 10 April 2026 the EU has recorded non-EU visitors' fingerprints and faces instead of stamping passports. What happens at the border, how the 90/180 count works now, and why the €20 ETIAS has no launch date.
News
Since 15 September 2026, tourists from 60 countries and territories, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and every EU state, get 30 days on arrival instead of 60. The digital arrival card is still mandatory, and you can still apply to stay longer.
News
Americans, Canadians, Australians and EU citizens are among the visitors who must hold a £20 electronic travel authorisation before travelling to the UK. Who is exempt, how long it lasts, how to apply and how transit works.
News
What it costs to enter the US on 12 October 2026: the ESTA fee and how long it lasts, where the visa integrity fee from the 2025 budget law stands, the REAL ID rule for domestic flights, and the restrictions now in force.
Dossier
Gabled canal houses, world-class museums and a city that moves at the speed of a bicycle bell.
Dossier
The Parthenon above the rooftops, souvlaki for under €5 and dinners that start after nine.
Dossier
Offerings on every doorstep, surf below the cliffs, and an island that runs on its own Hindu calendar.
Dossier
Temples at dawn, noodles at midnight, and a river that still carries the city between them.
Dossier
Gaudí on the skyline, the Mediterranean at the end of the street, and dinner that starts at ten.
Dossier
A flat-topped mountain in the middle of town, a cold Atlantic at its feet, and a city still reckoning with its own map.
Dossier
Inca stone under Spanish balconies at 3,400 metres, with Machu Picchu a train ride down the valley.
Dossier
A country where the weather sets the itinerary, and the reward for patience is a sky that moves.
Dossier
A commuter ferry to Asia, a sixth-century dome before lunch, and tea in a tulip glass wherever you stop.
Dossier
Steep cobbled lanes, river light on tiled walls, and a counter espresso that still costs about a euro.
Dossier
Free national museums, two thousand years of layered streets and a Tube map you'll stop needing by day three.
Dossier
Riad courtyards, a square that becomes an open-air kitchen at dusk, and Atlas snow above the rooftops in winter.
Dossier
Learn it on foot and underground: every block changes the mood, and the subway runs all night.
Dossier
One river, twenty arrondissements and a city that rewards the walker far more than the queue.
Dossier
Granite lanes tumbling to the Douro, port lodges across the water, and a sandwich you eat with a knife and fork.
Dossier
Gothic towers, river light and tank Pilsner at pub prices, once you learn to sidestep the Old Town traps.
Dossier
A city of rules, rainforest and hawker stalls, where dinner is cheap and the beer is not.
Dossier
Fourteen million people, trains that leave on time, and dinner at a counter older than your grandparents.
