Disney to Nearly Double Parks Spending to $60 Billion Over 10 Years

Disney movies can act as the perfect inspiration for family travel, highlighting lesser-known destinations as a possible location for the next trip — Colombia in the Oscar-winning Encanto, for example, and the South Pacific in Moana. With the studio marking its 100th anniversary this October, there are new ways to get inspired. Start with Disney100: The Exhibition, running at ExCeL London from 13 October 2023 and celebrating the centenary through 10 interactive galleries of memorabilia. It gives the whole family a chance to revisit their favourite Disney flicks — and, through them, some of the real-life destinations that inspired their beloved storylines. 

Just ahead of the most magical time of the year, both Walt Disney World and Disneyland have announced money-saving offers to help families budget for their upcoming vacations.

From striking architecture to romantic strolls amongst cherry blossoms, there’s so much to experience in Japan, and one of the best things to immerse yourself in is the country’s diverse food landscape. While you definitely need to explore Japan’s many sushi eateries, food markets and hole in the wall gyoza spots, there’s something beautifully convenient about visiting your hotel’s restaurant after a long day of sightseeing. That’s what makes staying at Park Hyatt a good choice, there are properties in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Niseko, each of them with esteemed dining options. Find out what culinary offerings each city and hotel have to offer here.

Peak fall foliage is popping in Estes Park, the mountain town just outside of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. Soon, the elk will be bugling as part of their annual mating ritual, a wildlife spectacle that draws tourists to the mountain town for “Elktober.” Down in southern Colorado, the “ring of fire eclipse” is projected to pass directly through Mesa Verde National Park on Oct. 14, drawing tourists eager to catch the rare celestial event among the Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.

I've been going to Disney World for almost 30 years. I often visit the parks with my family or friends, but I actually prefer to explore as a solo traveler.

I've spent my 30s traveling solo on a quest to visit all 63 of the United States National Parks.

In every corner of Japan, there are echoes of Ghibli film settings. The country’s most successful anime studio launched in 1985, and its films have become emblematic of Japan’s offbeat, inventive character. It’s no surprise the opening of the Ghibli Park in November 2022 proved so popular. Tickets are released three months in advance but, almost a year on, they’re still like gold dust due to high domestic demand. There are no rides at the park either. Instead, it’s been designed as a place to “take a stroll, feel the wind, and discover the wonders”, according to its founders.

Some people will just never learn when it comes to interacting with wildlife. 

I moved to Orlando for my Disney College Program back in 2017 — where I worked in a few different roles between 2017 and 2021 — and I've lived no more than 15 minutes from Disney World for the last five years.

If you’re already thinking ahead to next summer, you’re not alone. Recently, Delta announced a slew of new, returning, and expanded flight routes, many from its Atlanta hub to popular destinations in the American West, slated to kick off in summer 2024.

Disney’s theme parks will generate an estimated $10 billion in profit this year, up from $2.2 billion a decade ago. Not bad for a 68-year-old business, especially considering the devastation wrought by the pandemic just a couple of years ago.

“Shall we jump in?”