Why the Australian Bushfires Shouldn't Stop You from Visiting

My Instagram feed is full of couples getting engaged at swoon-worthy spots across the globe, from Rome's Trevi Fountain to candlelit beaches in Mexico. 

From major European cities to small US ports, coastal communities around the world are attempting to curb the number (and size) of massive cruise ships looming over their shores. 

Seasoned American travelers often look to the Department of State for advisories about everything from natural disasters to labor strikes in unfamiliar places. But what hazards are foreign governments warning their own travelers about when it comes to visiting the States?

When legendary investor Warren Buffett began investing in airline stocks last year, it was big news in the investing community. Theretofore Buffett had been a staunch critic of the industry’s underlying economics, and regularly unleashed scathing takedowns of airline investments. Like this, from 2002:

In a single lifetime, no traveler could ever be done exploring America. Even if you relegated yourself to just roaming the nation’s cities—setting aside the 50 states’ vast open, unincorporated spaces—there would still always be more to see.

Malta, a stunning island nation in the Mediterranean Sea, will pay you to visit this year.

It’s the opposite of a motorway. As I drive into the Cumeengeera Valley, scraggly summer hedgerows slap my wing mirrors. Punky tufts of grass on the boreen work like brushes, scrubbing the car’s undercarriage. The mountains around me make me feel the size a grain of rice in a giant green bowl.

A vacation to the Cook Islands is guaranteed to be heavy on “pinch me” moments. Made up of 15 tiny islands and atolls dotting the South Pacific waters some 2,000 miles northeast of New Zealand, the Cooks has managed to escape crowds, chains, and skyscrapers, causing many to say it feels like Hawaii — 70 years ago.

Australia started to recover from devastating summer bushfires only a month ago, leaving behind a landscape that led The New York Times to proclaim “The End of Australia as We Know It.” Many spent the hot summer indoors, unable to go outside due to the hazardous smoke that filled central business districts and country towns. Brave firefighters battled the flames trying to protect homes rather than enjoying Christmas with their families. When the rain eventually came, it provided much-needed relief. But with the rain also came flooding for some towns that could ill afford more bad luck.

If you feel like you keep seeing stories about travelers brazenly leaving their mark on Italy's Colosseum, you're not imagining things.

What makes a fine rail journey? We all have our own ideas on this, but I find it’s best not to dash and to retain an element of spontaneity, taking the chance to stop off here and there along the way. So, last month I ended up taking three days for a train journey of only 200 miles.

Travellers can’t seem to get enough of the Middle East. Recent reports highlight strong tourism growth in many of the region's countries – and that's despite continued unrest and the travel restrictions that have come with it.