The Jetsetters Journal

Pick a month

When to go: 17 places, month by monthThe whole year at a glance

At their best in November

Europe

Asia

Indian Ocean and Africa

Middle East and the Americas

Every hotel we shortlist170 hotels, one listFilter by place, by what each hotel is best for, and by the judges behind it.Browse all hotels

How the Shortlists work · How we choose

Worth it once

The splurges worth it once, priced.

What each really costs, split per person where that is how people pay, and how to try it first.

See all 22

Stay

Fly

Go further

Be there

Celebrate

Watches

Winter

Journeys

When to go: 17 places, month by monthThe Shortlists

The dining car of the Orient Express

Rail · 5 trains

Luxury train journeys

Five great trains, from the Orient Express to the Andes.

Read the guide
The Colosseum lit up at night

Cities · 1 perfect day

One day in Rome

Sunrise to midnight: the walk, the tasting menus and a view of St Peter's.

Read the guide
Overwater villas on a Maldives lagoon

Islands · 12 months

The Maldives, month by month

When the sea is glass, when the mantas come, and when the price halves.

Read the guide
Wildebeest crossing the Mara River

Wild · Jul to Oct

The Great Migration

Where two million animals will be, and where you should be waiting.

Read the guide
The Grand Canal in Venice at the end of the line

Rail · London to Venice

The Orient Express

When it runs, what each cabin costs, and the best month to board.

Read the guide
An aircraft wing against a dusk sky

Flights · Door to door

Emirates business class

From the car at your door in London to the lights of Dubai, in ten moments.

Read the guide
The northern lights over snow-covered pines

Winter · 5 nights

Lapland holidays

Huskies, reindeer, glass igloos and the fox fires, told as five Arctic nights.

Read the guide
Travellers silhouetted against a sunset at an airport departure gate

Fly there in style · Thailand

Business class to Thailand, three ways in

Bangkok is the one place on our list with a non-stop from the UK. Here it is against the two best one-stop cabins.

Artur Tumasjan, Unsplash

Short answerBritish Airways if you want no change at all, Cathay Pacific for the better seat via Hong Kong, and Emirates for the most UK airports. The non-stop and Hong Kong both avoid the Gulf.

Non-stop

British Airways

Club World · Gatwick to Bangkok

LONDONBANGKOK

The one with no change: Gatwick to Bangkok, all year.

  • SeatClub World, the older seat
  • RouteNon-stop from Gatwick
  • SeasonYear-round
Visit British Airways ba.com Our British Airways guide: coming soon
The best seat

Cathay Pacific

Business Class · Aria Suite

LONDONHONG KONGBANGKOK

The one for the seat: a suite with a door, via Hong Kong.

  • SeatAria Suite, with a door
  • Change atHong Kong (HKG)
  • From the UKHeathrow and Manchester
Visit Cathay Pacific cathaypacific.com Our Cathay Pacific guide: coming soon
Our full guide

Emirates

Business Class · A380

LONDONDUBAIBANGKOK

The one for the bar, and for starting from your nearest airport.

  • SeatLie-flat, aisle access, no door
  • Change atDubai (DXB)
  • From the UKLondon and regional airports
UK government advice: take care travelling through the Gulf.

FCDO advice for the UAE

The Foreign Office says the situation in the Middle East remains unpredictable, and that British nationals should be prepared for possible flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions.

It does not advise against travel to the UAE, and it advises getting travel insurance that covers you.

Updated 24 July 2026, still current on 24 October 2026. Read it on GOV.UK

Visit Emirates emirates.com Read our door-to-door guide

Also worth a look

Singapore AirlinesChange in Singapore, on to Bangkok or Phuketsingaporeair.com
Qatar AirwaysQsuite, with a door · change in Dohaqatarairways.com
Doha is in the Gulf too. Check the UK government's advice.

FCDO advice for Qatar

Doha is in the Gulf, so the same regional picture applies. Read the Foreign Office's current advice for Qatar before you book.

Read it on GOV.UK

How we chose. Cabins we would pay for ourselves, from the UK, with no more than one change. Routes, seats and suspensions are from the airlines' own published details, checked 24 October 2026. Emirates also has our full door-to-door guide.

Prices. Fares change daily, so we don't quote them here. Our What it costs page has dated fares by cabin.

Links. Airline links go to each airline's own UK website. We count the clicks so we know what's useful. They are not affiliate links today; if an airline's partner programme approves us, we will say so here. It never changes the order.