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.

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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
A hotel suite at sunset with a lamp lit by the window

What it costs

What luxury really costs

A week for two at a hotel we shortlist, flights included, runs from about £1,806 in Portugal to £19,872 for safari in Greater Kruger in December. When you go matters as much as where: in Kyoto, the typical week costs 39% less in May than in April.

Prices checked 23 October 2026 on Booking.com and Google Flights, in pounds, for two adults from London.

1 · The trip

A week for two

Two economy return flights from London and seven nights, from the cheapest hotel on our shortlist to the typical one. Each place in its sweet-spot month and its peak month. Transfers are extra.

PlaceSweet spotPeakTypical saving
BaliMay 2027£3,030 to £6,110Jul 2027£3,866 to £7,478£1,368 (18%)
ThailandJun 2027£4,158 to £7,028Dec 2026£5,223 to £9,115£2,087 (23%)
Sri LankaJul 2027£3,005 to £4,657Jan 2027£2,634 to £7,009£2,352 (34%)
The MaldivesMay 2027£5,051 to £12,947Dec 2026£6,768 to £14,083Under 10%
DubaiApr 2027£2,174 to £4,610Dec 2026£1,956 to £4,735Under 10%
Kyoto3 hotels pricedMay 2027£6,355 to £8,770Apr 2027£6,608 to £14,336£5,566 (39%)
The Amalfi CoastMay 2027£3,091 to £9,496Aug 2027£3,450 to £12,067£2,571 (21%)
CroatiaMay 2027£2,244 to £3,210Aug 2027£1,720 to £3,799£589 (16%)
PortugalMay 2027£1,806 to £3,696Aug 2027£2,074 to £3,418Under 10%
Safari: Greater Kruger3 hotels pricedOct 2027Flights not on sale yetDec 2026£5,039 to £19,872Not yet

No real saving in Dubai, the Maldives or Portugal: the typical week costs about the same, or less, in the peak month. December was checked for early in the month; Christmas and New Year cost more. Safari lodge rates usually include all meals and game drives.

No hotel shortlist yet: the flights

Two economy returns from London. Shortlists for these places are on the way.

Flying business instead? Two return seats
PlaceSweet-spot monthPeak month
Bali£3,730£6,550
Thailand£3,844£4,112
Sri Lanka£4,740£3,890
The Maldives£3,342£3,290
Dubai£3,338£3,324
Kyoto£4,730£7,972
South AfricaNot on sale yet£4,016
Zanzibar£5,032£4,020
Mexico (Cancún)£6,110£5,384
Barbados£5,374£4,776

2 · The hotel

A night at the hotels we shortlist

One night for two: the cheapest hotel on each shortlist, and the typical one. Every hotel holds a MICHELIN Key, a Forbes rating or praise from two independent judges.

Kyoto and the safari lodges have only three to five hotels priced, so treat their typical figure as a guide. Browse all 170 hotels.

3 · The flight

What each cabin costs

One seat, London return, the lowest fare listed for each cabin. The jump from premium economy to business is usually smaller than the one to first.

London to Dubai 14 Apr 2027

  • Economy£303
  • Premium economy£1,026
  • Business£1,669
  • First£4,130

London to Bali 12 May 2027

  • Economy£703
  • Premium economy£1,019
  • Business£1,865
  • First£7,730

London to Bangkok 9 Jun 2027

  • Economy£441
  • Premium economy£862
  • Business£1,922
  • FirstBeing checked: the lowest result may mix cabins

Fares checked 23 October 2026. They change daily, so treat them as a guide to the gap between cabins.

4 · The splurge

Worth it once

22 things worth doing once, each priced, split per person where that's how people pay, with the cheaper way to try it first.

See all 22