I’m a travel journalist for The Traveler, reporting on global travel news, disruptions, and trends affecting travelers worldwide.
Blackstone has agreed to acquire Hamilton Island for A$1.2 billion, marking a new chapter for one of Australia’s most iconic Great Barrier Reef resorts while operators signal business as usual for travelers in 2025–26 amid fresh investment and heightened sustainability focus in the Whitsundays.
Non-EU travelers are facing growing queues and missed connections as Europe’s new biometric Entry/Exit System rolls out at major Schengen airports, with warnings that outages, staffing gaps, and kiosk shortages could turn today’s multi-hour waits into wider disruption by early 2026.
Ryanair passengers flying to, from, or within Spain on Saturdays through December 31, 2025 face heightened disruption risks as rolling strikes by in-house handler Azul Handling drive long check-in queues, baggage delays, and late departures at major holiday hubs.
Severe crosswinds and snow on December 27, 2025 forced two aircraft, including a Swiss International Air Lines A220, into snowbanks at Kittilä Airport, halting operations and disrupting holiday flights across Lapland, with no injuries reported.
Marriott International has debuted the AC Hotels brand in the Philippines with the opening of AC Hotel by Marriott Manila, bringing European minimalist design, skyline views, and LEED Platinum sustainability to Ortigas Center’s GLAS Tower .
Hyatt is accelerating the expansion of its Essentials portfolio in 2025, rolling out more than 20 new Hyatt Select deals, advancing a 70-hotel Hyatt Studios pipeline, and naming Jason Ballard as Global Brand Leader to drive growth in value-focused hotels across secondary and tertiary markets.
Holiday travelers heading to Spain and Portugal face an elevated risk of airport disruption this December as rolling ground handling strikes at major hubs including Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Lisbon, Porto, and Faro lead to longer queues, baggage delays, and schedule changes.
Light snow, patchy ice, and fast-moving weather systems are slowing holiday travel across the U.S. Northeast on December 25, with slick interstates, black ice in higher terrain, and possible flight delays from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.
