A new reality is setting in for travelers worldwide: rising fees, fewer flight options and difficult decisions about whether a trip is worth the cost. The culprit is volatile oil and jet fuel prices, which have spiked sharply since the war in the Middle East began and fighting near the narrow Strait of Hormuz created a chokepoint for global oil supplies.
FUJIYOSHIDA, Japan (AP) – The trouble started with a beautiful photo. Social media was soon awash with the lovely view of Japan’s snow-capped Mount Fuji looming over a red pagoda and the short-lived cherry blossoms that herald the approach of spring. Tourists wanting a similar shot soon packed this peaceful town at the foot of the mountain.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – If you’ve ever planned to motor west and take the highway that’s the best, this might be time: Route 66 turns 100 this year. The Mother Road, as author John Steinbeck dubbed it, has evolved to perhaps the quintessential American road trip that’s still delivering kicks.
Southwest Airlines is raising checked baggage fees by $10, less than a year after ending its “bags fly free” perk that long set it apart, as jet fuel costs have jumped since the start of the Iran war. Customers checking one bag will pay $45 starting on Thursday, while a second will now cost $55, according to Southwest.
Delta Air Lines announced Tuesday it is raising checked baggage fees, part of a broader wave of U.S. carriers responding to higher jet fuel prices tied to the war in the Middle East. Beginning Wednesday, most passengers on domestic and short-haul international routes will pay $10 more for their first and second checked bags, and $50 more to check a third.
Travelers will soon face restrictions on how many portable chargers they can carry on a flight as airlines continue to try to reduce the risk of another lithium battery fire aboard their jets.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Thirty passengers were evacuated from a cruise ship that ran aground on a reef in Fiji, the ship’s owner said Monday. The MV Fiji Princess, operated by Blue Lagoon Cruises, ran aground Saturday near Monuriki Island, scene of the 2000 movie starring Tom Hanks ” Cast Away,” the Fiji-based tourism company said in a statement.
Most travelers flying with United Airlines will now pay $10 more to check their luggage beginning on Friday, as rising jet fuel costs driven by the war in the Middle East pushes another major U.S. carrier to increase fees.
Global instability did little to slow the growth of international tourism in 2025. According to the UN Tourism Data Dashboard, the total number of international travellers last year stood at over 1.5 billion, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. The question is no longer whether geopolitics makes us travel less, but how it reshapes tourist flows.
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