Carefully selected travel news, interpreted for the individual traveller. Checked 4 September 2026.
What this briefing covers. This is a weekly read on the ten destinations Great Wide Open writes about — Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain and the USA. It is not a global bulletin. A quiet week here tells you nothing about anywhere else: if you’re travelling to another country, please keep checking the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice and your own providers for developments that may affect your plans.
What matters this week
A second storm in a fortnight is looping around Japan’s southern islands and pushing heavy rain into Honshu. India’s monsoon has moved from the north-east to the Himalayan foothills, closing roads across Himachal Pradesh. Schengen borders are about to lose the flexibility that has kept queues moving, which matters if you fly to Spain or connect through Europe. And British Columbia’s wildfire emergency ended early.
At a glance
| Development | Who it affects | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Krovanh near Okinawa and the Amami Islands | Travellers to southern Japan | Check the JMA and your airline; allow a spare day |
| India: flash-flood warnings in the northern hills | Travellers to Himachal, Uttarakhand, the foothills | Expect road closures; keep plans flexible |
| Schengen: EES border flexibility ending | Anyone flying to Spain or via a Schengen hub | Allow more time at the border |
| Canada: BC wildfire emergency ended early | Travellers to British Columbia | Check air quality and local orders |
Weather and natural events
Japan: Tropical Storm Krovanh loops around the southern islands.
Krovanh, the season’s twenty-fourth named storm, has been moving erratically near Okinawa and the Amami Islands, and forecasters expect it to double back rather than run cleanly away. Tracks disagree: some bring it south again towards Okinawa, others curve it north-east towards central Honshu by mid-next week. Either way it is drawing warm, moist air into a stationary front lying across Honshu, so the practical risk is heavy rain, rough seas and disrupted ferries and flights in the south through 5–7 September. Check the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and your airline before flying, and build a spare day into island-hopping.
India: the monsoon moves to the northern hills.
This season’s flooding has shifted west and north from Assam and the north-east. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued flash-flood warnings for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, with a wet spell forecast to around 9 September. Himachal is worst affected: about 98 roads were blocked at the end of August, Mandi and Kullu hardest hit, and debris has repeatedly closed the Chandigarh–Shimla highway. Delhi, Agra and Jaipur are far less exposed. But if your trip takes in the foothills or the hill stations, expect closures and landslides, and keep the itinerary loose.
Canada: British Columbia’s wildfire emergency ended early.
The province lifted its state of provincial emergency on 27 August. It had been declared on 8 August at the height of the Okanagan fires, which drove more than 20,000 people from their homes, and was extended on 21 August to run to the 29th — but emergency managers advised ending it two days early. The risk has not gone with it: wildfire danger stays high in warm, dry conditions, and local evacuation orders and alerts are unaffected. Check air quality and local orders before you travel in the interior.
Borders and getting there
Schengen: the flexibility that kept queues moving is ending.
The European Union’s (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES) — biometric registration for non-EU passport holders, UK ones included — has been fully operational since 10 April. Since then border posts have had discretion to suspend checks when queues built. That flexibility expires in early September and the European Commission is not expected to extend it; we could not confirm a precise date officially, so treat the timing as indicative. If you’re flying to Spain or connecting through a Schengen hub, allow more time at the border.
Dates for the diary
- China (15 September): new exit-entry rules take effect. Giving false information on a visa or entry application can bring a one- to five-year entry ban. Be accurate on your forms.
- Italy (13 and 30 September): airport security action in Rome, then national air traffic control action — both may affect connections through Italy.
- Europe: the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is still expected late in 2026. Nothing to apply for yet.
- South Korea: UK visitors stay exempt from the Korea Electronic Travel Authorisation (K-ETA) until 31 December 2026, but must still complete the digital e-Arrival Card.
Before you travel
This briefing is a weekly selection covering only our ten destinations, not a global or emergency service. For anything time-sensitive — or for any country we don’t cover — check the FCDO advice for your destination and your airline or operator directly. Rules and disruption can change between editions.
Sources
- Krovanh — Hong Kong Observatory — tropical cyclone positions, 4 Sept 2026; Weathernews — Krovanh tracks north toward the Ryukyus; The Star — Krovanh to make U-turn around the Amami Islands
- India — IMD flash-flood alerts for 8 states; Himachal highway debris; wet spell to 9 Sept
- Canada — Government of British Columbia — provincial state of emergency ends; EmergencyInfoBC
- EES — GOV.UK — EU Entry/Exit System; European Commission — Entry/Exit System; House of Commons Library briefing
- Europe ATC — EUROCONTROL — impact of strikes on European aviation