Carefully selected travel news, interpreted for the individual traveller. Checked 30 July 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
The most serious news is from Japan, where a strong earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on 28 July, killing at least 13 people and causing major damage in the Kyushu region — though Japan’s main visitor cities on Honshu are far from the epicentre. Closer to home, almost 1,000 ground staff at London Gatwick are striking from 28 July to 1 August, with severe disruption warned. Spain is in its third heatwave of the summer with inland wildfires, and Canada is battling a severe fire season.
At a glance
| Development | Who it affects | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Japan: M7.1 earthquake in Kumamoto (Kyushu) | Travellers to Kyushu / southern Japan | Check FCDO Japan & local transport; expect aftershocks |
| Gatwick ground-staff strike, 28 Jul–1 Aug | Anyone flying from Gatwick | Check your flight with the airline; allow extra time |
| Spain: third heatwave + inland wildfires | Travellers to inland Spain | Follow local advice; check FCDO; plan around the heat |
| Canada: severe wildfire season | Travellers to affected regions | Check regional air quality and access before you go |
| Asia typhoon season active | Travellers to/through Hong Kong, Japan, southern China | Watch airline updates, especially early August |
| Wildfire insurance cover varies widely | Anyone travelling to fire-risk areas | Check your policy wording now, not at the airport |
Entry rules and official advice
Japan: strong earthquake in Kumamoto (Kyushu). A magnitude-7.1 earthquake (on the Japan Meteorological Agency scale) struck Kumamoto Prefecture, in southern Japan, on the morning of 28 July, reaching the top of Japan’s seismic-intensity scale near Uto and Uki. At least 13 people have died; buildings collapsed, part of a shopping mall came down, fires broke out in Kumamoto City, and roads and power were badly damaged. A tsunami advisory for the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas was issued and then cancelled. Crucially for most visitors, this is Kyushu, in the far south-west — the main tourist cities of Honshu, including Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, are hundreds of kilometres away and were not affected. If you are travelling to Kyushu, or have plans there, check the FCDO Japan advice and local transport before you go, expect aftershocks, and follow the authorities’ instructions. This is a developing situation and casualty numbers may rise.
Spain: a third heatwave, and wildfires inland (updated). Spain is enduring its third official heatwave of the summer, with record temperatures forecast on top of an already severe wildfire season. The areas of greatest concern are inland — Andalusia, Aragón and Castilla-La Mancha — while the main coastal and island resorts continue to operate normally. The FCDO has not advised against travel to any part of Spain. If you’re heading inland, follow local authority instructions and check the live FCDO Spain page before you go; in the heat, plan around the hottest hours (roughly 11am–3pm) and keep an eye on vulnerable companions.
Flights, rail and getting there
London Gatwick: ground-staff strike, 28 July–1 August. Around 1,000 workers employed by ground-handling firms — including Menzies, ASC, GGS and DHL Services — are striking for five days from Monday 28 July, and Gatwick has warned of severe delays, disruption and cancellations. Because these are the crews who load bags, push back aircraft and turn planes around, the effects can reach flights that aren’t cancelled outright. Airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, TUI and WestJet are among those expected to be affected, across the 4,400-plus flights due to leave Gatwick over the period. If you fly from Gatwick this week — to Spain, the US or anywhere else — check your flight directly with your airline before setting off, allow extra time, and know your rebooking and passenger rights if you are delayed or cancelled.
Asia: typhoon season is live. Typhoon Noul shut much of Hong Kong down last weekend before clearing on 26 July; forecasters are now flagging a possible new system near Hong Kong in early August. If you’re flying to or through Hong Kong, Japan or southern China over the next fortnight, build in buffer time and keep airline notifications on.
News from GWO destinations
Canada: a severe wildfire season. Canada is having a heavy fire season — blazes are burning across eight provinces and the territories, some 2.47 million hectares have burned, and the federal response has been raised to its second-highest level. The worst is in north-western Ontario, where an emergency has been declared and remote communities evacuated; smoke is affecting air quality across wide regions and drifting into the US. Most cities and the main Rockies resorts are operating normally, but if your route runs through affected areas, check regional air-quality and access before you travel, and build in some flexibility.
Insurance, money and protection
Check your wildfire cover before you travel. With fires across southern Europe (Spain included) and beyond, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has issued specific wildfire guidance — and a July review of around 20 UK travel policies found cover is inconsistent: some include wildfires as standard, some only as a paid add-on, and several don’t cover them at all. A heatwave in itself usually isn’t a claimable event, but medical costs from heat illness generally are. If wildfire or heat disruption is a real risk on your trip, read your policy wording now rather than at the airport.
Dates for the diary
- Australia (for the future): Qantas has confirmed the first non-stop London–Sydney flights (“Project Sunrise”) from October 2027, on new Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, with tickets expected to go on sale in early 2027. It would be the world’s longest passenger flight, at just over 20 hours. Nothing to book yet — we’ll flag it when seats open.
- Europe entry systems: the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is already live at Schengen borders. The separate European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is still expected in the last quarter of 2026 and won’t be mandatory until several months after launch. Nothing to apply for yet; we’ll flag ETIAS once a firm date and fee are confirmed.
- South Korea: UK visitors remain exempt from the Korea Electronic Travel Authorisation (K-ETA) until 31 December 2026, but must 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.