As the year wanes to a close, many start looking ahead to the next, and even beyond. Both 2018 and 2019 are already brimming with a bumper crop of one-off happenings (such as India’s solar eclipse) as well as annual country-specific celebrations (for example, the saturnalia that is Peru’s Corpus Christi). But whatever your travel ambitions, in our experience it pays to reserve as early as possible. In no particular order, we’ve compiled our own list of the upcoming highlights of 2018 and 2019 which need careful advance planning, as well as ideas for how to extend your trip.
The Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia
14th to 27th January 2019
‘The thing about the Australian Open,’ says Australia specialist (and avowed tennis fan) Joshua, ‘is that the whole city gets behind it. Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows are more self-contained, whereas Melbourne has an infectious buzz about it.’
Go to Federation Square any night during the tournament and you’ll see what he means: crowds gather in front of a big screen to watch the action live, slouched on beanbags and deckchairs or clustered around picnic baskets. Corks pop, beers are clinked. Nab your spot here early for the semi-finals and finals. That said, tickets to the Rod Lever Arena are usually easier to come by in contrast to other Grand Slams, and with the balmy summer weather, there’s the added bonus of lots of evening matches. Plus, the grounds are free to enter.
Tennis over, you might like to travel the Great Ocean Road, which begins an hour’s drive southeast of Melbourne. After the city hubbub, Cape Otway National Park is like some lost Eden, all fern gullies, fantailed waterfalls, and sub-temperate rainforest. It once had the most concentrated koala population in the country, and you still stand good chances of seeing them in the wild here.
Aim to reserve as early as you can for the most central properties, and for good availability along the Great Ocean Road: it’s highly coveted in January and February.
Corpus Christi, Cuzco, Peru
31st May 2018
Cuzco’s annual celebration of the Eucharist can bring the whole city to a standstill. If you get swept up in it all, the streets will pulsate with song, dance and religious zeal. It’s the epitome of a full-blooded, authentically Latin American fiesta, when designated litter bearers transport statues of gaudily decorated saints and virgins from each of the city’s 15 parishes to the central square, Plaza de Armas.
Witnessing Corpus Christi also gives you a vivid sense of the syncretism that’s so central to Peruvian identity, for this procession of the statues marries Catholic devotion with a ceremony that has its real roots in Inca traditions. On feast days, the Incas would parade their mummified ancestors in public — until the conquistadors decided to sanitize the proceedings a little by replacing the mummies with statues.
Today, each VIP saint has their own cacophonous cavalcade: a marching band, a crowd singing sacred ditties at the top of their lungs, a rainbow swirl of dancers. Children zip around brandishing fantastical papier mâché effigies. Look out for the statues of Santiago, mounted on horseback, and San Sébastian, which allegedly contains the remains of an Inca mummy. The wooden latticework balconies overhanging the plaza heave with merrymaking spectators; street stalls are piled high with chiri uchu (‘cold food’ in Quechua) — a platter that includes roasted guinea pig, blood sausage, tortilla, chicken, and cod roe. Tradition dictates it’s only ever eaten at Corpus Christi.
Once the statues have reach the square, the next day sees all 15 processed with great pomp and circumstance around the plaza. Then, they’re all deposited in the cathedral for a week to conduct a sort of saintly AGM. ‘It’s a great privilege to carry the statue of your parish patron saint,’ explains Peru specialist (and long-time Cuzco resident) Fiona. ‘You might see younger congregation members preparing for it by carrying their own ‘trainee’ statue.’
If you’re planning to be part of it all, we recommend booking four or five months in advance for the best choice of rooms. From Cuzco, you can easily go on to explore the adjacent Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.
Carnevale, Venice
February 23rd to 5th March 2019
During Carnevale, Venice recalls its hedonistic heyday, when the city was the pleasure capital of Europe. From monks to contessas, residents indulged themselves wantonly, their reputations protected by the anonymity of a mask.
Today’s celebrations are less debauched but still joyfully louche. People come from around the globe to don elaborate robes and rococo masks and participate in the pageantry. The whole city turns into an open-air fête, with dancing, costume galas, feasts, public performances and water parades with floats depicting giant rats or gilded lions.
Carnevale’s 2018 festivities are fully booked and you should plan now if you want to attend in 2019. Hotels fill up quickly, especially ones near the Grand Canal. By booking early, our specialists can secure the best rooms at the best rates. The best masked balls also sell out quickly.
‘I suggest the Hotel L'Orologio,’ says Chandler, an Italy specialist. ‘It’s on the Grand Canal but tucked away, so you’re not right in the thick of it but you can still walk to all the main sights.’
Solar eclipse, India
26th December 2019
If you’re looking to escape to more exotic climes for the festive period in 2019, consider south India. On the morning after Christmas Day, an annular solar eclipse will cross the country, working its way from Kannur in the west toward the tip of Sri Lanka to the southeast.
You could stay at Neeleshwar Hermitage in northern Kerala, dipping your toes into the Arabian Sea as the sun vanishes over a deserted beach. Or head to Trichy, the one-time capital of Tamil Nadu, where you could climb the Rock Fort Temple and watch as the eclipse rises over the 49 shrines of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple below, some with ornate gilded gopuram (towers) that glint in the morning sun.
For India specialist James (who has a degree in environmental science of the earth and atmosphere), ‘the optimum view will be from Ooty, a British-colonial hill station perched in the Nilgiri Hills — which you can still reach by narrow-gauge railway. At an altitude of 2,286 m (7,500 ft) there’s likely to be fewer clouds and, from 09:27 to 09:30, the moon will be perfectly in front of the sun for three minutes.’ He also points out that ‘this isn’t a total eclipse, so during this time you’ll see the phenomenon of a thin, concentric circle of light in the sky known as a ring of fire’.
Ooty combines well with a trip through southern India, taking in Mysore’s ornate City Palace, the coffee plantations of Coorg and Nargahole National Park.
The 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, Normandy, France
30th May to 8th June 2019
As the youngest veterans of World War II approach their ninth decade, the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy will stand at the very edge of living memory. It’s likely the last chance to attend a ceremony alongside the men and women who lived through that harrowing battle.
As such, the event is attracting people from around the world — veterans, relatives, historians and members of the media, to name just a few. Nearby hotels — and even those within an hour’s drive — are already full, not only for the first week in June but for weeks before and after the actual anniversary.
Though the details of the event itself haven’t been finalized, we do know that on the day of the ceremony, only those with registered guides will be allowed on the beaches themselves. It’s imperative to reserve their time now, if you’d like to attend the formal memorial.
A guide can help you navigate the region’s narrow (and often crowded) roads to see the sites that were important to the invasion: Pegasus Bridge, the American Cemetery and the long golden sands of Omaha and Utah beaches. You’ll also get a French perspective of the invasion and how it felt to be liberated by the Allied troops.
Spring flowers in South Africa
August and September 2019
For a few weeks a year between late August and mid-September, South Africa’s rare fynbos vegetation dazzles to life in a kaleidoscope of oranges, reds, purples and yellows. It’s as if the hills, meadows and mountainsides have enjoyed their own Holi festival as they’re transformed by vivid splotches of wildflowers.
Fynbos makes up around 80% of the country’s Cape floral kingdom — the smallest but most dense of the planet’s six floral kingdoms. The majority of flower species are endemic, so South Africa is the only place you can see these tie-dye-like landscapes. As such, places to stay book up far in advance — the 2018 season is already looking full, so you may need to plan your trip for 2019.
‘Spring flower displays are accessible from Cape Town,’ explains South Africa specialist Toby. ‘The West Coast National Park, around an hour’s drive from the city, is a good option for those who don’t want to venture too far. But for the most spectacular blooms, I suggest taking a self-drive trip up to Namaqualand, close to the Namibian border. Here, the arid terrain contrasts starkly with the bright splashes of flora, which you can explore with a local guide on foot, or independently by car.’
While Namaqualand is some seven hours north of Cape Town, you could break up the journey with stops in the Winelands and the Cederberg Mountains, returning to Cape Town along the west coast via the sleepy fishing village of Paternoster.
Start planning your trip for 2018/2019
Start thinking about your experience. These itineraries are simply suggestions for how you could enjoy some of the same experiences as our specialists. They’re just for inspiration, because your trip will be created around your particular tastes.
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