Travel

RIYADH — Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport reopened Sunday after a closure that began with a Houthi missile strike on October 10. Saudi authorities and wire reports put the death toll from that strike at 13, with about 309 injured. Many carriers have not yet returned. Etihad has cancelled Abu Dhabi-Riyadh service through Monday. Air France is out through October 24, Lufthansa through November 18, and Cathay Pacific through January 31, 2027. British Airways plans a limited return on November 3. The State Department set Saudi Arabia at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, on October 12, with a Do Not Travel zone near the Yemen border. The US Mission has told Americans to use extreme caution at Saudi airports. It also restricts US government employees from using them without special authorization. The Houthis have said they will keep targeting Saudi infrastructure.

WASHINGTON — The State Department is preparing to add a wrongful-detention risk indicator, marked 'D', to its travel advisory for mainland China, according to a plan reviewed by Semafor and published October 16. The overall advisory would stay at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution. The 'D' would replace the 'O' indicator, which covers other risks. A department spokesman told Semafor that Americans face a serious risk of wrongful detention in China. The spokesman said the overall level reflects a broader safety assessment. The move follows an early-September update that strengthened warnings on wrongful detention, arbitrary enforcement of local laws and exit bans. Semafor reported that a bipartisan group of senators introduced a resolution last month urging the change, citing two detained US citizens. The report describes a plan, and the department has not published the revised advisory.

The cool-season window for big animals in the eastern Pacific is still open but closing. At Darwin and Wolf in the Galápagos, reachable only by liveaboard, whale sharks are typically seen from June to November and hammerheads school year-round. A diver's review that cites operator updates says El Niño-warmed water brought fewer sharks in May and June, with whale sharks and hammerheads back from mid-July and August. Expect 16-23C water, 15-20 m visibility and advanced-level current diving. Cocos Island, 550 km off Costa Rica, peaks from June to November. Aggressor boats leave Puntarenas on a roughly 36-hour crossing, with dives of 55-110 feet. Socorro's liveaboard season opens in November, from San José del Cabo. Memphis has only domestic nonstops, so every route needs a connection; Southwest has advertised Memphis-Los Cabos fares.

COZUMEL — Mexico's national protected-areas commission, CONANP, has closed four sites in the Cozumel Reefs National Park to tourism from October 1 to November 30: San Francisco, San Francisco Bajo, Santa Rosa and the Santa Rosa Wall. The sites are four of the park's 34 reefs. The rotating-closure program began in 2019, after stony coral tissue loss disease appeared in 2018 and bleaching followed. CONANP's local director says recovery cannot be formally measured, but the agency has seen more fish and healthier coral. Dive shops report that the rest of the island is open, with nearly all diving done as drifts along the reef wall and visibility above 100 feet. It suits divers of all levels. From Memphis there are no nonstops to Cancun; connections run through Atlanta, Dallas, Miami and Houston. American lists November fares from about $506.

KHIVA, Uzbekistan — Khiva, the walled desert city of Itchan Kala, used to be the hardest stop on Uzbekistan's Silk Road circuit. A Hyundai-built high-speed train, the Jaloliddin Manguberdi, began running from Tashkent on 1 May. It cuts the trip from about 14 hours to roughly seven and a half. Samarkand and Bukhara were already linked by the Afrosiyob train. One travel guide says the new service has limited departures and sells out quickly. Forbes reported that U.S. citizens can enter visa-free for 30 days in 2026. The State Department lists Uzbekistan at Level 1, normal precautions, and warns that medical care is below U.S. standards. Operators run Silk Road departures from late March into late November. From Memphis there is no nonstop service, so travelers should expect at least one connection to reach Tashkent.

SKOPELOS, Greece — The Northern Sporades are a short hop from the Greek mainland but draw far smaller crowds than Santorini or Mykonos. A charter-company guide describes October as calm and quiet, with Skopelos's coast, Alonissos's coves and Skiathos's beaches free of the summer rush. Another guide says the Greek island season runs April to October and stays pleasant into autumn. The State Department rates Greece Level 1, with petty crime and short-notice demonstrations that can disrupt transport as the main cautions. Skiathos has the only airport, with domestic flights from Athens. Skopelos and Alonissos are reached by ferry from Skiathos or from Volos. One high-speed catamaran was scheduled to run only until 4 October, so travelers should confirm timetables. Memphis has no nonstop to Greece; expect a U.S. or European connection to Athens.