Travel

WASHINGTON — The State Department on Wednesday ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. Spokesman Tommy Pigott said Iran-backed Houthis have attacked civilian airports and other infrastructure, causing casualties and severe travel disruption. He said the order covers Saudi Arabia only, and CBS reported that other Gulf posts have cut staff without an ordered departure. A security alert says U.S. employees need special authorization to use any Saudi airport. Riyadh's King Khalid airport reopened on Oct. 18 after a deadly strike, but many airlines have not resumed service. Etihad, flydubai, Qatar Airways, Air India and IndiGo have cancelled flights to Riyadh through Oct. 24. KLM has cancelled through Oct. 31, and Lufthansa has suspended Riyadh through Nov. 18. Delta has pushed its Atlanta-Riyadh launch, planned for Oct. 23, to March 2027.

SYDNEY — Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport is due to take its first passengers on Sunday, Oct. 25. That is 15 years after planning began, according to the Australian government. Jetstar will operate the first commercial flight, an Airbus A320 to the Gold Coast, departing at 11 a.m. local time. The airline plans up to 14 weekly flights to Melbourne, four to the Gold Coast and three to Brisbane. Air New Zealand begins Auckland service on Oct. 26, and Singapore Airlines starts daily Changi flights on Nov. 23. Qantas flights are due in March 2027. The airport has no overnight curfew and is designed to handle up to 10 million passengers a year at first. ABC reported in June that the planned metro rail link could be delayed until 2028, so rail access will not be ready at opening.

BAA ATOLL, Maldives — Hanifaru Bay, the Maldives' protected manta feeding site, is in the closing stretch of its May-to-November southwest-monsoon season. A Baa Atoll dive operator notes that the 2023 season ended at the end of October, which it called unusually early. The best days fall around the full and new moons, when strong tides push plankton into the bay. Mid-season counts this year ran from about 20 mantas in early May to more than 50 by June 11. The bay is regulated: no more than five boats at once, roughly 45-minute visits, and guides leading no more than ten swimmers. Scuba is not allowed inside the bay, so the experience is snorkel-only. Divers can use nearby Anga Faru, which has drawn gatherings of 50-plus mantas independent of the moon. Getting there: no nonstop flights run from Memphis. Expect a hub connection and long-haul legs to Malé, then a domestic hop to Dharavandhoo.

UTILA, Honduras — Utila, the smallest of Honduras' Bay Islands, is among the few places where whale sharks are logged in every month. PADI lists February-April and October-December as the peak sighting seasons, while other guides put the autumn window at August-October or September-December, so timing is not tightly fixed. Most encounters happen off the island's north side. Because the sharks are protected, only snorkeling is allowed with them. The diving itself suits beginners and up. One dive-travel guide gives depths from 5 to over 40 meters, visibility of 15-30 meters, and water of 24-29C. One operator describes the Halliburton wreck, sunk in 1998 and sitting at about 30 meters, as an advanced-diver favorite. Honduras' rainy season runs October to January, so expect some rough boat days. Getting there from Memphis: usually one connection through a U.S. hub to Roatán or La Ceiba, then a ferry or short hop to Utila.

ST PETER PORT — From Nov. 1, Brittany Ferries will run its conventional Guernsey–Portsmouth ferry seven days a week instead of six. Some sailings will take a triangular route through Cherbourg, creating the island's first direct passenger link to Normandy. The crossing is about three and a half hours. Cherbourg becomes Guernsey's fifth sea connection, alongside Portsmouth, Poole, St Malo and Jersey. Guernsey's government says passengers on Cherbourg-routed sailings to Portsmouth need a valid passport for UK re-entry. The winter timetable is bookable through March 21, 2027, and border-control integration is still being finished. The local paper and the government describe the number of Cherbourg days differently, so check the exact sailing. From Memphis there is no nonstop to Europe. Travelers would connect through a U.S. hub to London, then continue by ferry or regional flight. Winter crossings are weather-dependent. Check the State Department's UK and France advisories before booking.

KOVÁŘSKÁ, Czechia — A nearly 150-year-old railway station at Kovářská, in the Chomutov district of the Ore Mountains, is paying for its own restoration with overnight guests. Four retired railway cars on the tracks have been converted into self-contained holiday apartments, and a restored railway guard's cottage offers another place to stay. The owners say they are financing the work themselves, without subsidies. Accommodation income is meant to pay for the next phase: the entrance hall, a station-history exhibition and the former station office. Later plans include public toilets, a gallery for temporary exhibitions and event space. The owners hope to reopen part of the building to the public in 2027, but that is a goal, not a confirmed date. From Memphis there is no nonstop to Prague. Travelers would connect through a European or U.S. hub, then continue by rail or road to the northwest. Check the State Department's Czechia advisory before booking.