Vol. 1 · No. 1 · January 2026
Photo: Jakub Hałun · CC BY-SA 4.0WAYFARER
Rajasthan in winter: forts, books and a slower route
- Magh Bihu and the tea country of Upper Assam
- Kerala's Kuttanad, beyond the houseboat
- Tet in Vietnam: the new year that closes the cities
- Patagonia, Marrakech and Tasmania: three ways to spend a January
Editor's Dispatch
New Beginnings
Every January we make promises to the calendar: fewer emails, more mornings, one trip that is not squeezed between two meetings. This issue is for the people who mean it.
Wayfarer is built on a few plain rules. We tell you where our facts come from. We say when a date is provisional. And when a story comes from published reporting rather than from our own conversations, we label it so, and name the people and the publication that did the work.
You will find that spirit in the People & Places pages this month: a biologist who recruited thousands of village women to protect a stork, village women who supply a hotel kitchen, a donor who turned private land into national parks, and a family that keeps a Vietnamese printing craft alive. They are all reported by others. We are grateful to them.
A new year is a good moment to choose a slower pace. Read on, mark a few dates, and write to tell us where yours begins.
— Gitanjali Gautam, Editor-in-Chief
This month's theme. January is the month of fresh pages: a bonfire of bamboo and straw on an Assamese riverbank, a lantern-lit flower market in Hanoi, a literary festival under the Rajasthan winter sun. This issue is about starting a year, and a journey, on the right foot.
In this issue
Contents
Cover storyThe Great Escape
Northeast India · AssamNortheast India: Beyond the Familiar
India · KeralaIndia: Beyond the Usual
Asia · VietnamAsia: A Continent of Experiences
Around the WorldAround the World
- Patagonia in summer: wind, granite and good planningJanuary is peak season in southern Chile. Book early, pack for four seasons, and give the weather room.RESEARCHED
- Marrakech in January: sun for the day, a coat for the eveningA cool-season city for gardens, courtyards and slow lunches, with a few things to plan for.RESEARCHED
- Tasmania in summer: coast, forest and a ferry to BrunyA southern-hemisphere island with long evenings, short drives and a parks pass worth buying.RESEARCHED
Real stories from the roadPeople & Places
- The women who protect the storkIn Assam's Brahmaputra Valley, a biologist helped turn a bird villagers once disliked into a symbol of local pride.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- The kitchen garden that feeds a resort townIn Kumarakom, Kerala, a local programme asked hotels to buy vegetables from the village next door.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- From private land to public parks: a Patagonian giftKristine Tompkins and her late husband bought land in Chile and Argentina, then gave it back as national parks.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- The family that kept a new-year print aliveNear Hanoi, a village once famous for the prints hung at Tet is down to a few families. One of them is working to hold on.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
Reader and contributor briefsBe part of Wayfarer
Food, heritage and natureTaste, Heritage & Nature
- The Taste of Travel: Assamese pitha and the Bihu tableRice cakes, sesame sweets and a communal feast: the flavours of January in Assam.RESEARCHED
- Heritage Without Borders: the Moidams of CharaideoAssam's first cultural World Heritage Site: the burial mounds of the Ahom kings.RESEARCHED
- The Natural Calendar: JanuaryWhat to look for, where, and how sure we are.RESEARCHED
- Responsible travel: being a good guest at a harvest festivalA festival belongs first to the people who hold it. A few habits for visitors.PRACTICAL · EVERGREEN
Practical toolkitTravel Smart
CommunityReaders' Pages
- The Traveller's Lexicon: FernwehA German word for longing for places you have not been.LEXICON
- Travel Quiz: JanuaryFive questions. Answers appear in next month's issue.QUIZ
- Your turn: where do you want to be on 1 January 2027?Reader engagement idea for the next issue.READER INVITATION
- The Traveller's BookshelfThree books we would pack for a new year.RECOMMENDED READING
The World Celebrates
Festivals & events radar
Dates below come from our festival guide and are approximate. Always confirm with the official organiser before you book; lunar-calendar and annually announced events are provisional until confirmed.
Northeast India & India
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magh (Bhogali) Bihu | Assam | Uruka (feast night) 14 January; Magh Bihu 15 January 2026 official | Assam's harvest festival of bonfires, communal feasts and rice cakes.. |
| Jaipur Literature Festival (19th edition) | Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur | 15–19 January 2026 official | India's best-known literary festival, with writers and thinkers from many countries.. |
| International Kite Festival | Ahmedabad (Sabarmati Riverfront) and other Gujarat sites | 10–14 January 2026 statewide; Ahmedabad 12–14 January official | Gujarat's Uttarayan celebrations, with international kite flyers.. |
| Rann Utsav (tent city, Great Rann of Kutch) | Dhordo, Kutch, Gujarat | 2025–26 season; sources give end dates between 20 February and 4 March 2026 verify | A seasonal tent city beside the white salt desert; dates vary by source, so confirm before booking.. |
| Losar (Tibetan New Year) | Sikkim and Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh | 18 February 2026 (Year of the Fire Horse) official | Monastery ceremonies, masked dances and family feasts in Himalayan Buddhist communities.. |
| Khajuraho Dance Festival (52nd edition) | Western Group of Temples, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh | 20–26 February 2026 official | Classical dance performed against a World Heritage temple backdrop.. |
| Holi (Holika Dahan and Rangwali Holi) | Mathura–Vrindavan (Braj), Uttar Pradesh, and across India | Holika Dahan 3 March; Holi 4 March 2026 official | The festival of colours, celebrated for days in Braj ahead of the main date.. |
Asia
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival | Harbin, China | Opens 5 January 2026 and runs into February; closing date set by organisers verify | Giant ice and snow sculptures in one of China's coldest cities.. |
| Thaipusam | Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia | 1 February 2026 official | A large Tamil Hindu festival of devotion, with a procession and the climb to the cave temple.. |
| Sapporo Snow Festival (76th edition) | Odori Park, Sapporo, Japan | 4–11 February 2026 official | Large-scale snow and ice sculptures along Sapporo's central park.. |
| Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) | Vietnam | 17 February 2026; official holiday 14–22 February official | The country's most important holiday: flower markets, family reunions and a few quiet days.. |
Europe
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnevale di Venezia | Venice, Italy | 31 January–17 February 2026 (theme: Olympus) official | Masks, costume and water shows, themed in 2026 to the Winter Olympics year.. |
Africa & the Americas
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Carnival | Sambadrome, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Core dates 13–17 February 2026; some sources extend to 18 February verify | Samba school parades and street parties; book accommodation well ahead.. |
| Quebec Winter Carnival | Quebec City, Canada | About 6–15 February 2026 (check the organiser) verify | Snow sculptures, parades and winter games in Quebec City.. |
Oceania & international
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras | Sydney, Australia | Festival 13 February–1 March; parade Saturday 28 February 2026 official | A three-week festival ending with a night-time parade along Oxford Street.. |
The Travel Briefing
Format example
Dated developments up to 1 January 2026, with source links. Each is labelled announced or implemented. Re-confirm before relying on any of them.
- IMPLEMENTED: Navi Mumbai International Airport began commercial flights on 25 December 2025, with IndiGo, Akasa Air and Air India Express among the first operators. Source: The Statesman, 25 December 2025. https://www.thestatesman.com/business/adani-group-owned-navi-mumbai-airport-begins-operations-with-indigo-flight-1503530606.html
- ANNOUNCED: On 1 January 2026 Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the first Vande Bharat sleeper train would run between Guwahati and Howrah in January. Source: IANS, 1 January 2026. https://ianslive.in/first-vande-bharat-sleeper-train-to-start-running-between-guwahati-and-howrah-this-month--20260101174204
- IMPLEMENTED (phased): The EU's Entry/Exit System began its progressive start on 12 October 2025 at external borders, with a planned phase-in over about six months. Source: European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/smart-borders/entry-exit-system_en
- ANNOUNCED: Vietnam's prime minister approved a nine-day Tet holiday for 14 to 22 February 2026. Source: Vietnam Government news portal, 14 October 2025. https://en.baochinhphu.vn/prime-minister-approves-9-day-lunar-new-year-holiday-in-2026-111251014090102864.htm
- IMPLEMENTED: Thailand's Digital Arrival Card has been mandatory for foreign visitors since 1 May 2025, to be completed online before arrival. Source: Royal Thai Embassy pages. https://abudhabi.thaiembassy.org/en/content/tdac1may2025
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