We sat down with our most-travelled consultants and asked them one question: where would you book your own parents this year? What follows is the shortlist that survived the argument — ten destinations our team thinks hit the sweet spot for comfort, pacing and unforgettable moments in 2026.

1. Japan in cherry-blossom season — Tokyo to Hiroshima by the Shinkansen, with the bonus that everything works. The trains run on time, the food is honest, and the small group sizes mean you can ask a guide a question without elbowing through forty other people.
2. The Kimberley by small ship — Broome to Darwin in 10 nights, no big-ship crowds, helicopters over Mitchell Falls, and a Zodiac to the front door of every gorge. The ships in this trade carry 30 to 200 guests, not 3,000.
3. A river cruise on the Rhine or Danube — flat decks, single timezone, unpack once. The Christmas-markets sailings in late November and early December are the ones we book ourselves.
4. The South Island of New Zealand by rail — the TranzAlpine, the Coastal Pacific, and one slow week working your way down to Queenstown. Open carriages, comfortable seats, no airport queues.
5. Italy outside the postcard — Puglia, Sicily and a week tooling around the trulli of Alberobello. The food is in season, the prices haven’t caught up with Tuscany yet, and a small-group tour will get you into farmhouses the cruise ships never see.
6. India for the first time, properly hosted — Delhi, Jaipur, the Taj at sunrise, the tiger reserve at Ranthambore. With a friendly host on the ground and an air-conditioned coach between cities, India is less daunting than its reputation.
7. The Murray River from Echuca — paddle-steamers, vineyards, and an Australian itinerary that doesn’t need a long flight. Three nights afloat, two on land. A genuinely restful week.
8. Antarctica via Ushuaia — the bucket-list trip on every list, but the new generation of expedition ships have proper stabilisers and lifts, which makes the Drake Passage and the Zodiac landings genuinely accessible for over-60s.
9. Scotland by escorted coach — the Hebrides, the Highlands and Skye in eight nights, with proper inns rather than motorway hotels. Driving rules on the left means our travellers actually understand the road signs.
10. Vietnam end-to-end — Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh by overnight train and the Reunification Express, with a Halong Bay overnight in between. The food alone is worth the airfare.

None of these are accidents. They’re all on our list because they pace well, they don’t expect you to walk thirty kilometres a day, and they put you somewhere you genuinely want to be by 6pm with a glass in your hand. Call 1300 414 198 and we’ll talk you through which one suits the year you’ve had.