May 28, 2026 – 5.00amAre you planning a European holiday this coming northern summer and wondering if you’ll make it? “If you want to get there, you’ll get there,” says Louise Tandy of the APT Travel Group empire. Yes, you might have to deal with fuel surcharges. But Tandy is so confident in the travel industry’s ability to deal with whatever is thrown at it that she’s flying to Europe in late May and again in July. She’s even flying Qatar and Emirates.It’s been a buoyant era for the travel industry, especially for companies that offer tours and cruises to Baby Boomers in retirement phase. Tandy says bookings were extremely strong in January and early February. The war in the Middle East and fuel shortages might have slowed sales, but across the APT group – which includes Travelmarvel and Captain’s Choice – only 5 per cent of customers who booked to travel in March and April have cancelled.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Matthew DrummondAFR Magazine editorMatthew Drummond edits AFR Magazine, our premium monthly inserted magazine that covers business, politics, fashion, design, food and wine, and is home to the Rich List, Young Rich List and the Power lists.Fetching latest articles