Hot favourite: Flight searches for this Asian city have tripled since last year

Two long weekends, Easter and Anzac Day, are fast approaching. And many Australians - who have combined these weekends with a few days of annual leave - can't wait to fly off to overseas destinations. Bookings.com has crunched the latest accommodation-search data on its platform to list the overseas locations Australians are dreaming about, with Tokyo, Seminyak, Singapore, Bangkok, Canggu, Queenstown, Ubud, Patong Beach, Osaka and Legian appearing in the top 10 spots. The booking platform has also crunched flight-search data to reveal the top spots Australians are looking to fly to, with Kuala Lumpur, Christchurch, Ho Chi Minh City, Mumbai, Guangzhou, Seoul, Los Angeles, Marrakech, Dubai and Edinburgh appearing in the top 10 spots. The search volume for Kuala Lumpur, in particular, has tripled since last year for the same period. Want to maximise your holidays by combining public holidays with annual leave? Read our guide on exploretravel.com.au

Speaking of long weekends, if you're about to set off on a holiday from one of Australia's four biggest airports - Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth - then we have some good news for you. All four airports have maintained a "high quality of service levels", according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Airport Monitoring Report for 2023-24. The report shows $985 million has been invested in infrastructure upgrades by these airports over a one-year period and Australian Airports Association's chief executive Simon Westaway says things are about to get even better, with airports working "to deliver the best experience possible for the surge in numbers of the flying public".

"Australia's top four airports are set to invest around $19 billion in crucial infrastructure upgrades over the next decade", he says. "Total air passenger numbers at Australian airports are expected to reach 210 million by 2030, a more than 30 per cent increase on existing levels."

Even if you've never been on a rail trip with Journey Beyond, you can savour a slice of it at home. The premium Australian operator has just launched a coffee table book, The Journey ($79), bringing to life iconic rail trips, such as the Ghan and Indian Pacific, through vivid imagery - both current and archival. Some of the trains featured are as old as 170 years, but the indisputable star of the book is Australia: its rugged landscapes captured through showstopping photography over the ages. shop.journeybeyond.com

Heading to Melbourne soon? The Victorian capital has a series of events for your itinerary, starting with The Outsiders Melbourne art exhibition (until May 25) on level one of 167 Flinders Lane in the CBD. While the exhibition opened in December, Rone's famous installation, The Workroom, has just been added to it. Next month is the Makers and Shakers Market (April 5-6), with more than 175 stalls championing Australian-made homewares, food, drinks and fashionable objects. And in May, make your way to the National Gallery of Victoria and other venues around the city, where the Melbourne Design Week will unfold (May 15-25), with 350-plus events, exhibitions, installations and talks. designweek.melbourne