Holiday plans. Do you have any?

[wiggydiggy]

A nice surprise today, I'm getting things booked for this year and a cottage I booked just refunded me some money as a reward for booking direct rather than with a site like arrghhhhbnb.

 

[figbat]

OK, so the latest in the figbat family final once-in-a-lifetime holiday plans.

Recap:
First it was a western Canada fly-drive - vetoed by teenagers who “don’t want to spend the whole time sitting in a car looking at mountains”.

Next was Hawaii - vetoed because it’s the USA and we’re just not going there as things currently stand.

Then was Tahiti, Fiji etc - vetoed because all connecting flight options went through LAX (which is USA, see above).

Now we’re closing in on the Seychelles. We normally plan and book everything ourselves, using things like AirBnB or other direct booking options, plus flights and car hire etc. However to put together a multi-island itinerary ourselves was getting overwhelming so we engaged a ‘travel consultant’ who have rather rapidly created a great-sounding plan for us which we’re getting close to approving.

This is our last family holiday, it comes after some difficult times in the household, involving involuntary termination of work and a parental bereavement plus there is the impending culmination of our kids’ studies (GCSEs and a C&G advanced diploma), which has led us to say “sod it” and just do it. I recognise that we’re lucky to have to time and funds to pursue this; the last several years have been in a caravan somewhere in England.

So fingers crossed this is the last iteration.

Oh FFS! We just paid the deposit on this, which includes flights through Dubai, and Donald Fxxxxxg Trump decides that there’s not enough deflection and so the Middle East needs some freedom installing.

Hopefully either this will all blow over or we can re-route via somewhere safe. If there is anywhere safe now…

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Oh FFS! We just paid the deposit on this, which includes flights through Dubai, and Donald Fxxxxxg Trump decides that there’s not enough deflection and so the Middle East needs some freedom installing.

Hopefully either this will all blow over or we can re-route via somewhere safe. If there is anywhere safe now…

What’s he doing to Dubai? We connect through there in May en route to Japan. I don’t watch or listen to the news so I’m out of touch with his tantrums.

 

[dicko]

We have but it all hinges on the Middle East at the moment

 

[figbat]

What’s he doing to Dubai? We connect through there in May en route to Japan. I don’t watch or listen to the news so I’m out of touch with his tantrums.

The airspace is closed, flights cancelled, people trapped all over the UAE and nearby countries that have US assets.

 

[Alex321]

What’s he doing to Dubai? We connect through there in May en route to Japan. I don’t watch or listen to the news so I’m out of touch with his tantrums.

It is what Iran is doing to Dubai (as an ally of the US & Israel), in retaliation for what Trump & Israel have done to Iran.

And it basically means most of the middle East airspace is currently closed to commercial traffic.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Oh FFS! We just paid the deposit on this, which includes flights through Dubai, and Donald Fxxxxxg Trump decides that there’s not enough deflection and so the Middle East needs some freedom installing.

Hopefully either this will all blow over or we can re-route via somewhere safe. If there is anywhere safe now…

There are rerouting options that are still flying avoiding the closed air space. Some airlines have cancel for free up to 3 days before flight options. We have just booked backup flights as we were due to fly via Doha in a couple of weeks. We have till a week on Friday to see which flights we keep. New flights more expensive but no avoiding that, as we booked the ones at risk a while back.

Do not go too budget though!

 

[blackrat]

OK, so the latest in the figbat family final once-in-a-lifetime holiday plans.

Recap:
First it was a western Canada fly-drive - vetoed by teenagers who “don’t want to spend the whole time sitting in a car looking at mountains”.

Next was Hawaii - vetoed because it’s the USA and we’re just not going there as things currently stand.

Then was Tahiti, Fiji etc - vetoed because all connecting flight options went through LAX (which is USA, see above).

Now we’re closing in on the Seychelles. We normally plan and book everything ourselves, using things like AirBnB or other direct booking options, plus flights and car hire etc. However to put together a multi-island itinerary ourselves was getting overwhelming so we engaged a ‘travel consultant’ who have rather rapidly created a great-sounding plan for us which we’re getting close to approving.

This is our last family holiday, it comes after some difficult times in the household, involving involuntary termination of work and a parental bereavement plus there is the impending culmination of our kids’ studies (GCSEs and a C&G advanced diploma), which has led us to say “sod it” and just do it. I recognise that we’re lucky to have to time and funds to pursue this; the last several years have been in a caravan somewhere in England.

So fingers crossed this is the last iteration.

AirBnB is a global operation which has replaced many of the B&B's we used to see owned and run locally in villages and towns. They have popped up in our neighbourhood and we are fighting back! The city has now enacted new rules identifying them as hotels and need to be regulated accordingly. Win, Win!

 

[blackrat]

Oh FFS! We just paid the deposit on this, which includes flights through Dubai, and Donald Fxxxxxg Trump decides that there’s not enough deflection and so the Middle East needs some freedom installing.

Hopefully either this will all blow over or we can re-route via somewhere safe. If there is anywhere safe now…

"If there is anywhere safe now…"
Like, South Oxfordshire? Home is often the best. It is getting to be too crowded to tour these days.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Oh FFS! We just paid the deposit on this, which includes flights through Dubai, and Donald Fxxxxxg Trump decides that there’s not enough deflection and so the Middle East needs some freedom installing.

Hopefully either this will all blow over or we can re-route via somewhere safe. If there is anywhere safe now…

A friend of lives in UAE, works in education, apart from working from home and noticing fewer ships in the Gulf of Oman he says it's pretty quiet, obviously that's not the case all over but he's not leaving any time soon he said.

AirBnB is a global operation which has replaced many of the B&B's we used to see owned and run locally in villages and towns. They have popped up in our neighbourhood and we are fighting back! The city has now enacted new rules identifying them as hotels and need to be regulated accordingly. Win, Win!

I used www.holidaycottages.co.uk. Although I like Airbnb for the sheer number of options to search and filter by, it's very hit and miss as to the quality. One place I looked at in Lincoln has had no reviews since 2024 yet they still wanted over £100 a night. At least with HCs you are normally booking direct with the owner.