To think going away would not be a sensible move?

[notgoingabroad]

I booked tickets to the other side of the world at Christmas. Also bought tickets for a short flight out there, a trip etc.

One lost job and - I just don't think it can be done, financially.

AIBU to be gutted we've lost so much money

Any chance of borrowing some money? I'd try to go as you've sunk so much so far and it's a great experience.

I have Rude, but it's very hard to get through and the phone often goes dead. Plus I don't really know if I'm not going yet if you see what I mean. Obviously I'd still like to :) which is kind of why I posted here.

Keep trying. You do know youre not going for the full four weeks though dont you? You cant afford it. So keep trying to change the flights. Failing that see if you can sell them.

But you've said four weeks unpaid will put you under, let alone finding money for a holiday on top of that.

How can you go?

I would look into changing the return flight and see what fee that is - cut down the unpaid leave by two weeks, say.

I think you get some taxes back if you don't fly - worth checking

I probably can't Maid

I can't really change the return flight. I work in a school and the problem is different Easter holidays.

If OP is flying with Etihad (which I assume is what she means by UAE), flights are non transferable.

OP, do you have a pot of spending money aside? Is this now required to cover your four weeks lack of pay?

answer came there none....

do not leave the country without travel insurance. To do so risks financial problems for you or your family that will stuff you up for life.

Can you change the outward flight?

No, no pot of spending money. I don't think I can change the flights and it is Ethihad, sorry.

Agree special, being petrified about running out of spends pales into insignificance compared with breaking your back or having to be flown home (dead or alive).

So, where was your spending money coming from?

Never really been abroad before maid.

At the risk of sounding obtuse (I'm not) again I don't understand the question about where the spending money was coming from: when I booked the flights I was in a permanent and well paid role, now I am not

I'm just becoming baffled here. OP, you don't seem to have made any financial provision for a big trip across the world to an expensive country.

Right, can you call the airline, not who you booked through, and see if you can change the flights so they will fit in your new holiday allowance, which would then mean you don't need to take 4 weeks unpaid. Again, call the hotel if you have booked and paid already, even if it's not "changeable" often they will let you change the dates if you pay a fee. Again, worth going direct to them to see what they can do.

If you can get the flights so it's only 2 weeks, could you afford it from a loss of earnings POV?

When did you lose your job?

January

Before booking a holiday most people ensure that they have spending money, why didn't you OP?

www.etihad.com/en-us/before-you-fly/manage-my-booking/modification-guide/

They seem open to changing flights, although it would have to be through Opodo.

Because I thought I was working and earning a substantial amount.

I've changed flights before though opodo with Emirates . You will have to pay An admin fee but better than losing all your money . Also a lot of hotel bookings are refundable

Sorry, when I said earlier that the tickets were non transferable, I meant to a third party.

Good, so flights can be changed. How long were you originally planning and how long might you stretch to?

Changed though not cancelled?

Was your spending money planned to be an offset for what you would have spent in the UK? So just day to day running costs?

Well youve already paid for the flights and hotel so you dont need to cancel do you? Just change the dates so that no extra accomodation is required and no extra unpaid leave.