AIBU to book flights to Tel Aviv for a September wedding?

[Depahf]

To book flights for Israel for September?

My closest friend is getting married in Tel AViv to her Israeli husband (they both live out there permanently now). I’m so desperate to go to the wedding. Do we think flights will be back on again?

(If you’re going to have a go at me for going because of the Gaza war, don’t waste your energy, I won’t be dissuaded on those grounds).

I’m wanting to book for tel aviv but was looking at spring 2027 anyway so hopefully things will have improved by then

tel aviv is an amazing city - I’ve been many times

if book refundable flights with tel aviv and refundable hotel options

I really hope you get to go!

Iran is retaliating against US And Israeli aggression.

Book your flights if you want, it’s your money.

for travel insurance, I’ve heard you can take out Israeli travel insurance instead and that it will cover you in events of cancellation for war. Has anyone done that?

I'd wait.

If you’re going off peak I’d book a refundable hotel then wait closer to the time to book flights. The flights won’t be expensive off peak. I’d also be wary of going anywhere that was on the FCO no fly list as if anything happens it will be a nightmare.

I can see you’re keen but I wouldn’t go without insurance.

You can book I suppose refundable ticket option and wait to see what the travel advice is.

Well obviously not...

The UK government currently advises against all travel to Israel and Palestine, so any travel insurance would likely exclude a known risk.

You can get specialist insurance but irs pricey. I wouldn’t go without it.

The crux of the matter is how reliably airlines will be running regular flights globally, if fuel supplies are rationed and flights are cancelled due to lack of oil.

from what I'm seeing and reading, the global situation is very precarious. It's as unpredictable as the global pandemic as it evolved in 2021.

If you are going to book travel, I would look at travel insurance option to see what insurance companies are prepared to include. If you can't get cover, it would be foolhardy to book anything under the current circumstances.

Id wait and see, putting the money aside for it

Booking.com has hotel deals where you can cancel 24 hrs before stay. You don’t even need to pay in advance if you choose to ‘pay at the property’ . Have a look .

Dont you know anyone else from the UK who is travelling to this wedding? What are the other guests doing and whats their insurance?

I would book flights and then see how it looks, especially if they will be refunded anyway of the flights are cancelled.

If you book them and they’re cancelled, you’ll get a refund.

Of course, there’s a scenario in which you book them but decide not to go because of the situation, in which case you wouldn’t.

However, if it’s that bad you decide not to go, they’ll probably be cancelled anyway.

A lot depends on how much the any are and if you can afford not to get your money back.

Definitely U to book now. Wait until nearer the time. And pay heed to what PPs have said about FO travel advice and insurance. Hope you manage to get there.

Israel's literally in the process of bombing the shit out of its neighbours. Insane to travel there unless it's a dire emergency.

Mogadishu Somalia has a lot in common with Israel, stunningly beautiful and steeped in fascinating history, spoilt by humans.

Can you wait until nearer the time? My friends parents managed to fly back to Israel last week (they live there now) and were here visiting their children so there are definitely flights, but it’s a bit different if you don’t ’have to’ go. An old school friend of mine moved there a few years ago and is posting on FB continually about the alarms sirens/being in his shelter etc so I’d def wait and see.

We’ve got tickets booked for October to see friends in Jaffa. Booked with ElAl as their cancellation policies are quite generous.

For hotels we can cancel ours’ the week before via Booking.com.

If you really want to go, I’d book flight tickets now as there will likely be a rush of folk heading out there as soon as they can for family trips, because it’s been so hard to get to Israel lately and seats will be expensive and hard to get.

Bibi has to keep the country in a constant state of war in order to avoid his corruption charges, and probably now to avoid elections. So no, I don’t imagine the war(s) will be over any time soon.

Still, weddings and other life events carry on in Palestine, even if Israel sometimes obliterates them with bombs and bullets.

Warmongering and genocide...this is absolute stupidity and DARVO. Ask yourself why Israel has to constantly fight off terrorists with a written mandate to annihilate the Jewish state and people. The terrorists are not the victims.

OP - friends went to a wedding in Israel recently and had to stay in a bunker and it was difficult getting flights back. It's a while away but I would give it some thought.

Tonto was always the voice of quiet reason.

You actually don’t need to make a decision now. Flights are hardly going to sell out given the current situation are they?

Its a war zone and FCDO advice is not to travel there at all - you are risking getting stuck out there uninsured never mind the genuine risk to your life.

You can assess the situation and FCDO advice again in august. Your friend can hardly expect people to commit right now so she will have to just either count you out or accept paying for guests that might not be able to make it when it comes to it.

Would you trust this to pay out in an emergency though? Or trust yourself to be able to negotiate any red tape surrounding a claim. It’s so needlessly risky