Sadly can't go to Sri Lanka anymore. What should we do?

[Mummyonline]

After the tragic events in Sri Lanka over the Easter weekend, the Foreign Office have said that only essential travel is allowed to Sri Lanka. We had booked a three week holiday in May with half of it in Sri Lanka and half in the Maldives. We can either reschedule for a later date or change the holiday with whatever is still available. Where would you recommend that we go for culture followed by adventure (which is what we had booked). We were initially travelling around Sri Lanka with a driver and then chilling in the Maldives.
So sad to see Sri Lanka suffer like this.

Kerala is very similar to Sri Lanka. But you may want to check the weather patterns, I suspect the heat and humidity may be pretty bad in May.

India is not a good idea in May. We went to Kerala in February and it was very hot then! It’s not that great either! Other areas of India make more appeal.

If you have three weeks in May, I would look at South Africa. It would be Autumn but it’s quite a good time to go. I’m not sure about flights to the Maldives but I would have thought it was possible. You could do Cape Town and the Garden Route or KwaZulu Natal and safari areas north of Durban. You might also be able to do a safari in Tanzania and then go to the Maldives. However, it’s so late to change, I would be tempted to get a refund and book a different holiday later in the year. Then you might get where you want and not have to cobble something together. I might also look at Madagascar followed by the Maldives.

We're in the same position but for late July. Airline has not yet updated its policy but we are covered to cancel through travel insurance if needed.

Can I ask which airline you were with if you booked independently?

I'm contemplating Indonesia, vaguely India or Cambodia (but probably insane to do July/August), Nepal, Thailand (whichever coast is ok in our summer) and then maybe eastern Europe (Montenegro maybe).
We went to Borneo last year which gave the mix you are talking about just a bit less culture.

Typically this is the first time in years that id booked more than 2 months in advance. (A frustration they clearly pales in to insignificance compared with the events in sri lanka).

Bali and Java?
Vietnam - Hue has plenty of culture, Hoi An for culture and beach and vespa tours with Vespa Adventures are vg

Following for ideas. We've just cancelled for July.
A quick note re insurance: we assumed we'd be covered due to Foreign Office warning but at the moment we aren't because it is more than 28 days until we travel. I'd urge others to check their policies too as apparently this is quite a common clause.
Good luck

#mammyofoneonly did you cancel through the airline?

India is impossible in July. Heat and possible monsoon. Also check weather for Nepal. If you have insurance you can get money back and book somewhere that appeals later on. I would expect alternative flights to be expensive now. That’s why I suggested somewhere that’s a bit low or shoulder season. Otherwise it will be expensive.

Holidays, no the travel company who booked it. The airline was only allowing changes for those travelling in the next few weeks so we will be charged for those.
The travel agent is fantastic though, she is working to see what she can recoup for us.
The insurers have been a bit of a joke to be honest, especially considering they are meant to be a premium service

We’re supposed to be going in August. These security warnings from the government don’t just disappear over night, they remain for months and years. I used to fly so know about these warnings. The insurance companies shouldn’t put a clause in, but we all know how duff insurances can be
Back to the drawing board.

Thailand? ..twin centre of Chang Mai and Koh Samui

Mauritius or Mauritius and hiking in spectacular volcanic Reunion?

Thailand, Bali, Japan or Singapore

Thailand or Oz or NZ?

South Africa and Mauritius combo

Peru is great in our summer. Or Alaska.

Happy holidays, we were flying with Air Sri Lanka. Thank you for the suggestions. I'll look into them. India is somewhere I've always wanted to see so will see if we can still do that with the Maldives.

We were in Sri Lanka over Easter & luckily came back 2 days before the bombings. It is such a beautiful country & the people really couldn’t have been nicer. Great tragedy for all the families directly involved & for Sri Lanka as a whole. But given that they don’t seem to have the situation in hand (and there was really bugger all security when we were there), I’m not sure I’d go for the re-book option for later in the year.
As above, India is going to be unpleasantly hot. It’s also maybe not the best time to go - my DH was there last month (Jaipur & Delhi) & they appear in his opinion to be geared up for trouble. Security is very high - vehicles pulling into hotels are security checked & visitors are scanned entering hotels. The Maldives are supposedly beautiful but there’s been a lot of coverage recently in relation to Sri Lanka re returning ISIS fighters in the Maldives which would give me a pause for thought.
In terms of other options, I’d look at Thailand or Vietnam

It’s also maybe not the best time to go - my DH was there last month (Jaipur & Delhi) & they appear in his opinion to be geared up for trouble. Security is very high - vehicles pulling into hotels are security checked & visitors are scanned entering hotels.

This has been happening in India for years, at least since the 2008 attacks in Mumbai. Though only at the expensive hotels. When the Sri Lanka attacks happened, I was surprised to learn that hotels like the Shangri-La there don’t have similar security to Indian hotels.

Interesting! He was at mid range hotels & the hotel security & drivers locking the car doors when stopping in traffic made him feel less rather than more safe. There was absolutely no security at any of the hotels we stayed at in Sri Lanka or at any of the major tourist sites. In retrospect given that parts of the government had received warnings, very very negligent.

@SJane48S If you have time, I'd love to hear about your trip.
I'm keeping all my planning notes to reinstate at a later date.

Rebooking for Sri Lanka now won't work as we don't know when travel ban will be lifted (seems an odd option for airlines to give). I've been looking at Thailand having only passed through it in the past.

We have done several Indian holidays and I definitely would avoid summer. Just way too hot for sightseeing. Why not go when the weather is pleasant instead of rushing it now?

Yes of course! Given what’s subsequently happened, it does feel callous talking about what a lovely time we had - which we did. I feel incredibly sorry for the people directly involved & for the people we met who couldn’t have been more friendly or helpful.
We spent our first day in Colombo recovering from the flight - it’s not a very attractive city & we saw as much as we wanted to in 24 hours. I’d hired drivers through a company we found on TripAdvisor - they didn’t cost a fortune, were very punctual & have since texted me to check we got home safely & didn’t get caught up in what happened which does say something about the people!
We went to Kandy for 4 days - I understand why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but walking around the lake on a misty evening with the Buddhist prayers chanting from loudspeakers in the trees and seeing orange cloaked groups of monks was lovely. We did day trips to Dambulla, Sigiriya, Minneriya National Park & Nuwara Eliya all from Kandy. I’d recommend staying close to Sigiriya if you want to see it.. it’s bloody huge & steep & it would be far more sensible climbing it early in the morning before the heat. Nuwara Eliya didn’t do much for me but the drive there through the highlands passing tea plantations & waterfalls was amazing.
We spent the last 4 days on the beach in Tangalle. The waves were too big for swimming but the beaches were incredible, pretty empty & you could see sea turtles bobbing around in the sea. It was incredible.
All in - wonderful country & fabulous people. The road structure isn’t great & we spent a lot of time in the car. None of the towns we drove through were pretty (grim sprawl mostly) but the countryside was amazing. I’d love to go back once the situation settles down - it’s a country you can only wish well. They quite obviously weren’t geared up for what’s happened & the government appears to be very partisan & in constant disagreement but it’s a very harsh lesson they’ve learnt.

@sjane48s
Thanks! It will take time for the tourism industry to recover again so good to hear about positive trips.

Has anyone made any decisions on a new destination? I'm reading and reading but not inspired yet.

How could you not be inspired by all these suggestions??? There is quite a big chunk of the world you could visit. I have countries lined up in my mind for the next 10 years. So many people on these threads just look at the package holiday destinations (Thailand, Vietnam, USA, Disney, India etc) but there are so many other places which a bespoke tour operator can help you with.

We have Chile, Uzbekistan, Canada and an expedition cruise around the Falklands, South Georgia and The Antarctic lined up already for the next 20 months.

If you don’t like South Africa, I would be amazed. Canada is brilliant and all you need to do is avoid sweltering heat, monsoon seasons and read up about what you could visit. Central and Northern Chile would be fine. We are going in July/August. Certainly Brazil. Even the Caribbean is usually ok in July. Hurricanes are usually early Autumn. Madagascar is great in our summer and there are so many cultural cities you could visit. Most of North America is hot in July but certainly worth a visit if you stay in the north western states. Oregon and Washington for example.

Look at a few travel programmes to whet your appetite or even get brochures from companies like Steppes Travel or Audley Travel to see the world of options.