(Preferably) longhaul holiday on BA in August

[Teentrauma]

Looking for inspiration.

We are lucky enough to have free flights on BA.

2 adults, 2 older teens. 2 weeks in August. Combination of things to see & do and somewhere nice to relax. Not fans of spending too long around the pool/beach but some time doing this great.

Originally planned to fly to Bangkok, spend a few days then fly to Koh Samui (not BA, paying for those) and stay at a nice villa with pool, so ticked all the boxes perfectly.

Unfortunately, BA have stopped flying to Bangkok and no guarantee of resuming before August so having to rethink. We can't afford to pay to fly on another airline, we wouldn't be going at all if it weren't for free flights, so appreciate very lucky.

Looked at flying to Toronto staying a few days/do Niagra, then head to a cottage by a lake for a week. So much seems to be booked up and what's left is either very pricey or very basic. Did a similar thing in Boston/Cape Cod a few years which was mostly great but cottage a bit too rustic! Wondering if other areas of US/Canada have similar but perhaps less touristy so lower prices??

Or somewhere else? Grateful for other suggestions. Realise a lot of places ruled out due to rainy season. The key is that BA must have regular flights!

Thanks in advance.

We had the exact same position- companion vouchers to use with an 8yo and 11yo.

We are flying to Seattle in Aug and will spend 3 nights there before driving to Vancouver Island for 4 nights and then Vancouver for 3 nights, then one night in the Cascades prior to heading home.

Seattle was the only place we could get the companion flights that worked for us but we are spending the bulk of our time in Canada as the exchange rate is much kinder! We are really looking forward to the mix of city sightseeing and nature / hiking and wildlife.

Is it for 2023? If so have you looked at flight availability as you might have restricted options now as you need 4 available seats per flight.

Fly to Singapore and then onto Koh Samui. Direct flights from Singapore.

How about Tokyo?

Yes, I was just going to suggest this too.

yes Singapore and there are tons of flights to Thailand from there

Fly to Kingston and get a driver to take you to Port Antonio - stay near Frenchmans cove - then move on to Negril :)

Have you looked at BnBs in Canada? We went in august or July one year, did a big lake house with extended family which was amazing then DH and I went to Niagara on the lake and stayed in a lovely BnB!

Tokyo! Then one of the Thai islands.

Agree with everyone that it’s cheap and easy to hop about in Asia so just fly to a main hub then go from there. Otherwise Barbados? We’ve been then and weather fine, very minor spots of rain twice in a fortnight. You could also do two islands, fly in to one and out from another ike Antigua.

Also Ba to bangkok route is only on hold until March, so might be up and running again by August.

Seeing quite a few people suggesting Japan- it is an amazing place for a family holiday as it's easy to travel around on the bullet trains but it would be very hot and uncomfortably humid in August which would put us right off- my kids are not great with humidity- if it's not a problem for your family then great but something to bear in mind.

Also Ba to bangkok route is only on hold until March, so might be up and running again by August.

.y understanding is that it's at least until March but there's a strong possibility it will be extended beyond that. It was originally October 22 which was why we thought we'd be ok. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Thank you for the suggestions. Singapore was our first thought but you have to be fully vaccinated and the teens are unvaccinated. Don't think we'll have time to get all 3 doses done in time if I'm understanding correctly. Sorry, probably should've mentioned that. Doubt they'll relax the rules before we're due to go. Website says 29rh August. Tokyo is an interesting suggestion. You do need a negative PCR atm which is a bit stressful, but doable!

Singapore was our first thought but you have to be fully vaccinated and the teens are unvaccinated

You can also take a test according to the page here: www.ica.gov.sg/enter-transit-depart/entering-singapore#:~:text=Travellers%20must%20serve%20quarantine%20for,below%20and%20individuals%20with%20contraindications.

@Orangello thank you for this. I got my info from the UK Gov page so it seems it hasn't been updated! Weirdly there is a link on the UK page to the link you posted! Feeling a bit more hopeful now!

Just looked at Tokyo bit it's 9 hours from Koh Samui 😞

Singapore if doable, for 2/3 days then get Air Aisa to Thailand. Or alternatively Penang which is a shorter flight and quite a lot of cool stuff to do.

or fly to LA or Vegas and do a bit of a road trip.

I would fly to San Francisco and spend a few days, hire an suv and drive down the pacific coast highway to LA - we stayed in Monterey for a couple of nights, then Santa Monica. All different types of accommodation on the road, from budget motels to 4/5*.

If you fly into san fran there’s also the option to do a couple of days in Yosemite which is stunning ❤️.

Fly to Arizona and do the Grand Canyon

California road trip - fly into say Bay area, out La/ San diego/ Vegas. Cost of eating out is a bit painful in US now though.

Yucatan road trip- fly into Cancun - book your own hotels - we did this and took car on the ferry to Cozemel - was great.

Barbados - the odd shower but weather can be good. Car hire is reasonable- hire a 2 bed in an apartment complex with pool and beach. Day trip every day. Food ex pensive but doesn't have to be if you eat local.

Costa Rica - again weather will be a bit humid and it quite buggy. Road trip or join a tour ( or copy their itinery).

We use avios /companion vouchers- planning on another Carribean island this summer.

If you want a beach element for Japan you can visit Okinawa via an interval flight (2hrs 30 from Osaka). You could even go from Okinawa to Seoul, (another 2hrs 30 flight) have a few days there and then fly back to the UK from Seoul.

Won’t Asia’s be very hot and humid in august?

southern Caribbean (like Aruba) is outside the summer hurricane zone

or Alaska if you’re not looking for hot weather

We are doing california Road trip this year with our older teens flying into San Francisco and back from san Diego both with Ba. Last year we did similar road trip to Mexico which our teens loved again BA to Cancun then hired car and had pre booked destinations.

Just realised the Singapore covid rules relaxed in August 2022, assumed it was 2023! With a bit of luck, no PCR will be required by then either!

@HermioneWeasley August is a good time.to visit Samui. Not so sure re Singapore though!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? Interesting city, has a China town, little India, shopping malls where you can go on a roller coaster above the shoppers. Day trips to the highlands, and caves. You can get the train down to Singapore, or up to penang. Luxurious but mega cheap. Totally different, or you can fly to any of the Asian beaches cheaply.