Cancelled next years holiday abroad

[YellowphantGrey]

And feel awful about it.

Trying to convince myself a UK holiday will be ok bur I know it won't.

We've just returned from disaster holiday after two horrific flights. Holiday itself was fine but the flights were absolutely horrific. People in tears, screaming, crying, my kindle screen broken, DH hurt his back, people throwing up, all from 2 hours worth of severe turbulence on a 4 hour flight and Pilot had to speak several times. It was a night flight and all lights went out and emergency floor strip lights came on. He ended up having to fly lower to try and avoid and was prepared to divert when it started becoming clearer.

On the way over, it was an hours worth of turbulence and not as bad but still took some quite big drops, everyone lifted out of their seats on each drop. Couldn't land and had to retry which was successful second time round.

We decided today after we are all bruised and shaken that we don't really want to fly again but I'm also worried my DS will now be restricted in life and we should be forcing ourselves back on a plane.

Any ideas what to do? I don't think any sort of scared of flying course would help as even the cabin crew were crying yesterday! Apparently turbulence is set to become more frequent, common and extreme.

Cruises are a definitive no as well.

I suppose we could train or drive?

"Greece - Eurostar, Train, Ferry and Bus"

It would take days 🤣🤣 just get on the plane ffs

I think it's more that you assume they've flown hundreds of times, so if they appear panicked then you can no longer kid yourself "it happens all the time".

However, OP has confirmed it was 1 member and it was because she hurt herself. I think that's why some posters may feel she was over-dramatic in her OP as obviously multiple crew members in tears from fear is far worse.

Just to add, even the slightest bit of turbulence scares the shit out of me!

It is really not true, about all UK towns looking similar. The UK has a very varied landscape. I’ll give you the weather one though. And the expense of the holiday options.

Sounds awful but I don't think it would put me off for life. It's unlikely that would happen again.

Hi @YellowphantGrey
You've gone through a traumatic experience less than 24 hours ago. You need time to process this.

You may not fly again or you might give it another go - give yourself time and maybe therapy.

I had to travel for business quite a lot. My manager came with me long haul on a few trips. Before we went on our first trip, he put a meeting in with me. Told me he had a fear of flying as he was in a fatal air crash, many people died. He and his family were the last row to survive - every row behind them died. It has been on quite a few documentaries and he's been on them. He didn't fly for a few years but then he didn't want to put his fears on his DC.

I asked him how I could help him. His therapist had told him that he should tell staff about his experience and more often than not the captain would come along and have a chat with him. He asked me to chat to him and maybe have a g&t with him if we weren't driving.

Please give yourself time

Would you consider an alternative airline? Turbulence isn’t hugely common as your past flight experience has shown, but I have read previously that it is more common with some budget airlines due to their focus on cost reduction for passengers and operational efficiency - for example choosing routes more direct regardless of turbulence vs a smoother route that may take longer, to try and optimise fuel usage. When I’ve experienced turbulence it has been with more budget airlines such as easyJet or Ryanair.

Turbulence is scary. I have experienced it on lots of times. Most recently on a night flight from Cyprus. The fasten seatbelts lights were on for 4 hours, with variation between 'mild' to 'moderate' (imo) turbulence. Luckily dc were tired and managed to sleep through most of it.
I watched the itv documentary a while back and it did reassure me in terms of pilot training and the ability of aircraft to withstand it.

I was going to suggest the ferry to Spain from Portsmouth - that's a lot of fun and gets you to fabulous weather and scenery without much driving. But I note that you say you're scared of boats further down the thread.

If you don't want to fly and don't want to take a boat then your only option is the Channel Tunnel (either in the car from Folkestone or on Eurostar from London).

The disadvantage of being limited to arriving in France via Calais is that you land up in exactly the same weather as we get in the UK. It's quite a drive from Calais to places with (almost) guaranteed good weather. But if you're prepared to do it then I'd recommend huge swathes of southern France, the Black Forest in Germany, Tuscany in Italy and also the Bernese Alps.

If travelling as a foot passenger, then the south of France is reasonably quick to reach from Paris, including the Dordogne, Bordeaux, Carcassonne and Provence. The high speed trains in Spain are phenomenal and you can get down to Seville or Malaga very quickly for good weather even in November or February. Switzerland is incredibly easy today navigate on public transport too. Although hiring a car in any of the destinations listed above is easy peasy.

I'd recommend Slovenia and Croatia as they're beautiful but you'd need to allow a couple of days (min) to travel there by train from the UK.

As for the turbulence, it sounds like you had a really extreme experience. The worst turbulence I've encountered was over the Bay of Biscay (which was likely where you experienced the worst turbulence on your flight from the Canaries). If you want to feel confident flying again, perhaps book a short flight to somewhere such as Amsterdam where you're unlikely to get very extreme turbulence (and it's so quick anyway), or Greece (which, as the flight is mostly over land, tends to be less turbulent in my experience... Although it's not an especially short flight).

For UK holidays, the Llyn peninsula in Wales is always knock out and gets surprisingly good weather.

All based on experience though.

That sounds horrible and I don't blame you!

We had two glorious holidays in the UK this year. Cornwall and Cumbria. One day of rain in each (two 7 day holidays) and average temperature in early twenties. I know it's not amazing but it can be fine! For more guaranteed temps I would go to the SE.

Last year we did an amazing holiday in France, Eurostar to Paris for 2 nights then train down to Arcachon which was only another 3.5 hours I think. It was glorious - beautiful sand dunes, gorgeous beaches, a villa with a pool. We did it because we wanted the experience of the train and to be a bit more environmentally friendly but it was truly a doddle and our kids were 5 and 9 at the time.

'We decided today after we are all bruised and shaken that we don't really want to fly again but I'm also worried my DS will now be restricted in life and we should be forcing ourselves back on a plane.'

Restricted in life? Surely, as an adult, he will make his own choices. He'll still have an education, healthcare, grow up in a wealthy country, have parents/family/ friends around him, have choices about a career, have books/tv/cinemas, art galleries, museums, countryside, coasts/cities to visit, money to spend, shops to buy from, food and clean (ish) water, a home to live in. He can travel by Eurotunnel or boat if he decides he doesn't want to fly as an adult.

I honestly think you are over-thinking this one.

I’m not sure I’d entirely agree with all of that..

I have read previously that it is more common with some budget airlines due to their focus on cost reduction for passengers and operational efficiency - for example choosing routes more direct regardless of turbulence vs a smoother route that may take longer, to try and optimise fuel usage.

These days LoCo or legacy all usually havea philosophy of operating something like minimum cost routings (due ticket prices etc), and certainly wouldn’t be putting in extra miles simply to avoid areas of forecast moderate clear air turbulence or areas of forecast thunderstorms. It’s generally down to the pilots to set off as planned and then avoid or mitigate the effects of any turbulence that actually manifests itself en-route.

The only time (Long Haul) you’d actively avoid planning anything associated with turbulence is you’d hope not to be planned to fly into a jet stream if that gave you a headwind….but you certainly used to be planned into jet streams that helped by giving a tailwind, even if turbulence was forecast..

Sometimes it only takes one thing to put you off. It's not uncommon for that to happen.

I know what you mean by restricting his life somehow. The experience may leave him with a fear of flying and this does restrict what you can do. Most people who have a fear of flying feel their holiday / work choices are restricted.

maybe you could do a flight on a route/ time of year that is better chance of smooth flight. To help everyone feel better about flying?

Wow @YellowphantGrey your thread really drew all the knobheads out, didn't it 😂

Gotta be thick skinned to post on MN these days.

I can't fly anymore due to a horrible flight, and I don't want to anymore as I haven't flown for 5 years and now I've left it so long I don't know if I ever will again. So, I recommend you do the opposite to me and get on a flight quickly. Hop to Amsterdam or Ireland, an hours flight to get it over with.

I worry about my teen DS too, and restricting him. He's seen me an absolute wreck on planes and that has had to have had an influence on him.

I've been told by someone else that I shouldn't have posted on aibu if I didn't want abuse.

I didn't even post on there, I posted under holiday forum and some bored troll hunters decided to blow it up for their own amusement.

Eurostar, Scillonian over to the Scilly Isles, Ferry to France/Spain. I’ve been eyeing up a trip on a train through Serbia (€20 pp) although admittedly you’d have to get there first (drive maybe?)

TBH, I’m sure in a couple of years you’ll be OK. We had some bad turbulence on the way to New York a couple of years ago. It was a bit scary but we’ve flown about 8 times since and it’s been fine.

Re people questioning the repeat of the emergency briefing - it's perfectly believable. I used to fly a fair bit into a couple of airports known for their short runways and high incidence of crosswinds, and it wasn't uncommon to have a repeat of the safety briefing on windy days.

OP, for specific ideas, how about Bordeaux? Eurostar, then a direct train from Paris.

But it wasn't just "some turbulence". Did you actually read the OP?

It sounded horrific.

Sounds horrible! You’ve put me off flying for a while as well. I think that would traumatise my kids!

Cruises are actually great and when you are on the ship it doesn’t actually feel like a boat at all. It’s just like being in a hotel. Obviously you have a phobia but if there was any chance you can work through it, I would really recommend.

Otherwise, one of my life dreams is to take the orient express to Venice. There are loads of places in Europe you can get to by train.

Hope your son is okay x

The problem (from someone who has travelled stage length and breadth of this country) is that all towns look so similar that you can’t tell one from another.

What a very odd thing to say.

The whole point of the UK is that there is a huge difference in a small country between the landscape.

Yes, there are 'chains' of shops the same everywhere but when we holiday in the UK we don't 'do' towns we go to rural locations, often miles from towns.

Scillonian over to the Scilly Isles

Now that's just mean....

Where did I say I didn't appreciate it? Again your someone else trying to take a moral high ground, and lecture me without actually offering usable advice. Why?

And again rtft and my posts explaining what I said.

I was worried the whole experience would restrict my son, it's not unusual to be frightened after an experience like it but he will be just fine, he's flown without me will fly without me next year for another event so I'm sure he will be fine.

You’re probably still traumatised so don’t make any big decisions just yet.

There’s always the car/ferry option to France if you don’t want to fly again, Eurocamp do some great holiday parks.

Or consider flying to somewhere like Greece or Turkey where you’re mainly flying over land. The flight to the Canaries crosses the Atlantic where you get big storms and weather fronts coming in so turbulence is far more likely.

@Righttoo

maybe you could do a flight on a route/ time of year that is better chance of smooth flight. To help everyone feel better about flying?

It’s not that predicable..never has been…

For example fly in around the UK in winter/autumn you may be subject to the effects of a deep depression (turbulence at low level),in summer the effects of thunderstorms (turbulence at all levels) and the position of jetstreams and the associated turbulence at altitude changes from day to day throughout the year.The permutations are almost endless.

I think it might be entirely counter productive to book and board what is supposed to be a smooth flight and then find it’s bumpy.