Is anybody delaying booking summer hols?

[Flambe59]

I was about to book a holiday to Canada this summer and now I’m not sure I want to. Does anyone else feel very unsure about travelling? So much uncertainty and a feeling of anything could happen with the war in the Middle East.

Funnily enough I just had this conversation with DH. We hadn’t decided on where we are going yet and I’m holding out now to book. I can’t put my finger on why I’m not keen to book as I’m not planning on going to the Middle East and I’m not normally an irrational or anxious person

Is people's primary concern the risk of harm or the risk of disruption?

We are going to Italy in July and Amsterdam for a long weekend in May. Feel fine about both.

We are going to Marrakech with BIL and SIS early next week which I have mixed feelings about. DH doesn’t seem concerned, haven’t discussed with in laws yet.

No but we rarely go beyond Europe
obviously giving the Middle East a swerve

I booked to go to Turkey in July a few months. I'll still go unless FCDO says not to.

I'm going to the south-west, not the Syrian or Iranian border.

We booked Menorca, for September, last September. I’m glad we did because if people get twitchy about Cyprus and Turkey I can see the prices increasing for other destinations.

If we’d been planning on going further I might be worried but I’m not atm

Happily I already booked a trip to Denmark! 🇩🇰

We live in Canada and feel safe. Our only threat is Trump’s threats about making us the 51st state. We now avoid going over the border for shopping and lunch. Much nicer places to see our side of the border.

Nope, all been booked for months.

USA and Spain. I’ll be going unless we physically can’t

Wise move, until the US decides to invade Greenland…

Maybe it’s because the world feels like a very unpredictable and unsafe place right now. Nothing irrational about that! Hopefully things will settle down but there’s just no knowing.

For me it’s not necessarily black or white, it’s a sense of deep unease.

I understand that feeling of unease that you can't logic away. I don't have it now. Perhaps it's apathy. The news has been full of crisis after crisis.

But I do understand the feeling.

Yes me too, but I think it's general uncertainty rather than a fear that I'd come to actually harm. The effect on the economy and inflation is a big part of it for me. Is it sensible to be spending o holiday anyway atm?

But, mostly the uncertainty of travel. On of the best bits about booking a holiday is looking forward to it, that loses something if youre not sure you'll be going, and no holiday can be worth days on end in airports or hotels wonder if and when you'll be able to get a flight out.

Why avoid Sri Lanka? Would you need to transit through a gulf state?

I booked yesterday to go to Jamaica for Easter, we are obviously travelling in the opposite direction to ME conflict, but I am questioning myself a bit. We had been looking at the flights for a while, and they had been slowly dropping (TUI flight only) and it was on my mind that prices would go up with people rebooking who were supposed to be going East, and so took the plunge. We have an Africa trip booked for summer, but land only no flights at the minute, flights wouldn't be through the ME anyway. I really hope life settles back down before then.

We are going to Side in Turkey in August, I've already been asked if we are going to cancel it.
I do think some dont realise how big Turkey is.

A US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka yesterday, killing dozens of sailors.

Me too - the situation is fast-moving and the war has already spread beyond the Middle East to Sri Lanka. I just feel uneasy about booking anywhere that involves flying as we don’t know what will happen next.

We have cancelled our holiday to turkey,lost the deposit though,I had a bad feeling when we booked it in November.

I usually book a summer holiday at Christmas but had a similar bad feeling. I can’t explain it, just a feeling. The chances are I am not psychic. I feel sorry for everyone trapped on cruise ships.

You think the only reason someone wouldn't holiday in a Country that shares a border with somewhere in an active war is because they don't realise how big the Country is?

I think that's extremely naiive. Turkey is still Turkey. If the US aims at Iran and misses and Turkey retaliates then it won't matter how far from Iran you are, the whole Country could be thrown into chaos.

Obviously it's one of many unlikely scenarios but many people are just more risk averse...it doesn't mean they just lack geography knowledge.

It really doesn't matter how big the country is if they decide to bomb it, which they may well do. If nothing else, the airspace will close and you'd be stuck regardless of where in the country you are. I'm not saying I would cancel a summer holiday at this stage, but I would definitely not be certain I'd be going. The war has only just begun a few days ago, who knows what things will look like in a month.

Also, if you are going make sure you have enough money to book new flights for many 1000s. A friend of mine has been stuck in Thailand and so far she has spent over £7K on flights that haven't been able to take off + a further £3.5K on a flight hopefully leaving tomorrow that will take her to a European country, but not all the way to her country. She will probably get some of these flight costs reimbursed but she doesn't know yet and it might take some time.

Were you planning to go on a cruise round Sri Lanka on an Iranian warship? If not, you'll be okay.

Lots of unnecessary fearmongering here. I think some people thrive on causing worry for others.

Agreed...I get that some folks are apprehensive but some of the fearmongering is so extreme I do wonder if it's motivated by the Campaign Against Aviation 🤔