So far, we've avoided meeting any disasters during our travels, although we've had some near misses. It's been heartbreaking to watch the images of Christchurch this afternoon, and to think back on our drive by the cathedral and the city centre. We didn't spend much time there, but one rainy afternoon we did stop for supplies at a local warehouse-style supercenter. In the checkout aisle, where the People magazines would normally be in a U.S. Wal-Mart, sat a glossy book commemorating last year's earthquake. This one, although smaller in magnitude, struck closer to the heart of the city.
A different kind of upheaval, the political turmoil in the Middle East, raises questions for our upcoming plans. Our tickets currently take us from Thailand to India, India to London, and then London to Cairo. From there, we intended to make our way into Africa on local carriers, as the One World Alliance does not have a lot of intra-African flights. Given the situation there, and the fact that the State Department is recommending against travel to the region, we're wondering whether to proceed. I'm not even sure the extent to which OneWorld will allow us to change our flights: British Airways policies only cover flights before the end of March, and LAN's website has no information that I can find.
Any advice is welcome in the comments.
Fly into South Africa and work your way North instead of South?
Super-Saharan Africa (can you say that? I hear SubSaharan all the time) might need to wait for another trip (or several). Easier to do in short trips anyway.
Lots of flights to Cape Town and Jo'burg out there and hopefully somethin you can do through One World Alliance.
I think South Africa is a good idea, but I'm not sure about the political stability of the African countries further north (old person's view); maybe you are braver than me. I would go to Turkey or Israel via British Air. I keep hearing fantastic things about Turkey, so much so that I would love to go there. And Petra in Jordan is supposed to be a sight to see (BA goes there too). I'm so sorry that the unrest has messed up your travel plans; Tamika M. was lucky to visit Egypt when she did in December, and she has her photos posted online. Good luck! Gayle
We may try this: I have to see what the OneWorld Alliance will allow. They have this odd concept that "Europe" includes North Africa, so flying from London to South Africa might add a "new" continent (and raise the cost of our trip). But in theory, it's a great idea.
Turkey and Jordan are interesting ideas. Originally we'd thought about skipping the Middle East altogether on this trip (and maybe doing a Holy Land tour sometime later in life). But those countries count as "Europe" for purposes of the ticket rules, so it may be easier to change to those than South Africa. Thanks!
What about saving the middle east for another trip and go back through Canada properly?