[Cat]

tootsci wrote:

@Cat yes, indeed. How much do our paths overlap? I arrive 31/3 for approx 2.5 weeks, taking in CDMX, Merida, ?pit stop in Valladolid, and Tulum. Basically trying to see as many Mayan ruins as possible. Could I send you my contact details via Rob and if we are in same place at the same time perhaps meet up for a margarita, or if not then might be useful to have anyway for any on the ground updates if we pass ahead/behind each other?

@tootsci I’m afraid I caved and changed my flights, so I’m heading to Colombia instead now. I might head to Leticia this time and explore the Amazon again, from the other side of the border! I hope your holiday goes according to plan!

[Cat]

tootsci wrote:

As for my Mexico post, do you have any suggestions for local advisory sources?

I’m in a similar position @tootsci. I’m 4 1/2 weeks from my flights to Mexico…

I suppose we just have to keep an eye on developments, and have a backup plan in case things get worse.

[Cat]

NorthernLass wrote:

@Metty, I’ve not bought a big item like that abroad, though one year I returned from France with one suitcase mostly full of Carrefour goodies such as a crèpe pan and some industrial size packs of coffee pods.

Current family record holder for item of weight and weirdness is OH with his huge shark teeth fossil from Portugal last year 😂

I once carried an inlaid marble bedside table back from India (Agra, obviously), but in my Osprey backpack, along with a large wooden ship ornament (and a whole host of tummy problems). All made it back to London in one piece, and I’m still not sure how…

[Cat]

Michael C wrote:

Half term ’27 flights out today, Cat!

Ha! I don’t usually travel in this half term, as the distances required to get somewhere warmer usually necessitate LH, and it hardly seems worth it for just a week! I did this time, as I got jealous of the rest of the UK constantly seeing Northern Lights for the last year, so I spent the last week in Iceland. I’ll be all over the Easter flights for next year, when they come out though!

Maybe I should be more open to the S of Europe in Feb half term… Menton sounds lovely @Michael_C (and yes, it can always be worse – I took hardly any photos with my proper camera in Iceland, as I was just not willing to take my gloves off for long enough!), and I’ve no doubt Bordeaux will be glorious, @Polly! I’m already counting down the days, as I know you will be. X

[Cat]

polly wrote:

@Cat
Can’t believe I missed your thread.

Nor can I believe I missed your reply!

I hope you’re having an absolute blast in Bali, now that you’re travelling again (thank goodness!). What’s been your highlight so far? Penang, Bordeaux and KL don’t sound too shabby either! Enjoy, you both deserve it! X

[Cat]

Hotel: Radisson Blu Heathrow
Upgraded: Yes, from the cheapest room category to the International Suite, which was a bit of a result!
Welcome gift: Not unless you count the water
Late check out: Had an early flight, so didn’t bother
Breakfast: Yes, but had to take the breakfast to go, due to early flight

[Cat]

I’m not really a big city fan either (but I *loved Medellin, so if you decide to go for a city, I’d go with that one, and everyone I know who went to Guatape loved it), and always tend to head to the mountains and the NPs. My favourite spots in Colombia were Tayrona NP (the Ecohabs inside the park are fabulous) and Minca / El Dorado, all just outside Santa Marta (which is an easy flight from Bogota), and also La Minga ecolodge outside Cali (pay a visit to Dona Dora, while you’re there). Also Nuqui was incredible, if you’re interested in seeing humpback whales – I saw 14 of them, in two day trips!

I hope that helps!

[Cat]

Go197 wrote:

Can’t believe I forgot to mention that my trip starts with the bit I’m most excited about: the United Airlines Micronesia Island Hopper!

Ooh @Go197, I’ve had my eye on that route for almost a decade now (but it’s not the easiest to do, when UK-based!). One day, please do report back on that one!

Goonerdad wrote:

How much leave do you all get? 🙂 🙂

@Goonerdad – I’m one of the few non-retirees with extensive travel plans – I’m a secondary school teacher with 13 weeks holiday a year. I make *extensive* use of that time!

warrior01 wrote:

3 – I really want to visit Mongolia and Japan, but I probably don’t have time/cash for both this year. I need to get some more Accor hotels in, so maybe Japan is the better option this time.

@warrior01 I posted a link to a few photos of Mongolia on this thread https://hfp2026mar.kinsta.cloud/forums/topic/retirement-2/ on page 1. It is *not* the place to go for chain hotels. If you go there, I highly recommend that you spend your time exploring the mountains and desserts, not Ulaanbaatar! Japan for the Accor status renewal, for sure!

I’m still loving these replies! I’ve been idly wondering about Uzbekistan for a while now, too…

[Cat]

Aston100 wrote:

I’d like to hear more about this.

TBH, I’d like to hear more about all of these trips. My word, we’re an adventurous lot! I’m especially jealous of the primates in Rwanda @AFKAE, Uzbekistan @Saltrams, Taiwan @tomjmu, Oman and Jordan @davefl and the Antarctic cruise @Annie!

@Olly – we’ll be visiting Skomer on the 5th, and have a lovely apartment booked for one night near the boat dock. I can’t wait!

[Cat]

I was just doing an emergency food run in Sainsbury’s, scanning my Nectar card, when it occurred to me I hadn’t mentioned hotels, airlines, points or miles in any way (unless you count the Viator comment!). Oops!

I’m flying to and from Iceland in Club Europe, thanks to my BA upgrade voucher, and I’ll be staying in the cheapest B&B I could find that was central and (close to) 9+ on Hotels.com (I’ll take 8.8 for less than £80 a night).

My flights to and from Mexico are in Economy (I can do this, I can!), taking advantage of their AMEX £300 cashback offer, again, mostly staying in independent hotels chosen for high ratings and low cost, although The Lodge at Chichén Itzá is a bit of a splurge!

We’ll be wild camping for most of the West Highland Way, but I’ve booked one of the Accor hotels in Glasgow for our first night (with 1000 extra Accor points on the gift card, courtesy of the Black Friday offer), and we have 2 nights and a rest day in a lovely lochside B&B about halfway to Fort William.

I’ll be flying to Madrid then on to Tokyo in Iberia Business (making use of my 241 voucher), my flights to and from Ishigaki are JAL domestic business, the flight on to Chiang Rai and then Phnom Penh to Singapore are both Economy (I can do this…), and then I’m flying back from Singapore in British Airways Business (having been refunded 50% of the Avios, for the return leg of the 241).

Nearly every hotel booking has been via Hotels.com or Booking.com, so I should be hitting both Platinum in Hotels.com and Genius Level 3 with Booking.com next year. I think the hotel I’m looking forward to the most is probably the Sarai and Wander in Siem Reap, although The Lodge at Chichén Itzá, the Riverside Boutique Resort in Vang Vieng and The Paradox in Clarke Quay all look wonderful too!

Bring on the 2026 travels!

[Cat]

Highlights
Seeing (and photographing) quetzals and emerald toucanets in Costa Rica in August.
Going down the slide into the sea at Bambuda Lodge in Bocas del Toro. Repeatedly.
Revisiting Yatama ecolodge 7 years later (I wrote the My Favourite Hotel review, back in 2020) and seeing *so many* gorgeous birds and colourful frogs.
Being driven on the Cinta Costera by a mad taxi driver at what should have been an alarming speed, but being just tipsy enough to feel like I was flying round the Casco Viejo, and enjoy it.
Being woken up by howler monkeys right outside my room at the crack of dawn in various locations!
Dark and Stormy cocktails in my hammock, when I could find ginger beer.
Seeing scarlet macaws perched in a tree, right by my hammock, and then seeing a humpback whale in the sea while still lying in my hammock, half an hour later at Bosque del Cabo.
Eating all the food in Japan.
Having a lovely time relaxing in rooftop onsens in Tokyo.
Snorkelling with turtles and spotted eagle rays in the Seychelles.
Having my favourite gorgeous beach to myself on La Digue.
Camping in Eguisheim for the first time since the pandemic, and as it was October half term we had the tent area of the campsite to ourselves!

Lowlights
Being witness to a near drowning, just South of where Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned on Playa Cocles a fortnight before (thankfully everyone in the family survived, thanks to a couple of surfers and paramedics – never underestimate the power of the sea, and make sure you and your family know how to escape a rip).
Being stuck with a rather unpleasant guide while staying at Sirena ranger station in the Corcovado NP (most of the guides in CR are lovely people, this one just didn’t appear to like tourists very much!).
Being convinced to join the crowd from my Bocas del Toro accommodation at Filthy Friday, and then discovering that the group of people who were roughly my own age that I had met the previous evening had changed their minds, and it was just me and a group of people roughly half my age on a day drinking mission (I stayed for a few, had a dance, then bowed out earlier than planned, with some of my dignity intact).
The chicken knee skewer at the yakitori just down the road from my hotel – I feel I’m a fairly adventurous carnivore, considering I was vegetarian for 14 years, but chewing on cartilage, just no, no, no!

Loving this thread!

[Cat]

polly wrote:

Also recommend in and out of those 3 cities KUL SIN or HKG. Like @Cat we have done several combinations of those cities as open jaw. Singapore is definitely worth spending a few days in and around. We make sure w ego for minimum 5days every winter. Usually on J 241 vouchers. Good luck planning.

Ooh, yes, KUL is an incredible city too.

[Cat]

I often do an open jaw and fly in and out of different cities – for example fly in to Singapore and out of Hong Kong, then have a few days exploring the cities before and after being on the beach. It’s totally worth it, if you can find flights (but I’d try to get the direct LHR to SIN flight, if possible, and use a 241 voucher) – Singapore is amazing.

[Cat]

DonLee wrote:

There is Modify option under your reservation. I have done this several times without cancellation or refund. But YMMV

Can anyone confirm whether the modify option still exists? I’ve made a reservation, intending to modify and move until my trip in July, but I can’t see a “modify” button.

Any ideas?

[Cat]

Yes, I was annoyed by this, when I flew out to Svalbard! It’s most odd.

[Cat]

dca100 wrote:

Platinum Card: £50 credit on a £350 spend at Berry Bros. & Rudd. Not as generous as previous years (thinks it was £300 last year) but not bad.

If anyone hasn’t ordered before (and you should – the quality of the wine they stock is the reason for the Royal Warrant they hold), and wants an extra £25 off their first order (which will stack nicely with the AMEX offer), you can use my referral link:

https://bbr.mention-me.com/m/ol/ho5yo-ms-catherine-downie

If you want recommendations, I highly recommend browsing the mid to high priced red Bordeaux selection for the festive period and their own label extra ordinary claret for more “house wine” occasions. If you love good, buttery chardonnay, they always stock a decent array of Au Bon Climat, which will knock your sparkly Xmas socks off.

[Cat]

@tootsci ooh, somehow I was unaware of Tren Maya! I will absolutely be using this to get around! Thanks for that idea!

[Cat]

@tootsci it will almost certainly involve eating for free at a Cancun restaurant (Plat), Chichén-Itzá (amazingly I’ve still not been), beaches of some sort (need to work out how best to avoid sargassum), wildlife and snorkelling at one of the Cayes (not sure which one). Where are you thinking?

[Cat]

Aston100 wrote:

So are you saying more people are now holidaying in the US since the orange imbecile came back into power?

*Tangerine Palpatine* – try to get his name right @Aston100.

[Cat]

October half term camping in the Alsace with my OH – it’s a gorgeous spot to see Autumn colours and enjoy amazing food and wine.

Easter holidays seeing the highlights of the Yucatán Peninsula and Belize solo, I haven’t worked out a route yet, though.

May half term hiking the West Highland Way while wild camping, again with my OH.

Summer holidays will be Japan (Tokyo and Ishigaki), Laos (the Gibbon Experience, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, 4000 Islands), Cambodia (Siem Reap and either Koh Rong or Koh Rong Samloem) and Singapore.

Teacher holidays rock.

This was a great idea for a thread, @Hbommie!

[Cat]

@NorthernLass – Sipadan, off Borneo, Bunaken in Indonesia, various spots in the Philippines or the Kerama NP and Iriomote-Ishigaki NP in Okinawa, Japan (where I’m going!). All fab diving and easily combined with Japan (I believe Sipadan is still on the FCO ‘advise against’ list, but I’m told that’s ridiculously out of date, and it’s much safer now (not much use if you need to make an insurance claim though).

[Cat]

You absolutely should go @The_Savage_Squirrel, just make sure you research what day trips are available for the time of year you’re going (my friend Em and I would have loved to go kayaking, but kayaking trips didn’t start until 1st June, and we were there at the end of May!).

I’d quite like to go back one day, hopefully to see the polar bears this time.

[Cat]

@NorthernLass yes, I can’t wait! The plan is a couple of days in Tokyo (spending most of that time in AC!), then off to Ishigaki island for a week of beach time, snorkelling, kayaking and birding. After that I’m heading to Laos and Cambodia (I’ve not been back for a few years), then I have 6 nights in Singapore to finish off, to eat *ALL* the food!

[Cat]

Forgot to mention – I think the difference in Avios was probably down to Peak and Off-Peak days.

[Cat]

Hi all, I just wanted to report back, in case it’s useful to anyone – I booked the Madrid to Tokyo with my 241 voucher for the start of the school summer holidays, then a month later set an alarm to get all logged in at 12:55 at T – 355 days before the return flight that I wanted from Singapore to London. The number of Avios required for the return leg was 120,000, which was not double the 51,750 I had paid for the outbound leg (with the voucher applied), which made me slightly nervous. I booked it anyway and kept my fingers crossed. The next morning I phoned at 9am, had a 10 minute chat with a very helpful chap, who knew exactly what I wanted and refunded my 60,000 Avios straight away. They arrived back in my account within 5 minutes of hanging up.

I hope this helps someone – I know this is a popular route!