[Princess]

Hello, there is something I don’t understand: I did opened the premier account yesterday the 26th and did the switch that confirmed a switch date as the 4th of December.
Now I don’t understand how I join the paid the avios reward? in the app I can’t see my free Barclaycard, but if I go under rewards I can see my BA membership is linked and I see my previous upgrade voucher from 2022.
I don’t see anywhere an option to pay the £12 a month.
Do I need to wait the card to reappear as suggested in some comments above?

[Princess]

phantomchickenz wrote:

I am certain that Air NZ redemptions via partner airlines are a figment of someone in Marketing’s imagination. I’ve never been able to book one, and never heard of anyone that has. Good luck!

ahahah! Good to know!

[Princess]

I called Virgin to book Air New Zealand reward flight 330 in advance. The agent was able to see availability and took all my details. Still, when we proceeded to complete the booking, it seemed that the availability disappeared as if Air New Zealand was refusing the booking.
I called twice just to make sure it wasn’t something the agent was doing wrong. We also checked on different dates, but the same result.

has anyone experienced this?

[Princess]

the website is 12306.cn

[Princess]

Aston100 wrote:

Thanks guys.
Can anyone tell me why high speed trains are (relatively) expensive?
A four hour journey between Xi’An and Beijing is around £60 / £95 / £190 depending on class. That’s one way only. On Trip.com
Is there a different price for locals?
I feel even the Japanese Shinkansens are cheaper, in a country that’s more expensive than China.

When booking train tickets, local prices remain the same. However, if you book directly through the China Railway website, you can save the booking fee that Trip.com adds to each ticket for every booking. Last year, I booked directly on the China Railway website and saved some money, especially since there were four of us traveling and taking five trains. They also have an app where you can view your tickets, so there’s no need to print anything. Sometimes Chrome doesn’t translate perfectly, but I generally have no issues using their site. Just be aware of the time difference, as there are specific hours each day when you cannot make a booking.

Regarding the Forbidden City, I recommend booking as soon as ticket sales open, especially if you’re visiting during peak season. If it hasn’t changed, they typically start selling tickets one week in advance.

[Princess]

We visited Rovaniemi two years ago with the kids and another family. While it’s definitely not a budget destination, we had a wonderful time—and for the kids, it truly felt magical. We flew directly with Ryanair, which was cheap, but only because we booked nearly a year in advance (just like we usually do when booking flights with Avios).

In terms of activity for what I remember I read Ivalo seems to offer the same outdoor activity you will find in Rovaniemi a part Santa Village (that is actually quite lovely). Rovaniemi also has a really well done museum were we spent 3 hours.

We stayed in a small apartment just outside the town. It was fairly basic, but it did have one great feature: a private sauna. That turned out to be a real luxury, especially in December when temperatures can drop extremely low—one evening it reached -25°C. After spending time outdoors, often freezing during activities, having a warm sauna to return to was a real comfort.
I hope this helps

[Princess]

1st: Japan
We’ve only been twice, but I could easily go back ten more times. In many ways, it reminds me of Italy—my home country—where every corner has something unique to offer. You could spend three months there and still feel like you’ve only scratched the surface. I love the breathtaking scenery and the rich, respectful culture. On our second trip, we drove through Kyushu (where Nagasaki is), and it was absolutely enchanting.

2nd: Vietnam
The people are incredibly warm, the food is unforgettable, and the landscapes are stunning. It’s a place that stays with you long after you leave.

3rd: Peru, Egypt, or Mexico
I can’t choose just one! All three are steeped in ancient history and ruins that make you feel like you’ve stepped into an old adventure film. There’s something magical about being surrounded by stories that are thousands of years old.

[Princess]

I don’t have a recommendation but I can tell you that I believe the generally poor quality of airport hotels in Italy is partly due to a cultural lack of interest in using them. I’m Italian (from Rome), and everyone I know would rather take a taxi or train to or from the city—even for very early or late flights. A taxi to the city center has a fixed fare of €55, and during the night or early morning, the journey typically takes no more than 45 minutes door to door.

[Princess]

JDB wrote:

@Princess – it’s the ‘Travel Disruption’ section of HSBC Premier you need to look which is similar but different to the ‘Missed Departure’ section. That offers £7,500 cover.

Barclays is £10,000 for travel disruption. In fact all the packaged travel insurance policies offered by the big banks (and their cards), Virgin and Nationwide offer far superior cover for travel disruption. The £300 ‘travel inconvenience’ offered by Amex Platinum is pretty useless and not vaguely in line with the market. It’s quite a gamble for anyone to rely exclusively on the Amex Platinum travel insurance which is a very premium priced product offering cheapo cover.

Hi @JDB thanks for clarifying. I will now dig deeper for the future. However I’m still happy we recovered all the money from lost elements of the trip and all avios.

Do you have any recommendations for a travel insurance that cover trips longer than 90 days?

[Princess]

I was excited and went to check HSBC to consider for the future, and I found this:

Missed Departure – up to £1,000 if you miss
your flight to and from the UK
Travel delay – £50 if your transport is delayed
for 12 hours (or up to £7,500 if you decide to abandon your trip after 24 hours)

I believe in our case it would have fallen under “missed departure.” I would have been covered for the return flight to Argentina, as that would match the cost of purchasing a new one. However, that amount wouldn’t have been enough to also cover the first internal flight, the hotel, and the car rental (lost because happening at the really beginning of the trip).
So even with HSBC, we would have had to cancel the entire trip to recover all the expenses.

[Princess]

JDB wrote:

While I’m sorry to hear about your Argentina trip and I’m pleased that you are happy with the outcome, personally I would be very disappointed and I think it highlights the weakness of the Amex Plat insurance. Once one has spent time planning and looking forward to a trip I wouldn’t wish to abandon it, but would wish to get it back on track at the earliest opportunity. The fact that Amex Plat only offers you up to £300 each to do that is appalling. Other packaged policies like HSBC Premier or Nationwide offer over £5,000 per person.

The whole idea of Amex putting a gun to your head saying abandon or you’ll get peanuts defies belief!

wow! That is really generous! I will keep it in mind for when I will need to buy a travel insurance if we drop Platinum.
The previous travel insurance we had wasn’t better. I thought was standard! Thanks for highlighting, I love this community because I can always learn new things!

[Princess]

It was an absolutely fantastic and fun read! Thank you

[Princess]

Bill wrote:

I guess this was AXA ? I believe the Platinum insurance has now changed provider to Europ Assistance

yes it was AXA

[Princess]

NorthernLass wrote:

We actually know who the ancestors are from family knowledge plus birth/marriage/death registers from the U.K. and Barbados so it’s close enough for us and I certainly wouldn’t consider it a scam!

But going back to the OP and homeschooling, @Princess, you may already have come across a lot of online resources but you can get plenty of workbooks and other texts on iPad/Kindle, which obviously saves a lot of space and effort when you’re moving around. I got GCSE textbooks and practise papers but you can also get SATs material and other electronic resources applicable to Year 6/7 via Amazon.

Thank you, @NorthernLass. I will definitely try to find everything I can to use as online resources. I hope Cat sees the post at some point in case she has any good links to share!

[Princess]

Rui N. wrote:

Princess wrote:

Richie wrote:

Princess wrote:

Richie wrote:

What’s the plan for the children’s schooling?

If I understood correctly I will need to take them out of school for one term and homeschool them while travelling. Then sign them up again when we are back.

I forgot to mention that I will have some paid time off work that is why I’m planning this trip. I’m not leaving my work to travel the world indefinitely unfortunately.

Home schooling when the children want to be out enjoying themselves sounds a bit of a challenge, particularly with jet lag isses.

Are there guarantees that their schools will have a place for them in January 27?

Hi @Richie,

No, the school can’t guarantee them a place, but in the years they’ve been there, I’ve seen a few kids join halfway through the year. There is a big expat community with people moving often enough.

I guess we’ll just have to take the risk.

People move around all the time, not just immigrants.

Sure, I know — I was mainly thinking about the reality I see in my kids’ class, I didn’t mean to offend anybody. Out of 26 or 27 children, only five or six have at least one British parent (and two of them are my boys 🙂 ). The rest are kids with parents from all around the world, which makes it really special in many ways — they often come home telling us about different traditions or interesting facts. But it can also be a bit sad, as every year two or three children move away, often to another country due to work commitments.

[Princess]

meta wrote:

@Princess

South America
Galapagos – there is a report by Cat here. That’s on my list.

Chile, as you mentioned, Atacama is beautiful. Bolivia even more so. Uyuni is a must on any bucket list. And El Alto (La Paz) for highest city in the world. Bolivia is also cheap.

For total solar eclipse – I’d prefer Iceland over Spain.
You could start your trip that way then transfer via NA America to South America as Iceland is connected with Icelandair and PLAY (low-cost)

@meta Thank you! I’ll dig out Cat’s report.

I had actually thought about starting in Iceland to see the eclipse, then heading on to America or South America. I’d prefer to travel west overall, as the jet lag tends to be easier to manage — but initially I was hesitant about South America since it’ll still be winter, and off cours also because of my preference for Asia. I’d love to include Bolivia, though! My husband has some concerns about safety, so I’m hoping a few stunning photos and maybe a nice hotel or two might help win him over.

At this stage, I think I’ll need to plan at least two rough itineraries — one heading east and one west — and then weigh up the pros and cons of each before deciding.

[Princess]

The real Swiss Tony wrote:

The state will have to provide a school place on their return. Whether that’s the school they are currently at or not will depend on capacity, but given the OP didn’t ask for our views on her parenting choices, I suspect that detail is none of our business and we shouldn’t look to make it part of the discussion.

Thank you — I really appreciate all suggestions or reflections from others and I do understand that people have different points of view, especially on parenting.
We’re lucky to have two or three really good schools nearby, so I’m hopeful the transition back won’t be too difficult in case of a school change. Of course, when the time comes, I’ll speak to the boys and explain that there’s a chance they might not return to their original school — just so they’re prepared either way.

[Princess]

Richie wrote:

Princess wrote:

Richie wrote:

What’s the plan for the children’s schooling?

If I understood correctly I will need to take them out of school for one term and homeschool them while travelling. Then sign them up again when we are back.

I forgot to mention that I will have some paid time off work that is why I’m planning this trip. I’m not leaving my work to travel the world indefinitely unfortunately.

Home schooling when the children want to be out enjoying themselves sounds a bit of a challenge, particularly with jet lag isses.

Are there guarantees that their schools will have a place for them in January 27?

Hi @Richie,

No, the school can’t guarantee them a place, but in the years they’ve been there, I’ve seen a few kids join halfway through the year. There is a big expat community with people moving often enough.

I guess we’ll just have to take the risk.

[Princess]

NorthernLass wrote:

@meta, as above interesting you mention São Tomé and Príncipe. OH and I got our DNA done recently and some of his comes back to there so it’s piqued my interest!

I can’t really add anything to the RTW suggestions as we’ve never done anything that adventurous. At one time I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with taking children out of school but during the pandemic some of my son’s teachers just seemed to give up altogether and I ended up coaching him through some of his GCSE subjects! Travel definitely broadens young minds as well.

I’d love to hear about your travels, @Princess, once you get underway 👍

Thank you so much @NorthernLass. The boys will be 10, so I hope I’ll manage the homeschooling while on the go!
For sure I will let you know how it will go! It is still one year away and I will probably have more question before it!

[Princess]

Hi @masaccio, thanks for your reply.

When we went to the Maldives, we visited both Rangali Island and Maafushi. I really liked the local island experience, and I’d definitely be interested in exploring more of them if we end up adding the Maldives to the trip.

That said, I feel like a resort in the Maldives—or another island destination—is my favorite way to spend hotel points. While I do enjoy staying in a fancy hotel in cities, I tend to appreciate them even more in remote locations, where we spend a lot of time actually enjoying the resort grounds themselves.

In cities, we usually end up just sleeping in the room, and I feel like I don’t really make the most of the luxury.

That being said, I’d be happy to use points somewhere I haven’t been before—so if anyone has recommendations for other great alternatives (even if it requires a bit of a detour), I’m open to suggestions.

masaccio wrote:

You mentioned the Maldives and Conrad Rangali avoiding the seaplane. You should note that a speedboat to Rangali takes 4-5 hours and costs $3,000! It also crosses the open ocean so could get very choppy if the weather is not with you.

Given the length of the trip and you wanting to control budget, as suggested by other comments, there are much cheaper resorts. Have you considered one of the local islands? The only real drawback for most people is that they are dry. Search for local islands with bikini beaches which I’ll give you some ideas of places most catered to westerners regardless of whether you want to wear a bikini. You can still get great food, snorkelling, etc. Some of them are accessible by ferry from Male.

And +1 for South America. We’ve only started dipping our toes into it recently and just love what we’ve done so far.

[Princess]

meta wrote:

My first question is – are you doing a true round the world trip and hence not returning to the UK or are you backtracking?

Any RTW ticket by any alliance does not allow full ‘backtracking’ though they permit it to an extent, say arrive Bangkok depart Hong Kong if there are no direct routes to the next destination from Bangkok. It severely limits your choices, but reduces the overall cost.

I have been going to São Tomé and Principe every other year since 2017 (minus pandemic). It can only be reached via Lisbon with TAP at very high prices, especially in summer or via Accra with BA and overnights in Ghana to catch the TAP flights. The 1h30 flight in economy can cost £400 for basic ticket and no luggage. Going to STP and visiting Principe Island will cost an extra cca 160-200 euros pp depending on the time of booking. It’s not a low-cost destination although if you manage to get there food is cheap. If you want decent accommodation on Principe you’ll need to fork out £400 per room per night. Some have managed to find local cheaper options, but you’ll forgo comfort and sometimes electricity can be patchy. Similar situation on Saõ Tomé island. You will need a car to get anywhere or pay local guides to take you to places which can cost quite a bit. It’s a wonderful unspoilt place, but it is not set up for cheap tourism as IG posts would led you to believe. And also very few people speak English, some know French.

Is there any reason why you are not considering South America? I think it would be a missed opportunity and region is also well connected with low cost carriers.

There are various threads here on STP, South America, Taiwan. You’ll need to do some digging.

I’d also keep Asia for last month or so due to weather which is not great in many parts August-November (with exception of Bali).

Hi @meta,

Thanks for your reply and all the advice about São Tomé and Príncipe. I did a bit of research some time ago and understood it was expensive — but probably not this expensive. Maybe we’ll leave it for another time.

The idea is to do a proper RTW trip without returning to the UK. A small amount of backtracking could be considered if flights are more convenient, or depending on the type of ticket we end up buying.

As for South America — there’s no particular reason to exclude it. I’ve been to Peru and absolutely loved it. I was also in Brazil many years ago. I guess I just naturally lean more towards Asia, but I’m still open to shaping the itinerary.

My first options would include Chile and Argentina — are there any other unmissable or less obvious places you’d recommend?

[Princess]

Richie wrote:

What’s the plan for the children’s schooling?

If I understood correctly I will need to take them out of school for one term and homeschool them while travelling. Then sign them up again when we are back.

I forgot to mention that I will have some paid time off work that is why I’m planning this trip. I’m not leaving my work to travel the world indefinitely unfortunately.

[Princess]

Thanks @davefl and @Alex G I’ll seat down and make some test itinerary!

[Princess]

I’ve been looking through this thread but haven’t found a clear answer. I had to abandon a trip because the first flight was cancelled, which impacted the second and third flights as they were not connecting flights.

All flights were booked with an Amex card. I have the Platinum insurance and have been reading the policy details, but I’m still confused.

I understand that when abandoning a trip due to a delay of more than 12 hours (in our case, it was more than 24 hours), the insurance will cover “up to £7,500 for your unused travel, accommodation, excursions, and leisure activities that have been purchased on the Card Account, which are non-refundable, or any fee you are charged to change them if you cancel, postpone, change, or abandon your trip.”

I also understand that I can claim the Avios part of my second flight at the cost BA sells them.

My question is: the second flight was paid with Avios (60,000), money (for the tax part), and a companion voucher. Can I double the Avios request in my claim in light of losing the companion voucher part?

I hope this makes sense…

[Princess]

Thanks JDB.
I’ve spend 4 hours at the airport trying to sort thing out. Begging them!!! But no luck, and I will probably miss also a third internal flight…..
The flight were both with amex