Words of the week - Flying

Hello from Australia.

Having spent 11 years living in South Africa and Dubai we're more than used to flying. Ether 12 hours direct from SA or 8 hrs to Dubai and 7 hours onto the UK. 

Child 3 moved out to Australia in 2017 and this is my 4th trip to visit him (3rd for Peter)

2019 My first trip was from Dubai and I broke the journey up with a stop over in Singapore for 2 hours. I got off the plane, stretched my legs, got a Starbucks, then boarded again with mostly the same passengers, back into the same seat onto Sydney. It was 2 x 7 hour flights. I flew back direct from Melbourne.

We used to joke that a 7 hour flight was short haul for us travelling between Dubai and the UK.

Covid stopped us visiting for 3 years, but I still made flights to and from the UK to Dubai

2022 My 2nd trip was 7 hours to Dubai. Peter came with me and we were now living in the UK. The usual stretch legs, Starbucks and then 14 hours onto Sydney. We had a couple of internal flights to travel to The Gold Coast and Sydney of 2-3 hours each. I flew home from Sydney and Peter returned 2 weeks later and spent a few nights in Dubai on his way back.

2023 Was a flight via Kuala Lumper which was 10 hours, 3 over stop over and yes, stretched legs and coffee, then 8 hours onto Sydney. We had more internal flights up to Cairns and Brisbane and flew home from Sydney via Kuala Lumpur Lumper where we stayed for 4 nights.

2025 We're back in Sydney, via 2 hours in Dubai and we've got 4 nights in Dubai on our way home. Another 7 hour and 14 hour flight. 

Emirates is our preferred airline, but often due to only being able to travel in the school holidays we've opted for other airlines as the price can differ between £1000-£2000 return for the two of us. We were silver members for many years with the airline and benefitted from using the lounge and early boarding, which we do miss being able to take advantage of.

We picked up the AirBus A380 in Dubai

There is so much more room in economy than other planes, so no need for any upgrades. We booked Premium economy with Virgin with our 11 hour flight to Vegas over Christmas and we really needed it. Emirates haven't compromised with economy. Our only issue with booking with Emirates to Dubai or Australia is making sure the code share isn't a Qantas plane, as it's a completely different flying experience.

I opted to have the gluten option on the flights. Usually I just don't eat the bread roll, crackers and cake, usually bringing my own. But I noticed this was a really heavy carb based meal flight. I actually wasn't impressed with any of my meals. They get served earlier than the rest of the cabin do, which also meant I had the tray for twice as long. I also didn't get to see what was I was going to have in advance and was served fish which I don't mind but it really doesn't reheat that well and was very rubbery.

The cakes and bread were really heavy with exceptionally long use by dates. It was also very fatty and sugary)

In theory the gluten free range looked promising

The reality not so good. I couldn't eat this.

I'll be popping some crackers, a cake and bread roll in my hand luggage for the return flight and just having a normal meal (chicken or beef).

My flight from Heathrow to Dubai with Emirates during Covid

Travel for Peter and I is a simple and easy process. We decide when we want to fly, where and when and book the flight. 

For Peter most of his travel is for work, he gets a taxi to the airport, a taxi on arrival and off to his hotel/meeting. When he arrives in the UK for a visit to family and friends, I've usually travelled ahead of him and I will collect him and return him to the airport.

When I travel I'm visiting family and friends. On arrival in the UK I collect car hire or I'll use public transport to reach our home, just hiring a car for a week or two usually when Peter is in the country. When I travel to visit other family and friends outside the UK, they will pick me up and either lend me their car or drive me around.

Travel during covid has been a completely different experience for us both.

I actually left Dubai on March 24th, I was due to fly at 10am with British Airways, but on the 20th my flight was cancelled, I rebooked for the same day but at 2pm and on arrival at T1 in Dubai I discovered this was actually the last flight out and as mentioned above, the borders closed behind me. Emirates had stopped flying on the 22nd. 

It was a full flight and apart from the social distancing in the airport, there was no noticeable difference to how the flight went. I did have to isolate for 2 weeks on arrival in the UK but there were no forms to fill in or questions asked on my arrival.

My return flight earlier this week was very different. I flew with Emirates. I had a mass of paperwork to complete before I checked in. Health declarations, a negative covid test, permission from the UAE government to return to Dubai as a resident and on arrival had to download a covid tracer app and present another health declaration. I was required to wear a mask from entering the terminal in Heathrow, until getting in Peter's car in Dubai.

My actual flight with Emirates was very different, I've spent 5 months social distancing and only going out for essential shopping. I've also been enjoying social distanced visits with family and friends in the garden and when I've had to go out more often or have had people in my house, I've felt very uncomfortable and completely out of my comfort zone. My anxiety has reached levels where I've just wanted to hide away and tell people to go home and I've walked out of environments such as coffee shops and supermarkets when I've felt unsafe.

All the way from my arrival at an empty T2, where I dropped my car through to the departure gate, I was encouraged to keep a two meter distance from everyone, with areas clearly sign posted.

An empty Terminal, restaurants, bars and most shops closed.

Social distanced seating both inside and outside the terminal

Drop off almost deserted 

The same with boarding the plane

I fly regularly, I have silver status with Emirates, I get to board first in economy. Then 2 people sat behind me, 1 person in front of me and then a man sat in the aisle seat and all of a sudden after 2 months of social distancing, I was surrounded. I felt claustrophobic, I struggled to breathe, I just wanted to get off the plane and walk into open space. I knew I'd be unable to just get up and walk around during the flight as we were requested not to even queue for toilets. We weren't allowed to move seats.

I phoned Peter, he calmed me down and told me to explain how I felt to the cabin crew, by the time I rang the bell, tears were streaming down my face and I just wanted to get off the plane.

The cabin crew were amazing, I can't thank Jaime enough, she took me to an open space and found an empty row at the front of the plane with more space in front of me, checking I was OK during the flight. There was still someone sitting behind me, but I felt less hemmed in and more relaxed and the flight for me, which then proceeded as normal.

The cabin crew were wearing plastic aprons and gloves, we were given a Travel hygiene Kit, which I used during the flight. No menus were given out and the drinks service was limited to wine and beer only with the usual soft drinks and tea/coffee served as normal.

As we were leaving the plane, the Captain requested we maintained a 2 meter distance when disembarking, which I thought was the most ridiculous thing I'd heard in 5 months after spending 7 hours in one of the most claustrophobic environments I'd ever been in.

How anyone can get on a plane to go on a holiday if beyond me, it's not essential travel. I had to return to Dubai to renew my visa and start the process of leaving Dubai by selling my car and closing bank accounts and more importantly to spend time with my husband.

The UK Foreign Office are still advising against all but essential travel. To return to the UK in 3 weeks time I have to have another negative covid test certificate and complete a health declaration and isolate for 2 weeks. However this could all change between now and then so I'm keeping a close eye on the airline and both the UK and UAE government websites.

At least I will be better prepared for my flight home knowing how the flight will operate and therefore I'm not expecting the to have the same high levels of anxiety. 

Heathrow Airport July 2020 - My Sunday Photo

I collected my husband from Heathrow Airport on July 23rd. We haven't seen each other since March 24th.

I arrived at Terminal 3, parked up and made my way towards Arrivals.

It was closed. Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport was closed. I thought it looked a bit emptier than I'd expected, but closed?

Emirates always fly in and out of T3, Hubbies flight ticket said T3, my ticket for August 18th says T3, my car parking is booked with T3. A quick google revealed I needed to be at T2. I had to pay £4.50 to get out the car park, then pay another £4.50 to go in and out of T2 car park.

I had a mini melt down getting out the lift as people just filed in and not holding back, I yelled at them to social distance. There's a clear one way system set up for the building and masks have to be worn from the car park onwards. Both these rules were broken by a few, but no one challenged them.

I did wonder if Peter would be able to recognise me whilst wearing a mask.

When I got in the car I had to remind him he could take his mask off, he's so used to wearing one all the time in Dubai when driving with someone else in the car.

We're now isolating together for 2 weeks, then a week of travelling around to see the family (social distanced) then I'm out to Dubai for 3 weeks to renew my visa, sell my car and close my bank accounts.

My flight to the UK during lockdown Covid-19

In the lead up to lockdown we had visitors in Dubai. My flight with BA was scheduled for 10am on March 24th. Our last lot of visitors were leaving on the 20th so we were keeping a close eye on the flight schedules. Theirs went on time on the Friday morning however, at the same time, mine was cancelled. I rebooked immediately onto the next available flight which was 2pm on the same day. On the Sunday night, Emirates cancelled all flights in and out of Dubai and BA were further reducing their services eventually down to just one a day. In the end I was actually on the last BA flight out of Dubai.

I needed to return to the UK, we'd just taken possession of our family home back from tenants in the December, I'd changed the locks and had some basic work carried out, the cat and dog had flown over on February the 1st and I'd returned to Dubai on March 3rd as we had 2 lots of visitors scheduled to arrive. My Mother in Law was house and pet sitting for the 3 weeks I was away and our eldest child is in a care home in the UK and we knew there was a possibility that I may need to be there to care for her, should the situation worsen.

Saying goodbye to Peter not knowing when we'd next see one another was hard. I packed one suitcase with essentials, being fortunate enough to already have winter clothing, toiletries etc in the UK and I'd done a large shop stocking up with loo roll, cleaning products and pet food back in February as I knew I wouldn't have a car when I got back to the UK. I also did 2 food online shops, 1 for me and 1 for my mum to ensure we had enough supplies, which thankfully were done just before the UK started panic buying.

On arrival at Terminal 3 in Dubai, social distancing was in place, the floor marked and staff now all wearing gloves and face masks, having made regular visits to the airport over the past 2 weeks, in both departures and arrivals, we noticed quite a stark change and the silence was deafening. The shops had only started the social distancing the week before, but pubs, bars and tourist attractions had shut down on March 16th and the malls were almost empty of shoppers.

Arrivals hall Dubai Terminal 1, never have I seen it so quiet.

After check in and saying our goodbyes I went through the departure gates where I was asked if I was a resident or a tourist. On replying I was a resident, I was asked to sign a mandatory form stating I agreed to a 2 weeks stay in a medical facility upon my return to Dubai. At this point I realised I wouldn't be coming back any time soon and after receiving an exit stamp in my passport I filed through to departures.

The terminal was almost empty and it was easy to social distance. I'd receive an email in the morning to tell me that it was unlikely any food and drink would be available on the 7 hours flight to Heathrow, so I stocked up in the duty free.

I was surprised that the flight was full and we were all sitting next to one another as usual, flight stewards weren't wearing masks or gloves, but if I'm honest that pleased me as gloves and masks don't stop the spread like people think they do and I'd already observed people weren't changing the gloves as often as they should be washing their hands.

A full food service was provided, I carried anti bacterial wipes and cleaned my screen, seat belt and tray table, despite being informed the plane had already been fully sanitised. I settled back to the flight.

On arrival in Heathrow, I expected long queues for passport control, but to my surprise the electronic gates were open and we were being directed straight through. No questions about where we'd travelled from, no instructions to self quarantine, only a woman meekly asking if people would like a leaflet.

Again it was deathly silent and I was grateful to get outside, to empty skies where my friend had kindly offered to collect me and house me for the night before I made my journey across the UK to reach Malvern and home.

Heathrow T5 7pm

Travelling across the UK on the 26th March was eerily quiet, trains were cancelled, rescheduled and rerouted several times during my journey. The staff at all the stations couldn't have been more helpful, everywhere was closed, no one was out unless they were making essential travel and most like me were trying to get to or from the airport or just home within the UK. 

Quite literally one person per carriage, regular announcements asking us to social distance.

 Birmingham New Street around 1pm

There were a couple of incidents on route where passengers were shouting at rail and station staff about changing trains and few announcements, but they were dealt with professionally by the staff.

I arrived home in Malvern after almost 4 hours, with a short walk via the shop to collect milk and I self isolated for 14 days. My Mother in Law had left and returned to her home in Bristol as I was making my way back on the train.

As much as I'd love to see my husband and we can now travel as residents and citizens of the UK and the UAE, we have no desire to take a non essential trip with quarantine either side, in total of 4 weeks, for a 2 week visit.

One daily Positive - Week 11. Nicholas Parsons and home to Dubai

Both a sad start and end to this UK trip, arriving for my SIL's funeral and leaving 2 days after the death of my Uncle. This happened in 2016 also, when I came over for my father's youngest brothers funeral and my mother's eldest brother died the day I left. I finished the week back home in Dubai. Fell back into local time straight away, tired and had no milk, the garden had survived, one house plant was a bit worse for wear and it felt strange not being met by the cat and dog.

70 Sunday Our Easy Jet flight was delayed by an hour, said our goodbyes to child 4 and 4a, who we'll see again in Dubai at the end of the month. Collected car hire and then the teen from Stratford and dropped him off at my mum's where he's staying till the end of the week. Mother's Day gifts from child 4, 4a and 5.

71 Monday Collected child 1 from Gloucester and hubby suggested we visit Bicester village for a day out, the roads were really misty. I took Mary's (over40andamumtoone) birthday gift with us and called her on route and she joined us for a coffee or two. I must say both Peter and I were impressed with how she handled Stephanie and dodged flying drink bottles.

72 Tuesday Collected MIL from Keynsham and headed off to Street for the day for shopping and lunch. Had the start of a migraine. I know I'm over doing it, but our remaining time in the UK is limited and I lost 4 days to the snow. I took Peter to me local pub to meet Geoff, the landlord, who bought my fathers car. I tend to treat the pub as an extension of my living room as the teen is still living in the flat.

73 Wednesday Woke to the sad news that Uncle Tim died last night. It was something we were expecting and it hit me really hard. Tim was my father's best friend from birth and I can't recall any event over my lifetime of 46 years that he and his wife, Aunty Pat who died in 2012, hadn't been part of. I had a horrendous migraine and really didn't want to go anywhere, but child 2 had his suit fitting appointment for his wedding in June and I was dragged to Gloucester, called in to see ex MIL on our way back and went straight to bed. Peter went to see my sister, mini me and Thing 1, 2 & 3. Managed to get out in the evening to see Nicholas Parsons at the local theatre, it was very good, despite the migraine.

74 Thursday Took mum to visit my cousin, Tim's son, I hadn't seen him during the hospital visits and as I won't be able to attend the funeral, we drove to Aberdare for the day. On the way back we stopped at the crematorium to order my father's memorial plaque. It was a sad time for both mum and I, first time back at the crematorium and we saw where my father's ashes were buried. In the evening Peter and I did a whistle stop tour of saying goodbyes and met friends in the pub for a quiet drink and replied to 2 of the 3 wedding invites we have to look forward to this year.

75 Friday It's not often Peter and I fly together, we joke we're like royalty. We sat together upstairs on the Airbus A380. I require a window seat when I fly so I have something to lean against. Peter was pleased with the extra legroom and storage but I was disappointed as I may as well have been sitting in an aisle seat, I had nothing to lean against and spent most of the flight in pain and tears.

76 Saturday I didn't get much sleep, woke early and fetched milk, caught up with some blogging while Peter slept as it's back to work for him tomorrow, unpacked, collected the cat and dog and had a manicure, pedicure and new gel polish while Peter did some food shopping, a relaxing day and an early night ahead.

On the blog this week:

My Sunday Photo - Coventry Cathedral - Mixing the old and the new
Triumphant Tales, Tweens Teens Beyond, Best Boot Forward and PoCoLo linky
What it's like being a woman living in Dubai.

Miracle Gardens and the Airbus A380 with HDYGG?

My mother is visiting and as a keen gardener I decided to take her to see the Miracle Gardens. While she loved every minute of it, I was less than impressed on this trip and I very much doubt I'll be going there again.
While it is a lovely place to visit and the flowers themselves are gorgeous and the aroma hits you the second you walk through the gate, I can't help but feel that it is missing out on being something altogether better.

This years display centres around a full size Airbus A380 made of flowers. I expected to see just that, however on arrival it turns out to be a full size plane, covered with flowers in pots.

I took a few photos as we walked to the restaurant area where I sat and did some work for school and left my mother to wander around by herself, I just didn't feel inspired.

Planning International Travel

There are 3 questions you need to ask and answer before you book travel.

Questions

1. Can you afford it?

2. Where do you want to go?

3. When do you want to go?

Answers

1 Yes

2. South Africa, UK, Germany

3. During the summer months in Dubai

Last year I spent Ramadan in Canada, but the rest of the summer in Dubai, with the teen coming out for the long school holidays, my UK trip was in September due to child 4 of 5 Passing out Parade and South Africa in October and November to work with a charity.

This year I'm back teaching and Ramadan falls before the end of term.

The first trip booked was the UK for 5 weeks, based around cost of flights and availability. Then I booked a flight to Munich for 5 days to visit friends. On discovering I had 12 days of school holidays before my UK trip, I decided to book 10 days in SA to visit friends there also.

August looks just as busy but with us flying back to Dubai and the teen joining us for the last 2 weeks of his school holiday and friends from South Africa stopping over 1 night on their way back from their European trip.

The logistics of booking around school holidays for both the teen and I, checking schedules for Peter's work and an upcoming trip to Saudi, I was able to book his UK flight then sort boarding for the cat and dog, accommodation and car hire.

I still have a few more hotels to book and travel insurance to renew and I've even packed my case for South Africa as its winter there and I don't wear those clothes here.

I wanted to purchase a new hand luggage case for the Munich trip, but ended up buying Peter a new one instead, I'll make do with what I have for now.

I'm busy sorting out a variety of currencies, bank cards and plug adapters and making sure I take the right things to the right location.

I still have 2 flights to book for the teen to include his cousin travelling with him for the October half term. My mother's flight for November/December was booked some time ago and hubby has to squeeze in a trip to Turkey and plan a potential trip to Pakistan.

My top 3 tips for managing jet lag after along haul flight.

I've just returned from a 13 hour flight from Canada to Dubai. The moment I stepped on the plane, I wrote off the 8 hour time difference, however the cabin crew on flight EK242 thought differently to me and after serving dinner, dimmed the cabin lights, keeping us all on Canadian time and served breakfast 2 hours before we landed at dinner time in the UAE.

On previous flights to the UK from South Africa via Dubai, the plane that connects you to the UK comes from Australia and they put you into Australian time, serving dinner 2 hours prior to landing in the UK in the morning.

It's not so difficult to manage a flight from South Africa to the UK, where the time difference is either 1-2 hours depending on the time of year, but with a 4 hour lay over in Dubai and the time difference. I asked for a glass of wine with my lunch on the Dubai to UK leg of the flight and only afterwards realised my body clock was still at 8.30am.

My husband had returned from the US a few days before I flew to Canada and his method to avoid jet lag is to adapt to local time with immediate effect. This saw him falling asleep on the sofa in the afternoons, waking at 3am and generally taking a week to recover. I however have my own tips on managing jet lag and they are as follows:

1. Arrange you travel so your flight arrives in the evening, by the time you've cleared customs, collected your bags etc and made it to the hotel you are actually ready for bed, whether you slept or not during the flight.
2. Eat what you want, when you want until you adjust. I find sugary foods and drinks actually help and eat plenty of fruit. Half the problem with recovery time is your internal body clock and the sooner you manage to have a bowel movement the sooner you'll start to adjust to local time.
3. Don't worry about waking up at 4am for the first few mornings, just alter your daily activities for a couple of days and don't feel guilty if you do have an afternoon nap, don't battle/fight it.

Of course I don't have a job to go to and I don't have children living at home, but it works for me.

Do you have any tips on managing jet lag you'd like to share. I have 2 more international flights booked this year, so will get chance to use them.

Week 28 - My Sunday Photo. Fed up with Ramadan

I didn't plan it this way but I left Dubai for Canada the day before Ramadan and have been away for 3 weeks.

I returned on Thursday evening and needed a coffee and a smoke after a 13 hour flight. But it was still day light and the coffee shop at the airport was closed and it is illegal to eat/drink/smoke in public during daylight hours.

However there were people smoking, hubby was happy to wait for the sun to set (within the next 15 minutes) and while I then had a cigarette he queued for coffee when the Costa opened up.

Yesterday we went to the Mall, not only was every coffee store closed for business but the chairs and tables in the food hall had been put to one side. The supermarket was open, we shopped, I bought fresh bread, as I paid and in a moment of weakness, I automatically tore off a piece of the bread and popped it in my mouth, the very second I did it, I took it out and was mortified I'd broken the law.

Today we went to the Mall of Emirates. Most coffee shops were closed, however several were open for take aways and I've been told a lot of non muslims take their work breaks in the bathrooms so they can eat.

I find it very strange that there are screens around the food counters in the coffee shops that are open for takeaways, yet no screening at all from the supermarkets and as usual they were busy as you'd suspect on a Saturday in a major city.

The food hall at Ski Dubai end was open, this photo is one of the many screens covering the entrance.   Hubby had some lunch and I wanted a coffee, but they don't sell coffee in the food hall.

You'll see on the sign that it does say 'legal action will be taken and fines issued'

I've chosen to live in Dubai, a Muslim country and I am more than happy to live by the laws of the country I live in. To be out in a city centre on a weekend where there are no gangs of youths, no one swigging alcohol from brown paper bags, no fear of any danger or risk is truly wonderful.

My first thought about this was New Years Eve on the beach in Dubai. There were 17,000 people on the beach watching the fireworks at the Atlantis. Can you imagine that number? Now realise that not one single person had consumed alcohol and understand why I'm happy to obey the laws of the country I live in. No worries about something kicking off, no worries about getting caught up in any violence, no drunken youths spoiling our night.

The local papers, websites, employers, social media and the government issue guidelines for behaviour, eating and drinking and what you can wear and can't wear. They also make it quite clear that this is 'The Law' not a recommendation.

So why am I fed up with Ramadan? Because people are flaunting the rules. I can only assume that the two young men eating and drinking outside Carrefore were tourists and they were approached by security. The many women with strapless tops and cut off shorts must have also been tourists, I mean if they lived here they'd know the law, wouldn't they? Or are they just complacent?

I'm assuming that almost 100% of people who arrive in Dubai, do so by air, yet I didn't see one sign or poster or leaflet letting visitors know it was Ramadan and what to expect and to obey the laws. Nothing was mentioned on the plane prior to landing and when I received my email from Emirates to remind me to check in the day before I flew, there was no additional notification about Ramadan.

Perhaps I missed it all, perhaps it's not deemed necessary as after all what kind of mad tourist comes to Dubai in the summer anyway?

So maybe everyone who I've seen inappropriately dressed, smoking or eating and drinking in public during daylight hours lives in Dubai and thinks they are exempt from the law?

What can I take into Canada? Luggage and Travel insurance

I'm off to Canada tomorrow for 3 weeks, staying with Catherine Burden, my twitter buddy and penal for the past 5 years, supporting me, through friendship, from my move from the UK to South Africa and now to Dubai.

I'm not providing any links for this post as carry on and checked in luggage restrictions and customs clearance do vary from airline to airline and airports. I'd hate to provide information that is updated by the time someone clicks on the link.

I'm flying with Emirates and have a rather generous luggage allowance of 2 x 23kg suitcases, cabin bag and handbag. I am not used to packing a 23kg suitcase, as my normal routes are usually 1 x 30kg and as an expat I value the additional 7kg allowances, especially when I travel with documents and gifts for family back home. Without all the additional items, I was able to pack a 23kg case with ease, which includes gifts for Catherine and family, wash bag (I usually purchase these items on arrival to allow for extra weight) walking shoes, suitable clothing for camping and kayaking, rain wear (which I'm looking forward to) and birthday presents that I've been given to open during my stay. I will have plenty of room to bring back gifts and I can always check in my hand luggage case if necessary as I've packed a large handbag I could use for carry on.
Following airline regulations I've packed tweezers, nail scissors and other sharp items in the front pocket of my checked in luggage.

My case is by the door, I'm checked in and I've even selected my clothes for the morning. The rest of my pre flight/travel time will be spent, as always, watching Air Crash investigations and Border Control (Canada)

Hubby has a copy of Catherine's address and full names of family members and phone numbers. My gifts include food and wooded materials from the UK, South Africa and Dubai.

I fly alone, I a single, 43 year old woman, travelling from the Middle East/Africa, with multiple entry exit stamps, current and 2 expired visas in my passport. I get stopped, searched, swabbed on every flight I take, every time. I must match a profile.

Having watched Border Control Canada, I've realised I'm ideal for stopping at the border.

I will be issued with a Declaration Form and I will tick to declare the food and wooden gifts, sea shells and tea. They are all permitted goods, there is also a restriction to weight, but I have to declare them or I could face them being confiscated and issued with a fine. I am allowed to take in 200 cigarettes and either 1.5 litres of wine or 1.1 litres of alcohol, duty free.

I don't need a visa to visit Canada as I'm British, my only concern is my return trip as my visa is for residency and not work, several times I've been questioned as to whether I'm allowed to travel on my own and what my intentions are on arrival and why I'm not starting or ending my journey in the UK.

Our medical insurance in South Africa covered us for trips abroad, including to the UK, technically we are not entitled to NHS services as expats and have been out of the UK for 5 years, we don't pay taxes. (we fill in a self assessment tax return form every year though) Our actual travel in regards to delays, cancellations etc is covered by our credit card. So this year I actually had to purchase travel insurance and it was a mine field. There was the time hubby and I went to Las Vegas for a week and 'forgot' to purchase any insurance, so it's an area we've now planned with care.

It's very easy to select the cheapest option, but you really need to take care, especially if you know what activities you'll be taking part in.

For example Catherine is taking me camping, we will be travelling to the camp site via the water, in a kayak. The basic travel insurance does NOT cover me for kayaking/canoeing unless with a qualified instructor and in an organised group....who would've thought eh? I've purchased annual insurance Worldwide to include Canada and the USA. I will be spending 30 days in South Africa later this year and have another trip planned to the UK. I'm also hoping I'll be travelling with hubby to Turkey and we'll be off to Oman for a visa run when the youngest son visits in July.

It's worth noting that most travel insurance covers you for 21 days per trip on an annual policy, so I made sure the policy I purchased covered me for multiple trips up to 31 days and worldwide included Canada and the USA.

I will get my money worth's from the insurance though, touch wood I've never lost a case, but hubby and the kids have had theirs delayed and/or items missing and cases damaged on arrival. Hubby has required emergency medical care outside his country of residence, but as he travels with his employers this is covered for him automatically. I, however, have an excess to pay for none emergency's.

My last 2 things to do are:

Email Catherine a copy of my Insurance.
I always insist our visitors give me a copy of theirs, who knows if I had a serious accident how costs would be covered in the interim period if Catherine was unaware of who I was insured with. Although medical care is free in Canada, I'm not Canadian.

Call the banks.
They need to know I am travelling overseas and will be using both my UAE and UK banking cards.

Packing hand luggage

I'm off to the UK tonight, my suitcase is packed full of gifts and wedding decorations and winter and water proof clothing. I'm flying with Emirates airlines as they have a very generous 30kg allowance.

As an expat, international flights are common, but this is my first trip back 'home' where I'm flying direct from Dubai. My trips from South Africa used to involve any thing between 2 - 9 hours stop over in Dubai and therefore I packed my hand luggage very differently to this trip.

For my latest flight I packed what I normally do, but didn't need two spare sets of clothes, shampoo, towel or as many toiletries.

I prefer a window seat and once seated I rarely get up, unless I'm desperate for the loo, I exercise in my seat following the instructions on the card in front and always purchase additional water prior to boarding and a few sweets. As I sit near the window, I pack my hand luggage with a separate bag inside containing everything I may want during the flight and if I'm doing a stop over I always buy my duty free allowance on the 2nd leg of the trip so I'm not dragging additional bags through security and around the airport.

All of this came out of my hand luggage, I took the photos as I packed, it also helps if I make a list in advance of what I need.

When flying out of Johannesburg, it is essential that all electrical items and items of value are packed in your hand luggage to prevent theft and your suitcase is wrapped in giant rolls of cling film to make theft that little bit harder. I still pack all charges and cables in my hand luggage and additional jewellery as you never know and in case of my case getting delayed there has to be room for a spare t shirt, underwear and deodorant so at least I have one change of clothes on arrival.

Thankfully the airport in Dubai is air conditioned so I arrived wearing winter clothing, boots and a coat, leaving me with more space and weight in my checked in luggage, although I did wear sandals for the trip to the airport, leaving them with hubby in a plastic bag to take home.

So in my hand luggage goes:

Laptop on top of bag so easily removed for security checks
Small clear zip lock with toothbrush/paste, face cloth (to be used as a small towel), deodorant, wet wipes, comb, hair bobbles, anti bacterial hand wash, tissues

Lap top charger and adapters

Head phones
Phone and usb cable
Notepad and pen
Camera and all related cables and charges
Jewellery pouch
UK bank and store cards, sim card and currency, Wallet
T shirt and underwear
Sun glasses in case
Eye mask
Socks to wear in flight
Neck cushion

Separate bag for removal during the flight containing the following items from the first list

Laptop
Head phones
Phone and usb cable
Notepad and pen
Toiletry bag
Neck cushion
Socks
Wallet
Bottled water and sweets (bought after passport and security checks)


No hair straighteners in hand luggage this trip, as I wasn't leaving Joburg I was able to pack them in my checked in luggage. I also packed my address book, diary and papers relating to the UK in my checked in luggage for this trip, but I was a little apprehensive about doing so. I've never lost a case but hubby and 2 of the kids have had their luggage delayed in the past and hubby has also had items stolen from his checked in luggage.

Luggage allowance and airfreight for expats relocating

We are relocating from South Africa to Dubai in the next 2 months. When we came to South Africa, the company provided NO support for our move, other than hubbies work contract and visas.

This move involves a relocation firm and package which includes flights and air freight as well as shipping our household furniture.

When we moved to SA, I took the last dated document for all our paperwork in my hand luggage, we took clothes, toiletries, some basic food items so we could have a 'touch of home' for the kids, their sports gear. In the kids hand luggage they brought their laptops, chargers and xbox plus games. We had 9 suitcases between the 4 of us and some major hassle at Manchester Airport with Air France over the cost which you can read about here.

Luggage wise, we will be flying with Emirates and they have a generous 30kg allowance, however if we go over that, it is rather expensive as they charge per kilo. I'm hoping by the time we leave, hubby will have reinstated his Gold membership and we can take 2 cases each, plus hand luggage, but without his passport, which was stolen 2 months ago, his next flight is likely to be when we move to Dubai.

It will be the middle of summer when we leave SA and the middle of winter when we arrive in Dubai, but that doesn't matter, we won't be needing to pack winter clothes, maybe a cardi and a jumper but that's it.

Hand luggage will be full of electronic items as it's too risky to pack them in the cases, what with the thefts that occur at OR Tambo airport. As an expat, with the need to travel frequently, hand luggage is packed very differently than when you're a tourist and the allowance of 7kgs with most airlines really isn't sufficient, but the secret is to make it look like it is light weight and not heavy.

So I'm not sure what we should put in our air cargo that will arrive around a week later. We're not moving with the kids this time, so only our stuff needs to be packed.

I'll find out by Friday after the removal companies come round to quote, the size and weight allowance of the air cargo. I assume I should pack some extra clothes and shoes, paperwork, but what else?

The container takes 42 days to arrive, our temporary housing allowance is only for 30 days, so that leave 12 days, do we arrange to move into an empty house and hope the container arrives early? We did that on the move here and ended up having to buy basic kitchen equipment, beds, towels and bedding, plus 3 beds. The house had patio furniture we used to sit on and came with curtains in the bedrooms. Obviously we can't pack beds in the air cargo, so it looks like bedding, towels and basic kitchen equipment is a must, but do you have any other suggestions as to what we may need to take?

How to survive airport travel

I’m not a good flyer, it’s the take off and landing I’m not keen on. I need to sit by a window so I can keep my eye on the wing and the ground and make sense of what’s happening. The actual flight is ok, It’s probably the only time I sit and watch a movie.

As an expat I make regular trips between South Africa and the UK, preferring the Dubai route as I get to build up my air miles, use the Emirates lounge and it has the most leg room and more importantly, proper cutlery, not plastic forks that always snap. I’ve flown with various airlines, direct and with stopovers. Despite the Dubai route involving an 8 hour flight, 2 hour stop over and another 7 hour flight, plus the travel time to and from the airport, making it in total a 20+ hour journey, it has the most generous legroom in economy, checked in baggage is 30kg and trust me it’s not possible to get more than 30kgs in a suitcase. This disadvantage is the hand luggage allowance is only 7kg and as an expat and flying out of OR Tambo airport I carry all the paper work I need to sort out when I’m back in the UK and all valuables as theft from baggage is a high risk. Other airlines have a more generous hand luggage allowance of 10kg and purchase of an additional 23kg weight starts from around £45 where as Emirates charge £140 for up to 5 kilos.

It’s not just the ticket price you need to check when booking, how important is the luggage allowance? Is the cost of baggage wrapping included in your ticket price? What’s the charge for changing your ticket? Is insurance included in the price?

Top tips for travelling.

Check in online. I never print a boarding pass as from experience they prefer to issue you with one, but be warned, some airlines do charge for printing a boarding pass at check in.

When selecting a seat, you’ve more chance of having a spare seat next to you if you book an aisle seat; it is common practice for the airline to fill up the aisle seats first.

Avoid seats with extra legroom unless you’re particularly tall, the reason being these seats have fixed armrests, so if the seat next to you is empty you can’t stretch into it.  Also passengers will congregate on long haul flights near the exit doors whilst queuing for the toilets or they are near the galley where the cabin crew sit and passengers will stand and chat.

If flying from OR Tambo airport check with your airline to find out if baggage wrapping is included in the cost of your ticket. If not make sure you arrive in plenty of time not only for check in and clearing customs but for queuing to get your baggage wrapped.

After going through passport control, check the boards for your gate and locate it, it could be anything up to 30 minutes away and involve a train or a bus. It’s quite common for the gate to be changed, don’t just rely on your boarding card.

Once you’ve located your gate, grab a coffee, locate the smoking room and buy your duty free.

If travelling via another country, even if you are in transit, check what you can and can’t take through in regards to liquids. Best to buy your duty free once you’ve cleared security when you stop over, as they will not let you take liquids through, even though you haven’t left the airport.

Dubai airport have showers available at no charge. I always pack a hand towel so not to take up too much space/weight in hand luggage.

On arrival the first thing I do is activate my sim card, top up and message family and friends to say I’m here, this is my number, I’ll contact you again when I’ve reached my first overnight stop.

Coffee…any chance to purchase a coffee.