To begin, an outline of the trip. Thailand own arrangement, within Laos packaged tour.
Depart Nov 9th - fly to Thailand BR67 and on arrival transit to Laos QV426 10th Nov.
13 Nov - Laos internal flight Vientiane to Luang Prabang (QV101)
16 - Nov fly Luang Prabang to Bangkok (PG942)
16 Nov - transfer BKK to Hua Hin (road)
25 Nov - transfer Hua Hin to Bangkok and return to UK BR68.
At this point in time all looks OK for LHR/BKK/VTE/PBE/BKK part of trip - the final 9 nights in Thailand are a different matter.
FCO advice (precis): Advise against all but essential travel to Bangkok and flooded areas except transit through airport to internal destinations (Samui, Phuket Chiang Mai, etc.) Flood water currently being contained by a series of barriers, dykes and canals. Some defences have been breached. The extent of this breaching is currently unclear.
Problem: Due to flooding, may not be able to get to Hua Hin by road (no longer any internal flights) on 16th Nov or back on 25th Nov. - "Bangkok Post" says up to 1 foot of water already on Hua Hin road from BKK and the Flood Relief Operations Centre say they do not intend to protect the road (assisting "runoff" from Bangkok).
Insurance (Aviva through Barclays): No grounds for cancellation. Will not cover any internal transfer or failure to get Hua Hin or any lost hotel cost. Furthermore, missed departure for the return international leg not covered. Indeed none of the flight arrangements from BKK to Laos or from Laos to Bangkok appear to be covered for delay or other problems ("these arrangements are up to the airlines to sort out") - other than delay on initial LHR / BKK flight (over 24 hours), illness, death or injury.
Hope this assists others contemplating such a trip, particularly regarding insurance etc.
Any thoughts would be welcome.
Peter
Hi Pete,
bit of a quandary there.
If it were me and there was little or no cost involved I'd be tempted to scrap trip to Hua Hin and see if its possible to get flights to the South and visit areas like Krabi, Phuket, Khao Lak which are which are now coming into high season.
My biggest concern would be Suvarnabhumi flooding as its the hub for all your plans.
Your're problems highlight some of the issues re insurance and complex DIY itineries. For some things we just aren't covered by ordinary travel insurance.
Best of luck...we were looking at Luang Prabang for our next trip, or maybe a return to Siem Reap,
bit of a quandary there.
If it were me and there was little or no cost involved I'd be tempted to scrap trip to Hua Hin and see if its possible to get flights to the South and visit areas like Krabi, Phuket, Khao Lak which are which are now coming into high season.
My biggest concern would be Suvarnabhumi flooding as its the hub for all your plans.
Your're problems highlight some of the issues re insurance and complex DIY itineries. For some things we just aren't covered by ordinary travel insurance.
Best of luck...we were looking at Luang Prabang for our next trip, or maybe a return to Siem Reap,
Hi Sunbear - Quandary indeed.
I have now looked at several options. Outgoing as far as Luang Prabang, I can get assistance (hopefully) from Trailfinders with whom I booked the Laos part - fortunately they have "packaged" it, including outbound EVA and LAO airlines flights. So far they have been very helpful and offered a lot of advice.
My flight from Luang Prabang to BKK is with Bangkok Airways and changeable (for a small fee).
My return flights to UK are also changeable (for a £75 per person fee). The Hua Hin part is another matter - not packaged, pre-paid, Club rooms booked directly with Sofitel. I stand to lose quite a bit, unless I can persuade them to hold as a credit for a later trip (we go to Thailand / Indo China fairly frequently).
The biggest problem at the moment is that I do not know whether there will be flooding on 16th Nov., so have no grounds yet to cancel. I will be in Laos from this Thursday, so it will be difficult to follow events or make any arrangements. The official Thai news is vague to say the least - so much so that out FO have had to say regarding breached flood defences, "The extent of this breaching is currently unclear".
We are looking at alternatives - Chiang Mai is a possibility, but the forecast for southern Thailand and Malaysia is not good. No time to get Vietnam visa, Siem Reap would be a possibility, but the south of Cambodia and Vitenam around the Mekong is also suffering.
Much will depend on Suvarnabhumi remaining open / flood free. Still who would want to have a boring first week in Laos with no worries!
Cheers
Peter
I have now looked at several options. Outgoing as far as Luang Prabang, I can get assistance (hopefully) from Trailfinders with whom I booked the Laos part - fortunately they have "packaged" it, including outbound EVA and LAO airlines flights. So far they have been very helpful and offered a lot of advice.
My flight from Luang Prabang to BKK is with Bangkok Airways and changeable (for a small fee).
My return flights to UK are also changeable (for a £75 per person fee). The Hua Hin part is another matter - not packaged, pre-paid, Club rooms booked directly with Sofitel. I stand to lose quite a bit, unless I can persuade them to hold as a credit for a later trip (we go to Thailand / Indo China fairly frequently).
The biggest problem at the moment is that I do not know whether there will be flooding on 16th Nov., so have no grounds yet to cancel. I will be in Laos from this Thursday, so it will be difficult to follow events or make any arrangements. The official Thai news is vague to say the least - so much so that out FO have had to say regarding breached flood defences, "The extent of this breaching is currently unclear".
We are looking at alternatives - Chiang Mai is a possibility, but the forecast for southern Thailand and Malaysia is not good. No time to get Vietnam visa, Siem Reap would be a possibility, but the south of Cambodia and Vitenam around the Mekong is also suffering.
Much will depend on Suvarnabhumi remaining open / flood free. Still who would want to have a boring first week in Laos with no worries!
Cheers
Peter
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