Travel plans 2024

Booked MEL- TPE - NRT, HND - SIN - MEL in May.
So the question is, where to?

Plan A, NRT - Nagano - Matsumoto - Kamikochi & Okuhida onsen - Alpine Route - Kusatsu Onsen - Tokyo
Plan B, NRT - Sendai - Hanamaki - Akita - Hirosaki - Aomori - Hakodate - Tokyo

Undecided...
 
Booked MEL- TPE - NRT, HND - SIN - MEL in May.
So the question is, where to?

Plan A, NRT - Nagano - Matsumoto - Kamikochi & Okuhida onsen - Alpine Route - Kusatsu Onsen - Tokyo
Plan B, NRT - Sendai - Hanamaki - Akita - Hirosaki - Aomori - Hakodate - Tokyo

Undecided...
We don't care because wherever you go we know we'll get a fantastic TR :)
 
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Well, has been a quiet couple of years for us on the frequent flyer front, but plan to remedy that a little in 2024.

Off to Manila, Singapore and Thailand in October, all in J on SQ. Booked a pool villa in Koh Samui for my 50th 🍾🎉🎈. Looking forward to a great holiday with the trouble and strife 😂.

Probably also squeeze a trip in to Toowoomba to visit the father in law too.

Happy safe travels to everyone 🙏
 
Apart from some domestic trips plus a week in NZ, I've been planning a 3 week UK/EU trip as J redemptions become available.

I may have to make some changes, but so far I've managed to book:

SYD-BNE-TPE-LHR (CI J, QF award) - the SYD-TPE flight wasn't available, so had to burn a few more points, but looking forward to trying out CI's J, I love the look of it.

BRU-DOH-ICN (QR J, VA award) - I've flown QR 4 times in J, but not yet in Q Suites, so that being available on the DOH-ICN leg, combined with me wanting to visit Seoul, made this decision for me.

ICN-SIN-ADL (SQ J, VA award) - depending on the day, I could only see availability to ADL or BNE, so I'll probably just pick up a cheap cash ticket home if nothing else comes up.

This is all for late September into October, so I still haven't worked out where I'm visiting, apart from starting with 4 nights in London. I was thinking Oslo and/or Stockholm, but also considering Paris and then elsewhere in France. I guess that's part of the fun: all the possibilities and how to fit them into a few weeks.
 
I think we are sorted now:
March - Christchurch.
April - Japan (Okinawa is now included) and Seoul.
May/June - China (Tibet) and Hong Kong. In China I plan to catch the train from Shanghai to Lhasa (2 days), if I cannot get tickets I plan to use the HSR or fly Shanghai to Xining then get on the train to Lhasa (1 day). The train is the highest train trip in the world as it climbs to an altitude of 5075m (16650 ft) before dropping back down.

Nothing planned for the second part of the year but that may change.
 
Plans for UK visit and an Eastern Mediterranean cruise now up in the air after events in Israel, one of the major stops. Will still visit UK whatever to see family, but other plans around that trip will now wait until we get back from Oslo in January.
After a re-planning session, 2024 looks like this:
SYD-LHR/LGW around 24/10 before a family mid-term break to Italy the following week with daughter's family. Then back to London, side trip to Manchester and a week somewhere yet to be decided. We found classic reward positioning flight to SIN and the linking to EK, QR or similar works very well. All up away 5 to 6 weeks.
 
Major revision to my 2024 (and '25) travel plans. I had a RTW on Star Alliance booked and paid for - here. It was going to be a last big trip by air, filling in a few gaps, notably Ethiopia and Montenegro area. After long thought, I'm going to cancel it, as such long trips with much shuttling about are getting beyond me - my arthritic foot means I can't range all over the cities as I like to do and my sleep issue means I'm cactus for at least 3 days after a major time zone change, and after about 3 weeks of travelling.

So its going to be shorter trips hereon in, and more cruising.

Still filling in gaps: Booked a Caribbean cruise over Christmas this year on SilverSea, which will probably be coupled with a Finnair or LH type 'round the world' airfare where I'll at least see some Christmas markets in Europe beforehand and maybe do a bit more in southern Europe. Can't really avoid USA - Miami needed to fly to start and end of cruise - so I'll have to get a B1/B2 visa, unfortunately.

Probably will also do an Intrepid 'Premium Namibia' small group tour in August.

Having done Antarctica, it now has to be an Arctic cruise, probably on Ponant in mid 2025 (SS doesn't have any low Single Supplement fares that I can see, although my TA is working on it). Svalbard; would like to do Greenland as well, but can't see a suitable itinerary.
 
Planned, but not booked (most of my flights are last minute anyways) to India in Jan 2024 - not going to happen now :(

Planned, but not booked, to India in Feb 2024 - Let's see how this goes ... fingers crossed

Planned, but not booked, to India in Aug 2024 - this trip will definitely happen

Planned, but not booked, to NZ or DPS - depending on what mood strikes - either in Apr 2024 or Sep 2024 ... fingers crossed

All trips will be in Y, except for NZ or DPS (most likely in J)
 
Planned, but not booked (most of my flights are last minute anyways) to India in Jan 2024 - not going to happen now :(

Planned, but not booked, to India in Feb 2024 - Let's see how this goes ... fingers crossed

Planned, but not booked, to India in Aug 2024 - this trip will definitely happen

Planned, but not booked, to NZ or DPS - depending on what mood strikes - either in Apr 2024 or Sep 2024 ... fingers crossed

All trips will be in Y, except for NZ or DPS (most likely in J)
Come onnnnn, visit some new places! ;)
 
After a re-planning session, 2024 looks like this:
SYD-LHR/LGW around 24/10 before a family mid-term break to Italy the following week with daughter's family. Then back to London, side trip to Manchester and a week somewhere yet to be decided. We found classic reward positioning flight to SIN and the linking to EK, QR or similar works very well. All up away 5 to 6 weeks.
Plans firming up, more modest in recognition of various physical limitations and other issues. Like @RooFlyer arthritic conditions make the more adventurous trips of recent years now a risk. The cruise that included Israel is cancelled. We are focussing on family re-union with our daughter's family in London, and Mrsoatek's cousins in Lancashire. Will have a week in Scotland with daughter's family for the half-term as part of a 5 week trip (Oct-Nov).

About 2/3rds booked. QF PE SYD-SIN (Classic reward released as WP). EK J SIN-DXB-LGW-DXB-SIN for the rest of the trip to UK ($5.1k each - bargain under current circs.). The Caledonian Sleeper booked London Euston to Inverness for mid-term break, will probably fly back on BA. Then have an Airbnb in London, around the corner from daughter so it will be a chance to be close to them.

We are grateful that we can travel as much as we do, but when you are in your 70s there are bound to be limits.
 
So far:
  1. January - Caribbean, Serbia
  2. February - Cypus, Madagascar, Mauritius
  3. March - Canada
  4. April - Canada, US
Can't really be bothered with anything else just yet but maybe Mexico later in the year or a 3 country trip (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan - perhaps tieing in the last country with the F1 GP if I can make the timings work (although don't think I can as it is mid September ... but TBC))
 

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