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Still in shock !

We are due to fly to Tunisia in two weeks it will be our 4th trip there in the last two years.

Today 2500 odd are traveling home and trips with Thomson & first choice are cancelled for the coming week.

We are planning to go as planned .........

Would you ?

Wait for govt advice, think I would need some convincing tbh...

first thing i would do is check https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/tunisia

on reading that i would be checking with my travel company for cancellation policies/insrance policies or asking for a different destination

far too blase just to assume you are going normally at this stage

of course what the terrorists want is to irrevocably damage the tourist industry and de-westernise their resorts, but thats not your concern

as of now, do not go.

I think it will be very safe, security will be incredibly tight for the foreseeable future.

The locals should be very pleased to see you.

Cancelling will be "letting them win"

In short I would probably still go, but I wouldn't be happy if a loved one was going.

Just to be completely transparent I'm not looking for advice whether or not I should go  that's between me & my family I'm simply asking whether you would or not ?

Probably not.

Not.

no i wouldn't. couldn't have peace of mind and those not going but close to me would have even less peace of mind

No I doubt i would go, security can be tight yes, but this is not airline access security, anyone can enter a beach, shopping area etc, just  like anywhere in the world i guess but sometimes behaviour breeds behaviour. I call it minimizing risk. Saying that it can happen anywhere anytime.

I'd go myself, but would be in big trouble if I had to try and run from terrorists.

Wouldn't go if I had kids, or with kids etc.

I probably would go too, no more riskier than this time last week.

Arguably even slightly (in micromorts terms) less risky, I'd say.

I'd go

Yeah, but as we now know, it was very risky last week.

We knew that last week tho, and the week before, and the week before etc

Absolutely no chance

I quantify basically everything I do on some sort of scale be it risk or otherwise, consciously or subconsciously, and even a 10000/1 chance this could happen again over a 2 week period is not worth the risk for me. I couldn't enjoy myself and would be looking over my shoulder the whole time. Let alone leaving my family to worry about me for the time I was gone.
Hard to put numbers on it but it feels smaller than 10000/1 for a dangerous situation to arise.

But surely the point is, if you booked knowing there was a risk, then that risk hasn't changed, and if it has changed, then it's changed for the better?

My feelings are......

We booked this in January and have been working hard to pay for it if I was to cancel I will get approximately £2800
We won't get all-inclusive anywhere for that for two weeks and we can't afford to pay anymore!

Now as much as you would all say can't put a price on life ...of course I can't.

My kids 11-15-16 have seen the news and still want to go desperately

If we didn't go anywhere anything bad has ever happened we wouldn't go anywhere

The chances of something else happening are slim (imo)

The chances of us being in the wrong place at the wrong time .....slim

Just my thoughts

I would say anyone who likes a drink is a lot less than 10000/1 to get in a dangerous situation in Las Vegas.

Probably well shorter than 1000/1 to be frank.

2 of my friends have got in very dangerous spots there independently.

In fact, one of them was probably less than 10/1 to be coming home in a box at one point.

A friend of mine was at the hotel next door by the pool when it happened.  Last I heard (yesterday) is that they were trying to get a flight back today.  I can understand why someone out there now would want to come home.  But if you're going out there in a week or so - is the risk higher?  If you think there might be subsequent attacks, then the risk would be higher than you previously thought was there. If you think it's unlikely, and that there'll be lots of armed security in place now, then it's probably a lot safer.  Also less likely to be hassled or pick-pocketed, etc.!

The question is, if you don't go to Tunisia, because of the risk then where do you choose to go?  There 'could' be a terrorist attack in Bali, Spain, Turkey, London or anywhere in the next few weeks.  But it's hard to make a rational decision at a time like this.  There was a big crash on the M40 the other day, does that mean I should avoid the M40 for the next few months?  The risk is the same now as it was last week, and the risk of being in a car crash is probably higher than being caught in a terrorist attack by a factor of hundreds or thousands.  Yet, we continue to drive our cars, cross the road, get out of bed in the morning.

Is that a full refund?

If it is, you should think about cancelling and rebooking.

Sure there will some extremely cheap offers available for the next few months.

Good points boshi

Also true if you were aware of the previous attacks and unrest.  I was looking for a cheap short haul holiday for a week leaving the next day or within the week a month ago, I could have gone to any number of Tunisian hotels for £230pp all inclusive but I never considered it.

If you could get a refund on this one and weren't put off by another attack I'm sure prices will drop even more if any UK travel agents offer them.

Think for me it'd be peace of mind. I think it's probably safer to go now then at any other time but can see myself being able to relax and would probably be super paranoid. Also if something did happen with the recent history I don't think I'd ever be able to get over it

This about sums it up for me.

Also true about Vegas, I've been in some unfavourable situations too. The same can be said about drinking in any nightclub in England or walking down the wrong street at night.

If you have drunk you willingly altered your state of mind and changed actions/behaviour putting yourself at risk somewhat. - Obviously nobody is going to not drink or enjoy theirselves because of potential risk in Vegas until something serious happens to them or friends. They might not plan to drink a bottle of Vodka and 10 beers in Iran because it's a different scenario and their perceived risk is a lot higher.

If there is a terrorist attack there is next to nothing you can do about it and there is a high chance you will die if caught up in it, that is without drinking or waving an anti Islamic banner, it's just by being in the country.

In Vegas, you stick to the strip, the canopy and Peppermints and you'll be very safe, by any city's standards.  </derail>

For Tunisia, I'd take my refund tyvm.

Both incidents I was refering to started off with a *chance* encounter with a female on the strip.

They were quickly led far away from the safe confines.

3000 killed in a terrorist attack in the USA, 200 mass shootings there in 10 years. There was a shooting in Vegas when I was there and I was only there a week.  I still travelled on the tube into London after 7/7.  There was a thread here very recently about travelling to Egypt and that country has had a more unstable recent past and a significantly greater number of terrorist incidents.  Sure most people were saying go in that thread, but guess the incidents weren't so fresh in people's minds at the time.  

We are far more likely to die in road accidents than terrorist incidents.  It is pretty hard to be killed in a plane crash, but am guessing that is higher risk too.  

People need to think rationally and not think the way they want us to.  

Good luck Lee, hope this doesn't spoil your trip.  

FWIW if there is a terrorist attack in Tunisia there is a very low chance it will be where you are and a very low chance you will be caught up in it even if it is in your town and a very low chance you will die even if it is in your hotel.  Surprising people fail so badly on a real life probability calculation.  

I think I stated in my post that the chances are slimmer but sometimes as a human being I take gut feel and Rec thinking so to speak irl situations.

Spose if someone gets shot and killed u can console yourself that you made the right mathematical decision

Quite frankly maths can take a running jump in this situation...

Good post.

My gut feeling is you are several times more likely to be murdered on holiday in the USA than in Tunisia.

I don't think these things are about probability and/or relative safety compared with other places to travel.

It's kinda binary and it's safer to not travel  to Tunisia than to travel there.

I wouldn't want to be the Selwyn Gummer of the travel world and take my kids there

I'd deffo still go - chances are I'd be in more danger staying put and travelling into central london on the tube everyday.  But if, as someone said earlier on the thread, there is a chance you can get a full refund of what you've paid than makes sense to do that then rebook an inevitably cheaper last minute deal.

From a safety point of view I wouldn't be any more bothered now than I was when I first booked it.

From an enjoyment point of view I can't help but think that the whole place is going to be in a bit of a sombre state for the next few weeks and it's going to be difficult getting in to 'holiday mode' knowing what happened just a few weeks earlier.

That being said if your kids still want to go and it isn't affecting them in any way then you're likely to have a great holiday. The locals will be really pleased to see any tourists in the next few weeks and I would think you'll have no problems getting a sunbed.

PS: Before any sensitive soul leaps on my back I don't mean this as some kind of sick joke. It really is going to be quiet there.

This is a really good point.

I was in Vegas in the days after 9/11, and it was like a ghost town.

And the few people who were there seemed to be embarrassed about having a good time.

I would go unless FCO advice changes

however would be less likely to get out and about from Hotel

went to Egypt Xmas 1997 i think it was might have 98
 50+ tourists were killed in November when buses attacked
plane out and back and hotel where  less than half full
went  to Casino one night but we where only customers
Ending up spending night drinking with and chatting to staff at bar as could be bothered to punt when we only two  in the place

I wouldn't go now as a direct result of what's happened.  Maybe not because the risk is now higher than 2 weeks ago, it isn't, and as others have said, probably the "best" time to go. Cheaper, and security will be ramped up.

The decision however is made well before this in terms of risk assessment imo.  I wouldn't have even considered a place like this due to the possible risk of such an awful event happening is this kind of country.

I get Daniels "Ellie Gouldings" assessment of stuff, but we all (mostly) just get on with our daily lives as required, Cars, Trains, Cycling etc, but it the norm and a requirement of most modern lives.  You just don't consider what "might happen" on a daily basis.

However Tunisia and such countries it is clear that to go, is a somewhat riskier than a.n.other not in that region due to the way the world is at present.  If you've past that assessment and deemed it safe, then you go.  You don't not go because something has just happened.

No brainier for me. I would rather not subject my family to any additional risks to the many that lie before them in day to day life. Why add more unnecessarily.

Drive them to School? You could walk.

People are so predictably irrational.

Edit: that sounds harsher than intended.

I assume you'd take them on holiday? Confirmation, recency and primacy biases ahoy

people are where families are concerned

I have a PhD in a statistical subject. I know the probabilities and theory

you would not get me taking my family anywhere such as tunisia (higher risk of terrorist activity than some other destinations) on holiday

i wouldn't have booked tunisia, morocco, turkey, israel etc in the first place

if i get blown up in Majorca, so be it!

peace of mind for myself and others and regard for the family over-rides the rationality

People are shit at calculating risk so that's not an argument imo.

There's absolutely no way even someone like you tighty can snap tell me what the relative risks are of Tunis vs Barcelona (it's well known 'experts' have the same biases as 'normals')

So basically, people saying they know Tunisia is any riskier than anywhere else is incredibly likely to be clicking buttons.

    Have to agree with Tighty. Cannot imagine being able to 'relax' in Tunisia for a holiday at the moment. The resorts will be empty and it's not fun sunbathing with armed police strolling along the beach. It's not about the maths of the situation and it's only on a Poker site where the suggestion is to cancel,get a refund and rebook at a lower price!
    

I can tell you what friends and family would snap assess the balearics versus tunisia. no contest at the moment. Their peace of mind over-rides any confirmation or recency bias they have, i have or anyone has.   

For £2800 (think a full refund is on offer) i could get 7 nights all inclusive in majorca give or take a hundred quid or so on the basis of a 2 minute google search

You're not answering the question correctly tho.

You should be answering on the basis that you booked it originally, knowing the risks.

i would now take the refund and rebook somewhere comparable but in western europe/florida etc on a last minute deal, haggling for a discount.

You are totally missing my point. Going to school, driving, holidays have all an associated risk that we accept. I would never knowingly increase that risk by visiting a place like Tunisia even if it has just gone through some horrific terrorist attack and is swarming with security services.

I'm pretty certain there's going to be an attack on a British city sometime soon.

Would that risk stop you travelling to London?

I appreciate the replys

Just out of interest how many have been to Tunisia before and understand their culture ?

I was working in London around the time of the 7/7 attack, I knew that the tube system was a priority target for terrorism so I caught black cabs everywhere and still do when I'm there. In answer to your question - only if I needed to.

Yes.  I do everything in my power to not travel to London at the best of times.  I agree with you.  Wimbledon must be on the radar for an attack for me in the next two weeks amongst other london targets.

I was in London exactly a week after the 7/7 bombings. Never felt safer on the tube, near stations or walking down the street. Didn't think I was likely to be mugged or pickpocketed that day!

I think people are over-estimating the increased risk. It's like when the daily mail reports something increasing the number of cancer cases by 300% and it sounds like a scary number, when actually the number of cases had gone from infinitesimally small to slightly less infinitesimally small.

The reasons I wouldn't go to Tunisia are probably along the lines of what Matt and Ian said. It's probably not going to be the most enjoyable place to go and relax and forget the troubles of the world.

Of course, if you feel as though there's a greater risk, even if there isn't, then you're not going to enjoy it. That in itself is a reason to go elsewhere.

Had to go there for work about 7 years ago, and stayed at a resort in Monastir - perfect really as it enabled me to confirm all my prejudices about beach holidays and rule it out as somewhere I'd want to willingly travel to

I am an Englishman and as such nobody but nobody is going to intimidate me or inhibit me from travelling around freely in my own country. Terror me in Britain mate? Nah I don't think you will! So yeah I really do buy into that stuff about not letting the terrorist win when we're talking about home soil. But as far as Tunisia goes I simply don't care enough about winning that battle.

I've been to Morocco & Egypt a few times and whilst it was a wicked experience there are plenty of other sweet places to visit. If there is a faction in Tunisia that doesn't want tourists, especially to the extent they will murder vast swathes of them on the beaches, then fuck Tunisia imo. I'm going to Sardinia next where I would hazard such groups don't exist.

People often say vote with ur feet if ur not happy. Had a shit meal? Vote with ur feet and don't go to that restaurant again. Well as far as holidays go this Tunisia coup is zero stars imo, so why would you go? I mean forget lol geeky risk calculation it's more the Tunisia govt and the tourist industry deserve a good kicking over this. They were prob complacent, min resources ploughed into uncovering terror, leads not followed, police took a feckin age to turn up, hotel staff clueless with no drilled action plan despite similar recent atrocity. Don't let the terrorist win in this eg? Why not? Tunisia is pretty shit anyway so fine by me.

MANTIS nails it again.....

Move over Brad.

Brad would of nailed it 24 hours ago and thats without the TZ differences

This is why I think we should still be going to Tunisia

http://news.sky.com/story/1509980/tunisia-terror-attack-new-footage-of-rampage

Tourists stop going, fellas like the one taking this film will lose their jobs/livlihoods.

Not really fair is it?

My elderly parents are currently in Tunisia , they flew there on Thursday.
I can tell you it was a very worrying 24hours on Friday as we could not locate them and no one knew exactly which resort  they were staying. . Thankfully on Saturday  my sister managed to find out from Thomas Cook they were in a different resort.

I called home yesterday to ask if they were coming home early but they said they are staying until the end of the holiday.  There is a big security presence around the hotels and have been told to also stay inside the hotel . The army is also giving everyone  an escort to the airport .

Truthfully me and my family wish they would get back on the first plane home and won't stop worrying until they are back in the UK.

 

Glad to hear they are ok Craig.

Thanks mate

this may be interesting for you Lee

How Tunisia became a key target for terrorists http://specc.ie/1QZwabV 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate)

Tunisia appears to have been safer than Mauritius, though probably isn't right now, though I am still not convinced there is much in it. 

People are significantly more likely to be murdered in the USA and Thailand.  The likes of Brazil, Trinidad, South Africa and Jamaica have way higher murder rates.

Quite surprised how dangerous Belize is, as I have banged on about what a great place it is to visit before.  I have bagged quite an assortment of countries with murder rates 10 x higher than Tunisia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate)

Despits the high murder rate you are still 10 x more likely to get killed in a car accident in Thailand.  No surprises for me that Vietnam has such lethal roads either.  I am fairly sure Egypt needs a recount though; the drivers there were barking when I visited, half of them were driving without lights at night to save petrol and the functional seatbelt rate appeared to be notably low. Of course people are much more likely to die in traffic accidents than murders in Tunisia too.

And for those that take the taxi rather than the tube.

http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/risk/transporttrav.html (http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/risk/transporttrav.html)

You are 10 x more likely to die in a car than in a train per mile travelled.  Maybe something to consider for those of you who don't want to expose your familes to unnecessary risks?  It is also probably best to get a hotel near the airport if travelling somewhere like Tunisia to avoid the road miles.

If you thought London was worth avoiding because of the high murder rate, you are going to have to give Prague, Amsterdam, Glasgow and Riga a miss. 

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/nov/30/new-york-crime-free-day-deadliest-cities-worldwide (http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/nov/30/new-york-crime-free-day-deadliest-cities-worldwide)

I wouldn't recomment Caracas for a peaceful holiday no matter what you heard about it on Gregory's girl.

Of course you can forget all this lolevidence and just go with your emotions

I honestly couldn't give a fuck about any of that, it's more about a gut feeling at any moment in time. Stats and maths can fuck off in spots like this...

The problem with these stats are they obviously include "no go" areas of countries which tourists are very unlikely to visit.

As people correctly said when I mentioned how dangerous Vegas was, if you stay on the strip it is probably one of the safest places in the world.

Venture downtown, just a block or two from Fremont Street you are suddenly massively at risk.

Do you actually think this is relevant?

It's quite clear that British are targets in Tunisia, rather than other countries you have mentioned. Yet comparing different types of deaths?!

Also, like BBC, ITV and Sky have quoted the foreign office  "We cannot rule out further attacks in Tunisia"

True, but even then murder rates are a lot lower than death rates on the roads, so if you travel by car to avoid the risk of getting killed on a train/tube by a terrorist you are likely to be making a mistake.

People can do way better than avoiding Belieze/Thailand/Tunisia by stopping smoking, heavy drinking and not eating so much bad food.

The risks from murder or terrorism are going to be very small compared to normal life risks unless you pitch up in somewhere like Syria or Afganistan for your annual hols.  

How many Brits get greased on the beach before Abdul the waiter is no longer ur priority?

Interesting stats about car accidents in Timbuktu but frequency of holidaymaker massacre is kinda more relevant when flicking through the brochure and selecting ur package deal.

Of course it is relevant.  The fact people don't get relative risks is no surprise. 

So have the foreign office ruled out further attacks anywhere else the World?  Thought not.

I believe this thread was regarding Tunisia. Must have been my mistake.

No it's about stats and probability mate, gamblers can't help it lol  rotflmfao

Why have you taken to writing ur instead of your? Its kind of out of character and it grates.

ur not wrong Tom.

Slightly off tangent, but I am always amazed at how stupid Joe Terrorist is.

If you really want the world to be upset and genuinely afraid, then why not just pick off people randomly, anywhere?

There must be hundreds of chances to kill any one of us every day, and still walk away leaving the chance for you to do it time and time again.


Do that a few times,  synchronized, globally in the name of whatever, and soon have the world scared of its own shadow.

Always amazed that no one ever blows up a ferry. Security on those things is ridiculously poor.


Anyway, think I ought to book some time with a professional. Starting to worry myself now.

Would this be recognised as terrorism as they would want though? I think the whole point of these mass killings in certain areas is to get media coverage. You do mention about how scared people are, but look at what they have done so far, 50% of Britain's have come home.

But I do agree with you point about how stupid they are. This person who did what he did on Friday could have been stopped within a few minutes & it's only because of the utter lack of any adequate security in Tunisia that he was able to continue for as long as he did, 40 minutes according to some. If this was in the UK, he would have been stopped within a few minutes. So I don' really get it, why go there, but I suppose it did work?

I still find it quite amazing that the world is not coming together to stop these people. They are in the news every single day. Yet some people or political groups want us to cut spending in defence, when in my view it's never as vital to have a defence budget with what Russia are up to and the ever ongoing threat of ISIS.

It's a completely sad fact that this will be happening in the streets of the UK sometime soon and yet we seem to be doing very little about it.

(I have of course gone off topic too)

Mid-life crisis innit

I wonder if you are more likely to be massacred in a high school in the USA or on a beach in the med?

There was a great interview with English survivors of the attack on the radio this morning, quite moving and unintentionally funny at the same time..

starts at 1.34

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06085ch#auto

A couple of guys did have a go at that once - the problem with this approach is that they were shooting people for 8 months before anyone really noticed what they were up to. Seeing as one of the points of terrorism is to get publicity, you can kinda see why they go for big spectaculars instead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltway_sniper_attacks

Really?

You honestly think that if a madman with a machine gun and a few grenades goes rampaging on Brighton beach one hot day this summer he'll be any less successful in his quest than the nutter in Tunisia?

I think 40 minutes to take him down was a really fast response. There's only really America where I'd expect it to be any quicker and that's only because they all have guns.

I am very critical of our police force, but I do believe this would have been sorted a lot quicker than in Tunisia. Police tend to be at emergencies within 7 minutes on average. Would it take that long to turn up and then be able to stop on him whilst on rampage? I personally don't think so & the 40 minutes he was on rampage surely must be questioned at some point

Aaron, say this guy starts shooting on Brighton beach - do you really think it's only 7 minutes for armed police to turn up (remember, 2 bobbies with truncheons saying 'Now son, put the gun down' ain't gonna cut it here).

I was going to post exactly the same but i don't reply to arron's posts now just sit and chuckle at them at home!

More lolfacts for you to ignore

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12636731 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12636731)

There was a delay of 52 minutes in getting ambulances to Tavistock Square, the scene of the bus attack where 13 people died.
...
One group of firefighters said they could not enter the tunnel at Aldgate because they had not received official confirmation that the live electric rail had been turned off.
One police officer stood on the rail to prove that it was no longer live - but the crew insisted they still needed word from London Underground managers. Four other firefighters had already gone into the train.
The first crew reached King's Cross station at 0913 - but did not go to the scene until a second crew arrived at 0942. That was because their communication protocols demanded having a back-up teams available.
...
The inquests heard that over at Edgware Road, Assistant Divisional Officer Alan Davies, then head of Paddington fire station, refused to allow his men into the tunnel because of the possibility of a dirty bomb.

That was in central London, not out in the sticks.  Maybe next time we'll be better organised, as detailed below, but good luck if you are on a beach in Blackpool.

http://news.sky.com/story/1510475/tunisia-style-attack-simulated-on-london-street (http://news.sky.com/story/1510475/tunisia-style-attack-simulated-on-london-street)

Simon Morgan said: "If you look at the incident that has just taken place in Tunisia, that attack lasted seven minutes from the first shots being fired to the subject being neutralised.

"In London, that response time could be achieved, but as you go further out, if we look at the situation with the Derrick Bird shootings in Cumbria five years ago, the armed response was at the (other) side of the county."

Can't be right, their police is foreigners, innit?

I didn't say it was - But 40 minutes is surely not a great time.

What has this got to do with a Brighton beach? Which was of course the lolexample

Just for the record ....

we had a family discussion and rightly or wrongly we are going as planned unless.....

1. The government advise people not to go.
2. something else happens before we are due to fly.

Good for you.

Hope you have a great holiday.

Aren't you kids going to wanna go regardless? I'd take this decision myself personally. Sometimes you have to make a responsible decision regardless of what your kids want (don't mean to sound harsh just wouldn't have a consensus meeting about something as important as this)

Think Lee said his kids were teenagers. I think at that age their opinion definitely should be taken into account.

Lee, if one child had said they didn't want to go, would you still have gone if the majority said they did?

In a number of situations I will consult my family and we will take decisions as one unit but over something like this they're going to say they wanna go not taking into enormity of the situation

aaron armed police cant be everywhere in the UK , by brother in law is one of the armed policemen in aberdeen, there was an uproar when they started turning for routine call outs

now they just sit in there car all day waiting , no point having fire armed trained officers out without there weapons having to go back to the station before heading to where they are needed

even still there isnt enough armed police to give the same call out time as you would get for an unarmed police officer and remember only a small fraction can carry a gun

did the british police deal with hungerford, dunblane or whitechapel much faster than those in tunisa
i dont think so

my respect goes out to the locals that put there lives on the line to protect the tourists making a human shield at one point and the workman who threw tiles at the gunman from a roof top
would people in this country put there lives on the line for strangers, i suppose in some cases yes but for the vast majority they would be looking after number 1 first

I would have thought most kids would say they didn't want to go in this situation.

Disagree with you there Iron

i think there will be a few that would but it would be a very small percentage

@ camel & George

Me and Alison already had the discussion whether or not we should still go and both said yes we then decided to speak to the kids together as a family
And they all said yes

I then spoke to all 3 on their own to check that they where 100 % happy to go in case they where influenced by each other

I would of canceled if any of them said no or I'm not sure.

Perfect parenting IMO.

If one was even a bit scared or hesitant, then cancel.

Have a great holiday.

All the best with it. Hope you have a great time

Thanks guys I'm sure we will 😃🍻

Have a great holiday big lee.  See you in the fatties thread in two weeks!!!!  Enjoy the lager and food! You deserve it for how much worrying you have done in the past two weeks.

Have a great holiday.
Which part of Tunisia are you staying by the way?

And they'd be the ones you read about.

Thank you
We are staying in hammemet
A hotel we've stayed at three times before.

If I saw someone in trouble in a river, I think I would dive in to try to rescue them.

Someone is spraying bullets around? I'm not shielding anyone except Jake and maybe the Mrs if she's lucky :)

ffs!

had a call this afternoon from my holiday company.....

Thomas cook has cancelled our flight due to it now being half empty !! ;grr;   

we have a choice refund or another destination (we will have to pay difference in cost)


frustrated  to say the least

Sick- tell them you'll fly it

Shouldn't they be arranging an alternative flight or putting you on the next available one?  Then shouldn't they be offering compensation on top? 

Not sure if your rights, but giving you your money back seems the absolute least they can get away with.  I'd ask for more. 

Just read the which website.  You are entitled to rerouting.  If not, you should get compensation on top of a refund.  They can claim extraordinary circumstances, but that is dubious to me because they are probably still flying to France and Egypt.  Kick up a stink and try and get them to offer somewhere as nice at no extra cost.  This isn't what which say you should get, but is certainly something I'd try for.

Sorry failed to get a link as on my phone but googling which? Flight cacellation should get you there.

wow didn't even realize, going to look into it now thanks doobs

Thomas Cook are the worst travel firm in the world to deal with.  Don't get me started on them.

Seems a bit cold to ask for compensation etc.

Just my opinion.

How safe is my summer holiday

Tonight 7.30pm ITV

You're probably right, but no worse than Thomas Cook charging for a change of destination.

Disagree Celtic.

Lee has paid for holiday, taken time off work etc

He should be compensated for Thomas Cook forcing him to change plans.

Thomas Cook have already stated he has to pay the difference in holiday cost.  He isn't cancelling, they are, and they are doing it because they will run the flight at a loss.

I am not talking about trying to find somewhere in the Seychelles.  Just try and find somewhere that is a little bit more where they have availability.  Say can I go there at no extra cost?  Point out that you didn't want to cancel and that they should be offering rerouting and compensation.  

If you take somewhere where the flight isn't full and the resort has availability, it probably costs Thomas Cook less than they would be paying on a cash refund and compensation.  Make it win/win.

This all assumes that you are between 7 and 14 days away.

Shouldn't we now be taking advantage of the financial wisdom in the thread earlier; accept the refund and re-book at the new cheaper danger rates available

Good effort in this thread doobs i enjoyed it.

Prices still high at min !

Are you still going then Lee?.

A colleague from work and his wife was amongst the victims. Not sure why it seems to bring it closer to home when it is someone you can identify but it seems that way, maybe makes it more real? I don't know.

Anyway if you are going enjoy as like a lot say it can happen anywhere. x

At the min no !!
However I am waiting for a phone call from my travel agent to see if I can swap dates which is what we are hoping  for

Just had phone call from Thomas cook
We fly Sunday now !!
Happy :-)

Have a great trip. x

Have a great holiday Lee

I forgot to mention we are also getting £400 some compensation and a little cheaper .... Happy days !!

Thanks all xx

This. And great work, doobs.

Hope you and your family have a lovely time.

Tunisia declares state of emergency

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-33394847

Is this going to make any difference?

I've no idea mate

Must have heard that you're still heading out, and are all inclusive :)

Hey !
Lol

Tunisian PM says police response time was too slow.

Just had a thought Lee.

Have you checked with your insurance provider that they're happy for you to go?

No I haven't mate
I did contact them via email to change the dates I should maybe double check as it was a policy for international travel not to Tunisia 

They generally follow the FCO recs, so as long as that doesn't change there shouldn't be a problem mate.

Yea I rang them yesterday that's exactly what they told me :-)

breaking news

UK Foreign Office urges citizens to leave Tunisia, assesses further terrorist attack as 'highly likely' http://bbc.in/1JRUpEU

Just heard this on the radio.  They are advising that all but non essential travel is cancelled.  Afraid this means you have to cancel Lee if they haven't cancelled you already. 

@BBCBreaking 7m7 minutes ago

Thomas Cook cancels bookings to Tunisia for next 3 months after warning that further attack "highly likely

no idea what we will do now at such short notice .......gutted

Do you have your travel insurance already?  Does that cover you for cancellation costs, etc.?  If you're all covered and you get all your money back, just look around for a last minute deal and go somewhere else. Greece would be happy to have you!

Yes we have travel insurance but the travel company will refund
the problem being it wont be straight the way 3-5 working days we where due to fly on Sunday

Can they nit offer you an alternative holiday?

not sure yet will have to speak to them tomorrow

Best of luck with it all.  I'm sure you'll be able to find something with them.

You should be able to find somewhere if you are flexible with where you want to go.
Scan all the travel sites and see what's available. Even if you find something that is more expensive, ask the Travel company to subsidise it. Better for them to have another booking then having to refund.

Don't be gutted, i'm sure they will offer you an alternative.

What ages are the kids and was it for 1 or 2 weeks?

kids are 11 15 16
we booked this in january

looking at rhodes corfu and crete at min looking promising !

1 or 2 weeks

just having a quick look at my works discount site, hit n miss as to discounts, seen really good ones  in the past and have had a bargain or 2 myself, also really overpriced too at times.

2 weeks

Thank you so much ....fingers crossed

not happening on works site, way dear.

Rhodes is pretty nice away from Faliraki. 

Had a great holiday here, and loved the place.

Might not be totally relevant, as it was 25 years ago :D

Hope you get it sorted mate, and still end up having a good holiday.

What I havefound is a fantastic price on a flight to Crete, ok so it is going 2 days later on the 14 / 2 weeks £401.90 base price for all of you. Easily get rooms all /inc on another site right?

http://flights.thomson.co.uk/thomson/en-GB/booking/select?step=Home&OneWayRoundTrip=RoundTrip&depDay=14&depMon=2015-07&retDay=28&retMon=2015-07&depAP=MAN&retAP=CHQ&numAdults=3&numChildren=2&numInfants=0&childAge0=15&childAge1=11&childAge2=0&childAge3=0&childAge4=0&childAge5=0&childAge6=0&childAge7=0&childAge8=0

That's looking great !!
Gonna ring travel agents first thing and try and sort something

Thank you so much :-)

Wish you all the best.

P.S I think it is good that the choice of travel has been taken away from you even though I know you had decided to go. Better now than Sunday. x

I agree also would of been even worse getting there and having to come straight back home


Thanks again :-)

Just caught up with this thread. What a bummer.
Hope you get all sorted soon.
If it makes you feel any better my sister had a nightmare with her holiday plans just before Christmas, totally different circumstances but they didn't know if they were actually going to be able to go or not 'til two days before, and she hadn't made any Xmas plans, no decorations no prezzies no food nothing.
When they finally made it away she said they had the best holiday of their lives, they were just so pleased and relieved to be there after all the stress they enjoyed every second  :)

hope u get some thing sorted

worth a read if you end up going to Greece
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/jun/29/greek-financial-crisis-holiday-plans-holidaymakers-difficulties

Thanks redsgirl after booking in January and cancelled with a couple of days to go is just horrible :-(

Thanks h I've just read that very interesting !

on monarch lee?

Monarch Airlines ‏

TUNISIA ALERT: Full refunds available for customers on cancelled flights & repatriation plans are in place. Read: http://po.st/Tunisiainfo

no thomas cook ....update to follow !

so after 2-3 hours of back to forth with direct line holidays they couldn't get anywhere close to the price to what we paid .....grrr they wouldn't in anyway shape or form pay the difference so we had to settle for a refund.

the refund was in my bank in 30 mins after they told me prior to today it would take 3-5 working days.

searched and searched and everywhere was either fully booked couldn't get 5 seats on a plane or it was mega bucks as was told all the operators have hiked up the price cos of us mugs that don't have a lot of choice anymore.

holidays come up on websites at £350per person allin but when you ring up its conveniently too late

managed to get this from ice lolly in the end.... carvel zante 4* hotel in tsilivi zante allinclusive for just under £3900 ....£1100 more but we are flying from stanstead now on Tuesday !

Remember Greece at the moment you need cash for everything. no travellers chques, no debit cards, no credit cards

i am sure you knew that, but just in case

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/07/help-greece-go-on-holiday-cheap-beautiful

Have a good time Lee.  Glad you found somewhere and Zante isn't so bad.

yea thanks tighty mate and doobs .......no more problems please !

aAny news scrap that. Tablet didnt update posts.

Glad your sorted. Have a great time.

thank you so much xx

Actually really glad we didn't go to Tunisia !!
It's really nice here in Zante :-)

Met my first wife there.....

Jeez,

Someone married you, then someone else married you?

:)

I got a lot of quality stuff back in the day mate, I wasn't always a fat fucker lol  :D

Then you discovered Asia ;)

Gotta adapt when you get fat!!!  rotflmfao

Funnily enough I first went to Bangkok when I was about 22/23 (1992/3ish), different game back then because there wasn't too many young foreigners around, I was basically   :o I went with my mum that trip and she was wtf at the girls checking me out. Not surprisingly it wasn't long before I booked a trip without her.  ;danafish;

<a href="http://s1173.photobucket.com/user/leeethefish/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-07/EC3FBE67-EAA7-4D20-B57C-F26C003B197F.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1173.photobucket.com/albums/r600/leeethefish/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-07/EC3FBE67-EAA7-4D20-B57C-F26C003B197F.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo EC3FBE67-EAA7-4D20-B57C-F26C003B197F.jpg"/>[/url]

Really pleased you are liking it and have a good holiday. Great piccy.

+1.  Said Zante wasn't so bad. 

here are one or two photos of zante !

ending up costing me over £1500 more but was worth it we had a great time


(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn173/leethefish1/IMG_1704_zpstvlzsfsx.jpg) (http://s304.photobucket.com/user/leethefish1/media/IMG_1704_zpstvlzsfsx.jpg.html)

(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn173/leethefish1/IMG_0912_zpsbmyocnfd.jpg) (http://s304.photobucket.com/user/leethefish1/media/IMG_0912_zpsbmyocnfd.jpg.html)

(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn173/leethefish1/IMG_1239_zpsfcvfv5xa.jpg) (http://s304.photobucket.com/user/leethefish1/media/IMG_1239_zpsfcvfv5xa.jpg.html)

(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn173/leethefish1/IMG_1131_zpsy4voaugs.jpg) (http://s304.photobucket.com/user/leethefish1/media/IMG_1131_zpsy4voaugs.jpg.html)