My dream business trip turned into a nightmare after I was stranded in Bali for 2 weeks due to the Iran war
A Blackpool businesswoman’s trip to a dream destination turned into a nightmare of wondering how and when she would ever get home.
Yoga instructor Lucy Colgrave found herself stuck for more than two weeks longer than planned on the Indonesian island of Bali after the war in Iran meant flights to and from the Middle East were cancelled.
After almost a month on the island, meeting yoga teachers as part of her own advancement in the discipline, Lucy was due to leave for home on February 28, the day of the first strikes by the US in the war on Iran.
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As Lucy arrived at the airport, with friend and colleague aiming to follow the route back to Manchester via Dubai which she has taken on the way out, they spotted that the display boards showed flights to Dubai cancelled.
As uncertainty reigned, they had no choice but to stay longer in Bali, and it took two and a half weeks before Lucy found a way back, via a Korean budget airline flight to South Korea followed by flying to Manchester with Finnair via Helsinki.
That return trip - which took two days - along with the extra accommodation required ran to thousands of pounds of extra outlay and she is checking the hit her business account has taken as she finally settles back home in Bispham.
“Bali is a wonderful place and it has has some of the best yoga teachers anywhere, so it had been a very fruitful and enjoyable trip by the time I was ready to leave on February 28,” said Lucy. “But we arrived at the airport to see the cancellation signs after those firs strikes of the war and two and half weeks later, we were no further forward with Emirates.
“I think they were concentrating on getting people back home from the Middle East and their other destinations such as Bali were left to wait. It was just cancellation after cancellation. We did all the searching around to find the alternative flights and it took two days to travel but it was just good to get home.
“I was really missing my partner and my dog. I don’t think travel insurance covers such problems caused by wars so it was a costly extra stay and trip back. One upside was that we got to see a little but of Seoul in South Korea but we were ready for home.”
Lucy, who is on Instagram at @lucyglowyoga, went to Bali to complete her 300 hour yoga teacher training, making her a 530-hour qualified yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. For more information, go to eartha.life