Considering changing my sitting plans due to international events - any thoughts?

Malaysia has direct flight to London too. Just that that there is a difference in ticket price. Direct may cost nearly triple.

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@Anne.323 yes that’s correct. My flight via Shanghai I paid $580 one way from Australia. That same flight, I just looked it up, was $1,800 for just one leg from Shanghai to London. My first leg is no longer available but the following day is $1700 for that first leg. So instead of $580 for the whole flight, it is currently $3,400 Australian Dollars - one way :flushed_face:

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It’s like traveling business class now. And I don’t have that much money to begin with :sweat_smile:

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Yes Anne, hence I had to reluctantly cancel my trip as I only had a one way ticket and the return flight is getting higher every day. There’s always a tomorrow - hopefully :folded_hands:

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Just in from Forbes:

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I wonder if the ā€˜anti American sentiment’ mentioned in this article survey is imagined or based on real experiences though. There’s a lot of misinformation in the American media, for example about London. I’m on a London travel forum, and many Americans ask about safety, being under the impression that London is very dangerous which it’s certainly not.
I’ve not noticed any anti American sentiment towards individuals, they’re more likely to be met with ā€˜sympathy’ tbh.

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There’s a lot of mis and disinformation, that unfortunately is often not fact checked. London murder rates (per 100,00) are lower than many other European capitals and certainly American cities.

The website Nationmaster is a good start point for many different categories for comparison e.g. violent crime, that can then be verified,

The rules of this forum prohibit me from making any mention of anything relating to anti-American sentiment, that may or may not be on the increase.

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It’s an interesting question. I’ve read some other articles recently projecting that anti-American sentiment is growing, and that people are less forgiving of Americans abroad even when we apologize, these days. I’ve also seen some rather virulent posts on social media lately, but who knows who’s doing the posting? There’s a lot of trolls and foreign agents out there.

I’m in Ireland now, and I’ve been treated with nothing but kindness & empathy, as was the case last Fall. But I also don’t think I come across as the stereotypical ā€œugly American,ā€ and I tend to wear my thoughts on my sleeve… :see_no_evil_monkey::confused:

In any case, I was really posting it re: the point that travel was getting cancelled. Probably should have cropped the graphic tighter.

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As an American, it needs to be acknowledged that what is going on in America is what the majority of American voters voted for in 2024. That’s a very painful fact for the Americans who voted in the minority for exactly the opposite. The downside of a democracy is that the governed have the government they deserve and here we are.

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Ouch that hurts!

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I do wonder though if the American demographic that travels abroad has a more enlightened/knowledgeable perspective on global cultures/diversity/politics….. the American tourists I’m meeting with these days seem to be Europhiles. We get 11 million tourists in my City and I still have friends who are Tour Guides. (After I retired I became a volunteer City Tour Guide).

ā€œTravel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.ā€

― Mark Twain, 1869, The Innocents Abroad / Roughing It

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The more we travel the more we comment on the fact that most people worldwide want the same thing, a good safe life for themselves and their family. It really shouldn’t be so hard to have that.

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The amazing images from Artemis II make me reflect on the damage being done to our precious planet.

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Yes and launching Artemis II doesn’t help

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