Australia is fast running out of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel but an unexpected issue has now arisen for our rising costs due to the “issue”. One ride-sharing group here called Didi, same as Uber, have just put a five cents per klm fuel levy on top of every fare, which goes directly to the driver. (Understandable) It’s not a lot but just a sign of what is probably about to become much worse on many fronts and how prices for everything is about to rise. All our food is delivered to supermarkets etc via road as far as 2,000 klms and much further to other cities. This will push grocery items right up, if trucks can deliver. The situation will no doubt end up global but we are so far away and our distances between cities is so huge.
I have had no choice but to cancel my trip to UK/Europe and associated sits as I can’t take the risk of being stuck in another country for who knows how long if this situation gets worse. Has anyone else cancelled or thinking about cancelling their overseas or distant sits because of fear (mine isn’t fear), or rising costs, or the possibility of aviation fuel being depleted? It’s hard. And hey, I know I’m not the only one feeling this way.
Back in February, we found ourselves in a similar position. Our UK/Europe plans (5 months, 9 sits) had unravelled due to the changes to UK entry requirements and the uncertainty around our citizenship status. With everything feeling a bit up in the air, it became too wobbly to keep juggling.
It didn’t feel right to leave our homeowners in limbo while things may or may not resolve, so we decided it was kinder to give plenty of notice and step away.
Definitely disappointing — but also, somewhat unexpectedly, a bit freeing once the decision was made and we could move forward.
Thank you @WeRPAWsome that is exactlly how I was feeling and it was getting to the stage where I couldn’t think of anything else. Like you, I could not hold on and wait so for the sake of the homeowners, I cancelled in order to give them plenty of time to find a new sitter. Felt like the world had been lifted off my shoulders once that was done and the homeowners couldn’t have been more lovely and so completely understanding. I’ll lose my flight and a lot more in Europe but I follow my gut instincts, hopefully they are right. The world will still be here for a long time to come and there is always another time.
Thanks for sharing your message, it made me feel like I wasn’t alone in my decision
So sorry to hear this @Ziggy but think you have made a wise decision. I managed to get out of Australia as Covid hit and, if I had been stuck there (missed it by a day or two) wouldn’t have known where to stay and would have no doubt gone through my savings. However, having spoken to some THS sitters and others who were locked down in Aus and NZ, local people came to their rescue and looked after them. I would hope that we in the UK would do the same for you, @ziggy, if you had made the journey and got stuck.
We’re apparently not about to run out of fuel but of course the price is increasing daily as will food etc.
I have a sit coming up on Saturday in Ilkley, Yorkshire about 188 miles from my home and will be driving at 50-55mph on the motorway being the most efficient speed to save fuel, no doubt being overtaken by lorries
I am travelling to Austria via Germany soon and coming back via Switzerland and a 7 night sit in Geneva which I’m looking forward to. After that I’ll be at home and have a couple of paid sits booked in the summer not far away.
@Chrissie I do as well. Unfortunately I had already bought my airline tickets and booked my sits before the issue began. Who would have known. But yes, I think it is the right decision to stay home for now, times are too uncertain. x
@Smiley yes, COVID was yet another example. I was actually en route to Europe at that time and had stopped in Perth for a one month sit before continuing on to bookings in the UK and SE Asia. Bang! I ended up living in a bus in the homeowners front yard for three months until one State border in Oz opened. I have remained firm friends ever since with those homeowners in Perth so yes, I was definitely well looked after, would have had nowhere to go had they not taken me in. I’ve heard stories of many in the same situation. I am sure I would be looked after abroad also as you say but as you also mentioned, I would probably deplete my savings very quickly under different circumstances. We were locked out of the world until I think it was 2023 so I couldn’t go anywhere but Oz in that time.
I had an amazing sit booked in Switzerland also this trip and was going through to the Baltics but aaagghh! Driving, yes, I don’t go further than the local places and do everything to save every drop of fuel. The govt has opened up our emergency bad fuel supply but some, mainly regional stations, have already run out. It’s not looking good for us down under. Our shipments have been received and no more looks like arriving.
Thank you for your reassuring feedback, enjoy those wonderful sits and travel. x
I hope you are right and I hope that we will be able to recognize it. Sorry, right now I am not very optimistic and have difficulty accepting all these changes impacting globally. During Covid, they used to say (at least in Spain) that an improved version of the world would come out of that. Here’s our improved world now!!!
I am sorry. I am feeling blue. I just can’t believe the maze we’re getting into.
@Newpetlover I feel the same, it’s hard to stay positive when we are heading in the direction we are. But chin up mate, as the great John Lennon said:-
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end”. Let’s hope so anyway x
@Smiley COVID was actually pretty good for me, hence I’m a great believer in fate. Yes, a huge Winnebago bus for three months. We all had the best time and I was blessed to have met these homeowners. After Perth opened up to a few northern regions, I could go north. I got to swim with the whale sharks with no tourists, I had Broome to myself almost and so many more things that I could never have experienced had it not been for covid. It was a terrible and a wonderful thing at the same time, for me. I was stuck in Western Australia for 5 months before I could return home to Queensland. I feel like it’s groundhog day now almost
Wow what an amazing experience, we were also in Perth during the initial Covid panic and decided to head off home via Singapore thinking it would blow over quickly. We’d decided to book the cheapest room at Raffles as it had just opened up after a 2 year refurbishment. We arrived to be told that as there were very few guests (just 12 including us) due to lockdowns in China we’d been given a triple upgrade to a suite and our own Butler!! We got home in England just in time for lockdown, but we’ll always be grateful for the Raffles experience which we could never have afforded otherwise. Covid took away and gave in mysterious ways.
@BonnyinBrighton what a fantastic experience that was for sure!! Great picture memory. You are correct, it took away and gave in mysterious ways.
Once I got back to Queensland, no other State people were allowed in which created mass hotel/apartment vacancies. As I had nowhere to go (I had no home left as it was sold to travel), I ended up living in a beachfront apartment on the Gold Coast for three months for like $AUD150 a week then a brand new high-rise apartment opposite the beach for another 3 months for a similar price. So yes, we certainly had some ups along with the downs. I hope this issue isn’t a repeat though, I’ve done the hard yards
Me and my family were due to start a housesit in a village on the Greek island of Crete, but the COVID lockdowns started, and (very long story) we ended up being locked down on Crete for about 2 years!
After the initial very strict local lockdown was relaxed somewhat, we got to enjoy Cretan beaches that were virtually empty, and made great friends with the lovely local people.
(I realise this is a selfish take on things, as those years were very very tough for the local hospitality-based economy).
Still, I do have happy memories of our very fortunate COVID time.
Oh @Rhe that was certainly a very long time and no doubt an amazing experience. Beaches are not hard to take when in these situations! Seems we all have some happy memories of an unfortunate covid time, don’t feel selfish x
It’s not selfish, it’s just polyhedral reality. It would be selfish if you denied that there a lots of other angles to this reality but it’s a fact that we feel and know more about our side of reality. It’s the same with fuel costs and the impact on travel and sitting. It’s the subject matter of this forum but it doesn’t mean we are not aware of all the suffering taking place in the directly stricken areas.
We love Raffles. Our last butler was a woman, who kindly gave me a birthday gift. Did you take the tour with the in-house historian? He does an amazing job. He’d worked there for more than three decades!
and there is always another time.
