My throat continued to sting as I went to work proud of myself for successfully completing the PADI open water diver course over the weekend.
We returned to Thomas Cook in Marlow to investigate the possibilities of booking some flights around the world.
Given that we intend to depart on our adventure before the end of the month I was beginning to feel anxious about setting the trip in motion. We had had an unsuccessful appointment in the aforementioned travel agents just four days previous, but we entered with a positive ambience to begin the hard work again.
After an hour or so of 'how about' and 'what if' and 'can we' and 'is there' scenarios flitting between Ian and I, and us and the sales consultant, we left the travel agents with glum expressions and nothing confirmed, fully aware that to book each flight separately would cost in excess of GBP 5,000 each. We sat in the sun over lunch, in the company of one very annoying wasp, and pondered over how we could turn this awkward situation round. Hundreds and thousands of people travel each year at a reasonable cost so surely there was a solution for us.
There was indeed, and the thought arrived with Ian. Knowing that our departure from the United Kingdom had to be airborne with a Star Alliance operator and that the United Kingdom could not be treated as a point of transit with Star Alliance throughout our trip, we returned to Thomas Cook to pose the final question...'if we fly with Star Alliance to say Paris, which complies with Star Alliance rules in departing from the United Kingdom, then return to London with another operator as an additional cost, we can then secure a flight to arrive in Johannesburg on 1 October 2002 as a further additional cost and continue our Star Alliance flights from Male. As far as Star Alliance are concerned, our overland distance is then calculated from Paris to Male. Can we do it?'...'Yes.' Hoorah! I haven't felt so pleased since I passed my CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting in late July... In haste I almost threw my credit card at the sales consultant who was as pleased with the result as we were...probably more so for she too could rest at night knowing that our flights were finally sorted and we wouldn't take up any more of her time of a day!
Copyright 2002 Helen Fuller. All rights reserved.