The Best Holiday We Never Had

You know that feeling when you’re looking forward to a holiday so much, you could almost burst with excitement? Every time you think about it, a wide smile spreads across your face as your inner body is transported there for a few minutes. You can almost feel the sun beating down on your face and smell the unfamiliar scents of an exotic country.

Well that was us. We’d planned a big family trip. It was to be the holiday to beat all holidays (and for us that takes some doing). It would exceed the dizzy heights of our previous Asia trip last year and was even set to knock our Honeymoon safari off the top of our list. But then life got in the way. My hubby got sick. And instead of sipping cocktails on a beachfront villa in Vietnam I’m back in Blighty after an unexpected 6 week stay in Chicago.

My husband and I are HUGE fans of South East Asia. It was only last March we visited the region, taking in Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi and Singapore.

When we returned, I finally persuaded discussed with my husband that we should go to Vietnam. It is a country which I’ve always longed to go but which had so far eluded me, even though I was almost within touching distance a few years back.

I say a few years back, but it was actually 13 years ago when I was a fresh-faced 21 year old straight out of university, taking some time out to ‘see the world’. I spent three months in South East Asia exploring Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore as part of a nine month trip.

I must have thought getting my hair braided was a good idea at the time

During my travels, I simply fell in love with the area. It has a certain aura that always seems to draw me back: the history, the temples, the sense of calm and serenity, the people, the food, the beaches and, of course, the beer.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia, rocking a neck tie bandana

I have fond memories of my time there but it was all too short and I didn’t have time to travel as far east as Vietnam on the Indochina Peninsular. I could only listen with envy as fellow travellers regaled me with tales of its beauty and history: the UNESCO heritage site of Halong Bay, the charm and tradition of Hoi An and the craziness of Ho Chi Minh City.

For many, Vietnam is known for its conflict with America during the cold war, immortalised in dozens of Hollywood movies. But I have always longed to to see the real country behind the silver screen and get a sense of the people, the history and the legacy of war which has defined it for so long.

So, after settling on our plan to visit Vietnam, my husband duly spun into action (he loves a holiday project) so he spent the next few weeks scouring the internet for the latest hotel deals (as detailed in tips for booking holidays), he meticulously selected the flights and best times to fly, sorted out our transport to and from the hotel. It was all booked and we had been saving up to go. A world away from my backpacking days, we were doing this trip in style then planning on shopping in Hong Kong, getting measured up for some tailor-made suits made in Vietnam and eating our way through Singapore – again.

We had booked seven flights, would visit four countries, one UNESCO town and stay in five different hotels.

So, here is the itinerary for this trip of all trips

– We were to fly with Emirates from Heathrow to Dubai, staying overnight at the airport hotel before getting a connection less than 12 hours later to Hong Kong.

– Four days were to be spend in Hong Kong before going via Dragon Air to Hoi An in Vietnam.

– A whole seven nights in a luxury hotel had been booked in the UNSECO town of Hoi An where we would be staying in a beach villa.

-After some downtime and chilling on the beach, we were to fly with Vietnam Airlines to take on the busy streets of Ho Chi Minh City for four nights before hitting Singapore (with Singapore Airlines).

– One of my best friends Gen, who is also Mrs T’s godmother, lives in Singapore so we were very excited about spending three nights hanging out with her before heading back to Dubai for a final three nights of sun-filled relaxation.

Sounds good, ay? Writing it down has just made me feel a teensy bit sad – the best holiday that never was. Last month, instead of daydreaming about our impending trip, we were cancelling flights and hotels – attempting to wrestle back as much of our money as we could.

Life can get in the way of the best laid plans sometimes. We can always organise the trip again. We can wait. My husband’s health is the most important thing. At least I still have a husband to explore Vietnam with – whenever it may be! I’m just glad we were in America and not on a secluded beach in Vietnam when Cal contracted meningitis. I don’t think he would have still been with us if we had. So, every silver lining…

Are you a fan of South East Asia? Have you ever been to Vietnam? Or would you like to? Have you ever had to cancel a holiday? I would love to hear your stories. Just comment below.