Grounded in my garden instead of holidaying abroad

WHEN I sat down back in January to plan our summer holidays, which this year included a surprise five-day city break to Bordeaux to celebrate my husband’s 60th birthday, I could never have imagine that the furthest I am likely to get is my own back garden.

As well as the trip to Bordeaux in south-western France, I had also booked a week in June to Valencia in Spain and a week to Split in Croatia in September, thinking I was making the most of the inexpensive flights for early shoppers.

I also booked and paid for our accommodation using Airbnb, who were amazing and refunded me when I had to cancel.

However, trying to get a refund from easyjet has been anything but easy.

I don’t want vouchers and I most certainly don’t want to rebook a flight any time soon, but trying to get a refund from the budget airline is proving to be a bit of a battle.

I have waited almost six weeks to be refunded for our flights to Bordeaux with not a word from easyjet, and the thought of having to go through the same long, drawn out process again to be refunded for our flights to Valencia fills me with dread.

None of the flights I booked were expensive, but it is annoying that the refund I know I am entitled to is so difficult to get.

We haven’t incurred huge financial losses, but my husband’s 60th birthday was spent in the garden and he didn’t get to see family or friends so it was unforgettable — but not in a good way.

As it was a surprise, he didn’t know what I had planned until the flights had been cancelled and this only increased the level of disappointment.

We don’t go out very much at weekends and our four children are all independent adults living their own lives so we like to spend our savings by going on holiday as often as we can. It isn’t normally three times a year, but it isn’t every year your husband is 60.

We look forward every year to going to new places, exploring our love of architecture and having lazy days on the beach.

And while I have a grand back garden that I love spending time in, the thought of doing this in between showers of rain and maybe worse does not fill me with joy. Right now I have my fingers crossed that the coronavirus pandemic will have lessened and maybe air travel will once again be possible so we will get to visit Split at the end of September, but the idea of being on a plane with strangers does concern me.

This year has taught me one thing and that is not to be so quick to catch a January bargain.