Don't forget to cancel your unwanted flights

If you have a confirmed booking but manage to get onto an earlier flight or even find another way of home, don't forget to cancel your original booking. Other people are waiting for seats . . .

Talk your way on!

Hubby arrived in UK this morning from Amsterdam. Having been told that all the earlier flights were full, he checked in and then went to the boarding gate for an earlier flight. Not only did he get a seat, there were many other empty seats. Worth a try, especially if you can travel with hand-luggage only.

I made it!

Having decided on a "divide and conquer" strategy, my husband and I got booked on different flights home. Mine was scheduled today and I arrived without incident. He was booked on an indirect flight tomorrow and managed to get a standby seat today, ending up in Amsterdam where no connecting flight was available. He has a flight booked tomorrow and will spend the night in a hotel. We'll both finally be where we belong one week after we were due to arrive home.

If you're still out there, stay in contact with the airline because cancellations are coming up all the time from people who never made the outward leg, have chosen alternative transport or found a standby seat on another flight. If you have somebody in the UK who can call the airline for you at local rates, this is the most economical option. And please be nice to the the airline staff - it's not their fault you're stuck, and they're doing their best to cope with an unprecendented situation!

Good luck.

Car share from Istanbul to London

More details here:

http://www.roadsharing.com/view/45794551-7bbb-4fbe-97f1-254840e0f104

Comprehensıve ınstructıons for travellıng home by traın

If you´re thınkıng of travellıng by traın, the man ın seat 61 has all the ınformatıon you need at http://www.seat61.com/Turkey.htm - the return leg ınstructıons are a faır way down the page.

Together we are stronger

If, like us, you have been stranded in Itanbul by the volcanic dust cloud, get in touch so we can pool our experience and maybe find a way home. If there are enough of us, for example, hiring a coach might be an option. You can contact me by commenting here: all comments are moderated and if you add your email or mobile details at the bottom I promise to cut them out before posting your comment.

Good luck everybody!