InvictaMoto's Family Travels

If only.... If it wasn't for Covid-19. Today we would be heading along the Mediterranean coast with our destination of Lucca.  Our hotel just outside the city walls. The Hotel Stipino.  Our home for three nights and the chance for the car to cool down! Ready for a few days sightseeing in Pisa and Florence and letting the train take the strain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucca 

If only.... If it wasn't for Covid-19. We would have been up early to have breakfast and get over to the station to pick up the Train des Merveilles for a day on the train up into the mountains towards Italy. Luckily, I had waited before buying tickets. So no refund necessary.

If only.... If it wasn't for Covid-19. Today we would be travelling from Cuneo in Italy, down through the Alps to Nice. Our hotel for two nights is the Durante. City centre with included parking! Hotel Durante, Nice The reason is not to visit Nice itself, but we are intending on going on " Train des Merveilles " up through the Alps on less accessible and scenic routes.

If only.... If it wasn't for Covid-19.......... Today should have been the day we crossed the Alps from France to Italy with our stay at the  Best Western Plus Royal Superga Hotel in Cuneo. It is actually a very short day, 85 miles,  but the route from  L'Argentière-la-Bessée, covers a good few alpine passes including the Vars and Larche. We did this area way back in the 00's on the GS.

If only.... If it wasn't for Covid-19 I toiled over this overnight stop and originally we would have been overnighting in Annecy. However, I wanted to go over some of the alpine passes into Italy and then down on the Italian side of the border. So I chose a night at the Hotel La Gare in    LʼArgentière-la-Bessée. This is across the border in    Hautes-Alpes, department 05. Hotel de la Gare Today would have been about 250 miles but much of it on mountain roads and over some of the highest passes in the French Alps. 

If only.... If it wasn't for Covid-19 we would be in France and for our first night on the holiday I had booked us into a Kyriad hotel in Nuits St Georges.  As we are in the car we could easily knock off some higher mileages and with the Emovis tag in the window, we can easily go through the tolls without any hassles. I chose a chain hotel for the first night as we would be on the road a long time and a hotel that was easy to find, and has a restaurant onsite would be most welcome. May well have used the pool!! But of course.  We are still very much up to our necks in the Covid-19 pandemic and so we had to cancel the whole shooting match!

Another month has passed.  Another month with no refund from TravelUp. What we have had is slightly different bullshit email. Instead of telling us how hard they are working, as they usually do. They have now a bright idea where we can write to our MP to get the Government involved. Looks like we are no nearer getting out money back. It's only £332!. 

Still nothing from Travel-Up. On the MSE consumer website they are lists as being the 66th "best" performer when it comes to refunding to clients that had to cancel because of Covid-19.  Out of 70 that's pretty damning. https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/07/latest-travel-survey/

Whilst I have in lockdown I have read more travel books than is healthy for one person. Not only that but a motorcycle magazine I subscribe to, as well as one I have let lapse, keep filling my had with places to go. Claire is still keen on another cruise. Maybe a river cruise on the Danube or the Douro.  So that will most likely be a destination when I retire, or at least after 23rd December 2021! Being on a term-time-only contract at work means that I get school holidays, the same as the kids.  It also means that it's the most expensive time to have a vacation/holiday.  Cruising is no different coupled with fewer options in JulyAugust.  However, a pensioner can go any time. So I am looking at places to go. I would prefer the bike, and actually put some miles on it, but I know Claire would prefer the car. I plan for the bike and then give in to pressure to use the car. At the moment I am looking at a youth hostel based trip across Germany to Berlin. I've pick