North East Nomads
When War Changes Your Travel Plans: Rerouting Our Journey to Thailand
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Travel teaches you many things. One of the biggest lessons is that no matter how well you plan, the world sometimes has other ideas.
For months we had been counting down the days until our journey to Thailand. The plan was simple: fly from the UK with Emirates, connect through Dubai, and head straight to Bangkok.
Then the world changed.
The News That Changed Everything
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As tensions in the Middle East escalated into conflict involving Iran, the impact quickly spread far beyond the region itself.
Airlines began cancelling flights and rerouting aircraft to avoid dangerous airspace. Major aviation hubs in the Middle East suddenly became uncertain transit points for travellers heading between Europe and Asia.
Within days, what had been a simple journey suddenly looked far more complicated.
For us, that meant one thing.
Our Emirates flights had to go.
It wasn’t an easy decision. Emirates is one of the best airlines in the world and the route through Dubai is normally one of the smoothest ways to reach Thailand from the UK.
But travelling through a region affected by conflict simply wasn’t something we were comfortable with.
So the North East Nomads went back to the drawing board.
Plan B – Sail First
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Instead of flying east through the Middle East, we decided to go west first.
Our new journey begins with the overnight ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam, crossing the North Sea.
Rather than rushing through an airport terminal, we’ll board the ship, watch the UK coastline disappear behind us, and wake up the next morning in the Netherlands.
It’s a slower start to the journey — but somehow that makes the adventure feel even bigger.
Amsterdam to Bangkok
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From Amsterdam the next stage begins.
Instead of connecting through the Middle East, we’ll fly direct from Amsterdam to Bangkok with EVA Air, completely avoiding the airspace that has been causing disruption.
It may not have been the original plan, but flying direct to Thailand isn’t a bad alternative.
Our New Route
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The North East Nomads route now looks like this:
Newcastle → Amsterdam (DFDS overnight ferry)
Amsterdam → Bangkok (EVA Air direct flight)
Bangkok → Thailand adventures begin
Sometimes travel plans change for reasons far beyond your control.
But that doesn’t mean the adventure stops.
If anything, it’s just getting started.
The Nomads Are On The Move
Travel teaches flexibility.
Flights get cancelled. Routes change. Plans evolve.
But the journey always continues.
And for the North East Nomads, the adventure to Thailand has already begun.