Maldives

ONGOING escalations in the Middle East have seen thousands of flights cancelled in recent days, leaving even more stranded.

While the majority of those affected are in Dubai, along with Doha and Abu Dhabi, the airspace closure has had a knock-on effect to other countries.

Dubai‘s main airport is not just one of the world’s busiest, but is a major hub which connects Europe to long-haul destinations in Africa and Asia.

Not only that, but airlines that were due to fly over the airspace may be forced to cancel or reroute flights.

Here are some of the other destinations that have also been affected by the US-Iran crisis, outside of the Middle East.

Thailand

Tourists heading to Thailand have been caught up in the flight cancellations as well.

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Local media reported 59 international flights cancelled in recent days, either to the Middle East or via the airspace.

Thailand has already looked into offering support by hotels and food for those stuck at the airport, with plans for special travel packages for those still unable to fly.

Despite this, direct flights such as with Norse Airways to Bangkok are still operating later this week.

Others on social media said they were having to fly via other routes such as South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Another said: “Fly Oman Air – We just flew them yesterday from Phuket to Muscat to London”.

And Thailand is still deemed safe to travel to, excluding the areas on the Malaysia and Cambodia border.

Maldives

The Maldives is also seeing flight cancellations, especially those to and from Europe.

European tourism makes up half of the annual visitor numbers, with the majority of flights being via the Middle East.

Around 28 flights were cancelled over the weekend, affecting more than 5,000 passengers.

One person wrote on TikTok: “We’ve had to rebook our Emirates flight and we are going from the Maldives to Shanghai to then get back to London”.

Direct flights can still operate with Virgin Atlantic although these might now take longer.

The Maldives is still on the safe travel list.

Bali

Brits heading to Bali would have most likely travelled via the Middle East.

However, more than 15 flights have been cancelled since the weekend, affecting flights from Bali via Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai.

Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport’s Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi said: “As of Monday afternoon, a total of 15 international flights have been cancelled.”

Brits will instead have to look at flying via other hubs such as Singapore, with Singapore Airlines, or via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines.

Stranded tourists are saying they are booking flights via Shanghai instead, or to fly via Australia and Los Angeles.

Bali remains safe to travel to.

Sri Lanka

Tourists have also been left stuck in Sri Lanka due to the Middle East cancellations.

SriLankan Airlines has cancelled 10 flights to the Middle East due “the continued closure of airspace in certain parts of the Middle East.”

These were due to fly to Dubai, Doha, Dammam, Riyadh, and Kuwait.

Some passengers aid they were stuck in Colombo Airport, while others said they were having to fly via Bangkok instead.

SriLankan Airlines does operate a direct route from London once a day, which still appears to be in operation.

All of Sri Lanka remains on the safe travel list.

Australia

One of the main flight routes between the UK and Australia is via Dubai, which has resulted in many flight cancellations.

As many as 115,000 Australians are thought to be currently stranded in the Middle East right now.

Nearly 30 flights were left stuck at airports across Australia yesterday, with mainly planned to fly to Doha or Dubai.

Alternative routes include going via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong, or flying directly to Perth.

However, flights are likely to take longer due to rerouting to avoid the airspace.

There are no travel warnings in place for Australia.

Egypt

Egypt holidays and flights remain unaffected, with routes from the UK not flying over the Middle East airspace closure.

There are travel bans in place across Egypt, mainly across the Libya and Israel border.

However, the tourist destinations of Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada remain safe to travel to.

Turkey

Turkey also remains unaffected as flights from the UK do not go over the Middle Eastern airspace.

The majority of Turkey remains safe to travel to, excluding the border with Syria.

IF the bright blue waters and white sands of the Maldives are a little out of reach, then apparently you should head to Scotland instead.

The archipelago of Orkney happens to be one of Lorraine Kelly’s favourite holiday destinations, and even compared it to far-flung hotspots.

Talking to The Times, Lorraine Kelly revealed: “One of my favourite places is Orkney, where I’ve been going annually since 1985 and I still haven’t seen everything.

“It’s fascinating if you’re interested in prehistory, with Skara Brae — a stone neolithic settlement — Maeshowe tombs and wonderful ancient sites.”

She added: “I hosted the opening ceremony of the Orkney International Island Games last year and the sun shone like it was the Maldives.

“You need to pack your bikini and a balaclava. It can be sunshine in the morning and snow in the afternoon but it’s beautiful and I would live there in a heartbeat.”

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Orkney is an archipelago of around 70 islands and scattered across them are some incredible Maldives-like beaches.

Some of the top ones are Rackwick Bay on the north west of the island of Hoy.

The beach is surrounded by cliffs and heathery hills – and on the beach is fine sand and boulders.

The island of Sanday is known for extensive white sand with popular beaches including Backaskaill Bay and Whitemill Bay.

Another of the islands, Stronsay, is known for its quiet, untouched coastline with one of the standout beaches being the Sands of Rothiesholm.

Aside from beaches, there are small towns dotted around the island that can be explored too, starting with Kirkwall.

Kirkwall is the capital and of the Orkney Islands and a few years ago was declared the friendliest place in the country.

It was so friendly that locals even left their doors unlocked.

In 2023, it was voted the number one most welcoming destination by Booking.com, Kirkwall climbed from its previous second position.

When it comes to where to stay, Lorraine’s hotel of choice is the Foveran – just a few miles outside of Kirkwall.

Visitors can stay at the hotel with a bed & full Orcadian breakfast stay from £135 per night (single), or £175 (double).

A full Orcadian breakfast typically includes sausages, bacon, fried eggs, and black pudding, along with Orcadian bere bannocks (a rustic barley bread), smoked fish, and Orkney cheddar.

Each room has a TV, tea and coffee making station, free Wi-Fi and luxury Scottish Fine Soaps products in the bathrooms.

When it comes to other spots to explore, visitors often head to The Old Man of Hoy – on the island of Hoy.

The Old Man of Hoy is a 449ft sea stack made of Old Red Sandstone – it’s the UK’s tallest sea stack and a popular spot for rock climbers.

Visitors can get to Lamb Holm from one of the causeways in the Orkney islands.

Orkney is also a popular place for wildlife. And while you might not spot all the marine life that you get in the Maldives – there are some, like dolphins.

There have been over 12 species seen in Orkney over the years, like the bottlenose, white-beaked and Risso dolphins.

If you want to see them – peak viewing season is May to September.

Orkney is a prime destination for whale watching, with 90 per cent of orca sightings occurring there.

You’re likely to see lots of birds there too like puffins, guillemots, and razorbills.

The island of North Ronaldsay is home to its own breed of sheep with the same name.

They live on the rocky shores and exist on a diet that is made up of seaweed – which is incredibly rare.

When it comes to getting to Orkney, you can fly directly to Orkney with Loganair – the airline has direct routes to Kirkwall from Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness.

There are three main ferry routes to and from Orkney – NorthLink Ferries sail between Aberdeen and Kirkwall.

Here are more of the UK’s best islands that have been named, and they look more like the Caribbean and Maldives.

And here are five islands off the coast of the UK you can visit without needing your passport.