I've got an odd request.

[oddline@tacobelllabs.net]

@gcvsa @Teaceratops sadly most shipping lines stopped taking passengers in 2020, and never restarted.

the only one I know that still runs goes from somewhere in Germany to South Africa

(I also don't think they'd accept passengers with serious health issues in any case)

[purplechair@peoplemaking.games]

@Teaceratops Ignoring time and cost issues, my vote would be this 'cruise to Vancouver, trans-Canadian rail tour with a break in Montreal, cruise from Halifax to the UK' option. Seems easiest visa-wise and has the benefit (?) of getting to stop in with yous along the way.

This whole situation sounds really complicated and stressful, but hopefully will make for an amazing family story once this is all over??

I looked up a cruise although I imagine you have already done all this sort of thing: https://ozcruising.com.au/searchcruise/bysearchbar/0/-111/-111/639/false/-111/-111/-111/-111/all/693

[teaceratops@peoplemaking.games]

@purplechair yeah, that's my feelings too - it also gives them a mid-trip break to recover, if they're not feeling so well still. If they do the full trip on one cruise, and something happens again, the next country might be somewhere less comfortable for them to stay in.

And yeah, they have 3 adult kids, so the first thing everyone did was search cruises 🤣 I was actually the slow one there. I want them to have a couple of back-up plans should the situation change.

[teaceratops@peoplemaking.games]

@WarmasterPalak unfortunately. It is extraordinarily difficult for British people to exit India on anything other than a plane. Possibly impossible for 2 people in their late 70s with new health conditions. We used to live there for a few years, and yeah, while possible, it's not encouraged.

[teaceratops@peoplemaking.games]

@markjustmark at the moment, the doctors are trying to figure out what *caused* the problem in the first place, but at the moment. It's a 'no flying ever again. Unless we magically figure out why this thing happened'.

[davidschulz@social.linux.pizza]

@Teaceratops I’m seeing you’ve had a lot of replies that I don’t have visibility of, so apologies if I’m repeating.

Will rail travel to Perth work? You can ride the Indian Pacific to Perth - https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/indian-pacific/

Fair warning it’s not a ‘real’ intercity rail experience like you might find in a civilised country. It’s more of a novelty tourism experience. Kinda like “experience rail travel from a bygone era because we haven’t made any infrastructure investment in high speed rail.” Although I think you’re not supposed to say the second part out loud.

It will be slow and expensive but it will get them there.

[literatesavant@mastodon.au]

@Teaceratops did they take out travel insurance? Sometimes these policies include medical evacuation assistance. Letting the pros figure this out if possible would take a lot of load off you, because the logistics of figuring this out yourself are going to be tough.

[panda@freiburg.social]

@Teaceratops some container ships offer quite comfortable transportation for normal passengers.
I know of a German company offering this under the term "Frachtschiff Reisen".
Good luck

[panda@freiburg.social]

@Teaceratops here we go. Australia to Asia and Asia to Europe
https://cargoholidays.com/australasia-cargo-ship-travel-australasia-cargoship-voyage-travel-by-australasia-cargo-ship-cargoholidays-voyages-en-cargo-australasia-freighter-travel

[warmasterpalak@meow.social]

@Teaceratops

Yeah, I was trying to avoid sending them through Russia.

[clock@f.cz]

@Teaceratops Ferry to Indonesia, then ferries between Indonesian islands, then there's a small gap to Eurasian continent and then train or buses across several dangerous dictatorships?

[teaceratops@peoplemaking.games]

@WarmasterPalak no worries! If we have to send them on a multi-transit journey, we're going to look at sending them through Canada, as that's where me and my husband live now (They're his parents), so if something goes wrong, one of us could go and rescue them.

Of all the places to be stranded. Australia is proving the most difficult to get them back from 😓

[warmasterpalak@meow.social]

@Teaceratops

Yeah. My housemate just went to visit their fiance in Oz, and even flying it was almost 24 hours in the air. Half a days difference in time zones. My nighttime activities were their morning.

China to Japan, and then to Canada might be viable. And certainly easier to get to the UK from Canada than the US right now.

[carbsrule_en@polyglot.city]

@Teaceratops cruise ships are almost definitely going to be the only way that works for your situation. (Fit and healthy youngsters with no dietary requirements could go on cargo ships with a lot of organisation and patience)

Ideally there'd be a passenger ferry from Perth or Darwin to Indonesia and from there to Singapore, but instead I think the decision was made long ago that Australians would have to fly to leave the country.

[gcvsa@mstdn.plus]

@oddline @Teaceratops That's very unfortunate to hear.