In wrapping up 2018, I hinted that there could be travel-positive changes for 2019. I can now reveal that these worked out: I have rejoined British Airways in a similar role to before, but with a (mostly) remote working arrangement so that I can stay in Bristol.
Alas my time away reset the clock on my staff travel privileges, which won’t return until October – and I’ll be at the bottom of the priority list when they do! However, I do have access to the more mildly discounted – but guaranteeing travel – ‘hotline’ tickets, so I thought I would celebrate with a short European break.
But where to go? Like many people, I have a steadily-growing collection of bookmarked potential destinations, and I was keen to make some progress with that. As this would be a solo trip, it made sense to pick somewhere that I could immerse myself in photography. With no additions last year to my list of visited countries, I definitely wanted somewhere new. And finally, I was hoping to find somewhere with attractive prices in Club 🙂
I settled on a very specific destination, inspired by a single view I had seen many an impressive picture of: Hallstatt, in Austria.
As usual, from a simple seed the rest of the trip grew. Rather than day-tripping to Hallstatt, I decided on an extended stay in Obertraun, across the lake. To get there I’d fly to Salzburg, then complete the journey by train; on the way back, I included a couple of days in the city too.
