Final plan¶
Trip cancelled — Aug 2026 Colombia spine
Fully cancelled (decision locked ~11–12 Aug 2026) after the 10 Aug M7.4 quake wrecked the Cali + coffee itinerary that made the long stay worthwhile. Wedding gift sent; travel not going ahead. Outbound Avianca AL9HEK Classic: fare non-refundable; taxes reclaim £163.99 of £599.99 paid. United FareLock HD3DCB — do not / did not purchase (lock fee sunk). Hotel Chico — cancel under free-cancel by 17 Aug 23:59. Research pages kept for reference (dance prices, places, etc.).
Booked / locked legs only (historical for this attempt). Soft research lives under WIP Plan.
Update this table as each stay or transfer is confirmed. Free-cancellation deadlines matter — revisit before they expire.
When column rule: for every connection (flight, bus, transfer, etc.), always record depart and arrive local times (and date if the leg crosses midnight). Stays use night dates; event blocks use start/end local times when known.
Booked stays & transfers¶
| # | What | When | Where / detail | Status | Cancel / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flight — outbound | Dep Tue 18 Aug 2026, 22:05 LHR · Arr Wed 19 Aug 2026, 03:10 BOG (local) | Heathrow → El Dorado · Avianca AV121 · Classic · paid £599.99 | Cancelling · AL9HEK | Refund tool: £163.99 taxes only (fare £426 kept). Confirm in Avianca before 18 Aug. |
| 2 | Stay — Bogotá | Wed 19 Aug → Sun 23 Aug 2026 (4 nights) · early ETA hotel ~04:00–05:00 Wed · formal check-in from 15:00 · check-out Sun 12:00 | Hotel Chico Parque 93 by OxoHotel — Cra 11 B 97-03, Chapinero · Superior King · breakfast included · 1 adult (Alessio Lombardi) | Cancel (Booking.com) · conf. 6606.133.110 · PIN 3154 | Free cancel until Mon 17 Aug 2026, 23:59 — cancel before that. Was ~£333 / COP 1,414,340. |
| 3 | Wedding block (events) | Welcome Thu 20, 17:00–22:00 · wedding Fri 21, 15:00 → midnight (local) | Wedding · El Retiro de San Juan | Dates locked · venue locked | Stay covers Welcome + wedding + Sat recovery |
| 4 | Coffee region | 23–26 Aug soft | Salento via AXM — Coffee with hosts | Not booked (yours) | Match hosts BOG→AXM 23 Aug 11:50; onward → Cali (not hosts’ AXM→BOG; Medellín skipped) |
| 5 | Cali | ~26–30 Aug (keep Sat 29) | Dance + social · checkout Sun 30 | Not booked | CLO→BOG Sun 30 before United Mon 23:10 |
| 6 | Flight — return | Dep Mon 31 Aug 2026, 23:10 BOG · Arr Tue 1 Sep, 06:05 EWR · layover ~3 h 30 min · Dep 09:35 EWR · Arr 21:25 LHR | UA 559 + UA 122 · Economy (T) | FareLock HD3DCB — not purchased (£34.20 lock sunk) | Hold expired / abandoned with trip cancel |
| 7 | Flight — return (alt) | Sun 30 Aug 09:00 BOG → Mon 31 06:25 LHR via ATL | Delta via KLM | Demoted while FareLock holds | Skip Sat Cali if ever used |
Outbound flight — booking detail¶
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Booking code | AL9HEK |
| Airline / flight | Avianca AV121 |
| Fare | Classic (non-refundable fare) |
| Paid | £599.99 (fare £426 + taxes £173.99) |
| Cancel refund (tool, Aug 2026) | £163.99 taxes · fare £0 |
| Route | LHR → BOG (Heathrow → El Dorado) |
| Depart | Tue 18 Aug 2026, 22:05 local (LHR) |
| Arrive | Wed 19 Aug 2026, 03:10 local (BOG) |
| Logistics page | Flights |
Return flight — FareLock℠ hold¶
Abandoned with trip cancel — hold was never ticketed. FareLock fee £34.20 sunk.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| FareLock confirmation | HD3DCB |
| Hold expired | Tue 11 Aug 2026, 13:41 |
| Ticket price (was) | £743.30 (fare £548.80 + taxes/fees £194.50) |
| FareLock fee (paid) | £34.20 |
| Status | Not purchased — trip cancelled |
| Route | BOG → EWR → LHR · single United ticket |
| Leg 1 | UA 559 · Dep Mon 31 Aug 2026, 23:10 BOG · Arr Tue 1 Sep, 06:05 EWR · ~5 h 55 min · overnight · Boeing 737 MAX 8 · Economy (T) |
| Layover | Newark (EWR) ~3 h 30 min |
| Leg 2 | UA 122 · Dep Tue 1 Sep, 09:35 EWR · Arr 21:25 LHR · ~6 h 50 min · Boeing 787-9 · Economy (T) |
| Bags (United quote) | 1st checked bag included on BOG–LHR · 2nd ~£89 / 23 kg (estimate) |
| Seats | Not chosen yet — optional in My Trips |
Historical spine (cancelled): Saturday night Cali → CLO→BOG Sunday 30 → Bogotá night → United Mon 23:10 — not flying.
vs earlier Delta / KLM (Sun 30 Aug 09:00 BOG)¶
Same routing as before: DL 980 → ATL ~2h11 → DL 30 → LHR Mon 31 Aug 06:25. Book KLM ~£814 (not EaseMyTrip ~£761); Delta.com Main Classic ~£1,529 is a dearer branded fare on the same flights.
| FareLock United (held) | Delta / KLM | |
|---|---|---|
| BOG dep | Mon 31 23:10 | Sun 30 09:00 |
| LHR arr | Tue 1 Sep 21:25 | Mon 31 Aug 06:25 |
| How much earlier | — | ~38 h out of BOG · ~39 h into LHR |
| Ticket | £743.30 (+ £34.20 lock already paid) | ~£814 KLM |
| If you switch | — | FareLock fee sunk; ~£70 more ticket |
| Colombia cut | Keep Sat Cali + Mon Bogotá day | CLO→BOG Sat; skip Sat Cali; ~2 Cali nights after hosts (Thu–Fri) unless Salento eats them |
For “coffee/Cali feels long”: this Delta shortens the Colombia tail, but mainly by dropping Saturday salsa — it does not make Cali nicer. Prefer extra Salento + short Cali + keep United unless Mon-dawn UK is the priority.
Verdict (8 Aug 2026, superseded): would have kept United; trip cancelled 11–12 Aug after the quake — neither return purchased.
Logistics: Flights.
Bogotá stay — booking detail¶
Source: Booking.com confirmation PDF (bogota stay.pdf, recorded Aug 2026).
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Hotel | Hotel Chico Parque 93 By OxoHotel (aka Chico 97 / Chicó Parque 93) |
| Address | Cra 11 B 97-03, Chapinero, 110010 Bogotá, Colombia |
| Phone | +57 601 7429285 |
| GPS (confirmation) | N 004° 40.869, W 74° 2.752 |
| Check-in | Wed 19 Aug 2026 from 15:00 (early arrival requested ~04:00–05:00) |
| Check-out | Sun 23 Aug 2026 (until 12:00) |
| Room | Superior King, non-smoking · 1 extra-large double · private bathroom, view, A/C, safe, desk, flat-screen TV, minibar, free WiFi |
| Breakfast | Included |
| Parking | Free private parking on site — reservation needed |
| Manage booking | your.booking.com · Booking.com support UK 0203 564 6725 / abroad +44 20 3320 2609 |
| Research notes | Stays → Bogotá → Chico 97 |
Decision window: free cancel through 17 Aug 23:59 — cancel the hotel (trip off).
Still open (cancel only)¶
- Submit Avianca AL9HEK tax refund (£163.99) — Flights
- Cancel Chico on Booking.com before 17 Aug 23:59 — TODO
See also: WIP Plan · Wedding · Stays → Bogotá · Flights · TODO