Off to a flying stop?

My first nomadic destination outside of Canada is supposed to be Bali. My flight is October 16, and I’ve got an AirBnB booked in Ubud, walking distance to a handy coworking space. All sounds great. One thing I didn’t know to plan for, though, appears to be the volcano that’s about to erupt on the island. 75,000 people have been evacuated from the area as of this writing; flights are still proceeding as normal but airlines are preparing for the likelihood of diverting to other airports when Mount Agung finally blows.

Of course nobody can say exactly when a volcano will erupt or what exactly the effects will be. So I don’t know whether by the time my departure date rolls around, the air will be filled with ash and dust and gases and flights won’t be getting in or out and everyone will need dust masks and there’ll be aftershocks every day, or the mountain will just let out a little fart and settle down and everyone will be living their lives like normal.

My dad’s comment was “Remember Krakatoa.” Thanks, Dad!

I’ve got flight cancellation insurance, and the AirBnB can be cancelled up to five days in advance, so I shouldn’t be totally hooped if it looks like it would be unwise to go to Bali when the time comes. I could probably change the second leg of my flight to somewhere else in Southeast Asia if need be, and the first leg of the flight to India, and spend the month in Malaysia or Thailand. But it’d certainly require some rethinking and research. Obviously I’ve been planning on Bali and looking forward to it, and there’s going to be extra expenses and hassle to change the plan so much at the last minute.

Welcome to world travel in 2017! Will it be a hurricane, a volcano, an earthquake, or nuclear war? Spin the globe and see!