A Bay Area tourist group’s luxury vacation to the Middle East unexpectedly turned into a terrifying escape last week after the Iran war broke out.

The group, composed of 60 Chinese American travelers, was preparing to fly from the United Arab Emirates to Cairo when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, sending shockwaves through the region and disrupting regional air travel. The UAE became one of the most militarily targeted areas (opens in new tab), and Dubai International Airport briefly shut down as flights were suspended across parts of the region.

John Chen, 77, who lives in the Sunset, was traveling with the group to celebrate his birthday when they got caught in the chaos.

“We’ve always heard the old Chinese saying, ‘You shouldn’t go to dangerous countries,’” Chen told The Standard in Mandarin, referring to the phrase weibang buru (危邦不入). “Until you go to those places yourself, you don’t really understand what that means.”

Chen said that late Sunday night, loud emergency alerts suddenly sounded on people’s phones, waking them from their sleep at their Dubai hotel. Explosions could be heard in the distance.

“Everyone woke up in shock,” Chen said. Calling the hotel front desk, they were told it was safest to remain inside their rooms.

Despite the conflict, the group, whose 15-day trip was organized by the California travel agency InterTrips in partnership with Chinese-language TV station KTSF, continued with some of its sightseeing schedule. While traveling by bus from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, members of the group witnessed what appeared to be the interception of Iranian drones and missiles by the UAE military.

“We saw thick smoke rising in the distance,” Chen said. “That was likely debris from intercepted missiles falling from the sky. At that moment, the war suddenly felt very close.”

Chen’s wife, Lynn Ku, a news anchor at KTSF, sent back reports from the scene that were broadcast to the Bay Area’s Chinese community (opens in new tab) for several days. Ku said KTSF and House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s office provided information and guidance on how to make it home safely.

“One of Pelosi’s assistants was very helpful and shared resources so we could get the latest information from the U.S. government,” Ku said.

Another traveler, Tina Xiao, 66, of San Mateo, said the trip was supposed to be her annual long-distance vacation with her husband. She said the explosions they heard sounded less dramatic than in movies — more like fireworks — but the danger felt real.

“Bombs don’t have eyes,” Xiao said in Cantonese. “We were thinking about the worst-case scenario.”

The death toll in Iran continues to rise. More than 1,200 people (opens in new tab), including 175 students and staff (opens in new tab) at a girls’ school in Minab, have reportedly died in the ongoing U.S.-Israel strikes. At least six U.S. soldiers have also been killed (opens in new tab) in the conflict.

For InterTrips owner Alex Wang, the top priority quickly became getting clients out of the region safely.

Wang said the agency repeatedly tried to rebook flights to Egypt, but plans were canceled as airports across the region struggled to reopen. Each morning, the agency attempted to secure new bookings in case flights resumed. Eventually, it was decided to cancel the Egypt portion of the trip altogether.

“Our first priority was to get everyone out of the Middle East as soon as possible,” Wang said. “When something like this happens, travelers get very nervous.”

The agency secured seats on the first flight from Dubai to San Francisco, a 16-hour journey, after air travel resumed. The entire group landed at San Francisco International Airport on Thursday afternoon.

Xiao said the trip cost about $4,000 per person. Wang said the agency is negotiating refunds for clients for the canceled Egypt portion of the trip.

“The tourism industry is very fragile,” Wang said. “Tariffs, pandemics, wars, climate, weather — anything can affect travel at any time. We have to prepare carefully for every possibility.”