What’s the best to do? Any GP’s or travel agents around please?

[Justourluck]

We are due to fly to NYC on Wednesday. We have fit to fly LFTs booked for Tuesday.

Wednesday gone DD started to show cold / Covid symptoms but has tested consistently negative on both throat and nose NHS lateral flows and the FlowFlex nasal lateral flows.

She’s proper rough, all the symptoms of a heavy head cold and I’m laying awake listening to her chesty, fruity cough and thinking she ain’t going to be recovered in time whether it’s covid or not.

We are fully insured but cannot claim under the covid cover if she’s not positive.

What should we be doing now, hang on and see if she gets a bit better, If a positive appears? If she’s negative on the fit to fly on Tuesday but still rotten or has bronchitis etc what do we do then?

Or pay for a private PCR?

Speak to GP on Monday and ask for a letter for insurance company?

BA will only offer a voucher to move the holiday if we can prove she has covid by PCR

Insurance will only accept positive PCR as proof of covid but she may be just Iill with something else! There are other viruses around.

I’m in such a quandary over it all I just don’t know the best way to proceed.

If anyone can advise I’d be really grateful

Hopeful bump

I'm not travel or Gp..

..but if I was in your situation I would get a private PCR today to settle that one in my own head.
Then I would get a dr's appointment on Monday and explain your going away so if she might need antibiotics please give them today.

Then I would just keep my fingers crossed. Kids often bounce back quickly, you have a few days still. Lots of rest and fluids

Doesn't your insurance cover you for cancellation due to any illness, not just Covid?

If she is feeling awful, she won't be wanting to go on holiday. Get a GP letter and claim cancellation due to illness through your insurance.

Sorry if i'm missing something obvious regarding why you feel cancellation can only be because of Covid.

Pressed post to quick. Wanted to add, good luck op, I hope she recovers in time

Thanks, of course the insurance will offer cancelled for any illness, it’s just a private PCR on a Sunday will probably be £££, will the results be back in time and without it will a GP allow her to darken their door, especially as the symptoms are basically covid.

Argh the timing is appalling. She’s 19 btw sorry I didn’t say an age.

She's 19 years old? Or 19 months?

I would just proceed as if she didn't have Covid unless you get a positive, there are lots of other bugs around. Is there any reason why a cold should turn into bronchitis for her? Personally I would just keep testing and go if negative. It's a full couple of days away and she might be feeling better anyway. It does take a while for an LFT to show positive for some people though, I've had Covid twice and the second time I developed symptoms on the Friday but showed negative til the Sunday.

Private PCR. If she is neg you can enjoy the holiday if possible you get to cancel and claim on insurance

My son came down wit h a heavy cold 4 days before we flew to Greece.
Tested negative every time. Bounced
Back now no sign of cold at all.

if she is actually 19 then that is a whole different story! Do you mean 19 months??

She’s 19 years old. An adult.

No reason why a cold should turn to bronchitis but her cough sounds awful. I had covid myself the week before her and her symptoms are like mine. Only difference is she’s not testing positive.

If she’s negative today she will have had this ‘cold’ 5 days. It’s just been a particularly nasty one where she’s felt properly unwell.

So if it isn't covid but she doesn't want to go on holiday due to feeling unwell then she misses out and the rest of you go. What's the big deal here? Also with regards to the dr not seeing her without a negative test - we are no longer obliged to test so that should also not be an issue.

There are so many posts on here at the moment where people are flapping around their adult sons and daughters like they are toddlers. It's very odd.

I wouldnt leave her behind, she’s be gutted! Regardless of her age she’s still our daughter and I care about her well being. If it’s is covid and we left her behind or she got worse whilst away that’s not ideal either.

Well 19 is a good age to learn that things don't always go the way you planned. Unless you are about to tell us it is the last ever family holiday you will go and then I think it's all very dramatic.

I don't really understand the quandry. Either she is too unwell to travel and you cancel and claim on insurance, or she is ok and off you go. Why don't you phone your insurance and talk it over with them?

Would you have to test before the return flight home? If not, I'd go if her LFT remains negative on the basis that kids tend to recover quickly from illnesses and it's been so hard to travel in the pandemic.

If she continues to test negative then surely you just all go on holiday? Unless she has underlying health condition that you normally wouldn't take her abroad with a cold/virus?
Insurance is for serious illness where Dr says you are unfit to travel. I'm not sure you'd all be able to claim on holiday insurance for cancelling for a 19 yr old who has a (non-covid) virus and not seriously ill.

It's only Sunday. I would expect a teenager to bounce back from most illnesses in a few days. Even if she's still a bit under the weather on Wednesday she'll probably be right as rain by Thursday/Friday.

I know saying don't not panic is easier said than done but honestly I would keep testing her every day on LFT for covid and see how she is on Tuesday. Chances are she'll be much better.

Good luck and hope your DD feels better soon

Thank you Cuddly, I know it all sounds dramatic but we’ve rescheduled this last family trip for us and our now adult kids for 2 years.
Timing couldn’t be any worse, I’ll continue to dose her up and hope she carries on testing negative

I wouldn't leave my teenager either. My son is almost 18 so I'd like to have as many holidays as we can before he dumps us for more exciting companions.

We thought we'd succeeded in our sixth effort at a pandemic holiday before Christmas and my 17 year old tested positive 5 days before we were due to leave. We finally made our ski trip a couple of weeks ago and it was so nice to see some different scenery.

Fingers crossed she starts to feel better soon.

Did you make it?!

We did! All passed the fit to fly tests.
Currently in NYC and having a great time. DD has taken it a little easier as she’s still really congested and tired and I brought lots of Sudafed and cough meds.
Thanks all, I’m sure quite how we pulled it off but we did x

Glad to hear that, hope you enjoy it!

Oh I'm so glad you made it and DD didn't develop covid @Justourluck
Have a great time

@Justourluck

We did! All passed the fit to fly tests. Currently in NYC and having a great time. DD has taken it a little easier as she’s still really congested and tired and I brought lots of Sudafed and cough meds. Thanks all, I’m sure quite how we pulled it off but we did x

Yay!! Enjoy!