August holiday abroad?

[CoRhona]

I know no-one knows the answer to this.

But is it likely we'll be going abroad in August? We have a family holiday to Turkey booked.

I think unlikely, sadly

I've just spoken to my brother on the phone about the holiday to Greece in July and how I've tried to cancel but have been told via email that the the cancellation fee is pretty much what the holiday costs and that we can't quarantine when we get back.

His reply?

Cancel the card they are going to take the money from!!! Say I've lost it, whatever, just so they can't take the money!

Is this right? Could I do this? Surely I am then liable to pay for it at some point? Bro says they will not chase, or not for long anyway.

I feel I shouldn't and never even thought about that until he mentioned it but he says loads of people will be doing the same!

@mizu have you not paid anything??

We have paid around 2/3 so there is no way we could do that. What I have done though is to make sure some is on a credit card so that we can do a chargeback (?) if needed.

I think you could cancel but I would expect to be chased for it...

Is this right? Could I do this?

Just don’t even think about it.

Quarantining after you return for 14 days would be the concern. So, if you go for a week, you may need to book two extra weeks of leave. But...quarantining may not be in place then.

We were booked to go to Portugal in August, but Tui have let us change our holiday so we have re booked for next year instead. Even if we could go, I couldn't imagine the anxiety of travelling at the moment or wanting to stay somewhere and have to avoid the pool/social distance etc.

It seems to me that the first European outbreak occurred in area most popular with tourists at that time of the year. Around the alps and Venice, then spreading out to Western Europe as people returned home.

Come the summer, come equal, if not more, amounts of tourism in the Mediterranean. People will be coming from all over Europe to the beaches, hotels and fun parks. Don’t tell me one or two asymptomatic people won’t get through this time as well.

These are places where people regularly go down with norovirus in the big resorts. I think we are playing with fire to open up mass european tourism. For what would be a pretty rubbish holiday anyway.

An Italian tourism spokesperson was being interviewed this week. His solution was that they would lockdown areas with outbreaks. But they tried this in February and March and look what happened.

coRhona - I've paid a 10% deposit and reminder of the holiday to come out 16th June, a month before we go. On credit card.

daisypond - do you mean don't even think about it = don't do it OR don't even think about it = don't give it a second thought and cancel the card????

I'm thinking about this a lot now and have found a phone number on last minute.com website......

Spain has announced today that they are opening up to international tourists from July. I think a lot depends on the two week quarantine still being in place or not and people’s appetite for risk. Also if we see a marked uptick in cases between now and then.

We're supposed to be going to Wales at the end of July. I don't think that's going to happen either...

We haven't heard anything from our travel co as to potentially changing dates (yet).

do you mean don't even think about it = don't do it OR don't even think about it = don't give it a second thought and cancel the card????

Ah, I worded it badly! I meant don’t do it.

We were supposed to be going to Turkey for the first two weeks of July but our flights were cancelled and refunded. We have a villa booked with it’s own little pool. I’m currently debating on booking for the first two weeks of September as I can move our villa booking to then - the flights are currently a good price and if I made a new flight booking it would be under flexible terms. Everyone else would have no problem with a home quarantine as I wfh and kids don’t go back to uni until October, only husband would be a problem. I reckon Turkey might well get an ‘air bridge’ agreement with the uk as infection rates in tourist areas are low and they’re politically not in the EU. Social distancing will be easier for us in a villa than it would be in a hotel, and I reckon flight prices will rocket if Turkey get an agreement...

Is this right? Could I do this? Surely I am then liable to pay for it at some point? Bro says they will not chase, or not for long anyway.

mizu Don't cancel your card; you will be in serious trouble if you do. They will chase you, they won’t give up and you could end up with permanent financial ramifications.

Yeh, I just don't think I could do it anyway. I'd be worrying like mad all the time heartsonacake I think you are right.

Just going to have wait it out.

The other thing is wondering if all parts of the holiday equation will still be in business by then.

The package travel co
The flights out and flights back (different airlines and ironically had been changed from TC!)
The hotel

We've got flights to Majorca booked for August and October (staying in family holiday home) and another weekend at the end of September.

We fully expect to have to cancel August break but still have fingers crossed for later in the year.

Restaurants, beaches and bars are opening up out there already so by October things may look very different.

Quick update, managed to get through to last minute.com this morning and was told by the man on the phone after giving my ref number that he could see on his screen that the flight was going to be cancelled and I would b sent an email soon asking if I wanted a refund.

Hope he was right and fingers crossed.

The rate things are going I think it will be very likely and that restaurants and things will be back open but with fewer tables etc.. so not too bad .

@mizu really? I don’t really know how they could see that ,let alone pass it on unofficially to the customer

Hearts in a cake - can you expand on what you mean?

I should be abroad right now, hotel won’t cancel despite country not accepting visitors. I booked on Booking.com with no cancellation facility.

After Booking.com leaned on the hotel, they agreed to move the booking to later in the year. However, it’s not clear whether we can go. My saving grace was that I did genuinely lose my card and I now have a replacement, so I figured they couldnt charge it?

Call me cynical, but I think these European countries know exactly what they're doing. "Reopening" to tourists will keep the tour operators/holiday companies/hotels happy, as they'll get their money whether holidayers show up or not. Most won't show up, due to the quarantine restrictions and doubt about whether it's actually safe, and would rather forfeit the money.

Countess Frog
I did the same cancelled my card for a holiday last year that I couldn’t go on
I reported as stolen and got a complete new card
I had a few shitty letters but nothing else
This was a holiday with Tui
I think it’s different if you have set a recurring payment as I had a nightmare getting 02 to stop taking money for a SIM card but they did eventually but each month I had to ring my Credit card explain and they would credit it back to my card

I really hope so, even if we all have to isolate for a fortnight afterwards.

Thing is if the flight and hotel is available and you don’t go you won’t get refunded any money as it’s available for you.
Unless you have excellent insurance you won’t get refunded on this as most don’t cover you for FCO advising you not to go or for just deciding not to go

Plus not to mention any quarantine you may have to when you come back
So your screwed either way . Personally I think it’s a nice little scam for airlines / tour operators not to have to refund anyone

I think it is very likely.

Were supposed to be going to Spain in September. If flights and hotels are open then we'll go.

Will the 14d quarantine be a thing by then? Nobody knows. No way of knowing what's going to happen yet.