Spain or not to Spain?

[oopsywoopsy]

DH wants us to fly to Spain in a couple of weeks for a family holiday. We have a villa there with our own pool. There's only the one week in August we can go due to DH work, and bonus that flights are a great price.

I feel we all need the break (esp me who was home with our 3 young kids during whole of lockdown as DH worked throughout.) Feel the kids deserve it as they have been great and missed out on a lot same as everyone else.)

I'm reluctant due to the following reasons:

1. Not sure is it soon to fly with COVID, is it worth the risk?

1. My youngest would turn 2 while we would be away and I know grandparents would be upset not seeing him on his special day.

1. I'm actually scared to tell my Mum if we do book it as she's strongly against travel at the moment, is very judgemental and throws major strops. Think she will probably not speak to us for a while. (My sister is 7 months pregnant which will make her even more against it.)

1. Had invited a few family members, little cousins over to celebrate the little ones birthday in the garden so would have to cancel/ rearrange.

1. Have a family member coming with his child to the garden get together who were going to stay the night. (He's having a hard break up and I know it meant a lot to him & he was really looking fwd to it.)Worried about letting him down/ upsetting him. (Also had him up last weekend.)

1. Could rearrange get together for the next day but know some family members would feel uncomfortable that we had just stepped off a plane.

AIBU to deprive my family of a holiday because I'm mainly worried about upsetting/ letting other people down?

Do you think it's to early to fly?

Definitely go, it sounds like your family needs a break. I should be in Spain right now and I would have 100% gone if my flights hadn't been cancelled.

I'm so bored of the 'why can't people wait till next year' brigade.

I wouldnt go.

If you want to go do so but for the love of God please dont arrange a whole load of meet ups for the week you get back. How about wait a week and see whether you got away with it?

Definitely go! We are there and it is fab. Having a brilliant holiday! Don’t listen to the dementors...

If I understood correctly you own the property in Spain?
If that is the case I would definitely go and for longer than a week. You spend a week having a family holiday, your husband returns to UK to work (unless he could work from Spain) and you and the children stay on for a couple more weeks. Husband flies out for weekend/long weekend and you all return together.
That way everyone gets a break and change of scenery, plus you can check that all is in order with the Spanish property.
As for family creating a fuss, tough luck. As previous posters have said, you can distance for a while when you get back.
Chances of getting ill are about the same as on any holiday, wherever it is. Plenty of measures in place at airports and in planes. You are in your own property in Spain, so not needing to deal with a hotel environment.

If you do go, make sure you have adequate travel insurance.

I wouldn’t go but I suffer with bad health anxiety so that probably clouds my judgement a bit.
If everything has calmed right down by next April then I’ll likely go abroad over Easter. I’ll just be holidaying in the UK this year an hour from where we live

I don't think it's being dementory to point out potential financial implications of any travel abroad.
I'm certainly not in the no foreign travel until 2021 at the earliest brigade, but whilst a couple of weeks ago I'd have said go for sure now I'd be more cautious.
The numbers in Spain have increased recently and whilst I personally might feel that's a risk worth taking, if your return flight is cancelled or you're forced to quarantine for a fortnight when you get back, that could be major issues for some.

So... decision made we are not going.

My 6 year old who is admittedly a worrier had a total meltdown today. (Completely out of character.)
She was sobbing that she didn't want to go on a plane, risk anyone getting ill, asking why would Daddy even consider it?

It was heartbreaking.

Both elder kids very upset about having to postpone another birthday bash, this will be first time they have seen their cousins in months and they are so excited for the little one, so to them that was more appealing.

DH says he will look for something in this country... we do need a break. (Still feel slightly nervous.)
Seeing my daughters reaction has made this clear.

I’m sorry your daughter got so very upset, it’s a very upsetting thing seeing how the uncertainty is messing with the little ones.

Staycation it is; good luck on finding somewhere with a bit of sun and calmness.

I love the ‘we all need a break’ crowd. Literally everyone needs a break. This hasn’t been easy on anyone. Can people not just stay put for one year and survive without their holiday. Travel increases transmission. Everyone knows this.

Why, @Thereisalight7? Who made you the holiday police?

I'm writing this on holiday in a lovely cottage on the Yorkshire coast. Partner and I plus dog (who is going loco chasing his ball and sniffing in the huge garden) have been here since Friday and having a fabulous time.

I urge everyone to spend time here in the UK, putting money back into the UK economy (Gawd knows we need it) and exploring a bit of the British countryside.

I think not going abroad is the right decision at this point. Emotions are high and there's no point going if the process itself will be stressful. Honestly at this point just being away from home in a different location is an amazing feeling.

Why @chocolatesaltyballs22 well let me see, why am I not going on holiday this year..... hmmm... oh that’s right.. the global pandemic with a virus sweeping the globe. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the virus? You see what happened is people travelled to the Uk who had the virus and then they spread it to others. Then it took hold and infected and killed thousands of people

Why are you going on holiday? Oh let me guess. Because wah wah I wannnttt to. I waannnnt to go on holiday I’m so entitled.

@Thereisalight7 everyone needs a break it doesn't have to include travel!

My kids have been fantastic throughout... from what I've heard and seen most children have! But recently I'm starting to see that circumstances have affected them... myself also.

When I say need a break I'm talking about DH taking few days/ week off and doing something together that will 'refresh' us all.

I'm talking about having walks in the country, basically me having adult company with a 6,4 and 1 year old before I turn into an alcoholic! 😜

You sound super stressed @Thereisalight7 - the fact remains that you don't police holidays. That's really the end of the story. Perfectly legal and down to individual choice.

@oopsywoopsy everyone needs a break it doesn't have to include travel! exactly!!!!! It doesn’t have to include travel. People seem to have an entitlement that they need to go abroad in the middle of this.

I love going abroad. I go multiple times a year and just said to my husband I would love to be getting on a plane to Tenerife but the reality is the virus is still here. It spreads easily. It kills and debilitated people (I’m low risk so not worried personally ) there is a clear link between travel and transmission and we as privileged westerners can survive one year without a sun holiday. And I will never take foreign travel for granted again. But staying home is the right thing to do. It just takes one person in your hotel or airport or restaurant/pub to spread it to you and then the chain continues. We need to break the chain.

@Thereisalight7 there is no need to be so nasty in your response. If there is no vaccine confirmed for a while then we could have to live in this situation for perhaps a year or more.

There is nothing morally wrong about wanting a break with your family. If OP didn't give a hoot she wouldn't be posting here. Do you think it's wrong for people to travel within the UK for holidays as well?

Might be biased as I'm sat by the pool in Rhodes as I type this but...

I'd go. The extra measures are working and people are careful and aware for the most part.

@aquamarine1 where did I ‘police’ holidays I simply said there is a huge entitlement and selfish element of society out there now who insist that they need their holidays. Everyone needs their holidays and everyone would love to be on holidays but it’s the wrong thing to do this year and that is as there are clear links between travel and transmission of the virus and how this morphs into massive community spread.

To use an old trope it’s also perfectly legal to drink bleach and pour it in your eyes.. it’s an individual choice. Doesn’t mean it’s something you should do.

Where is personal responsibility and caring about the society you live in gone? The me me culture is depressing.

@Thereisalight7 why so salty?

If people don't holiday this year most places will have shut down by the time there is a vaccine. Next time you fantasise about that amazing All Inclusive holiday you'll be taking in 2021 or 2022 say a little thank you to the people who kept these places in business.

Did you know in Rhodes most of the island only works for six months of the year when there is tourism? It has been said to me that Covid-19 might kill some, but the starvation will definitely kill everyone. I'm glad to be helping the amazing Rhodians - people who work in tourism are so vulnerable and not all countries have a benefits based safety net.

You've just stated it's wrong to go on holiday as if that's a fact. It's your opinion, nothing more. You do seem very angry in your responses. Genuinely, I think you need to work on that. As we emerge from lockdown the opportunity for you to judge others with increase - if you get angry every time it'll affect your mental wellbeing.

Everyone can risk asses for their own purposes.

@DazedandConcerned ah I’m so sorry. You only went on holidays for the good of the tourism sector then. You’re struggling through it to help the starving people is it?

Your sanctimony is unfounded by the way. During the global financial crisis tourism had one of its toughest ever years in 2009 with huge numbers of people staying at home. Yet amazingly when I went on holidays a few years later there was a holiday to go to. So save your sanctimony. You went because you wanted a holiday despite all the evidence on international transmission. That’s all there is to it. Tourism survived the global recession it will survive this. People affected by the virus who die will not.

@aquamarine1 Read the below. “ Travel restrictions reduced the rate of exportation by 81% “

Why do you think travel now will have no impact? It is clear that it will contribute to the spread of the virus and to deaths from the virus. I’m perplexed as to why you think I need help when you can’t see that that is wrong?

The novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) in mainland China has rapidly spread across the globe. Within 2 mo since the outbreak was first reported on December 31, 2019, a total of 566 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS CoV-2) cases have been confirmed in 26 other countries. Travel restrictions and border control measures have been enforced in China and other countries to limit the spread of the outbreak. We estimate the impact of these control measures and investigate the role of the airport travel network on the global spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. Our results show that the daily risk of exporting at least a single SARS CoV-2 case from mainland China via international travel exceeded 95% on January 13, 2020. We found that 779 cases (95% CI: 632 to 967) would have been exported by February 15, 2020 without any border or travel restrictions and that the travel lockdowns enforced by the Chinese government averted 70.5% (95% CI: 68.8 to 72.0%) of these cases. In addition, during the first three and a half weeks of implementation, the travel restrictions decreased the daily rate of exportation by 81.3% (95% CI: 80.5 to 82.1%), on average. At this early stage of the epidemic, reduction in the rate of exportation could delay the importation of cases into cities unaffected by the COVID-19 outbreak, buying time to coordinate an appropriate public health response.