To think 2021 holidays are doomed?

[YellowEllis]

Been on the phone to TUI again this morning trying to find out if the free amendment policy is going to be extended past April. They're insistent everything will be normal. Surely not? How with everything ramping up again can 2021 holidays possibly go ahead?

I've cancelled my trip to Australia in February. My Australian friends are looking for alternative places to travel to for the first quarter of 2021.

Well, I’ve booked one week in the UK at the start of the summer holidays in July. There was so little availability this year that I’m prepared to pay the UK premium so at least we can have a different view out of the window. Only if it starts to look more positive next spring will I even bother contemplating further afield - and I’n talking driving a few more hours within the UK - not abroad. It’s literally 1.5 hrs away so not exactly venturing far. Normally, it’s 2wks long haul or 1/2 weeks short haul in the summer for us.

We are supposed to be going to South Africa in April for Fil’s Birthday but we don’t dare book flights yet I suspect we won’t get there.

I've got 3 holidays booked, but I'm fully expecting that they'll get carried over to the next year at this rate.

I really want to visit family in the UK next summer. I have a British passport so can enter and isolate for 2 weeks, if necessary, but I’d stay at my parents house and they are both high risk, so I’m going to wait and see. I really don’t want to infect them and international travel is extremely high risk. I don’t think anyone can know yet what next summer will be like.

We had planned to visit Australia and NZ in January next year but have put it back to 2022.

It's not looking good for Easter, but I have hopes for the summer.

After all, the situation can change rapidly in just a few weeks (eg things are looking much less positive now than they did two months ago), so it's too soon to be writing off the whole of 2021.

I know loads of people starting to book skiing trips for Feb/March!

Wishful thinking I guess. I just want TUI to extend their free amendments. I'm supposed to be getting married abroad with them just outside of their current free amendment dates. Our guests are (understandably) dropping like flies. We're tied in to a small bloody fortune for a wedding we no longer want if parents and certain family aren't attending. I just want it to be cancelled or pushed a year!! Full of dread that we'll have to go ahead with a wedding that's so far from what we originally planned.

We were supposed to be visiting DS in Australia over Christmas, and then back there for a wedding in April.

We've known that Christmas will be cancelled for a while - although I haven't yet cancelled the flights incase there's a miracle! I really thought that we would be ok for April though, but DS said this morning that they were saying in Aus that their borders will be closed until late 21/early 22.

@KnightsofColumbusThatHurt

I know loads of people starting to book skiing trips for Feb/March!

Oh that's just what we need! Did they not learn from this year. I hope they're made to isolate. FFS

@YellowEllis. I'm sorry to hear about your wedding.

Have you tried MSE to see if there's any advice about getting refunds?

YANBU.
Not bothering booking anything abroad for next year.
Can't see how things will have improved by then.
Its not looking good for 2021.

Maybe because next summer is 8 months away?

Seems to me that the country is split in two. One half think 'we have to live our lives, and can't be controlled by a virus' (or the law!). The second half think we can't go outside our immediate garden or speak to anyone.

Surely there has to be a midway - but sadly people seem to be either totally ruled by the Govt. advice, or they totally ignore it.

This is where the Govt. has got it wrong - they were relying on people using their commonsense, and as a nation, it's gone missing!

I reckon we'll all have figured out how to live with it by next summer. I'm planning to go away, very happy to self isolate afterwards if that's what's required.

We had our australia holiday cancelled this year and decided to wait until 22 to rebook. I though easter would be a risky time too.

I was considering booking an air bnb type place in the south of france, that would be much easier to cancel.

I was planning a trip to India this time next year. Realistically I can’t see it happening until 2023 at the earliest. So sorry about your wedding @YellowEllis. Can you get your money back?

I would not book anything for next year unless it can be cancelled at no or minimal cost.

Way back in May, we were given the chance of a Caribbean holiday in February 2021. I remember saying to DH that it would surely all be over by then!! Ha Ha! Anyway, realism struck and we have booked for February 2022 instead - just hope that it will be possible by then.

We have three trips booked for 2021. Two are re-bookings from this year, the other was booked in a fit of optimism back in August.

I can live without two of them but I'll be gutted if the main one doesn't happen again.

I'm not risking getting excited though. It's so fucking depressing isn't it?

I just want TUI to extend their free amendments

Well, if next year is off as well they'll probably go bust.

I'm currently dithering over whether to book something UK based for may half term just so we have something to look forward to!

Not for us. Just bought a VW transporter. Looking forward to wild campervanning next year.

Nobody is going anywhere soon. Unless you are a retired millionaire, don’t book anything. It’s shit.