TO WANT TO spend Christmas in Australia

[DropInTheOcean54]

Rather an odd opening sentence I know! This year I took my dd 22, her b/f 22 and ds 13 to stay with my nephew and family - their cousins in Australia. WE had the most amazing time (pre covid..just!). I would love to go there again - pandemic permitting for Xmas/New Year 2021. But I cannot take us all again. dd will be working by then - uni atm and I want to go with my partner and ds. In an ideal world I would love us all to come but I cannot afford that at all. I feel guilty about leaving my Mum home (she will be 88) and we usually have a family Xmas at my house with our cousins in UK. Is this a bad idea? Is it selfish?

I think travellers from the UK will still be quarantining by then.

You’re happy to be locked in a hotel room for 2 weeks once you land before you can actually start your holiday? Crazy idea.

I think what you’re saying is can go just pay for you, your partner and son to go but not your daughter. No, that would be pretty shitty if she’s the only one left out! Of course she might not want to go and that’s different. If your mum has other people to spend Christmas with that’s ok.

That’s all assuming all things travel are normal next Christmas of course...

You won't be allowed in. This is the current advice from the Australia Federal Department of Health.

Australia is not even letting its own citizens return freely at the moment so the chances of you being able to go this year is pretty much nil. Next year maybe? But I wouldn't bet on it.

Er no.

Would your dd like to go ?

And are you even allowed in? I’d like to go and visit my family this year (Europe) but it won’t really happen as there are no flights. One thing is whar we would want and another one whar we’re allowed to do

My sister lives there. The entire country is locked down under tight controls. International travel is difficult. Most of the states have restrictions about traveling across the country. It's one of the last places I would spend money going at the moment.

Did the OP not mean next Xmas 2021?

She says pandemic permitting in 2021 it's all in the OP!

I think it's fine, offer DD the chance to pay if she wants.vshe'll presumably have holidays and trips before your younger child was born

Hi all, thank you for your responses, No, I am not talking about
Xmas 2020. I mean 14 months from now in 2021, so Dec 21/Jan 22. A long way off. I'm just trying to figure out if it is selfish on my part. I feel like it is, yet it shouldn't be really . No way would I deter my dd from coming, I paid for her this year but it was a one off once-in-a-lifetime trip that I had planned for 2020 with a view to it being a kind of tribute to 2020 vision thing. I have two siblings so my Mum could Christmas with them without any prob at all and we are a close knit family so we all pitch in usually. I am not that stupid that I would be attempting a trip to Australia in 2 months.....Really.

The OP has clearly said this will be xmas/new year 2021. Hopefully things will be better by then.

@DropInTheOcean54 If your DD is not coming with you, couldn't she do something with your mum? You can skype etc on xmas day too.

@Parkandride

She says pandemic permitting in 2021 it's all in the OP!

I think it's fine, offer DD the chance to pay if she wants.vshe'll presumably have holidays and trips before your younger child was born

YES, that is exactly what I meant - in 14 months, not this year obviously! I cannot afford two trips to Oz in the space of one year! We only got back in March :-D No way would I be travelling anywhere this year. Thank you for not leaping in like I am total fuckwit. Yes I think dd would love ot come and I would adore it if we could all go again but she will be teaching by them - currently doing her PGCE at Uni - so possibly could afford it herself.

@Purpledaisychain

The OP has clearly said this will be xmas/new year 2021. Hopefully things will be better by then.

@DropInTheOcean54 If your DD is not coming with you, couldn't she do something with your mum? You can skype etc on xmas day too.

Thanks for understanding my original post. Maybe it is a little confusing for some but I obviously didn't mean another trip to Australia in the same 12 months! WE only got back in March :-D . Yes I would dearly love for us all to go again but financially I cannot do such a monumentally expensive trip for us all again . Skype and FT are great for that. I think my Mum worries me most as she will be 88 by then. That's what I am struggling with more I think

Currently, returning Australians are waiting months to get on an extremely overpriced flight. Then coughing up another $3,000 odd per person for two weeks hotel quarantine.

While this may have all eased by Christmas 2021, I would still have doubts about the possibility of just swooping in from overseas for a holiday - particularly from the UK.

Why waste time now feeling guilty about your elderly mother on her own and your daughter left behind, when it may not be possible to go to Australia in this manner, anyway. So YABU, I think.

Sorry to say it OP, but if you are basing what you can afford on current or recent flight costs you may need to re-evaluate as I suspect when flights finally do open up again, they will be astro-bloody-nomical in price.

Sympathies though, I should be Christmasing with my family in NZ this year and that's no longer happening. I've mentally written off 2021 as well and I'm just hoping I can afford the airfares come 2022...

@Meepmeeep

You’re happy to be locked in a hotel room for 2 weeks once you land before you can actually start your holiday? Crazy idea.

I mean Xmas 21 so not for another 14 months. I am not that stupid that I would attempt a trip to Australia during this shitstorm

Firstly I think that it's unlikely that it will happen.
Secondly as awful as it sounds, I'd appreciate the Christmases with your mum first.
Thirdly, I'd give dd advance notice so if she wishes to come she can. Perhaps subsidising.

@BonosSigh

Sorry to say it OP, but if you are basing what you can afford on current or recent flight costs you may need to re-evaluate as I suspect when flights finally do open up again, they will be astro-bloody-nomical in price.

Sympathies though, I should be Christmasing with my family in NZ this year and that's no longer happening. I've mentally written off 2021 as well and I'm just hoping I can afford the airfares come 2022...

ao sorry to hear that BonosSigh. It really is a shambles isn't it. I wasn't meaning this Xmas obviously, we only got back in March! I meant Xmas 21 leading in to New year 22

@Parkandride

She says pandemic permitting in 2021 it's all in the OP!

I think it's fine, offer DD the chance to pay if she wants.vshe'll presumably have holidays and trips before your younger child was born

Yes thank you that is what I meant, Xmas 21/Ny 22

@Whichoneofyoudidthat

I think travellers from the UK will still be quarantining by then.

By December '21?

@Meepmeeep

You’re happy to be locked in a hotel room for 2 weeks once you land before you can actually start your holiday? Crazy idea.

I mean December 21 as I said in the OP. Not in 2 months! In 14 months. I a questioning the moral dilemma rather than the pandemic situation. Taht would obviously determine decisions anyway

The OP has clearly said this will be xmas/new year 2021. Hopefully things will be better by then.

Not clearly enough obviously Sorry for misunderstanding.

Although Northern Territory may be closed to visitors until 2022 so hopefully your family are elsewhere in the country.

@SoloMummy

Firstly I think that it's unlikely that it will happen. Secondly as awful as it sounds, I'd appreciate the Christmases with your mum first. Thirdly, I'd give dd advance notice so if she wishes to come she can. Perhaps subsidising.

Thanks soloMummy That is actually my main and primary concern. It is not for another 14 months so I would not be planning anything for a while yet. But that is my main priority - my Mum

I think flights will be extortionate, if they are actually letting non-Australians in by then.

One of DH’s school friends is a pilot for Qantas and has been told not to expect regular overseas flights for another 18 months minimum.

We’re gutted as DH’s family are all there and I’m due in December. The idea of them not meeting him until he’s potentially 15 months old is so upsetting.

If it does go ahead, either offering your daughter the chance to pay her own way, or for her to spend the time with her gran instead sounds like a good option.

We were very lucky to have Christmas just gone and spend four weeks in Australia, so very thankful we at least did that.