To assume families with children too young to be vaccinated won’t be able to holiday overseas for years?

[ohcarolina2001]

So various countries are welcoming vaccinated people. By autumn my partner and I should both have had both vaccines, but our 1 year old DD is not eligible for a vaccine and by the time all the trials etc have been done on progressively younger people, we are years away from her being vaccinated. AIBU to assume we can’t take her on her first overseas holiday any time soon, because there is no exemption for unvaccinated children who can of course still spread Covid-19?

The only possibility I can see is going to a country which doesn’t require anyone to be vaccinated - but surely these destinations are a much riskier prospect (with an unvaccinated toddler licking everything and no vaccine 100% effective anyway).

Looking at holiday websites, most package holidays seem to be sold out for autumn already. These can’t all have been bought by couples without kids and older couples with adult children, surely? Have families with kids who won’t be vaccinated booked too and are hoping for positive news that kids will be exempt from the requirement to have their vaccines before entry?

We love to go to warmer places for holidays and spend a lot generally as a country doing it. I’m sure somewhere will have us, with negative test if necessary.

@Strokethefurrywall

I just want to bring my kids back to UK to see family. It's been 2 years.

But until the 14 day quarantine requirement when we return here ends, we can't go anywhere.

I don't want a "holiday". I want to hug my parents, my sisters and my best friend.

SD is still in place so even if you can travel there are rules still to follow.

I don't understand your comment @IceCreamAndCandyfloss ?

@Strokethefurrywall

I just want to bring my kids back to UK to see family. It's been 2 years.

But until the 14 day quarantine requirement when we return here ends, we can't go anywhere.

I don't want a "holiday". I want to hug my parents, my sisters and my best friend.

You can pay to reduce it to 5 days if you want but that means paying for private PCR tests. And it's 10 days now otherwise the quarantine I think :)

Sorry just realised you were probably talking about the requirement in the country you're from. In which case yes that's a bit shit if you have tests and quarantine on either end...

@Mabelene

It is, the Portuguese border closure was due to the Portuguese variant

There isn’t a ‘Portuguese variant’

I live in Portugal. The Spanish border is closed, I didn’t mention the french or any other border

Sorry you're right, I meant the "Brazilian variant."

But to be fair @Mabelene you did say "It isn’t currently possible to move around within the schengen area" which is more than just the Spain/Portugal border, and it is possible to move within Spain and France as a lot of my colleagues commute across it and my city is full of French people escaping the 6pm curfew

Within ‘all’ the schengen area. Ok?

We have booked two holiday abroad this summer. Both countries ask for a vaccination or negative test. We will just pay for tests before we go.

@Mabelene

It isn’t currently possible to move around within the schengen area, the border between Spain and Portugal is closed at the moment, unless you have Portuguese residency/citizenship

Is it? I don't think France restricts travel within the EU and they just lifted the 'motif imperieux' requirement to travel to a few countries outside the EU incl UK.

[quote changingnames786]@ShipOfTheseus at the moment travel for leisure is completely banned so the current set up of quarantines and postal tests amounting to hundreds of pounds is completely unrelated to holiday travel.[/quote]
Leisure travel is not completely banned everywhere. It depends which country you live in. My teenage DC lives abroad.

I agree travel for leisure isn't banned everywhere. My parents are planning to come here from France and don't need to justify why they're coming.

@ShipOfTheseus but we are talking about the UK, the mitigations you mentioned are for those who MUST travel coming back to the UK. When leisure is resumed for the UK, the mitigations will likely be different.

Oh sorry I see what you're saying, people are allowed here for leisure?? I didn't realise that. But my point still stands, I think the mitigations will reduce when we are able to allow leisure to resume for UK based citizens, I just think it's two different scenarios.

I hope not. I haven't seen my family in nearly two years and more then half of them haven't even met my 8 month old son yet😣

@RLJ1905

I hope not. I haven't seen my family in nearly two years and more then half of them haven't even met my 8 month old son yet😣

Thats rubbish. I have an 8months old daughter and my MIL hasn't managed to come yet (from India) but hoping to come in the summer hopefully. My parents (France) have come plenty of times in the last 12m so that's something. And so has my brother and his family. But we're hoping to go to France to catch up with my grandma and other relatives. Fingers crossed.

I have no idea but it might be difficult unless the dc are citizens of the country the family plan to travel to.

@oblada exactly right. I live in the Caribbean (BOT) and am able to return to the UK as a citizen but when I come back to where I live, I'll need to quarantine with my kids for 14 days because they're unable to be vaccinated (even if I am).

So the current requirements for quarantine here, negate any benefit that we would gain from going to visit family.

We're waiting to the end of 2021 to see what the world looks like. We were supposed to return to UK for the kids summer break (9 weeks) last year (and this year!) but at this rate, it'll probably be 2022.

And none of us are considering going to US at all given the inherent risks of catching Covid. They're only really just playing catch up in terms of vaccination programs.

Third wave now hitting Europe with the virus spreading exponentially. . I would think twice about travel abroad, for your own safety and because of risk of bringing it back to UK.

With the exception of essential work or compassionate reasons, I would also think twice about going overseas this year - and this is said as a keen traveler.

Some countries will open up because they want the tourist pound but is it wise to travel to a country with mid or high infection rates and low vaccination rates - and what is the healthcare system like there, for locals never mind tourists?

Just because we can do something, it doesn't mean it's the best thing for us, our family or the UK/world community. It won't be forever.

For selfish reasons it would be better if the people who usually go abroad were going abroad and then all the naice UK cottages wouldn't be booked up or have inflated prices. Still, we can hope for cancellations if the borders do open

Please look at this with a bit of perspective.

Your child is 1 year old and won't remember any holidays you may take abroad for many many years to come, when covid will be a distant memory.

I have a 5 and almost 8 year old who due to the virus have not seen their grandparents for 18 months and the chances of us being able to travel back to UK (British originally moved abroad for jobs) in the foreseeable is very slim.

I'm sorry if I sound snappy and indignant but I am fed up. My kids often cry about how stupid the virus is and they want it to go away so they can see their Nanny and go to her house. Your 1 year old won't care.

@MrsMackesy

With the exception of essential work or compassionate reasons, I would also think twice about going overseas this year - and this is said as a keen traveler.

Some countries will open up because they want the tourist pound but is it wise to travel to a country with mid or high infection rates and low vaccination rates - and what is the healthcare system like there, for locals never mind tourists?

Just because we can do something, it doesn't mean it's the best thing for us, our family or the UK/world community. It won't be forever.

For selfish reasons it would be better if the people who usually go abroad were going abroad and then all the naice UK cottages wouldn't be booked up or have inflated prices. Still, we can hope for cancellations if the borders do open

If it's legal to travel this year it's not really anyone's place to tell people they shouldn't do it.

I'm desperate for a holiday abroad this year. Fed up of constant disappointment.
Don't say they will be happy with walks and beaches in this country because it's crap and boring and all we've been able to do for the past year and I'm sick of it.
Kids deserve something to look forward too.
Holidays in this country are far too expensive and the weather is often crap.

Waxonwaxoff - I agree entirely.
If we can go to France we most certainly will.

@Waxonwaxoff0 I agree. I am very much looking forward to my two planned holidays. They may not happen but I really hope they do.