To keep framing foreign travel as a holiday?

[stopgap]

I haven’t seen my parents in 14 months, as they’re in the UK and I’m in the US. I know it’s only semantics but I’m truly tired of UK politicians referring to foreign travel only in the context of a jolly. There must be thousands upon thousands of people in my position, desperate to see family, desperate for grandparents to see their grandchildren, and I resent the situation being presented from one perspective only.

There are a lot of people in the UK who haven't seen our parents who are also in the Uk in 14 months either, and grandparents who haven't met their grandchildren.
Travel to see family is non essential, unless to provide support.

How would you like them to speak about it?

Who chose to move away? It their fault not politicians.

Plus, anyone in the U.K. who is following the rules hasn’t seen their parents either unless caring for them.

YABU

It’s all non essential travel in a pandemic. I know it’s shit, I haven’t seen my parents since 2019 either and no idea when I will be able to.

I completely agree. Me going to see my family is not a fucking holiday. “Holidays probably not likely this summer” that’s great but I am not going to be kept away from my family for another year.

It’s still travel for leisure purposes though. It’s shit (my MIL is overseas so I get it’s shit) but it’s still not essential travel at the moment.

There are plenty of people in the U.K. who haven’t seen relatives in the U.K. for a year

Yanbu, but in real terms it makes no difference. I haven’t been allowed to see family that live on the other side of this country either, so no different to people that live on the other side of an ocean.

I haven't seen my parents since August and they live less than 200 miles away.

It's not thousands and thousands. It's millions just in the UK.
I get what you mean. Visiting family isn't jolly holidays. If anything I need holidays after to recover😂

It's because they're mostly old racists, for who foreign travel is exclusively holidays, they don't want immigrants, they're not immigrants they don't care about their feelings and mostly deny they exist, they're certainly not important to them, because the age groups and demographics of people who vote for them don't give a shit or likely even hear about if an immigrant hasn't seen their grandparent.

It's the same narrative as Brexit, and hoarding the vaccines. Nationalism, sneering and the foreigners.

Same here

Not seen my parents, brothers, nieces and nephews since December 2019

It sucks

Going back to my home country is not. “Jolly” or selfish

But things not looking good in Europe right now...

There are OP many people in the UK who have relatives abroad. Apart from laziness in language, in the UK events including holidays have become so emotionally invested in, that the impact of them being disrupted or not able to happen is catastrophised or exaggerated. So politicians over emphasise the importance of travelling for holidays, not just having time away from work for rest.

Being seen as the government who cancelled foreign holidays or events such as Christmas will be remembered by voters much longer than the general incompetence of most of the pandemic response.

I get where you are coming from.

Those within the UK can see an end point to the stay at home and being able to see people again. Those who live abroad don’t have any idea of when you can’t come here without isolation etc. It’s hard and difficult when you only have a set amount of days off work a year which makes isolating plus holiday very difficult.

Although I think USA politicians are also thinking of holidays and not visits to family as even if your parents could travel they couldn’t get into the states just now.

Does it really matter? Flying to see family does not trump people flying to go on holiday. We all have an equal right to it.

Well it is really a holiday, as it’s not for work.

YANBU. Perfectly understandable that we're in a pandemic but those of us who're desperate for it to end because we want to see family should NOT be judged and lumped in the same boat as those who just want 'a holiday'.
It's all the judgement etc flying around, people telling us to just shut up and be grateful for what we have.
Especially students/working professionals who arrived just before the pandemic, immediately working from home. No family no support not acknowledge.
If I hadn't been lucky enough to meet someone during the pandemic I would've probably had a total breakdown

@Thehop

Who chose to move away? It their fault not politicians.

Plus, anyone in the U.K. who is following the rules hasn’t seen their parents either unless caring for them.

This.

*edit not no family I meant to say not being able to see anyone..

Foreign travel also supports the local businesses in the country your travelling too, food in the mouths of peoples families, its just as important.

I haven't seen my brother, SIL and nieces who live 7 miles away, since last summer and even that was in a park with social distancing. The only reason I have seen my parents since then is because they are our regular childcare while we work so are our childcare bubble, even that is a quick exchange of child on the driveway. We also live in an area where Christmas was completely cancelled, no mixing. DH and I have been working face to face in frontline keyworker roles throughout. I had to go to my grandfather's funeral and couldn't even hug my gran, who had to go to the funeral director on her own having lost her husband of sixty plus years, reverb though she was entitled to form a support bubble because we all work in jobs with high risk of Covid she was too scared.
It is a global pandemic that has killed millions
Take some perspective, your holiday to see your family isn't essential travel is for leisure.

Haven you heard? Everyone outside Britain is totally irrelevant and it's our stupid fault for daring to have family not in this country.

No different than the millions of families who haven’t been able to see family in the same country.

It’s no ones fault if people choose to live in a different country than their family as it’s a choice. Surely the majority wouldn’t move away if seeing family so regularly was high in the agenda.

@KingdomScrolls

I haven't seen my brother, SIL and nieces who live 7 miles away, since last summer and even that was in a park with social distancing. The only reason I have seen my parents since then is because they are our regular childcare while we work so are our childcare bubble, even that is a quick exchange of child on the driveway. We also live in an area where Christmas was completely cancelled, no mixing. DH and I have been working face to face in frontline keyworker roles throughout. I had to go to my grandfather's funeral and couldn't even hug my gran, who had to go to the funeral director on her own having lost her husband of sixty plus years, reverb though she was entitled to form a support bubble because we all work in jobs with high risk of Covid she was too scared. It is a global pandemic that has killed millions Take some perspective, your holiday to see your family isn't essential travel is for leisure.

Sounds very hard. But you have seen your family.

Family members of mine of have died too. Some funerals online, some not.

No 'quick exchange of gifts' no walks in the park.

I do have perspective, thank you, but surely it's not hard to understand why people want to see their families. It's not just a jolly.

Plenty people in the UK have not seen the parents for over a year. I am sick to death of people who think because their family is abroad they should get special discompensation. Essential travel means essential travel whether you are in China, USA, Spain, Inverness or Cornwall.

It's not just a jolly

It not work or essential so it’s a holiday and non essential travel.