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.

Is there anyone that doesn't have close family and friends abroad?

Many, many people. And there’s also a difference between having some close family and friends abroad, and having ALL of your close family and friends abroad.

My family live all over the world, the closest relatives - my parents - are a 3.5h flight away. All my good friends are in the UK, I don’t live there anymore. I’m completely alone.

Try moving to a new country two weeks before a pandemic and having no one here. I only know my colleagues, who are all lovely people and have kept me sane throughout this, but they’re not my close friends.

Second home owners means those with money and properties on the French and Spanish coasts will have a justified reason to travel. Those without spare cash to buy a villa in Marbella, but who find themselves away from home, will be the ones that are affected by this.

Once again, people with money will be the only ones benefitting from all these ‘Covid measures’.

Exactly, BoomBooms. It's too common a thing to be able to make an exception for, never mind the kind of ghastly backlash and division that making special exceptions just for us immigrants would incur.

Are you asking for sympathy?

Well tough luck.

It really is best for all if you stay in the US for the foreseeable future, many people have had far more to endure, and have done so without whining.

When non-essential travel is permitted you will be able to take your holiday, same as everybody else.

We already laughed with mum taht we should write a house on me 😂
Even better. I can just go and view house to buy. Who will prove whether I am or not actually buying it🤷🏻

Second home owners means those with money and properties on the French and Spanish coasts will have a justified reason to travel. Those without spare cash to buy a villa in Marbella, but who find themselves away from home, will be the ones that are affected by this.

Plenty of people who are not wealthy own properties abroad, and now with Brexit, many will need to sell them because they are no longer allowed to stay in some European countries longer than 90 days at a time.

And yes, oblada is right, you can even go to scope out buying a second some.

So do that then.

As long as other countries allow entry without issue, local agents will probably be baffled by sudden interest in viewings😂

I am part of a family trust that owns a home abroad. Since my father's death, we need to change the trustees and I have to present in person to that and also some other matters pertaining to his personal estate and will.

Another I know, she's an only child. Her stepfather was her mother's carer (the lady has increasingly advanced dementia). He has died. She must go over there and sort her mother out.

Plenty of Brits abroad will need to return home due to visa changes/restrictions.

People have been travelling since they stood up and walked. It's not going anywhere because of Covid, no matter how much some people don't like it.

Spare a thought for divided families with children in different countries to one parent. Being unable to see your child for months and months on end is spectacularly hard - my partner is in just this situation.

Haven't seen my parents or sibling since August 2019, looking like I won't see them again until summer 2022. I could only visit if I could get a flight and pay for hotel quarantine anyway and they aren't allowed to leave. It's still awful it's being framed as 'holidays' though. I wonder how much of the business travel is actually essential?

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

This can't be right, can it? I don't know, because I don't have any family in UK (where I live), but there's lots of periods over the last 12 months where we're able to see other households? If I can see a friend at the moment, for exercise outside, why can't someone see their mum? Why couldn't they go in each other's gardens when that was allowed last year? I understand it's a different matter if your parents are in a care home, or one of you is CEV, but wasn't CEV shielding stopped last July? Some people, in some circumstances, have not been able to see their parents for a year, but are you honestly saying no one has seen their parents for a year unless caring for them??

I wonder how much of the business travel is actually essential?

Mine’s not essential. I can’t do it from home though, so I either travel for work when required, or I don’t get paid. It’s work, therefore it’s allowed.

I haven't seen my family in a year either.

Difference is we're all in the UK.

@BanginChoons

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.

Last summer was very relaxed in terms of restrictions. If you didn't see family back then, then it was your choice, not because of the Covid guidelines.

I agree, OP. Boarding a plane does not mean you are off on your jollies at all. For some, it is visiting family, or even a long distance partner.
I have a friend who lives in the EU, and his dad in Devon. His dad is very frail and elderly and has no clue how to do video calls (people who suggest Zoom as the ultimate solution to isolation can fuck off). Yes, it was his choice to move so far away, but in normal times, money and work allowing, he could hop on a plane and spend some time with his dad. Now that is not allowed.. and it is shameful that he can only do so now if his dad is in his deathbed.

You have my sympthies - I also have no family in the country where I live, not seen them since Dec 2019. But YABU.

If the travel restrictions are in the interests of public health, then it doesnt matter why you want to travel. Holiday or family visits have the same risks.
Its the exemptions I resent; either it is safe or it isn't. I think there should be fewer exemptions, not more. In the interests of getting this over with and the return of some semblence of normality.

I love that phrase—essential human contact—to describe what it is to be able to see family who live overseas.

I usually see my parents three times a year. We are incredibly close. My grandmother was an immigrant who maybe saw her family back home once a decade. But these days expectations about travel are different. I won’t always be flitting about to see family—my parents are in their early seventies—but I was brought up in an very close-knit family, saw my grandparents twice a week, and I work hard to have my children have a close relationship with their grandparents. They’re 7 and 9 and desperately miss their company.

@Daphnise, you total moron. I’ve lost two grandparents during this pandemic (based in the UK) and could not go to the funerals. My autoimmune health issues have flared up like nothing due to Covid stress. You haven’t got a bloody clue about anything.

I love that phrase—essential human contact—to describe what it is to be able to see family who live overseas.

You love it because it bolsters your argument. It is, however, untrue. People can adapt to living without that particular contact without long term harm to their physical or mental health. It isn't as nice to be told we can't do something we really want to do, but it isn't essential. People can substitute other human contact to fulfill the essential human contact needs they actually have. Having different expectations about travel doesn't mean your essential human contact needs are different, just your expectations or feelings of entitlement to contact with particular people.

I'm in the same boat, I live in the US now and my family is in the UK, I haven't seen them since Dec 2019 when I was home for Christmas.

I have an 8 month old baby they haven't been able to meet yet as well and I'm also getting married this year which they are likely to miss. It's really just the uncertainty of not knowing when I'll be able to see them again and that they've missed out on their only granddaughter's first year.

@XenoBitch we have only seen PIL once since jan 2020. They live 4 hours away and it wasn’t permitted to stay over with other households until July 2020 then they entered a tier 3, Sod’s law they went into a tier 2 and our area entered a tier 3 until Nov 2020. Then Christmas we could see them but not stay over again so it wasn’t feasible.

I think any family’s that don’t live locally to each other have had similar issues to being abroad. Not quite as bad as PIL being in Spain but it’s not a race to who had it worse.

Pokercomic you could drive to visit your pil and back in one day. You choose not to but there is absolutely no reason a healthy adult can't do two four hour drives separated by a long break in a garden without a night's sleep in between!

Especially two adults (you and your DH) together! Its pathetic to pretend that you can't visit people four hours drive away without staying the night! Its a choice - you just can't be arsed!

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme unless we have a new born baby and toddler and PIL are carers for an elderly relative right?

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme And elderly relative is housebound and needs a carer so PIL can’t drive to see us or meet us half way as they struggle to get rest bite from the council due to covid unless you have another suggestion?

Guess what I’m trying to say is you don’t know someone’s circumstances. New borns aren’t supposed to in a car seat longer than 30mins for the first 1/2 months due to risk of SIDS.

Cheers for making me feel super crappy in a super crappy situation where I would give anything to see any family and we have no support what so ever who haven’t met our child. You absolute cock womble....I’m going to go cry in the corner now.