Page 12 | To keep framing foreign travel as a holiday?

stopgap · 2021-03-21T12:50:05+00:00

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.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 31/03/2021 08:17

Which reminds me. EU peeps, if you have local elections in May, expect your polling card (mine came couple of days ago) and go for it!

Darbs76 · 31/03/2021 08:18

Many of us are in this situation - even with family in the U.K. I’ve not seen my oldest son since last August. They can’t open it up just for people to visit family, where do you draw the line with that? We have to suck it up, I moved 250 miles away and now that means I have to just put up with it until I’m allowed to go and stay there

diwrnachoflleyn · 31/03/2021 08:30

@Darbs76

Many of us are in this situation - even with family in the U.K. I’ve not seen my oldest son since last August. They can’t open it up just for people to visit family, where do you draw the line with that? We have to suck it up, I moved 250 miles away and now that means I have to just put up with it until I’m allowed to go and stay there

It's going to open up in the UK quite soon

. No comparison between that and travelling abroad to visit family.

TheNinny · 31/03/2021 08:30

Yanbu. Comparison to not seeing family elsewhere in the UK is not really applicable. Restrictions were relaxed in certain places (im in scotland) so it was possible for many to see family elsewhere. Whether they chose to or not is a different matter. And restrictions will be lifted on that much much sooner than being able to travel internationally to see family abroad. I havent seen my sister's family in the u.s. since 2018. She was supposed to be over last summer and this summer looks unlikely as well. Americans only get like 3 weeks annual leave max so 10 isolation isnt a feasable option for most. And it wasnt for a jolly she was coming over for, it was to help with care of an elderly family member so it isnt all on my shoulders as it has been all lockdown and to give me a break - and also meet my newborn who will be almost 3 probably when she finally gets to meet her.

Onlinedilema · 31/03/2021 08:36

It makes no difference what it's called.

PandoraP · 31/03/2021 08:56

I don’t think the U.K. should keep open for holidays. What will happen is what happened last summer. Lots of countries like my own will still be closed or difficult to enter whilst countries like Spain and Greece will keep open for tourists who will then bring lively new variants of the virus back and we will never get out of the lockdown loop.

diwrnachoflleyn · 31/03/2021 09:52

@PandoraP

I don’t think the U.K. should keep open for holidays. What will happen is what happened last summer. Lots of countries like my own will still be closed or difficult to enter whilst countries like Spain and Greece will keep open for tourists who will then bring lively new variants of the virus back and we will never get out of the lockdown loop.

No, they won't. And people won't tolerate more of these ridiculous lockdowns. People have been travelling since they could stand up. Nothing has ever stopped that so why should be now? Stupid AF. We have an effective vaccine.

GreenSlide · 31/03/2021 10:06

It's all the uncertainty that's causing most of the problems yet again. If the government just had the balls to say ok there will be no travel over the summer then people could get alternative plans in place (like arranging a private carer for elderly relatives, that sort of thing) and at least be able to start to accept and cope with the fact that they can't be with their families when usually they would be.

PandoraP · 31/03/2021 16:37

I think the government or scientists have already said no travel before at least august. I certainly haven’t booked anything. Not difficult to read between the lines. Many people have realised as Cornwall has been fully booked since Christmas.

PradaBallbag · 31/03/2021 17:52

@PandoraP

I think the government or scientists have already said no travel before at least august. I certainly haven’t booked anything. Not difficult to read between the lines. Many people have realised as Cornwall has been fully booked since Christmas.

No they haven't. Nothing has been confirmed yet.

diwrnachoflleyn · 31/03/2021 18:11

@PandoraP

I think the government or scientists have already said no travel before at least august. I certainly haven’t booked anything. Not difficult to read between the lines. Many people have realised as Cornwall has been fully booked since Christmas.

They've done no such thing, and there are exemptions and need to be. There are those who have to leave the EU following Brexit, not just a few, who need to look after business there. Others who have business and work abroad.

Too bad if some people don't like it, or seek to punish others, or try to shame them. Fuck 'em. I've had two doses, everyone I'll has had, I have business issues that need to be sorted in person. I'm going to see my widow mother as I could not be with her when our father died from Covid, do the tests, quarantine in a friend's cottage we've hired out as we'll be between houses for that time.

EileenGC · 31/03/2021 21:03

Various European countries mentioned on this thread already, France, Spain, Greece, Germany. Also the US

Ah, there you go. Privileged, first world countries, many of which depend on tourism and are part of a union which doesn’t allow borders to close as such. Countries a short flight away and with similar level of infections and wave trends.

I can tell you that my friends from Rwanda, Nigeria, Ecuador and Sri Lanka, to mention a few, weren’t able to go anywhere last summer.

I chose my profession and chose to move to another country because I was 2-3h away and £30 at most from my family and friends. Autumn 2019 I was going back and forth each weekend. That’s what I based my move on. Not a once-in-100-years pandemic which no one was predicting when I left my home country many, many years ago.

SuperCaliFragalistic · 31/03/2021 22:52

No matter how complicated your individual circumstances are its still a holiday.

PandoraP · 01/04/2021 05:44

@SuperCaliFragalistic, aren’t you repetitive!
If you go to visit your parents for a weekend 4 hours drive in the U.K. is it also a holiday? If yes then I guess your definition of holiday is any travel away from your home.

diwrnachoflleyn · 01/04/2021 12:45

@SuperCaliFragalistic

No matter how complicated your individual circumstances are its still a holiday.

No, it's not. And thankfully, you don't decide that, the government does, so has put in exemptions and people will use those to see family if necessary.

Pokercomic · 01/04/2021 12:46

I honestly don’t get this thread and why people are bring the race to the bottom in conversation. It’s not a competition to who has it worse you don’t say if you lost two legs to someone who lost one oh you have it better than me.

People with families abroad 100% have it worse and they don’t have a date to look forward to. Going abroad isn’t a holiday (like a beach holiday) but I guess it’s a holiday from work.
I guess some through choice haven’t seen family as they could have chosen to quarantine / pay for tests / take unpaid leave last summer.

People in the UK have not seen their families either, yes some through choice but you don’t know peoples personally circumstances (distance, illness, pregnancy etc) so again it might not have been feasible it illegal with tier 3/4.

Why can’t we all bloody just say it’s a crap situation rather than start “but it was your choice not to” or “I have it worse than you”

Please stop attacking people, I know everyone’s frustrated. But again it’s not a race to bottom....

IntermittentParps · 01/04/2021 13:00

Pokercomic, I totally agree. It's not a fucking competition. People just do go to live in other countries away from family sometimes. It's always been thus.
And so what if some people have the 'privilege' to choose to live in other wealthy European countries? It's still shit not being able to see family, whatever your bank balance.

OnGoldenPond · 02/04/2021 08:36

@SchrodingersImmigrant thanks for the information, I will look into using the property viewing excuse. Need to do something!

@Unicornflakegirl unfortunately my DM hasn't seen a doctor about this. That's the problem, she won't ask for help.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 02/04/2021 08:51

@OnGoldenPond let's be honest. If someone here though their parent is in this situation, they absolutely would (and did afaik) jump in a car or to the train and went there.

Hope you figure it out.

OnGoldenPond · 02/04/2021 10:17

@SchrodingersImmigrant yes if she was in the UK I would have been there a long time ago even if strictly against the rules. However the physical barriers against foreign travel will mean I won't even be permitted to board the plane if I'm not very clever about it.

The latest news I heard from Spain is they deported 50 UK citizens arriving at Alicante airport who have Spanish residency because they didn't have the new TIE residency card but did have the old style green residency certificates. Despite the fact that the Spanish government has repeatedly said the green certificates are valid for travel. There have been several incidents like this and it scares me.

I just want to make sure my Mum is OK