To wonder why people are booking holidays abroad...

[MrsMillhouse]

... when the rules seem to change every 5 minutes?

I understand those desperate to see family. But otherwise I don’t get why you would take the risk of getting your holiday canceled or have to spend £000s on quarantine as the bloody rules seem to change from day to day

The government have been clear from the start that countries can go from green to amber in no time and so for that reason I wouldn’t book a foreign holiday.

People can choose to take the risk of going abroad and then having problems on return but I don’t think they should bleat about it if they have to quarantine afterwards as this was always a risk.

I do feel very sorry for people who want to visit family they haven’t seen for over a year. Maybe in that situation I’d risk foreign travel but just for a holiday? No way.

Currently on holiday in UK. Weather is glorious (too hot for me) and the holiday parks, beaches and restaurants are totally packed. It seems many have decided to stay in the UK and I’m pleased to see the UK tourist industry do so well finally.

In very early 2020, before Covid took off, we booked a holiday to Aus/NZ for early 2021. It was obviously cancelled and put back to 2022, cancelled again and now provisionally scheduled for early 2023. We’ve booked a holiday to Croatia for May 2022.

People are booking holidays because they have been told that getting vaccinated means you can get a green pass and will be able to travel.
Unfortunately there are still restrictions because of variants and increasing cases in various countries despite vaccination programmes. Things are changing all the time.
I'm vaccinated by the way but I've never been of the opinion that it is a magic bullet which will mean we can all go back to normal without restrictions.

People are absolutely fed up with all of this. They need to get away for a break. They've been vaccinated. So they've booked holidays.

I'm in another country but still read British newspapers online. The government keeps trumpeting which countries are on the green list etc but many of those countries are not letting Brits travel in (whether vaccinated or not). The country I live in does not allow people from the UK to enter.
Many people are booking holidays without checking the ins and outs and are taking government statements at face value.

I don't blame anyone for booking a holiday. I'm desperate to get away too but for me the whole situation is too uncertain. Things are changing too fast thanks to delta.

I suppose people live in hope, and if holidays are on sale people will book.
I looked at what was involved and decided I'd need a holiday when I got back, so didn't bother.
A few nice days out over the summer will do us, I feel sorrow for those who feel they need to get away from their life for a bit.

I can see why people may be hopeful for a rebooked holiday from last year. I can’t see why anyone would book one currently, particularly if you have kids. You are putting them at risk and the cost of having to isolate overseas could be astronomical.

My dsil is booking to go abroad but they have lots of disposable income, only 1 child, staying with family and run their own business from an office attached to their home. They can afford to quarantine both with money and job. Staying with family so don’t need to worry about extended stay if they become ill.

Like others we're hoping to be able to take the holiday we postponed from 2020. The idea of it going ahead seems like some wonderful, impossible dream and I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I feel very sceptical that it will actually go ahead (more about whether our destination will change the rules to stop us travelling than worries about destination being redlisted). Yes, the admin is a bit of a hassle but we're lucky enough to be able to afford the tests etc and it's still cheaper than UK holidays even with the tests.

The only thing I'm cross about was that I had to pay an extra £100 for a fast track passport application because post-Brexit I not only need 6 months before passport expiry to travel to EU, but actually 6 months before my passport is 10 years old (so I don't get benefit from the extra months I got from renewing early last time).

I am in Greece at the moment. If you are prepared for the cost and inconvenience of the worst case scenario then I don’t think it’s an issue. Luckily the rules have changed in our favour while we’ve been away and we’ve extended our holiday to come back after 19 July (we’re both vaccinated).

I don’t get it either. It seems morally wrong to be going abroad for holidays just now (when we could spread or catch other variants).

I think a lot of people got so used to their summer holiday abroad they began seeing it as a necessity not a luxury.

There are so many things one can plan to have something to look forward to, I’m not sure why that thing must be a holiday abroad?

@StrangeToSee

I don’t get it either. It seems morally wrong to be going abroad for holidays just now (when we could spread or catch other variants).

I think a lot of people got so used to their summer holiday abroad they began seeing it as a necessity not a luxury.

There are so many things one can plan to have something to look forward to, I’m not sure why that thing must be a holiday abroad?

Because different people enjoy different things and prioritise accordingly. Shocking, I know.

@StrangeToSee

I don’t get it either. It seems morally wrong to be going abroad for holidays just now (when we could spread or catch other variants).

I think a lot of people got so used to their summer holiday abroad they began seeing it as a necessity not a luxury.

There are so many things one can plan to have something to look forward to, I’m not sure why that thing must be a holiday abroad?

I am vaccinated, and I was tested on arrival in Greece and I’ll take a PCR test before I return to the UK and a few days after I return to the UK.

Before left I looked at the figures as they were and I was less likely to catch Covid-19 in Greece than in the UK.

I don’t see where the moral wrongdoing is in this?

We have booked to go to the US for August to see my family. The risks (just, at the moment) are outweighed by the reward.

But I am currently hunched over a LFT because my hay fever is bad. DS has two days of school left, then we are locking down and just staying home for two weeks. Flights have been carefully booked that if we have to quarantine when we get back, DS will be released just in time to do his 11+.

It's stressful. I won't be convinced were actually going until we are landside at our destination. And we will have to pretty much quarantine on our last week of holiday so we can come home.

We are staying with my mother and are planning to WFH there anyway, so we can stay longer if required at no extra cost.

And all the bloody tests look like they're going to cost more than the flights (which, tbf, we're bargainous)!

I wouldn't do it for just a holiday. Most stressful trip I've ever planned.

I don’t get it either. It seems morally wrong to be going abroad for holidays just now (when we could spread or catch other variants)

Exactly. When Delta first hit India, lots of people wanted flights from India banned etc. Why do people now think it is fine for UK residents to fly abroad just for a holiday (visiting elderly parents etc. is a different matter) and potentially spread Delta further?

As for France, I thought France only allows people in for essential reasons anyway? Or has this changed?

It is all shite. I am desperate for a holiday, but now is not the time.

Optimism that one day it'll be okay and the change of going will work out.

Plus lots of people's holidays this summer are postponed ones from last year.

We have a holiday abroad booked for the end of October. Its been booked for a long time so we were expecting to be able to fly there by that time, when we booked. It's amber so technically could go according to English rules, but only if the US change their rules and allow us in!

However the flights were relatively cheap (for the dates and location) and they are refundable up to 3 weeks ahead. We can also make date/route change up to 2 hours ahead, all without financial penalty. The hotels are full refundable until 24 hours ahead. We will make the decision nearer the time and see what's happening once we unlock next week.

I don't begrudge anyone booking it going on holiday abroad this summer. We've all had a long difficult year and a half - think so many people are ready for a break and a return to some form of normality; for many normality in the summer is a family holiday in the sun.

I asked my class yesterday about their mobs and at least half had trips abroad booked - some holidays, some families. All in Europe. I hope they get there and have a wonderful time.

My own teen Dd has been away - she went to Portugal to visit her best friend for a few days. She had an amazing time. I was a bit stressed as the rules changed before she went but luckily her dates weren't affected. I'm glad she was able to go.

Oh and we are fully covered for Covid cancellations on our annual travel insurance. We checked.

I asked my class yesterday about their mobs

This made me laugh - are they all in the Mafia?!

Hopeful I'm going on my holiday in 6 weeks.. even got to Greece last August/Sept. So I'm extremely optimistic we will get there this year and if we don't,that's fine too.

If you can’t understand why some people might be desperate for some proper R&R with guaranteed weather after the past 18 months (let alone that many people have relatives overseas), then you must really enjoy your life and I’m quite envious of that position.

@krystalweedon France allows double vaccinated Brits and kids in without an essential reason. For now.

We’ve just had a lovely two weeks in Mallorca. We have a home here and haven’t found the tests and paperwork too much of an issue. We were only meant to be here a week but extended as we were having such a great time. If our Covid tests were positive we would have just extended again. We brought laptops to be in the safe side. Flights here are cheap enough and we can work around any changes so why not? I only wish we had taken the risk last summer too.

I started considering booking a holiday abroad but not until DP and I have had both jabs which won’t be until September so plenty of time for things to change. We can both wfh so quarantining at home isn’t a problem. Barbados is on the green list at the moment and sounds very appealing!

I have had numerous holidays booked over the last twelve months and I keep cancelling or postponing. My first bookings / cancellations were made per covid but I have made further bookings as I like having something to look forward to. But I don’t wring my hands and complain when I have had to cancel or postpone, it is something I have accepted for the foreseeable.

I am bemused when I see (on another forum I am on) somebody posting that they are “DEVASTATED” that they have just had to cancel their trip. Puzzled that it appears to be such a shock to them after all this time. I also see people post that “I have flights booked for 1st August and am wondering what if….”. And I think really, you think you might be going somewhere on 1st August. 😳

I’m booked to travel for work in august, then Cyprus at the end. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It puzzles me too OP. I won’t be booking a holiday abroad until things have settled.

I am currently on board a flight...technical problem with the jetty. Once they have solved that...we will be taking off into the skies!!!