AIBU to want to book a holiday?

[beckywiththeshithair39]

Are people still booking holidays? Dp and I just had a disagreement over our family summer holiday. We were hoping to book yesterday but he's now saying we shouldn't because of coronavirus and the Greek island we were looking at could be the next affected blah blah blah. I can totally see where he's coming from but feel really disappointed because it's something to look forward to. We were looking at a popular resort and hotel which might book up. We wouldn't be going until August. Is he right to be cautious or should we be just carrying on as normal?

Are the rest of you still booking holidays abroad for the coming months?

We have been planning to stay in the UK this year and haven't booked yet.

Us too. Problem is if it’s self catering or a holiday park the deposit will almost certainly be non refundable.

I'm going away in 4 days. Can't bloody wait. Am no more at risk there than here and all the advice says i would be silly to rush into cancelling. Only if travel restrictions would there be a reason to cancel

It's the first year we've not got round to booking. DH suggested booking one last week and I just saif dont me and our child on any holiday. Let's just save the money and see.

Don't book

@AvocadoOwl - at least someone understands!

For anyone else (economists included) who doesn’t get it yet:

Imagine you treat yourself to a nice hot chocolate. You pay £2 and sit outside to drink it. Before you can put it to you lips a pigeon swoops past and poos right in your drink. You stomp back to the cafe where they shrug and say the hot chocolate is non-refundable. Do you drink it anyway on the basis that you “can’t afford to lose the money”?

Mostly likely you tip it away and curse the fact your £2 was wasted. But you don’t decide to drink it just because you spent £2 on it. The drink that was you thought was worth £2 when you bought it isn’t worth £2 when it is laced with pigeon excrement.

Our Venice trip accommodation in a few weeks been returned by Booking dot com. EJ are still showing as flying into MP airport quoting FCO guide lines at the moment, see what happens about flights soon.
Trips to France Furteventura France Greece and Tenerife booked for following months. Got great insurance who confirmed will payout for cv curtailments.

I don't see how know it all comments are helpful.

Anyway as you don't class it as losing money can you send me £3.2k and I'll give you a car. Then after you sent I'll say sorry I'm not giving it you. You'll be fine with that as you won't have lost anything.

Anyway as you don't class it as losing money can you send me £3.2k and I'll give you a car.

I wouldn't do that, obviously. Getting scammed is hardly the same as choosing to forgo a holiday during a pandemic

I would however, for example, pay £3.2k NOT to be trapped for an indeterminate amount of time on a Coronavirus infested cruise ship, and I'd consider it a sound investment (whilst of course being simultaneously upset and bitterly disappointed to miss my holiday).

I made exactly the same point @KoalasandRabbit, it was given a stiff ignoring.

I’m not trying to be facetious- and believe me I feel absolutely sick about the amount of money we’ve spent on a holiday I think we’re unlikely to go ahead with.

Not receiving goods is a totally different situation - for one thing there’s action you’d take to hopefully recover the money (off to the small claims court we go!) and something like a car has realisable value (I can sell it and make money).

A holiday with no option of a refund is totally different - you can’t trade it in, you can’t sell it on. The only value it has is in providing an experience you enjoy. And if circumstances change so it’s not going to be at all enjoyable or any enjoyment will be overshadowed by the risk of serious illness then it’s irrational to go ahead simply so you don’t “lose money”.

Not being able to afford to pay for another holiday is of course a real consideration and many people would rather go ahead with a holiday that had some added stress and risk than have no holiday at all. But that doesn’t seem to be what people meant when they were saying they “can’t afford to lose the money”.

We’re due to go to lake Garda May half term/beg of June- on a train via Paris stop over. It’s unlikely we’ll get to go isn’t it? We’ve only paid the deposit and full payment not due til end of this month so think me and DH need to sit and make actual decision. Thing I’m most worried about is having to self isolate for 2 weeks on return (.kids having to miss another 2 weeks of school, us work who may not pay). Think options are either postpone or look at going somewhere else.

Has anyone booked a ferry to Greece from Venice port

@Worryworker I would be more worried about contracting it out there and needing care. The hospitals can't cope as it is. Even if you're insured up to the eyeballs, if they don't have a bed, they can't give you one. I suppose there's a chance numbers might decrease by then but I'm not sure it would be enough for me.

My biggest worry about visiting the UK is how the hospitals will cope if the virus really takes hold. It's not like there's much spare capacity at the moment.

Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Yes that’s true @SnoozyLou. Even though Italy has one of the best health care system they’re now struggling to manage.