Holidays - will you be booking one?

[SoTiredNeedHoliday]

Just wondering what people are intending to do about holidays. When the government announce the air bridges/travel corridors will you be booking a holiday?
Do you think it is wise?

It's annoying not know now as you can't make plans one way or the other.

Dd really needs to know asap as they are due to go on the 13th. But as they're young they can't afford to take the risk of booking a flight until it's confirmed. Even for a cheap flight they don't want to lose out of that money.

I think the announcement has been delayed because Boris has made the decision which countries we can travel to without actually consulting those countries first 😂

We've got a holiday cottage booked in North Wales for the end of July, booked as soon as they announced expectation for Wales to open from 13th and we can cancel if they decide to keep with the restrictions.

We also have Portugal booked during the Autumn. We booked prior to Covid. I've no idea what's going to happen about that. If we do get to go we'll be fine once we are there . We are self catering and it is fairly quiet (went same time last year). I'm not looking forward to the flight though. I don't like flying at the best of times but the idea of doing it in a mask, packed in with strangers and no wine being offered isn't exactly appealing.

I think the announcement has been delayed because Boris has made the decision which countries we can travel to without actually consulting those countries first

Sadly, I think this is about right. We still have too many cases for other countries, which have controlled their epidemics better, to want an influx of our possibly diseased tourists to their countries.

Nope, I would be grateful just for dh and I to go back to work fully (dh is self employed and I am wfh, neither of us to full capacity because of childcare), and for dc to go back to school so that's possible. Our longterm financial wellbeing depends on these things. I don't need a fancy foreign holiday right now. I just want us to be able to work and dc to be in school. I'd be pretty pissed off if every idiot who thinks they need to be in Tenerife this summer makes it so ours and lots of other businesses fail and children miss out on school. We can camp in our very tiny patch of garden if we need a holiday.

We're going to BILs holiday house in Cornwall for a week or so next month but still hoping to get abroad later in the year. I suspect that might have to be shelved this year, though. 😞

We’ve cancelled our holidays abroad this year, but we’ve just booked a UK cottage for a week and I can’t wait! I just need a change of scenery.

There are some cracking deals about.

Very disappointedly just cancelled our holiday to Turkey in October. Not worth the risk May take a UK holiday instead.

Our holiday to Italy was already booked in January. Our insurance company will cover everything we need it to and we have a private villa, fully self catering although we will eat out some nights. We'll be on that plane unless we're not allowed.

It’s tricky in terms of risk assessment. Read an article today about how everyone should do a staycation and go camping . What with shared toilets and showers? How is that safe?

We have a private villa booked in Majorca end of July. I read an article about risk and aeroplanes are about 5/10. Restaurants are worse.

It’s hard to make a judgement call. Infections are quite low everywhere. Surely travel now is reasonably safe. This virus will be here for a while, we can’t all not travel for years.

There are some cracking deals about.

Erm, no thanks!

We cancelled our holiday accommodations in Slovenia - end of July/Aug and was fortunate to get our deposits plus booking fees refunded. (If you don’t ask, you don’t get!). Might lose the cost of flights which we’ll suck up and we’ll get a refund if the flights don’t proceed So just a waiting game now.

I really didn’t fancy the airport queues plus a packed airplane where SD is impossible. I wear a face mask in shops/supermarkets now and it gets hot even for the a short period of time. imagine wearing one in sweltering heat and air conditioning will not be a good scenario let alone fans wafting everyone’s breath about. It was supposed to be an active holiday with kayaking, SUPing, rafting, hiking etc. Sharing those activities/equipment with a random group of international tourists defeats all the SD measures the majority of us have been adhering too! Just because we are allowed to travel (economics here over health) doesn’t mean that we should.

We’ve settled for a short UK break on a small site with less than a handful of £££ lodges on its 20 acre site selected due to its midway point between family members’ homes. It’ll be a family reunion of siblings and GPS - we haven’t seen each other since Xmas. We’re planning SD outdoor picnics within the site’s grounds so not exactly exploring the vicinity either. The GPS are worried about sharing food outdoors so each individual household is prepping their own to eat outside together 1+m apart. We do have members with health issues so it’s for the best - still crap though!

Villa Plus are basically now saying they have closed their phone lines so any civilised discussion anyone wants to have is just impossible.

I find it so frustrating to read of people negotiating rebookings etc and we can't even contact our company.

No way. Staying home.

Can’t imagine the selfishness and superficiality of people who think they’re entitled to a foreign holiday during a global pandemic.

We booked in August last year for next month. I don't feel entitled but would like to support the aviation industry and the Spainish ecomony if I can.....

Can’t imagine the selfishness and superficiality of people who think they’re entitled to a foreign holiday during a global pandemic

Odd then that travel restrictions have been lifted by almost all of the world? that countries like Portugal are enraged that UK tourists cannot go on hols there.

My holiday will help keep jobs at Easyjet, at the garage who will service my car & in Mallorca, the VAT/ins taxes i will pay, will go to the Govt to pay for public services.

Its not entitled and the world has been locked down long enough now.

I would argue that as Chris Whitty has said this virus is going to be around for a ‘very long time’ those that are saying it’s selfish.
Are you proposing no air travel/ foreign holidays until the virus has gone? Is eradicated. What impact will that have on the travel industry and thousands of jobs?

Just looking at it from a different angle. I’ve seen camping being proposed as a good holiday option this year. I don’t get it. Sharing toilets and facilities with multiple households??

That is safer than getting on a plane (wearing a mask) air is filtered. Then getting a private taxi to a private villa. In a quiet part of a Spanish island. We don’t plan on going out much and doing lots of self catering. Risk wise this seems ok.

Right now infection levels are low in most countries in Europe. They may well rise again and you cannot solely blame travel to countries with low rates of infection for this. It will be more household to household spread here. And outbreaks in factories. Now is actual a good time to travel versus autumn. But no doubt by October it will be deemed as not selfish. Or by next January. When we may haven have higher rates of infection?

The government are encouraging travel to help the economy.. They still have quarantine from high risk areas.

Can’t imagine the selfishness and superficiality of people who think they’re entitled to a foreign holiday during a global pandemic.
Then perhaps you need to work on your imagination. Some people want to visit parents and children after 6 months - think about it.

Finally persuaded DH and we booked ours 2 days ago.

One in August and one in November. Had a credit voucher to use from cancelled June holiday anyway.

Our holiday to Portugal in June was cancelled, so we’ve booked a cottage in Devon instead. We have so many absolutely stunning beaches and places to visit in the UK , we’re very lucky. Shame we can’t guarantee the weather, which is the main reason a lot of people go to certain holiday resorts abroad, which aren’t a patch on what we have here.

I find it ridiculous that holidays to Portugal are banned, when Portugal has far fewer cases than we in the UK have. They had 328 cases on Thurs, we have over 829.

I long to return to the Med. This virus isn't going away any time soon and while I feel it's better to wait and see over the summer, by Oct I may feel ready to go away for a week. If my kids are going to be in school with hundreds of others is going on a plane any worse if we mask up? I'm happy to SC in a villa once there, but just the thought of the sun and the sea is intoxicating after so long stuck at home.

@lifestooshort123

I don’t need to think about it. My family is international too. I really miss my parents. I’d love to hop on a plane and see them. And it’s agony for them not seeing their grandkids.

Not doing it. My priority is to help in suppressing this virus enough that kids can get back to school. That’s what’s important: education and health.

Luxuries can wait.

Education and health need to be paid for through taxation. Like it or not travel and tourism contributes a vast amount to the Uk economy and the government can’t pay furlough to all airline workers travel agents etc indefinitely. People travelling by eurotunnel or ferry with cabin are no more likely to spread corona than a family driving five hours in uk.

chocolatviennois I think you're reaching to argue that the economy needs you to take a foreign holiday