No sympathy for people who booked a recent holiday

[fairparie]

Headlines this morning have got me cross. People who are 'devastated' that their holiday to Spain that they booked last week won't go ahead as they can't quarantine on return and lost all their money.
How stupid to book a holiday when you know it is a risk. We were going to go away and had not booked anything as was leaving it till the last minute. . We still could but I would not expect my work to pay for me in quarantine on top of two weeks away. It is understandable if I had booked before the pandemic but why should a firm pay for quarantine for those who knowingly knew it may be a risk.
I have full sympathy for those that booked before the pandemic and at least they will be insured. But c'mon how can you be upset that you have lost your money for a holiday you booked last week and now can't go on due to quarantine?

It's a pity of the money lost, yes, but too many people need to get their head out of the sand.

The corona virus isn't gone, the pandemic isn't over, more travel means more viral transmitions. More viral transmissions means more lives lost, worsening economy, more jobs lost, less school et cetera. It's not worth fucking up a whole country or world for a two week holiday.

Yes, most of us emotionally need a break, or need to see family abroad again. That we feel that we need it doesn't mean that we are entitled to or should.

@sonicbook

I would have sympathy if it wasn't for all the sad face woe is me 'we weren't told' 'I wouldn't have booked if I'd known' stories floating around today.

Exactly. Have they had their heads in the sand for the last 5 months.

There could be a 'lock down' or quarantine anywhere including in the UK.

I don't actually think it matters anymore where you decide to holiday.

The people booking the holidays either pre or post covid were following the guidance at the time. I have sympathy for anyone caught up with this even though we have decided our risk is less by going on holiday in England (not Scotland or Wales tbh given their different rules and government actions).

Some people just love to criticise others making decisions within the current rules. I guess it helps them to feel better than others

I'm sympathetic, but surprised that people didn't think this was a possibility when they booked. This is far from over.

Some people just love to criticise others making decisions within the current rules. I guess it helps them to feel better than others
True dat

There's some miserable buggers on this thread.....

Yeah I feel bad for anyone that's lost money for whatever reason. YABU OP.

@MabelMoo23

I disagree, some people have literally worked every hour of the day through lockdown - exhausted themselves mentally and physically. Worrying about bringing the virus home.

Restrictions lifted, a small window of opportunity to book a week in the sun and just relax, leaving as you’ve just mentioned, to the last minute.

And bam, overnight it’s gone

Please don’t delight in people’s misfortune and stop being so bloody smug and judgy

I do have sympathy for the challenges people are going through and will still go through until the virus is under control, none of us know each other's lives so judging away is not helpful at a time like this.

That said, I think it is naive to talk about the people booking an overseas trip believing there was a "small window of opportunity" when we are currently in the midst of a global pandemic of a highly infectious virus.

I blame the inane chat at the hairdressers!

@CrowdedHouseinQuarantine, a brilliant line - I'm going to steal that as it can be used in any thread on MN.

More viral transmissions means more lives lost, worsening economy, more jobs lost, less school et cetera. It's not worth fucking up a whole country or world for a two week holiday.

If no one takes any holiday that impacts on the economy & job losses too. Or have you missed all that element of the news?

I agree. Why anyone would risk booking a holiday at the moment beggars belief. I have zero sympathy.
Equally, it should never have been allowed in the first place.

The vast majority will have booked last Xmas. Or before to get bargains.
They’ll have hung on and on in the hope of not losing their deposit.

I don’t think it’s wise that people start travelling internationally yet as it will just spread the pandemic. Airports and planes must be a Mecca for the virus. I would have been preferred if holidays were not encouraged this year. I know other countries who have advised their citizens not to travel outside their country.

I am surprised people are booking holidays. I have booked a week in the U.K. and fully expect I might have to cancel that too if there are local lockdowns.

I was narked to find that a friend of dd2 is going on virtually exactly the same holiday (in France) that we had to cancel

But I wouldn't be comfortable going now, so I guess they can crack on and hope the quarantine rule doesn't spread from Spain to France

I am surprised people are booking holidays. I have booked a week in the U.K

🤔

This I Am Entitled To My Break Wherever I Want. attitude is so awful.

This whole entitlement culture, when you go and get what you want and sod everything and then you go whining when something goes wrong.

When did the want become a need? Why does anyone think their week in the sun is a human right entitlement.

Everybody who wasn't living under a rock knew the situation is changing. They took a chance. They lost.

@GreytExpectations

Not all of us have been furloughed watching Netflix on the sofa for the last 3 months

Nice bit of furlough bashing there, guess you couldn't resist eh?

I can understand why some people might feel like this. Friends have been furloughed, I haven't. I've been told on several occasions how much they've enjoyed it, getting up late, sitting in the garden reading books. I've been working from home, doing longer hours (until I thought sod it and started logging off at 5pm) and taken a pay cut. Believe me I'd rather have been furloughed!

I appreciate not everyone is like that but it did piss me off that they were getting paid to do nothing.

To be fair the holiday companies shouldn't be allowing bookings then should they!

The only people I know who have booked to travel are those who have family abroad, including many who haven't been able to visit aging parents/grandparents and those who have been really isolated due to their local lockdown situation. I feel desperately sorry for them being told that they may not be able to go and imagine that this kind of attitude is probably making a bad situation worse for them.

@sonicbook - so you happily come on to mumsnet to bitch because you choose to read shit stirring articles in crappy newspapers and because when actively approached by journalists, people say they are disappointed by the sudden change in treatment for people returning from any part of Spain, however remote from an area with an outbreak? You do understand that it makes more interesting news (ie more clickbait and profit) to report pathetic woe is me stories than to report that people who took the risk are disappointed but pragmatic, don’t you? Don’t you feel like a little puppet of the mass media to be reacting in the way they intended?

We're currently at a crossroads, on one hand we're flexiblible on freedoms, like the US currently are largely.

Or we're tough and we have travel quarantines, like New Zealand.

See my point anyone????

No sympathy for anyone that knowingly and voluntarily.puts themselves at higher risk of infection for no good reason.
Including holiday makers, people that don't distance, mask refusers etc.

There is a big risk booking a holiday abroad now and some people chose to take that risk. Not reading OPs post as 'gloating' but I wouldn't go so far as as calling all people who booked as 'stupid'. I do think the ones who are absolutely amazed/outraged that their holidays are now cancelled (or need to be) have perhaps been a little naive. Doesn't stop me being sympathetic about their disappointment.

Jeez what has happened to people?

It's been a tough year, people have lost more than money. 45,000 victims, a generation of school students who'll look back on the worksheets with presumably less than fondness (and I'm a teacher, and think the way kids have been abandoned to themselves is atrocious before anybody starts) people who have lost jobs, houses, businesses.

And countries then opened up. Very cheaply (unlike the UK) the farce of a govt lifted restrictions and said people could go. Of course people are going to want a holiday. That's not making your own sarnies in a tent on your backyard. Unless that's what floats your boat.

Hope everyone gets their money back so you can go somewhere in the future.

'Some people just love to criticise others making decisions within the current rules. I guess it helps them to feel better than others'

Do I feel 'better' than someone who has booked to go abroad in a global pandemic and is now moaning that they have to quarantine as Spain have seen an spike in cases? Hmm not 'better' per se, just much less surprised.

Anyone going on holiday both UK or abroad, newsflash! You may need to cancel if the area goes into lockdown or you may need to quarantine. Sadly as the government aren't psychic they don't know where and when this will happen.