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?

@Walkaround frankly you should only be booking a holiday close to the time in the UK at the moment so you know a local lockdown is unlikely. If one happens while you're there at least you're not stuck in a foreign country! People just prefer holidaying to being sensible. That's on them I'm afraid. We literally couldn't go out a month or 2 ago and now some of you think gallivanting off to Spain is reasonable. Ok!! Of course the government are encouraging travel, but you all have brains and can work out the risks. People manage not to listen to them for the things they disagree with so I'm not sure why they suddenly have our best interests at heart when it comes to a holiday!

IceCreamAndCandyfloss We booked in September and took out travel insurance with the post office at the same time. The policy does not cover pandemics so we can't claim anything back. To cancel the holiday, we are being charged the whole cost of the holiday. We don't want to go.

@giggly. Totally agree with your post .

I hope you stay fit and healthy throughout the inevitable large second wave .
Such respect for what you nurses do

Why don’t you shut up and write this in a diary instead of putting your backward views on here?

Who is that aimed at?
As far as I can see people just have different opinions.

What I can’t understand is people booking a foreign holiday more recently and then being upset when they lose it. You’d only book it if you could afford to lose it, or to quarantine.

Agree @CountessFrog - all these people who seem confused about the implications of a pandemic - but knew the risks when they book.

It isn’t nice to gloat when someone loses out. But equally, losing a bet is just that. Don’t fly if you can’t quarantine.

Why is the tourist industry in Spain our responsibility?

Such narrow thinking, this change in rules after we were given the Green reassurance light as late as Wednesday (Scotland relaxed rules on Spain on Monday) will affect UK airlines, UK travel agents, airline staff, airport workers etc etc.
More lay-offs more UC claims and far less tax, income and business taxes.

When there is eventually a vaccine, there won't be the infrastructure to travel.

Far better to have mandatory testing on arrival back in the UK, than an unenforced Quarantine.

A lot of people booked their one and only family holiday last year before the pandemic. This gloating is unkind and uneccessary.

I booked 10 days with friends at a flat one just bought and am still going. It's been a year from hell and I can work from home. I'm already careful and apart from flights the risk is no different there vs here.

My friend has had her holiday booked for over a year : she will have to lose money or quarantine ( which could prove difficult for her) once she's back. It's a lot of money to lose if you don't go !
I feel sorry for people : not the ones that booked up during lockdown or just after, but many that have had it booked up for ages a and may not be covered by insurances either.
What they meant to do?

The OP makes a point of saying those who have book recently, so that wouldn't include those who booked prior to lockdown.

Such narrow thinking, this change in rules after we were given the Green reassurance light as late as Wednesday (Scotland relaxed rules on Spain on Monday) will affect UK airlines, UK travel agents, airline staff, airport workers etc etc.
More lay-offs more UC claims and far less tax, income and business taxes.

Narrow thinking?

BAA and BA are both Spanish companies, so the dividends from us flying to Spain go to Spain. We get the filthy air and the minimum wage jobs which are topped up by the UC credit you mentioned. The aviation industry is heavily subsidised by the taxpayers as well, so that's more public money down the drain.

Also, tourists fly out and spend their money in Spain as well. And when they are quarantined here then that's more financial pressure on public finances.

So, maybe trying some joined up thinking when we have all the facts might help.

Op definitely wasn’t gloating.

I completely agree with her.

We have decided to stay put this summer and just stay at home and people going abroad have taken a massive risk.

No gloating but I definitely would not have gone abroad.

My July holiday (booked pre Covid) was cancelled and I’m still arguing with credit card company for refund for accommodation
I transferred flights to October so am hoping that goes ahead - if not will have to wait till 2021

I don’t know why we can’t just test? What’s the point of testing if it doesn’t tell you if you have the virus or not. In Hungary you have to have 2 tests before you can come into the country.

@esveee where on Earth have you been because there hasn't ever been a time, throughout the whole of lockdown and the pandemic where we couldn't go outside.

My friend got back from Spain yesterday afternoon. He was visiting his in-laws, whom he and his husband hadn't seen for months. It was a four day trip, all spent at their house. Not all trips to Spain are beach holidays. Some people have family there. Some people have businesses there. Some people own property there. If my friend hadn't come back yesterday he would have had to isolate with his husband for two weeks. Four day trip, two week isolation.

@Alex50 I don’t know why we can’t just test? What’s the point of testing if it doesn’t tell you if you have the virus or not. In Hungary you have to have 2 tests before you can come into the country.

Ah the voice of reason. So will a test pick it up pre symptoms? So I could get a test when back here? I'm flying into Gatwick and there is a testing station there somewhere. Or I could drive to one. Wearing a proper mask to get the test of course.

If my friend hadn't come back yesterday he would have had to isolate with his husband for two weeks. Four day trip, two week isolation. confused

But he surely would have gone out to eat? Out for a drink?

He would certainly have flown home with a plane full of people who had been eating, drinking and having a good time (and with the planes air con going full blast). Quarantine on arrival is the risk you have to now weigh up.

Thanks for the reports about this thread.

Generally we try to nip things in the bud when we feel they're not in the spirit.

That said, by the time we were alerted to this thread, there were already several hundred replies on here - mainly with folk disagreeing with the OP's stance.

For that reason, we're leaving it standing rather than zapping it and losing all the very many supportive and sympathetic posts from other MNers.

How long after travelling would a test work, 5 days?

I am sure that not having the sympathy of some jealous and bitter random on social media is the least of their worries.

But rant on - if it makes you feel good

I feel sorry for anyone who booked before covid came along, much less so for anyone who has just booked. We were warned it was liable to change and people must have known it wouldn't be covered by travel insurance.

If you want to take a gamble on it that's your choice, but don't moan when the inevitable happens.

It's sad for anyone who has had their plans wrecked/lost money/have to quarantine etc, but I don't get why anyone would risk a foreign holiday/willingly board a plane at the moment anyway.

If it wasn't already booked before March, just stay in the UK. It's not like we've had bad weather all summer either and people are desperate for sun. We've had a good summer weather wise.

It's not the fault of people booking holidays as they shouldn't have had the option. International travel at the moment should be essential travel only, not leisure.

A lot of people booked their one and only family holiday last year before the pandemic. This gloating is unkind and uneccessary.

Did you read the OP or indeed the full thread. Everybody has expressed sympathy with people in this situation.

@supersonicginandtonic sorry did you really need me to add in the 'other than for essential reasons' for you???? My post still stands whether you choose to be petty about the wording or not.

I don't understand fully why people booked foreign hols this year, but I don't blame them because there's been a lot of 'got to get back to normal' and 'its all over' from government, some media and a proportion of the population (and MN posters too).

I feel sympathy really for anyone who has had their plans mucked up. I wouldn't be in that position because I'm pretty pessimistic so would have always expected it to go tits up - usually I am wrong and I miss out on all the fun but 2020 is proving to be my year for predictions coming true, sadly.

to anyone who has had their summer made even worse.