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?

If you’ve booked a U.K. holiday and you can’t go because your area goes into a localised lock down - you’ll lose your money (unless you’ve paid for a cancellable accommodation).

@AnastarziaAnaqway - I don’t think people being rude about those holidaying overseas, but advocating holidaying in the UK, are so bothered about coronavirus risks, they just think they are clever only to be risking spreading it within the UK, thinking this means they won’t risk being quarantined (maybe they think they will get away with going straight back to work and infecting people there when they have left a part of the country that has a localised lockdown, because they won’t have been through a port), and thinking they will get home more easily and cheaply, because nobody will be able to stop them.

[quote Walkaround]@labyrinthloafer - I think wanting to be like New Zealand shows a lack of understanding of our geographic, demographic, social, economic and political position, tbh.[/quote]
If you say so. I understand plenty of things plenty well enough, helped by the fact I can read.

We've handled it badly, and now we face it lingering on for much longer, with greater economic damage than if we'd stamped as hard as possible as early as possible.

@AnastarziaAnaqway

The government lifted the ban on non-essential international travel and the air bridges opened. So, people are going to go abroad. Stop calling people idiotic for doing something that they were allowed to do.

Many countries, not just the UK, are in a similar position. Tourism and aviation are massive parts of the world economy, employing large numbers of people. Governments are trying the difficult task of simultaneously containing the virus and trying to re-open key aspects of their economies.

Also, even if you holiday at home, there could be the risk of local spikes in infections and the need to quarantine. Indeed, I've seen messages online claiming it's 'selfish' to travel anywhere outside your local area!

@labyrinthloafer - an ability to read is something you share with the vast majority of the population.

Basically, you're expected to lock yourself in your house for the forseeable future and exist on gruel.
Whatever has been reopened/allowed by the government, there have been sanctimonious people judging others for it.
Ikea, McDonald's, Primark, shops, pubs, restaurants, salons. Anyone 'rushing out' for one of these 'non-essential' services has been called all sorts of names. Holidays are just the latest addition.
Of course, there are people still shielding or who are suffering from anxiety and it's understandable that they don't wish to venture out quite just yet.
However i'm talking about those who are genuinely loving this opportunity to judge others for taking the small risks, wanting to have normality, and yes, people ARE entitled to a holiday !

All those booking abroad were fully aware that spikes in cases could lead to closure of boarders resulting in getting stuck or having to quarantine in another country. Surely this also included the risk of having to quarantine on return. The pandemic hasn't gone away.
I'm not happy to see people lose money and their holidays but come on, we all know what the situation and risks are. That's why we've booked a short stay vacation in the UK. It seemed the sensible option to us.
People who rushed to book should have factored this risk in. No sympathy from me.

Not forgetting those who were unable to see their partners for several months, the ones who already lived with theirs were so quick to judge and write it off as 'risking lives just for a shag'. Very easy for them to say when it's not them in that position, and try to make it something so simplistic.

This pandemic has brought out some terrible sides to people, I can't stand this competitive lockdown thing.

@AnastarziaAnaqway

Fascinated that you consider “taking a foreign holiday during a worsening international pandemic” to be a small risk.

What’s a big one?

[quote Walkaround]@labyrinthloafer - an ability to read is something you share with the vast majority of the population.[/quote]
Yes, which is how I learnt the UK has responded extremely poorly and how I have an understanding of our position in the world.

I won't justify myself because I could easily lie on an anonymous forum, but you don't know anything about my level of understanding of anything.

Play the ball, not the person, is my point.

@labyrinthloafer - you don’t “know”, you have an opinion. Your opinion is not fact. Hence why not everyone agrees with you. My opinion is, you are living in cloud cuckoo land if you think a country in the middle of Europe, only 20 miles from the coast of France, with an economy hugely reliant on people constantly travelling in an out, and already putting itself through a hard time politically and economically with Brexit, can isolate itself in exactly the way New Zealand did.

@labyrinthloafer - I do, however, agree, that this country has handled everything badly. I just disagree we could have done a New Zealand, especially given the mess we were already in!

The UK is a complete rip off with their prices and their fleecing the tourists. The weather - well it goes without saying is rubbish and my SIL who lives in Cornwall says that the area doesnt want tourists so puts their prices up for anyone who is daft enought to pay the inflated prices. Today is a typical example.

London open topbus trips at nearly £40 each! No wonder the buses are running nearly empty.

The smug twits who say they arent going anyway or doing anything until there is a fully tested and guaranteed vacine. You just carry on staying at home... They remind me of the people who are desperately wishing for a house price crash for their own ends and stuff anyone else!

Insurance doesnt always cover pandemics. See various threads on this issue.

I think that even if some people on here claim they have sympathy for people who booked holidays before the virus, I don't believe them. I think they will still judge those people for going.
Also, who wants to holiday in say, the likes of Cornwall after all those sanctimonious 'please don't come here' posts on Mumsnet earlier this year ? Sorry, who put you in charge ?

It all boils down to the same group of people, the ones who labelled you a murderer if you did 1 hour and 3 minutes of exercise, 'sobbing and shaking' because you bought a chocolate bar at the supermarket, and so on.

[quote Walkaround]@labyrinthloafer - I do, however, agree, that this country has handled everything badly. I just disagree we could have done a New Zealand, especially given the mess we were already in![/quote]
Perhaps, instead of dismissing me you could explain why exactly you think we couldn't do what other countries did, and I could have explained what I thought we could have done. And that would have been a discussion.

I could just as easily say I think you have your head up your arse

This pandemic has brought out some terrible sides to people, I can't stand this competitive lockdown thing
I agree, but it's also brought out some real arsehole behaviour too.
Look at the millions of threads about why some people thought they were exempt from lockdown, why they wanted to go off on day trips and nobody could stop them, why they'll do what they like and nobody can stop them.
We had threads where people were being horrible about rural communities because they didn't want people showing up mid lockdown, and now restrictions have eased people are still moody with the mean rural people for not wanting visitors during a pandemic.
Now we're having the 'why I don't want to wear a mask, boo hoo I don't want to, other countries only wear masks because they'll be killed' as people try to deny that there's a difference between individualistic societies and more community driven ones.

Then people have booked holidays in the middle of a pandemic and are annoyed that the world isn't running as normal because they wanted a holiday in the sun.

We aren't in normal times and yet throughout this there has been a lot of people determined to carry on as normal and complain about any inconvenience.

@labyrinthloafer - I didn’t dismiss you, I said I didn’t think you understood the bigger picture if you thought we could be like New Zealand. There was no point going into detail as to why at that point, because it would have derailed the thread, but it was open to you to say why you thought we could be like New Zealand, but you instead chose to respond aggressively by claiming you could read, which was a somewhat odd response if you actually wanted to have a discussion.

What a nasty mean spirited post. Some people have worked themselves into the ground the last few months keeping the country going, a vast number of those on minimum wage, who have seen the low prices and seized the chance for a break. Someone I know has booked their first ever holiday abroad because their company gave all their staff a small bonus for their hard work. They did their homework and booked the canaries specifically because of the low number of cases there. The government, only hours before the announcement said quarantine free travel to Spain wasn’t changing. Scotland changed their stance only on Thursday ffs to allow travel to Spain.

I have every sympathy with them, but then, I’m not a cunt.

I feel terrible for them. I'm desperate for a break. Not a good look OP.

This pandemic has brought out some terrible sides to people, I can't stand this competitive lockdown thing

I think it’s just highlighted them. It’s certainly made me view some people in a different light.

When I read all the posts about not wanting to wear a mask, not intending to follow lockdown, mixing with groups over the guidance limit, travelling etc it makes me fear for the next generation.

Travel should have been banned. People could have still have breaks in their own countries but no one needs a holiday, a want is very different.

The virus can only travel from country to country via people, if we stop that happening like NZ did, more things can go back to normal.

@giggly that’s also a bit of a crappy comment. There are millions who’ve worked hard and need a holiday. There are also loads who’ve had very different struggles. Plenty people are exhausted. It’s not a competition.

OP, your post is really mean spirited. Yes, I have sympathy with people who’ve lost money and booked recently. We’ve just had the rug pulled out from under our whole lives and I would give anything for a holiday right now. If I’d been in the position to book a holiday a couple of weeks ago, I would have and if anybody I know had had your attitude, I’d be writing them off as friends. You have no idea what some people’s circumstances are! I don’t want anybody to lose their money. I also understand that my needs are different to others and don’t judge others.

[quote Walkaround]@labyrinthloafer - I didn’t dismiss you, I said I didn’t think you understood the bigger picture if you thought we could be like New Zealand. There was no point going into detail as to why at that point, because it would have derailed the thread, but it was open to you to say why you thought we could be like New Zealand, but you instead chose to respond aggressively by claiming you could read, which was a somewhat odd response if you actually wanted to have a discussion.[/quote]
@Walkaround At no point was I aggressive. I just pointed out your snooty remark where you said I showed a lack of understanding, whilst you showed no understanding yourself.

Have a and some

IceCreamAndCandyfloss
When you put it like that, I think that competitive lockdown people and the 'you can't stop me doing what I like' people are two sides of the same coin.

@Whatelsecanipossiblydo I don’t think what I said is crappy at all. Yes there may be thousands of exhausted people but “need” a holiday I don’t agree. What people need is time off work which does not equate to a holiday overseas while the world is till in the middle of a pandemic that is still deadly.
Let’s face it there are also thousands of exhausted people who can never afford an overseas holiday. I stand by my self centred comment, this is not about a “right” to go abroad it’s a right to do the right thing morally for the benefit of all.
As I said I spent my annual leave in the UK in rain and not my usual Greek/ sunny holiday but guess what it’ll still be there next year.