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?

@giggly

As a nurse the last thing I will be doing in the next 6 months is taking a holiday abroad. You know why? Because there is still a world wide pandemic out there but so many people have such an inflated sense of entitlement these days that it is selfish and self centred. Yes I know people have had a hard time over the last 6 months and need something to look forward to but come on, people really need to step up now for the good of the many and stop whining ffs. The next person who tells me they need a holiday I’ll happy swing my 7 hours a day PPE at them.

Exactly this. Many have made huge sacrifices over the past few months. No one more than those who went to work every day whether that be in hospitals, care homes, supermarkets, bus drivers, delivery personnel, families who lost loved ones and were unable to grieve properly or attend funerals. So many have suffered but in the main they are not the ones clamouring about their entitlement to a holiday abroad. Yet if there are more spikes or localised lockdowns those workers will be the ones expected to carry on providing services as per normal. No cocooning or WFH for them unlike many of those who took the risks.

Well my neighbour who is an intensive care nurse flew to Italy this morning. So people can speak for themselves, but not for all nurses.

I think whilst it is still early days and things are muddled it is probably not a good idea to go abroad now for a hol. I would hope by next year that we have all adapted and the muddled/ mixed messages will be no more.

@labyrinthloafer - your symbols and comments about being able to read are most definitely rude and aggressive. Also, your comments about me being up my arse and snooty. I am surprised you fail to recognise that, tbh.

@AnastarziaAnaqway

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 !

People are entitled to book a holiday abroad without taking into account the consequences of their actions. What they aren’t entitled to do is to then moan about it when they have to quarantine or when it’s cancelled due to Coronavirus 🙄 Take the risk by all means but keep your whinging to yourself if it doesn’t pay off

We booked over a year ago before all this kicked off. Then lockdown happened and me and DS had to temporarily move in with my parents so DH could sheild. All looked good with it reopening back up, now its just not possible. Not only because the quarentine would mean DSD misses her first day of secondary, but it would place DH at a risk. Not all of us are able to book last minute, and I had no idea this would all kick off otherwise I wouldn't have booked it. Luckily we are insured and will get the money back though its going to be a slog.

I did read your post about people like me not applying to your post, but with everything reopenening back up I'd inagine they thought it was safe and booked a last minute break.

You are coming across as a bit judgy OP. As high as the risks are they had ben told by the spanish government and british government that it was safe.

Can someone explain why UK holidays are so risk-free ? Do you think people in the UK aren't going to congregate and mix too on holiday and just exist in their little bubbles for the forseeable future?

^^this

We’re going on holiday this summer, booked last November, to an extremely rural location in continental Europe. We’re driving, and other than a trip to a supermarket which I will do on my own, will not be going anywhere where there are lots of people. No eating out, no lovely little markets, no tourist sites. We will hopefully go to a beach but it’s a) big and b) out of the way. There’s a car park and nothing else there.

Frankly, the risks there are going to be minimal in comparison to a UK based holiday to Devon or Cornwall or anywhere else very popular. Anyone who thinks ‘abroad’ is less safe than the UK right now is simply wrong. Avoid the north-east of Spain and major cities for sure, and personally I wouldn’t get on a plane, but going abroad is not necessarily more risky than staying at home.

I don’t mind if people want to risk it and book a holiday. It’s up to them. There is a chance atm that money will be lost though, still, up to them.

That was sort of to Anastarzia pp

Perhaps this is a lesson to all Govt's especially those that rely on tourism?
Spain opened up nightclubs and all night bars and then stands back in amazement when infection rates go up, similar to Israel too.

As much as i am critical of how Bojo has handled Cv, he hasn't allowed mass gatherings or nightclubs etc to open, compared to Spain, he has been ultra cautious.

But as i said earlier, unless away is found to keep the travel industry open, then we will have no travel sector left by next year and that will inc plane manufacturers, such as Airbus in the UK too.

Ryanair posted losses of £165m in just 3 months, thats unsustainable and how long will Hays travel keep trading?

@jasjas1973 yes I have to say I'm amazed that Spain opened night clubs particularly after seeing how that went in South Korea.

Indoor masses of sweaty people is clearly going to be a breeding ground and unfortunately places like nightclubs and indoor concerts do need to be off the table if the end goal is to reduce infection numbers

Well, if trying to save the travel and especially the air travel industry is going to make a second wave worse and potentially bring the rest of the economy to their knees then isn’t that unwise? You might save Ryanair initially but when the rest of the economy tanks then what’s the point? We’ll all go down because we tried to save the Ryanair?
I think it was out of consideration for the air travel industry that restrictions Weren’t introduced as early as they were needed.

There is a bigger picture that just the travel industry.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon - yes, there is a bigger picture. Countries put pressure on each other to behave in certain ways, countries have alliances, countries want to keep some countries on side and are OK about alienating others, countries have a pre-existing reputation that other countries respond to, making it possible for some countries to behave differently from others without getting a hard time but not possible for others, countries have their own economic interests and position in the world to consider. We do not live in a vacuum where we can make clean, simple decisions that simultaneously make complete scientific, health, economic and political sense. That’s why we have a situation of constant adjustment, opening and closing of borders - because it’s not that simple.

explain how UK holidays are risk free

They aren't. We won't be going away this summer as it is not sensible, but if you really need a break you can have a socially distanced holiday in the UK. You can't do that the minute you step on an plane. And there's the risk of quarantines abroad.

Yes i agree, the wider health implications have to come first.

However, testing on departure, testing on return and follow up tests is perhaps a better way than allowing an infected traveller to leave the airport, use public transport etc go to his/her family and infect them, then they go about their daily business before falling ill...

Or we just ban all foreign travel until there is a vaccine?

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.

The complaining might go over the top, but at least a lot of the people complaining at bad behaviour are trying to do the right thing. Selfish arseholes who care about nobody but themselves and have no sense of community are going to rile people up.

And the cult of complaining goes both ways too. Every measure that comes in causes major fuss and moaning rather than just getting on with it, like every other country. Masks being the latest.

I don't think people believe Spain to be any less safe than the UK but if your only 2 hours away from home by car you can get home easy if situations change. If you go outside the UK you risk getting stuck there or having to quarantine on your return. The rules in any country could change at any time.
I think what OP is saying all those on the news complaining about having to quarantine on return. They should have considered that might happen before booking or making the decision to go. Like other people said it's a choice. Rightly or wrongly depending on opinion, just don't complain about it.

Or we just ban all foreign travel until there is a vaccine?

In a word, yes.

All we are doing is spreading the virus around every time we travel, we are infecting and reinfecting different areas of the globe. There is no 'safe' way to travel by aircraft, as socially distancing is impossible. So until we have a vaccine then I think non essential travel should be completely avoided. Not every country has advanced medical infrastructure. Islands, Greece, parts of eastern Europe all very at risk, not to mention Africa, South America etc. We owe it to ourselves and to others to keep each other safe. A holiday is a gross act of self indulgence in a pandemic.

@madbirdlady22

Or we just ban all foreign travel until there is a vaccine?

In a word, yes.

All we are doing is spreading the virus around every time we travel, we are infecting and reinfecting different areas of the globe. There is no 'safe' way to travel by aircraft, as socially distancing is impossible. So until we have a vaccine then I think non essential travel should be completely avoided. Not every country has advanced medical infrastructure. Islands, Greece, parts of eastern Europe all very at risk, not to mention Africa, South America etc. We owe it to ourselves and to others to keep each other safe. A holiday is a gross act of self indulgence in a pandemic.

It's futile trying to keep a lid on the virus as long as there's open borders.

It was a mistake to open it all up for summer holidays. Air travel should be emergency only at the moment.

@annabel85 - and should restaurants, theatres, gyms, pubs, UK tourist attractions and non-essential shops all be closed, too?

People are entitled to book a holiday abroad without taking into account the consequences of their actions. What they aren’t entitled to do is to then moan about it when they have to quarantine or when it’s cancelled due to Coronavirus 🙄 Take the risk by all means but keep your whinging to yourself if it doesn’t pay off
This 👏👏👏

Don't book something abroad during a pandemic, ignoring the fact the world is responding to a new virus, and then whine that your gamble hasn't paid off.

@annabel85 - and should restaurants, theatres, gyms, pubs, UK tourist attractions and non-essential shops all be closed, too?

No, as you can socially distance safely in all of these scenarios, you can not do that on a plane packed full of people can you. Common sense tells us it is much safer and better to avoid situations where you are exposed to multiple numbers of people at close proximity.

@Walkaround

Open up where social distancing can be adhered to. Packed out Ryanair flights (or whatever airline) are madness at the moment.

@LolaSmiles - do you count the entire country of Spain as being “whiny” for asking the UK government not to quarantine people coming back from the Spanish islands? Or only individuals who are arguing that the Government did not need to react in such a sudden and blanket way that was not co-ordinated with FCO advice on places exempted from the no non-essential travel advice?

@madbirdlady22 - no, you can’t socially distance effectively inside a pub. Tbh, I’d feel safer on a relatively short flight, with everyone required to wear a mask, breathing air that is filtered or replaced every 2-3 minutes, and where everyone is kept an eye on by cabin crew, than go inside a pub at the moment.