Going to spain

[Zem74]

Due to go to Spain next week (area has no cases) to visit/stay with family.

Am I mad to go? Very undecided

@stickygotstuck depending on where your relatives are have you thought of taking the ferry to Bilbao or Santander and driving? Brittany ferries have reduced passenger numbers and put other safety measures in place.

Thanks @chocolatviennois.
I have thought about it but unfortunately I live in the North of England and my family are in the South of Spain. It's a lot of driving, especially with DC (prone to travel sickness).

So nice to get some balanced opinions, I was thinking everyone would say 100% don’t go and that would help me decide

Thought about ferry but as our flights are still going we would lose the money on them and I don’t know if my children would last the car journey without constant moaning!

Being stuck out there would be horrendous but only because I’d be wanting to be home, we are staying with family so could stay as long gone as we wanted. I’d hope that there would be some kind of heads up re cancelling/rescheduling flights so we wouldn’t be stranded!
It’s such a hard decision, I know it would do my children the world of good after such a crappy year but the fact that it’s going against govt advise makes me on the fence about it all!

If the advice is not to go then why are people still going? Is it a case of “fuck it I’ll do what I want”?

I'm currently here at the moment, would have lost the money had we not travelled, (Ryanair) it's safe as houses here, masks, Sanatisers, temp checks, sprayed with stuff into pubs,
IMO the travel ban was just to boost the uk economy ie holiday at home, this is also the thoughts of the many Spain business owners I've spoken too, in the area I'm in it's 1 active case at the moment, where I live in uk, 634 active cases, I know where I feel safer,

Have people checked their insurance carefully, I think you need special cover if travelling against FCO advice?

If the advice is not to go then why are people still going? Is it a case of “fuck it I’ll do what I want”?

Clearly yes. And according to @ceilihouse the Spanish local tourist business owners, who clearly have no vested interest at all (sarcasm) have more and better information than national governments!!!

‘Travel’ is not always a holiday. People with family overseas still would like to see parents/grandparents/siblings, just like those with family in the UK do?

A lot of people have no faith in this shambolic government and can make their own judgements according to statistics.

If blanket bans to an entire country, only a small part of which has a big outbreak were sensible then other governments would have put them in place. Boris Johnson's government has made bad decision after u-turn after bad decision. I wouldn't follow Dominic Raabs directions to the nearest library.

@Zem74

‘Travel’ is not always a holiday. People with family overseas still would like to see parents/grandparents/siblings, just like those with family in the UK do?

Exactly, OP.

For some of us it's not a jolly. The stress this decision is costing me is hardly fine.

And like a PP said, there are far more cases where I live in the UK than where I am going in Spain.

I agree that it's hard /impossible to trusts the UK government's decisions. Posturing and knee-jerk reactions. Oh and incompetence.

*fine = fun

Grant Shapps has left his own family to continue their Spanish holiday and when they return I doubt he will stay in quarantine for another 14 days. Many people use the Spanish ferries to go to Portugal and southern France and the latter is still on the exempt list and things could change re Portugal. It is possible to drive from Bilbao to France without getting out of the car in Spain as only 2 hours drive.

It's not a fuck it attitude really at all,

The British government at this stage don't know their arse from their elbow,

I own a holiday home in wales, since this announcement I could have sold it for 3 times it's weekly charge to Brits who are staycationing, believe me I haven't, but I know others that have and it's vile to do so,

I personally spent 16 weeks in lockdown, watched my business go down the pan, I chose to come here for a few days to get a break from what's facing me at home to get a clear head and to make a plan and I won't apologise for it,

Also FCO says it's for British nationals that the warning applies too, I'm not a British National, I'm travelling on an Irish passport,

We are being extremely careful here at all times, more so than at home, and I really genuinely can say I feel so much safer here

We are going shortly Battleface offer insurance and we have taken it out for our family. I was more expensive but for £100 when we have villa etc booked is not a biggie. WFH on return so we are going. we will obey all rules etc whilst there and at home.

My DB lives out there and he has been sending me infection figures etc and they are lower than where we are now .

@ceilihouse ‘not a fuck it attitude’. And then your entire post illustrates a fuck it attitude - I will do what I want.

It is not a fuck it attitude at all. The goverment advice is just that, advice. Not law. No one is breaking the law by travelling. Most people are making educated decisions based on the areas they are travelling to and from and following all the guidelines both here and abroad. Think about how many other pieces of advice the government give out and if you are sure you stick to it all, then you may have a point.

@Bool exactly! I'm not going to live in fear, life has to continue in as much normality as possible, yes we have to be aware and conscious of what's going on around us, but it it dosent have to mean life has to stop, covid is going to be about for a long time yet,

In my job I'm meeting 100s of people every day, here I think there is about 30 people in total I chose to take the risk, and it's no riskier than my job/business at the moment

We are in a village near Malaga, there are no cases here at all and never have been. The blanket advice is ridiculous and probably more political than related to our health. Spain has a lower level of infection than UK apart from in Aragon, Catalunya and Madrid. Also, in our experience, everyone wears masks and things feel safe. HOWEVER - your travel insurance is not valid if you travel here so you would have to rely on your E111 if you fall ill and you would not be insured for any loss of luggage or personal belongings etc. You will have to quarantine on getting back to UK although you are quite free to drive to an airport and get on a flight within that 14 days (confirmed to a Spanish friend by the dept of transport on Twitter the other day). Whole thing is crazy IMO. We travelled on the Ferry and the only place I did not feel safe was on Brittany Ferries in the dining area where people (Brits) flouted the no mask rule, there was no social distancing and it was a scrum - so, on our return, we will take a pack up and stay in our cabins. If I was to get on a plane I would wear a mask and visor, use lots of alco gel regularly and change clothes , shower and wash hair as soon as I got to my destination. Also you need to consider how vulnerable are the people you are travelling with so - do any of you have pre-existing conditions - if so, I would not risk travelling anywhere. Whatever you decide I hope you stay safe and have a lovely time .

@ColdOopNorth I totally agree I think Spain should have been divided as regions for travel advice. To me it’s like saying don’t go to London because Leicester has an outbreak?!
I think we’ve decided to take the risk and go to Spain next week, will happily quarantine for 14 days on return. I’m confident that the region we are visiting has much lower cases than where we are now, I also think seeing our family and having a change of scenery will mentally do us the world of good!

@ColdOopNorth Do you know if one is allowed to take food purchased in the self service restaurant back to the cabin on Brittany Ferries?

Why are people ignoring the advice?

So many people not wearing masks in shops too when told to do so.

Is it just ignore everything now and do what you want?

@Cloudyroom In general I'm following All advice, but I’m going to travel to Spain to see family as I’ve made an educated decision that the area I am going to has virtually zero cases, better than where I live here! We will all quarantine for 14 days on return to UK, and travel back from the airport in our own car.
Advising no travel to Spain is silly when the vast majority of the country has lower levels of cases than the UK.

@Zem74 not sure about the food - the main restaurants are closed (the really nice, swanky french ones... ) and the only one open is where the lorry drivers eat. The food is pretty awful and you put it on a tray - it is more the queuing up to get it that is the problem rather than eating it. Everyone is crowded in and no social distancing whatsoever. There is a cafe which sells sandwiches which are revolting (soggy bread urgh). I am not at all a fussy eater but personally, I would rather take a pack up than eat in the drivers canteen or stuff from the cafe. Traveling to Spain could take a pack up and coming back buy something nice locally before boarding. Just need a small cold box.