Older people booking holidays

[Doffodils]

I've been away from MN for a few days so apologies if this was done.

Following the news that the vaccination programme is in full swing, apparently travel companies have had a rush of older people booking holidays for this summer.

We're being told that behaviour will need to carry on with social distancing, restricting travel etc despite some people having the vaccine.

Young people have been disproportionately affected by the restrictions and been reminded often of their duty to protect the more vulnerable, but apparently those vulnerable people aren't going to give a second thought for the youngsters once they've had the vaccine.

Is this a common view among the, say, 60+ people you know?

Or is it OK, or even good, that some people can start getting back to normal/supporting the economy etc?

How will this kind of 2 tier society operate?

Why is everyone lumping the over 50s in with the ones who are 'ok' because they've had the vaccine and can now book holidays. I'm early sixties and not a cat in hells chance of getting the vaccine for months and months yet and being able to 'selfishly' go on holiday. I think lm in group 7 in the queue. My dgd is clinically very vulnerable and she's got to wait behind all the over 70s /care home residents and staff and NHS staff. No wonder this is bringing out ageism in people. I'm struggling not to feel resentful as well as being very frightened of me or my family /dgd especially getting the vaccine too late.

@Lou98

I understand why it may seem unfair but as above if travelling is allowed then I don't think they're doing anything wrong, without people booking the industry won't survive.

As morbid as this may seem, younger people will have more chances in years to come to go on holidays and enjoy themselves (obviously there's exceptions but on average) whereas these older people are trying to enjoy retirement of what time they've got left. It may seem selfish to you but I don't grudge older people trying to make the most of the years they've got left

Agree with this !

Interesting. The article said that TUI had reported that 50% of their bookings were for passengers aged 50 and over. Everyone is going crazy over this but not about the other 50% of Tui’s bookings which, by default, must be for people 50 and under.

www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain-tui/uk-over-50s-celebrate-coming-vaccination-with-holiday-bookings-tui-says-idUSL8N2JP4BE

“Holiday company TUI said the vaccine roll-out in Britain had boosted summer bookings from those aged 50 and over, with that age group accounting for 50% of all web bookings since the end of last year.“

@NeverForgetYourDreams

Bloody unfair. I'm under 50 and working and stuck at home as is my teen. To protect the elderly and those with illnesses. Then those over 60 get the vaccine and get to go away

Hope do private vaccinations soon as we will pay so we can have a break from work and this interminable lockdown

I don't want to invoke Godwin but....y'know.

@TheDogsMother

I hate this othering and generalisation about a homogenous group of 'old' 50+ people. This thread makes is sound like they are all sitting around doing nothing and having an affluent retirement. Some have been shielding for months, loads are still working full time, some will have school age kids, everybody's life is different.

Also why on earth would there be some great old, young divide when it comes to holidays ? Everyone was allowed to go abroad on holiday in 2020 if they chose to and as soon as travel restrictions are lifted they will be able to again. Hopefully with virus transmission decreasing all the time..

^ this

I am almost 52, working full time (why would I be retired at this age?), single parent to three teens all at school, no plans to go on holiday this summer, am aware that once I am eventually vaccinated (just before “young” under 50s) I could still be infectious to others, will be affected by higher post Covid taxation and any recession, am worried about the effect on my dc of this lockdown in particular...

@Londonmummy66

It's fine but those over 50s need to remember that today's teenagers are watching. If they see the "oldies" off enjoying their lives again whilst they're still stuck at home with their education trashed - just like May last year - they aren't going to forget that. It will make whatever the perceived "age divide" is much worse in the future. They will also be choosing their care homes.................

The “old” over 50s are the full time working parents of those teenagers.

Do many on this thread think that if you are over 50 you are automatically retired, have dc who have left home, and are in the same age bracket as 70/80 year olds? Maybe people are influenced by marketing which seems to sometimes inexplicably lump everyone between 50 and 80 together. Why do they do this?

Why over 50s? Im over 50, work on the front line and will not be getting my vac for bloody ages.

And i have a 9 yr old

@Londonmummy66

It's fine but those over 50s need to remember that today's teenagers are watching. If they see the "oldies" off enjoying their lives again whilst they're still stuck at home with their education trashed - just like May last year - they aren't going to forget that. It will make whatever the perceived "age divide" is much worse in the future. They will also be choosing their care homes.................

That's ok I'll just remind them whose taxes paid for their education, their medical treatment, their future state pension, their subsidised student travel cards etc, because it sure as hell wasn't theirs.

I really want to book a holiday for later in the year but don't know whether they will say you have to be vaccinated first. Also I'd only book anything with a decent refund policy for cancellation.

Good, the economy needs money to go back out into circulation. Mostly intergenerational holidays means older people booking a holiday to spend time with their families, and much of it is on the UK. Everyone in the UK will be lined up for a vaccine this year, so there's really no need to get jealous of those who have it a couple of months earlier.

That's ok I'll just remind them whose taxes paid for their education, their medical treatment, their future state pension, their subsidised student travel cards etc, because it sure as hell wasn't theirs.

Then they can remind you that they will still be working and whose taxes are paying for your medical treatment, state pension, free bus pass and winter fuel allowance when you retire, as it sure as hell won't be yours.

Yes of course they should be going on holidays if they want to. Older people have been extremely isolated for nearly a year. Not seeing children or grandchildren. Yes, we've had it tough with school closures and redundancies and everything else, but I've had my husband and 2 children to keep me company and for social interaction.

Let the older people go off and enjoy themselves when they're vaccinated. They may still have to quarantine when they get home, but not as big a deal to them if they're not working.

[quote CoronaBurana]@ancientgran if your husband was born before the end of WW2 then that cannot make him a boomer. But maybe you are talking about post war army service, in which case ignore me.

@RainingBatsAndFrogs I didn’t say I had a problem with people going on holiday. I just think we need a wealth tax to pay for covid, that should include the significant unearned property wealth and pension wealth of the baby boomer generation. In case you haven’t noticed, the working population and their kids have been hit by the biggest recession in 2 centuries. Income taxes aren’t going to cut it.[/quote]
Rishi has ruled out the wealth tax, today in the mail, there is a large article about it, I won't link, anyone interested can easily find

I work in travel and throughout the whole thing some of my most impatient to get away clients are those in their 70s and 80s who don't know how long they've got left to travel.

Fair play to them. We welcome their bookings, we'll refund them if restrictions mean they can't go, and be happy to take them if we can.

There we go then, all equal and fair, under 50's and over 50's have it the same....including the % of holiday bookings.

I fully expected this to happen. after we have all sacrificed our jobs, socialising, our kids education it seems very selfish. But tbh many of the older generation have voted for successive government with individualist (there's no such thing as society) agendas so I suppose this just follows that way of thinking.

There are some really jealous thinking people about.

Going around thinking poorly of others booking holidays because they think everyone else must hide away until they decide they don't need to. If that's how you think then maybe you should step back and consider that being so angry is only going to eat away at you and no one else.

I won't be booking holidays this year because I can't be bothered to cancel if we can't go but honestly if others want to then good for them and the travel industry. Who cares what age they are but if I was elderly I know I wouldn't have much time left to see the world and would be wanting to get out ASAP.

It is by no means certain that anyone will be able to go anywhere abroad next summer, so more fool them if they book. They are just lending money to travel companies and aviation industry. I do think we have a chance now to be kind to the planet and cut unnecessary flying, so I won't be booking.

I'm going to be 55 soon and am tentatively planning a camping holiday in Brittany in September. i don't think that makes me selfish. My position in this pandemic has been classic sandwich generation, helping younger generation in a minor way (they are young adults) and my parents in very major ways which have been necessitated by Covid. I feel I deserve a flipping holiday!

Sorry I can't be bothered reading the whole thread bitching about 'older people' & so much nonsense.

But has it occurred to you that the travel companies are telling you what they want you to believe. It's just a form of advertising.

The won't have different rules for lockdown because they can still spread it. Thus if they chose to go on holiday but we still don't have travel corridors, they would still have to isolate

I know some people are irked because they are giving up so much for those at risk, but it's not just that. Deaths aside, unless you want patients sick with COVID to be told they can't get hospital care, these restrictions are for our healthcare services. Without the current lockdown , hospitals would be completely over run even more than they are now; so whilst 20 year old Bob isn't impacted by COVID, he gets a car crash and could make it with ICU care but it's low chance, he wouldn't get a bed. That's happening in some places now, without restrictions there would be ED clinicians choosing who gets care, all cancer surgery would have to stop

Some really selfish attitudes on this thread. My 80 yo parents haven’t been anywhere for a year. I haven’t seen them since I sat in their garden for an hour on my 50th birthday last August. I work full time with children at school. If my parents want a holiday once they’ve been vaccinated then good for them!

@MRex

Good, the economy needs money to go back out into circulation. Mostly intergenerational holidays means older people booking a holiday to spend time with their families, and much of it is on the UK. Everyone in the UK will be lined up for a vaccine this year, so there's really no need to get jealous of those who have it a couple of months earlier.

This is the plan indeed, so I am not that worried about my husband and myself. But I am worried about my DD, because they do not even have a licensed vaccine for them yet. Though they are working on it and hopefully the trial will be finished by summer/ autumn. I am worried about the effects of having all adults vaccinated, but no children. Whether this would mean that the virus will then be forced to infect only children and it may mutate accordingly. So, really, I would like to see assurances on this. Regarding those vaccinated going on holiday. Good for them, if it is within the rules. And good to re-start the economy going. But I think they should try to avoid mingling with unvaccinated groups for the months that will take to have everyone vaccinated. Just in case. And especially children. The data on transmission after the vaccine will show light on it. We need to wait till then. For now, just the idea of even being able to sit down to have a cuppa with your similar age friend, feels like a dream to me. I do really hope that those vaccinated find themselves enjoying some more freedoms soon. Siren has been published. It is an study of natural immunity effects on healthworkers. It looks like once immune, you are very unlikeky to get it again. And if you get it, with much less symptoms. But.... if you get it the second time, you can transmit it. So we must be mindfull of this at the moment, we all need to wait and stay home till they get further data.

@Restorationandredecoration

This pattern will be wider than just holidays. Over the next few months the old will begin returning to normal life while the young will stay in limbo.

We undertook lockdowns to protect them, we will suffer for decades rebuilding the economy and the addressing the mental health and educational impact, meanwhile they will return to normal more quickly and put pressure on us to provide services like normal for them. It makes me angry and yet I expect our generation would do the same in their shoes, it’s human nature.

You sound ageist. We all undertook lockdowns, not just the young. We worked so young people could stay at home to look after children. We spent more time alone than families. You sound like you want it all.