UK holidays or staycations

[Heatheronthehill]

Can I ask why people seem to think UK holidays will need to be cancelled this year?
I don’t understand.
This time last year we didn’t even really know about covid properly and we certainly didn’t have a vaccine. Yet people still went on holiday in the UK and abroad in the summer.
We went to Wales in July and I know many others who went away.

We have a coastal break booked in mid April, a night away in June for my birthday and a 4 night break in Dorset in August. I’m pretty optimistic that all will go ahead, the only one I’m not sure about is April.

Can anyone else explain the logic behind thinking things won’t go ahead in the spring/summer? Considering our position now compared to last year.

If the UK is still under lockdown you won't be able to go or if there is a return to a complicated tier system which means you will be going from one tier to another. No-one knows what the situation will be in the coming weeks or months, but I would have though there's a good chance you will be able to go on holiday in the UK in the spring and summer. That said I wouldn't book anything that can't be cancelled at the last minute in case you have to and I certainly wouldn't be booking anything abroad. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

I don’t think anyone really believed we’d be in a worse situation a year on than when it all started. I think last summer we felt we were over the worst but this year we’ll be less complacent because no one wants to face another winter like this. Hopefully the vaccine will be the game changer

@LillianGish I don’t think we’ll still be in lockdown come Easter. Certainly not summer. But yes all mine have cancellation requests.

I hope not as it'll kill the local tourism here, it was badly damaged enough last year

Never say never @Heatheronthehill - who would have believed during the first lockdown in March that the UK would still be in lockdown down now. This is an unprecedented situation with a bunch of incompetents running the show - all bets are off. As I say - better to hope for the best while preparing for the worst.

I am an eternal optimist, but even I am skeptical, not least because I think the government have realised that they allowed far too much freedom last summer, and could be reluctant to do the same again this year. I sincerely hope this is not the case (we have booked to go away in the UK in July), but nothing shocks me anymore...

We have a uk holiday booked in Wales which was deferred from last year. I’m really hoping we can still go. We also have a place in the Lakes but obviously haven’t been for months. I guess we’ll just need to see what happens and how things open up, but I really hope people are able to holiday within the uk at least.

who would have believed during the first lockdown in March that the UK would still be in lockdown down now

There were a lot of people - including MN posters - who were saying to enjoy the summer because the winter wouid be grim, because of what happens in the winter virus season (which governments can't do much about, other than lockdown again). The new variant, which has meant the drop following the November lockdown was so rapidly reversed was unexpected. But even countries where new variants are not so prevalent are seeing the same pattern.

Staycation is obviously the option which cannot be cancelled, and your local attractions and independent shops will be very glad you're usungbthem

UK vacations may well be all right from about May to October, assuming rates drop as hoped

If we still have to isolate due to any symptoms, then my travel could be impossible and I'd lose all my money. I got burnt (struggled to get refunds) with having to cancel lots of business travel in March 2020. Don't want to do that again.

I'm pretty blase about most risks, but hate losing money.

Thanks for replies, I still think with vaccines we’ll be in a much better place than last summer surely?

Staycations will be fine, because that means staying at home and going on day trips.

I think domestic tourism will go ahead this summer but it'll be weird tier things again. That people will ignore.

We have a place in Cornwall that we're not allowed to visit, but if I had just flown in from another country, I'd be allowed to quarantine there. The rules are nonsense.

All old farts who have had vaccines will be off on their Saga cruises with the vaccine certificates. Just us lemons who will have to stay on a rainy island.

It probably depends on what part of the UK you want to visit. Scotland and Wales are likely to have stricter rules than England.

I don't really want to go away if I can't go to nice restaurants or have to worry about whether public loos will be available.

who would have believed during the first lockdown in March that the UK would still be in lockdown down now I didn't think we could afford to go into lockdown again. Well we can't, but we did anyway.

@redsquirrelfan that’s what I meant though, why would public toilets and restaurants not be open by the summer at the speed they are currently vaccinating the population?

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot when I said staycations I meant staying in this country for a holiday, rather than abroad.

We're about to book a UK break for summer. We've just made sure the place we chose would let us move the dates in case of restrictions or lockdowns. Something nice to look forward to if it's possible but we won't lose out if it's not and can go another time.

[quote Heatheronthehill]@RuleWithAWoodenFoot when I said staycations I meant staying in this country for a holiday, rather than abroad.[/quote]
The phrase was coined only a few years ago to mean 'staying at home but acting like you're on holiday'

Which there isn't really a neat alternative term for.

Holidaying in Britain is a separate thing, and it's a shame that it seems to be encroaching on the vocabulary of a different thing. Even the Beeb is at it, so I think that's a useful bit of language gone.

I've just booked a week away in Norfolk (fully refundable mind you) at the end of May and I'm pretty confident that it will go ahead. Not sure whether to book something uk based for August or to hang on in the hope of something European and last minute.

We usually go abroad each year , but this year have decided it’s a too big of risk, and highly likely having to isolate upon return. So we are planning to holiday in UK camping locally or visiting family for long weekend ( if and when we can) . But nothing has been booked and it will be very much last minute decision. can’t afford to pay deposits , then not be able to go and loose deposits.

We have booked several trips in our caravan but the sites are all no deposit and can be easily cancelled, hopeful they will go ahead though the one we booked in March won't.

I think we may be confined to tiers. I have bought a tent and will be phoning around the day before whether it be 10 miles down the road, 100 miles or my back garden, depending on restrictions.

I think it is also a bit unethical to bomb it down to Cornwall if they have fewer cases than your local area.

I'm just about to book a holiday in Wales (we're in England) during the summer school holidays. I'm basically pinning all my hopes on this summer being pretty much as last year's was - restrictions still in place but being able to do a bit more. The place I'm hoping to book has a flexible booking policy but we may still lose our deposit if restrictions mean we can't travel. However, I'm also really worried that if we delay booking any longer, everything in the UK will be booked up and we'll get nothing at all.

I still think with vaccines we’ll be in a much better place than last summer surely?
Last summer we did not have the more transmissable UK variant of the virus
or 77 Cases of the strain from South Africa. I suppose it will depend upon whether we can stop other variants of the virus from spreading throughout the UK and whether the current vaccine protects against other variants.

I’ve got no holidays booked yet, but a few Uk breaks pencilled in. I’m absolutely desperate to visit family abroad this July. As soon as international travel is lifted, I’ll be getting a test and going home for a month!

I haven't wanted to book abroad, I don't think it will be the right thing to do even if we are somehow "allowed" by summer but I have booked a UK cottage for August which is fully refundable for anything covid related.i think anything else will just have to wait until at least 2022.

Some people only consider it a holiday if it's abroad, OP :o

There is no way the UK will host the G7 summit and yet normal British people are not allowed to go on UK based holidays. I would crack on and book.