AIBU - Summer Holidays

[DadAManger]

I know I can expect sensible and erudite comments here, as opposed to my local paper forum...

AIBU to think that this year, we are just going to go without our annual summer holidays? Cases - including of newer and more unknown variants - are up all across Europe. I love travelling as much as the next person and have family that would love to get away. But given the advantages we have gained here in recent months due to so many of us getting vaccinated and dealing with the lockdown, are we opening the floodgates to stepping back to another lockdown? I have friends that are almost psychotic at any mention of their 2 weeks in Spain, Turkey, Germany potentially being blocked this year. AIBU?

[quote gallbladderpain]@TristantheTyrannosaurus Fair enough. I'd rather be a community minded citizen and not act like the whole world revolves around me.[/quote]

If that's how you feel fine. Bit silly to assume it's acting like the world revolves round oneself if someone goes abroad (or is it 'jetting off' ) and they probably don't put as much thought into it as you think. Or care how it's perceived by randoms they don't even know.

@gallbladderpain

Seeing the uproar by many people about businesses being closed ...ohhh the economy...then it grates on me when these very same people can't wait to spend summer abroad with many having multiple holidays booked. Not so worried about the economy and local businesses now despite their yapping on about it for months otherwise they would holiday in their own country and boost their own economy!

Yes. Exactly this. The whole cake and eat it attitude.

We have 2 trips abroad booked one in July and one in Sept if we can go we will go. I have no desire to spend thousands of pounds on a UK break where the prices have been bumped extortionately to trudge around in the rain surrounded by people who only talk/complain about covid. Holidays are escapism, a chance to experience different cultures and that is important to me and my family, not to mention we have family abroad that we would also like to see and meet our baby.

It’s not unreasonable to want to travel and as soon as they announce the green list I will book a few days away in which ever of those places take our fancy and leave ASAP before they start messing around taking places on and off the list. I am itching to get out of the UK and frankly couldn’t care less if people think it’s selfish or unreasonable.

I think it’s unreasonable that we have all had to conform to a set of restrictions based on one dimensional thinking with very little evidence to support the majority of the rules for a year so if I want to go abroad I will.

I would care how it was perceived amongst my friends and family but I suppose the likelihood is that the people you socialise with are like minded.

The travel industry employs an awful lot of people, it's not just about holidays. Pre-pandemic Thomas Cook went, Norwegian Airlines has stopped long-haul, Virgin aren't in great shape. If travel doesn't start back up this summer we're likely to have fewer choices next summer.

Apparently at the moment Germans and Spanish aren't able to travel across their own country, but for some reason Germans can travel to Mallorca?

I think travel will be restricted, but as soon as we can things should be opened up. I've got a holiday booked in August and if I can go I will, if I need to move it so be it. I'll abide by all the guidelines, but all this talk of travel being selfish is ridiculous virtue signalling. We can't stay locked up forever.

You can support local businesses and go abroad, too! In fact, you might not be able to get a holiday in the UK at all seeing as so many are booked up. Or maybe they're going to see family abroad, check out a job abroad, looking at emigrating, all sorts of reasons.

I think they should open it up for people to go see family, if the other countries allow, under whatever criteria they put in. I haven't seen my mum in nearly 9 months, but she is a 45 minute drive away, I couldn't imagine not having an end date to not see her.

Things are likely to change frequent and at short notice again, like they did last summer.

If there’s any chance of needing to self isolate / quarantine on return then that rules us out as neither DH or I can work from home.

That’s the biggest restriction for us.

As a high street travel agent we need international travel to open up soon

I have been on flexi furlough for over a year now ( not much fun I can tell you ) saw best friends loose their jobs in travel and are still struggling to get a new job anywhere

Saw my agency refund all customers for holidays last year and still not made a penny this year

We can’t continue much longer like this 😞

@llm24

As a high street travel agent we need international travel to open up soon

I have been on flexi furlough for over a year now ( not much fun I can tell you ) saw best friends loose their jobs in travel and are still struggling to get a new job anywhere

Saw my agency refund all customers for holidays last year and still not made a penny this year

We can’t continue much longer like this 😞

The brigade will tell you that you 'just' need to go work in a care home, for Amazon, that supermarkets are hiring everyone or to become a delivery driver.

[quote gallbladderpain]@TristantheTyrannosaurus Fair enough. I'd rather be a community minded citizen and not act like the whole world revolves around me.[/quote]
Well put
Sick of the look at me I have declared that enough is enough crap today
Stop bleating on. It doesn't make you any less self centred repeating yourself

@TristantheTyrannosaurus

yep saw several comments like that but when you have done that job for over twenty years it’s easier said than done to go
and get someone new

I will do all I can to
make sure my agency succeeds , delivering leaflets for our shop, sharing social media adverts and hope when this is all over we will have a shop to go back too

I’m not really comfortable with it but last years camcelled one is rearranged for this year. I don’t like the idea of having to pay out for Covid tests before flying and before flying home. What it you test positive on the way back? Is it a case of being holed up in a hotel overseas for 10 days? I don’t like the sound of that.

Yabu for using the word psychotic in that context.

Well put
Sick of the look at me I have declared that enough is enough crap today
Stop bleating on. It doesn't make you any less self centred repeating yourself

What on the internet? Or in real life? How is that different from 'Look me, I am so community minded and you are so selfish'?

[quote llm24]@TristantheTyrannosaurus

yep saw several comments like that but when you have done that job for over twenty years it’s easier said than done to go
and get someone new

I will do all I can to
make sure my agency succeeds , delivering leaflets for our shop, sharing social media adverts and hope when this is all over we will have a shop to go back too[/quote]
I completely agree with you, llm.

The travel industry is part of the U.K. economy, even if money is also spent abroad. There are very likely to be several ‘green’ destinations.

I just think it carries too much risk this year (and both DH and I have family abroad who we haven’t seen in 1.5 years now). Having to quarantine abroad, or on return, being on a flight for 4-5 in close proximity to other passengers... it just doesn’t seem worth the risk at the moment. If things continue to improve over the summer then something like a drive across to France in our car is about as far (literally and otherwise) as I’d go.

We have two trips booked, both moved from last year. We're keeping a weather eye on the rules and are looking to come up with a plan B in case it's not feasible to go. But if it is feasible and we're allowed, damn right I'll be on that plane.

Hope to holiday overseas if we can, had both doses. People are so judgy especially found this to be true of people who’ve not stuck to restrictions themselves ie friend who’s seen multiple family members.

@Muchtoomuchtodo

Me too. I am not sure we can take the risk and if we needed to quarantine overseas at our cost it would cripple us financially so I think I will have to lose the deposit or change it to next year. I suppose if you can quarantine time wise and have lots of money in that eventuality then it’s ok to go. If not then it’s v risky.

Personally as much as I would love to abroad, I think the ball ache of insurance, rule changes, quarantine, covid passports means I wont risk it until life gets clearer.

I'm pretty sure some travel companies will collapse soon. We are a big family so holidays abroad are expensive, all inclusive and planned well in advance. I'm have thinking about putting money aside for when we can travel again and half getting used to staying self catering on a shoe string.

Either way it's a lot of cash no longer going into the travel industry full stop. How will these businesses survive? It's like with all the shops shutting on the high street, it then kills off the cafes, tea rooms etc that goes with the footfall.

It's not just the booking companies who will fold

Sometimes I think people who holiday in the UK just want to ruin everyone else’s foreign holidays.
You stay in the UK if you want to, I’d rather go abroad where I can enjoy the warm weather and outdoor activities not be crammed into a dome at Butlins or an indoor pool. Covid is in the UK already, including mutations - see the Kent strain.

@Crumpsly

Sometimes I think people who holiday in the UK just want to ruin everyone else’s foreign holidays. You stay in the UK if you want to, I’d rather go abroad where I can enjoy the warm weather and outdoor activities not be crammed into a dome at Butlins or an indoor pool. Covid is in the UK already, including mutations - see the Kent strain.

Yup. Whilst there's a fair amount of justified hesitancy, there's also a fair amount of land grabbing at the perceived moral high ground mixed in with a big dollop of covert schadenfreude.

International travel is going to be possible very shortly. I intend to travel abroad.

I don't think holidays outside the UK should be allowed this year.

The UK has done so well with vaccines while many other countries (popular holiday destinations) are struggling with a 3rd wave and new variants.

I think getting the rest of the economy up and running, catching up on NHS waiting lists and getting our right to see family/friends domestically back should take precedence