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Original poster

Summer holidays abroad...

42 replies

ThornAmongstRoses · 16/04/2021 11:41

Me, DH, FIL and my two children are due to fly out to Turkey at the end of July.

Apparently Turkey have said that are “accepting UK tourists with open arms” and do not require them to be vaccinated or to produce a negative test prior to travel.

My husband thinks this is great news and is jumping up and firm for joy....

I on the other hand am not.

I’ve been vaccinated but something about Turkey’s “open arms” approach just makes me nervous.

OP posts:
IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 16/04/2021 12:15

There’s no way we are travelling this year whether allowed or not. Travel allows for spread and variants and I’d rather we had very few cases here and forgo a holiday.

mrshoho · 16/04/2021 12:18

Has your dh read about the situation in Turkey? It's not somewhere I'd be heading to. I can't really see an open travel corridor this Summer.

paralysedbyinertia · 16/04/2021 12:19

Oh gosh, no.

We won't be taking the risk of travelling abroad at all this year, but I certainly wouldn't be considering Turkey. Their case numbers are through the roof!

LondonWFuck · 16/04/2021 12:21

I went to Turkey twice last year (August and October). Would love to go back this year if poss!

dragoncena · 16/04/2021 12:23

I very much doubt that we (UK) will be allowed to Turkey. It is already on Ireland's red list and Russia are banning flights. The surge in cases is very worrying and they have upped restrictions again (7pm curfew, takeaways only) in an attempt to get a hold. We are also booked but will be changing it until next year again, even if we are allowed I couldn't relax at the thought of it being moved to red whilst we are away.

Original poster
ThornAmongstRoses · 16/04/2021 12:23

Well I told him I wouldn’t want to go so he said he’d just take the children. I said I wouldn’t be comfortable with that and he went in a right huff about how much money it cost blah blah blah and said that the virus wasn’t going to harm us (young, healthy, mr vaccinated) so I need to be realistic about the risk and see that going to Turkey is perfectly safe.

OP posts:
paralysedbyinertia · 16/04/2021 12:28

He sounds horrible, OP. Hope you are ok.Flowers

Hopefully, you'll find that he won't be allowed to travel anyway, so this will be a non-issue.

Mindymomo · 16/04/2021 12:42

Turkey may be happy to open up to tourists, but it will be down to what is law in July. Also the airline may request PCR tests. Unfortunately it’s just too early to know yet.

WombatChocolate · 16/04/2021 13:39

Do you really want to go abroad?
Why not choose a holiday in UK this year? How comfortable are you with the potential impact on yourselves, but particularly others of both yourselves and other travelling around the world this summer when the virus is surging in lots of places and we’ve worked so hard to reduce it. Is it really worth it for a couple of weeks of sun?

MalagaNights · 16/04/2021 13:43

Will you all have had the vaccine?
If so the rates in Turkey are irrelevant to you personally.

You need the UK to give you permission to travel though and if turkey's rates are high they might be on the red list.

I'm hoping to go to Greece in the summer.
If the Greeks and the UK say travel is open I'm going.

WombatChocolate · 16/04/2021 13:49

The children won’t have been vaccinated. They could catch it and be asymptomatic. They might not be very ill or ill at all with it but spread it on return to those who are vulnerable. Are you bothered about that or not really? What about if they bring back a mutant strain that vaccines are not so good against?

The trouble is, family holidays involve children and they won’t be vaccinated.

jasjas1973 · 16/04/2021 13:50

@WombatChocolate

Do you really want to go abroad? Why not choose a holiday in UK this year? How comfortable are you with the potential impact on yourselves, but particularly others of both yourselves and other travelling around the world this summer when the virus is surging in lots of places and we’ve worked so hard to reduce it. Is it really worth it for a couple of weeks of sun?
thats all well an good but the govt is allowing in travelers from across the globe into the UK right now, India isn't on any red list, there is zero SD at airports & SA/ Brazil variants are spread across the UK thanks to pure stupidity.

So if we can travel this summer, i'll be going.

Good luck holidaying in the UK in our over populated Island.

paralysedbyinertia · 16/04/2021 13:53

Will you all have had the vaccine?
If so the rates in Turkey are irrelevant to you personally.

This is over-simplifying things.

None of the vaccines offer 100% protection, and we know that they are significantly less effective for some of the new variants. The OP should not assume that the case rates are irrelevant.

Secondly, the OP's dc have not been vaccinated. They are at extremely low risk of dying from covid, but there is a not insignificant risk for children of long covid. The OP would need to consider whether she wishes to expose her kids to this risk.

Thirdly, if case rates remain high, it seems likely that some sort of enforced quarantine could be imposed at any time, potentially at considerable expense to the OP and her family. I would want to be aware of that possibility, personally.

WombatChocolate · 16/04/2021 13:53

JasJas, I just started another thread asking why it is people want to go this summer. You’re obviously keen to go despite the current circumstances. Is it just that you love a holiday so much that you aren’t worried about bringing it back or undoing some of the good work that’s happened by lockdown reducing it?

Or is it because other countries will allow travel or we let people in, you think your personal contribution by travelling or not makes no difference? Just interested.

DazedandConcerned · 16/04/2021 13:58

It partly depends on where you are going in Turkey. Going into the centre of Istanbul is very different from an all inclusive resort. All inclusive resorts will adhere to Covid policies - both country and chain - so you are likely safer there.

I went to Egypt in December. Staff are tested, wear masks and gloves, and take your safety seriously. Negative test required to enter the country. I was happy with that level of risk and found that all Covid regs here were being adhered to there. I’m going back in July if the government will let me.

If it’s the same as Egypt (and Greece where I went last July) I wouldn’t hesitate but I have no idea what the restrictions are like in Turkey. Have you investigated?

Original poster
ThornAmongstRoses · 16/04/2021 14:09

Just to make it clear I don’t want to go, it’s my husband who does

Frankly I’m surprised anyone would want to go abroad this year....I’m surprised the Government are even allowing it to be honest.

Me and FIL are fully vaccinated but DH hasn’t had any of his vaccines yet.

My husband loves his holidays and I doubt anything will make him not go if it’s allowed. Unless our country forbids it then he’ll 100% be wanting to go.

OP posts:
osbertthesyrianhamster · 16/04/2021 14:10

I'd be off like a shot.

TrustTheGeneGenie · 16/04/2021 14:11

@paralysedbyinertia

He sounds horrible, OP. Hope you are ok.Flowers

Hopefully, you'll find that he won't be allowed to travel anyway, so this will be a non-issue.

Why does he sound horrible? Because he's not terrified of something he's vaccinated against?

If anyone sounds horrible it's you.

paralysedbyinertia · 16/04/2021 14:17

Why does he sound horrible? Because he's not terrified of something he's vaccinated against?

Er, no, because he is being completely dismissive of his wife's concerns, getting huffy about it and threatening to take the children without her. I don't think that's a very nice way of dealing with a difference of opinion, but you presumably think it's perfectly normal.

Why do I sound horrible?

TrustTheGeneGenie · 16/04/2021 14:26

@paralysedbyinertia

Why does he sound horrible? Because he's not terrified of something he's vaccinated against?

Er, no, because he is being completely dismissive of his wife's concerns, getting huffy about it and threatening to take the children without her. I don't think that's a very nice way of dealing with a difference of opinion, but you presumably think it's perfectly normal.

Why do I sound horrible?

Calling him horrible because he's making a different decision than you would?
paralysedbyinertia · 16/04/2021 14:29

Calling him horrible because he's making a different decision than you would?

But I haven't done that, @TrustTheGeneGenie. I'm calling him horrible because of the way in which he is responding aggressively to his wife's concerns instead of discussing them in a civilised manner.

Not the same thing at all.

TrustTheGeneGenie · 16/04/2021 14:31

@paralysedbyinertia

Calling him horrible because he's making a different decision than you would?

But I haven't done that, @TrustTheGeneGenie. I'm calling him horrible because of the way in which he is responding aggressively to his wife's concerns instead of discussing them in a civilised manner.

Not the same thing at all.

He "went off in a huff"

How is that agressive?

paralysedbyinertia · 16/04/2021 14:36

I don't mean aggressive as in violent, I'm talking about the confrontational way in which he is handling their disagreement. Being dismissive, going off in a huff, threatening to take the children without her.

Maybe that's the way you normally handle conflict in your relationship. Fair enough, if you're happy with that approach. Personally, I wouldn't like it and I am happy that we can discuss our differences in a calm and respectful manner.

Each to their own, though.

TrustTheGeneGenie · 16/04/2021 14:39

@paralysedbyinertia

I don't mean aggressive as in violent, I'm talking about the confrontational way in which he is handling their disagreement. Being dismissive, going off in a huff, threatening to take the children without her.

Maybe that's the way you normally handle conflict in your relationship. Fair enough, if you're happy with that approach. Personally, I wouldn't like it and I am happy that we can discuss our differences in a calm and respectful manner.

Each to their own, though.

Awh nice baseless personal dig in there.

There is nothing agressive about huffing ffs. Don't tell me you've never done it.

Sounds like he just wants to have a nice holiday with his family. What an utter bastard, eh.

We don't know whether op is happy to have a civilised discussion do we or if she's just saying no or huffing agressively herself.

osbertthesyrianhamster · 16/04/2021 14:39

I'd go off to Turkey without you.