Why do people want to go on holidays abroad this summer? (Not travel to family)

[WombatChocolate]

Given we have put in huge efforts to reduce the virus in this country over many months, I struggle why people (not the holiday industry) are so keen to whizz off for a couple of weeks of sun, when we know the virus is surging in parts of the world.

What is this about?

The only thing I can think of which makes any sense to me is that they have already booked, or had a booking carried forward from last year and fear losing the money. Somehow they would rather go than sacrifice the money and that has led to large numbers wanting to go.

We all know that mutants will come into the country through travel and it’s impossible to keep them out, so why do people want to go so much?

Is it that they just love a sunny holiday so much they don’t think about the possible consequences? Is it that they do t want to lose the money? Is it that they are jabbed and so don’t believe their travel can have any consequences? Is it that they don’t know about levels of virus around the world? Or is it that because the holiday industry wants to open up (very understandably) they have been influenced by them?

I really understand people who have family abroad, how difficult the travel issue is for them and I do understand why they want to go and often feel they must go. I’m not asking about that. It’s just the standard holiday I’m interested in, because I don’t really get it.

Anyone who has thoughts about it, or is keen to go and feels like saying why.....many thanks in advance for your thoughts.

We have a holiday to Crete booked in August. DH and I are both double jabbed but our teenage daughters aren’t yet. Our holiday was cancelled last year anc rearranged for this year. It’s a self catering holiday in a villa and seems relatively risk free apart from the plane/airport. If Greece gets rates down due to vaccination then I think it will be pretty safe. Our holiday last year was meant to celebrate the end of A levels snd GCSEs and I think this mighgg to be the last year our daughters want to come away with us.

Because our family has had back to back X3 years of hard emotional shit.
Our kids have been amazing, above and beyond what was expected of them.
We want to thank them by making them go "wow" at some international places of interest rather than in a rainy UK field (done UK camping in all its glory).
We want to experience them exploring a different culture whilst they still have unjaded eyes or want to Instagram everything.

That's why. Oh and we can afford it nowadays, finally.

But prepared, resigned to wait a bit longer.

Because holidays are fun. I like being on holiday. I enjoy the warmth and the sunshine. I like the beaches and theme parks and nature reserves and wildlife. I like being a million miles from home; from extended family and mostly from work.

I loathe being here. It’s expensive, damp, cold and grey. I have been on a handful of UK holidays and hated everyone of them. Even the places I got told ‘you’ll love!’. Nope.

Life is for living and being stuck here is not living. To me at least. The virus and variants are going nowhere. Time to start living with them.

If my flight is going, I’ll be on it.

Myself and DC are going to Greece in August.

We're going abroad to swim, snorkel, paddleboard, cycle, eat outside and just generally have quality time together.

We attempted all of those things on our holiday in the UK last year and the weather took the edge off everything. Plus it was expensive.

If we can go then we'll go. We have a beach side b&b, hire car and don't intend on mixing with anyone.

Sun, warm sand and sea
Paragliding over olu deniz
White water rafting
Messing about in the pool, wrestling over the inflatables
Unusual music
Fresh, delicious cocktails in a beautiful glass
Amazing, fresh cooked food, breads. Soups, fish, meats, fruit sslads etc. Not made by me.
Fluffy cotton robes and white towels that I dont launder
Treating myself to a mojito and some perfume or lipstick on the flight
Eating a pret sandwich at the airport (only time I eat pret).
Swimming in the warm sea gazing at the mountains and lush surroundings.I clearly remember when I close my eyes.
Rollerskating cocktail waiter
Old mamma hand making Turkish flatbread over the metal dome
Evenings with mist of exotic fragrances from flowers or pipes.
Great evening shows
Tingling, glowing skin

Excellent value too.

UK has alot to offer good value is not amongst them.

Because I absolutely adore holidays and genuinely live for those few weeks a year in the sun.
Plus U.K. holidays are expensive and the weather is unreliable.

We’ve got Spain booked for the first week of June and as long as it’s on the green list we’ll be off

Because people like having fun.
I mean come on...

@Totallyfedup1979

Because holidays are fun. I like being on holiday. I enjoy the warmth and the sunshine. I like the beaches and theme parks and nature reserves and wildlife. I like being a million miles from home; from extended family and mostly from work.

I loathe being here. It’s expensive, damp, cold and grey. I have been on a handful of UK holidays and hated everyone of them. Even the places I got told ‘you’ll love!’. Nope.

Life is for living and being stuck here is not living. To me at least. The virus and variants are going nowhere. Time to start living with them.

If my flight is going, I’ll be on it.

Same as this. I have nothing booked yet though and will wait until much nearer August before i decide anything. I will have had both my vaccine doses by then and husband will have at least had his first jab. Our 4yr old has been amazing through all this, dealt with home schooling, cut off from family and friends with good grace and good behaviour, we'd like her to have a break too.

Because I understand statistics and the risk associated with covid for me and my family, v low. I want to live and last time I checked we don’t live in North Korea!!!

Does it concern you that your kids might pick the virus up and although not be ill themselves, further the spread back in the UK, especially as there are still vulnerable people about and mutants might not be stopped by the current vaccines so effectively? Is it you think that risk is low enough or not an issue, so it’s worth taking it because clearly you’d love a holiday?

I fully understand loads of people haven’t had a holiday for ages. I fully understand this has been a crap time and lots of people need a lovely happy thing to look forward to and to enjoy.

I think abroad will be cheaper and the weather may well be better.

We all know that mutants will come into the country through travel and it’s impossible to keep them out, so why do people want to go so much?

If you accept that premise, why would you not do something given that you've already accepted it will happen?

Why would you give up something that doesn't make any difference? Or do you actually think it is possible to keep them out? In which case, why would we be relying on voluntary actions to do so, just make the rules required law?

@Totallyfedup1979

Because holidays are fun. I like being on holiday. I enjoy the warmth and the sunshine. I like the beaches and theme parks and nature reserves and wildlife. I like being a million miles from home; from extended family and mostly from work.

I loathe being here. It’s expensive, damp, cold and grey. I have been on a handful of UK holidays and hated everyone of them. Even the places I got told ‘you’ll love!’. Nope.

Life is for living and being stuck here is not living. To me at least. The virus and variants are going nowhere. Time to start living with them.

If my flight is going, I’ll be on it.

Exactly this.

I don't want to cower in my house, locked down for any longer thanks.

Lots of people can’t visit family/friends, so for any change of scene it’s UK or overseas.

@Totallyfedup1979

Because holidays are fun. I like being on holiday. I enjoy the warmth and the sunshine. I like the beaches and theme parks and nature reserves and wildlife. I like being a million miles from home; from extended family and mostly from work.

I loathe being here. It’s expensive, damp, cold and grey. I have been on a handful of UK holidays and hated everyone of them. Even the places I got told ‘you’ll love!’. Nope.

Life is for living and being stuck here is not living. To me at least. The virus and variants are going nowhere. Time to start living with them.

If my flight is going, I’ll be on it.

Seconded.

When you can do a city break in say, Poznan for about a quarter of the price of a long weekend in the New Forest, or a week in Greece where you're guaranteed sun vs a week in Cornwall where...you're not, added to the fact that you're experiencing new cultures, then yeah, no brainer.

When the government makes it legal to travel (which they will), then I'll be travelling. I don't think people should be shamed into taking a holiday they don't want to.

I personally travel a lot because it's fun and it's something I enjoy and I think it's perfectly reasonable for me to be the one that determines how I get my enjoyment.

So is it that people think their personal actions won’t impact them and an increase in rates is inevitable, so they might as well just enjoy themselves, even if they are contributing to the worsening rates....because other people will too and it cannot be prevented?

I suppose it’s a bit like the arguments for why people don’t want to turn to green options and continue to engage in loads of flights or disposable fashion or whatever....because of the argument they alone can’t make a difference and other people aren’t bothering, so they might as well continue polluting too. I do understand it is a rational, if depressing argument.

Thanks to those who shared already. I’m interested a number mentioned their reasons for wanting holidays (absolutely what I asked about) but some gave those outside of the Covid context...as if Covid was of no consideration in it at all. Just wondered if that is the case or not really.

Because I work hard and choose to live life. If we are allowed to go to America, I'll be there.

Because life

I love my holidays. I go because it makes me happy and is the only way I truly disconnect from all the crap in my life.

Apart from that the following reasons:

• I usually go to Egypt which relies on tourism for many citizens wages. I have friends who work in this industry and they need the visitors. They are lovely people and deserve the best.

• I support an animal charity in Egypt and take things to them. Looking forward to doing it again.

• I’ve been on 3 months’ of steroids for an asthma exacerbation and my doctor recommends a month in the sun to get rid of it.

• my husband and I don’t drive so UK holidays are off. Additionally, I don’t like the wet and cold. It’s is also too expensive.

• my husband completes a harsh M.Litt and needs the break

• it’s our 20th wedding anniversary this year

It’s all of that really. We don’t have kids so it’s a risk assessment of two relatively healthy individuals who have both had our vaccinations. We went away twice last year with no issues. So it seems a no brainer to me.

Even if Egypt is on the amber list I’ll go and isolate on return like we did in December.

There will always be mutations though. Life is for living.
Leave it now to the individual to make their own risk assessments. For those who think it’s too stressful at the moment and don’t want to risk it that’s understandable.

We went last July to Menorca. Cases were low here and there. It felt very safe in a private villa. Flight was half empty. So grateful we managed to escape given what happened in winter.

We’ll hopefully get away in the summer if we can and have an abroad trip booked in October.

The government seem perfectly happy for thousands to come in to this country every week with pretty slack quarantine. We’ve all been in lockdown for months now for the third time. They can’t react quick enough or don’t want to shut the borders to certain countries so I don’t see why we should sacrifice any more..They can’t have it both ways.

Because life is for living? Because I will have been vaccinated? Because I want to?

I love holidays in normal times and go on at least 2 a year. I'm not afraid of Covid or mutant strains.

But I just don't think it's worth it this year. If it's a choice between everything else being opened up or 2 weeks abroad I will choose the former. Mutant strains coming in through travel will give the government more ammunition to lock down again and I cannot bear that.

Schools being open for DS, seeing my family, living a relatively normal life is more important to me than one holiday.

Of course people don't want them or their kids to bring back the virus or be ill.

We also don't want to spend thousands on a holiday that is full of restrictions either side.

If we can't travel as we want to this year then fine, we've dealt with worse. But hope we can at least look to booking for next year. Big world out there want to see it all with them.

Which is why people will wait.

Sigh. Because variants of this virus will be cropping up around the world forever. The world is never going to be 100% vaccinated. The risk of bringing home a variant will always, always exist.

I’m not giving up travel forever, so it doesn’t make sense to me to give it up now.

It’s been a horrendous year and people need something to enjoy. We’ve already sacrificed enough.

@WombatChocolate

So is it that people think their personal actions won’t impact them and an increase in rates is inevitable, so they might as well just enjoy themselves, even if they are contributing to the worsening rates....because other people will too and it cannot be prevented?

I suppose it’s a bit like the arguments for why people don’t want to turn to green options and continue to engage in loads of flights or disposable fashion or whatever....because of the argument they alone can’t make a difference and other people aren’t bothering, so they might as well continue polluting too. I do understand it is a rational, if depressing argument.

Thanks to those who shared already. I’m interested a number mentioned their reasons for wanting holidays (absolutely what I asked about) but some gave those outside of the Covid context...as if Covid was of no consideration in it at all. Just wondered if that is the case or not really.

8000 people fly into this country a day, the mutations will come anyway- there have always been vulnerable members of society, we never stopped living because of them before. If the vaccines don’t work then fuck it, all gotta die one day