Views about lots of things are very polarised at the moment. They range from those who want all restrictions lifted and life to return fully to normal, to those who still haven’t left home.
I know people who won’t feel they can go away for the night to stay with family, to those who won’t feel they can go on a UK holiday, to those who will do that but not go abroad. There are also those who will go to certain destinations in Europe after a lot of research and only to very self contained accommodation where they can avoid seeing anyone, to those who are happy to go anywhere if they are allowed, with very little thought.
There seems to be a lot of judgment from all sides. I don’t feel happy to go abroad myself this summer and am willing to wait until perhaps the spring next year. That is helped by the fact I love UK based holidays too and have booked something so have that to look forward to. However, I like discussing people’s thoughts and understanding why they reach different conclusions and what they place most weight on in their decision making. I haven’t called anyone selfish at any point on this thread (some people seem to think I have) not criticised any individual or the view they have expressed....because I did ask for people to express their views.
We don’t know what will happen next autumn and winter. We don’t know how travel might impact that outcome. And I know it won’t be the actions of any individual or their choice to holiday anywhere that determines it and the government has to be the ones to decide what’s allowed and then within that we choose whether to go or not. I won’t be having discussions in RL with anyone about their holiday choices and wouldn’t dream of suggesting anyone is making a wrong choice. We are all making choices every day which are different to each other.
I can see how some people long for the sun and feel it will massively boost them and their family to have the holiday and that it will sustain them if there are hard times ahead.
Regarding prices, I’m just if the view it’s all sown to demand and supply. Yes UK hols are expensive now because so many people don’t think they will be able to go abroad (because if restrictions or cost) and so many do t feel happy to go broad so demand for UK holidays is higher. I’m not convinced the quoted prices are for typical caravans if typical sites...but they make the point well that prices are high. As has been said, a peak week on a caravan park with facilities and entertainment can cost close to £2k in any year and somewhere like CenterParcs is always expensive. But there are also cheaper holidays too, depending on where you go and accommodation. But when demand is high and supply limited, prices will rise. I don’t blame the holiday letters. They are businesses who have struggled and offering holiday accommodation isn’t a social service that has to be subsidised to make it affordable for all. Suggesting they should subsidise people or have a cap on charges is the argument people sometimes make about all school holiday prices...but holidays aren’t an entitlement and the reality is quite simply that like most goods, if you have more money you can access more of them. It might not be fair but we accept that as the reality with most goods and holidays are no different in my mind. The extra cost of going abroad in terms of tests and quarantine this summer will hit those with less money more. Of course it will. Perhaps the industry might be able to get some of those costs down by negotiating with government, but there will be extra costs this year and those who can’t afford them or choose not to will be priced out of the market. That’s a shame, but in my mind it’s no different to finding you can’t afford a particular car that you’d like.
Yeah, I get that people can minimise risk by following all the rules and distancing and hand washing etc. I get that tourist areas will have to be strong on distancing etc. People might not come into contact with more or as many people as in some busy UK holiday resorts. Going is allowed and if restrictions are later added again, lots of people will be so pleased they got their summer sun in while they can. And I know that if 1 family choose not to go but 5million others do go, that 1 family staying at home won’t make any difference in all likelihood to any spread or impact that comes from the 5 Million going. And I know that people from abroad are coming here and will come and quarantine here might not be as good as it could be. And as a bottom line people really want to go. I know all those things and the importance of them to people has been really well explained in this thread by some people- so thank you.
It will be interesting to see what government policy looks like in terms of lists of countries and extra costs and inconveniences people will incur for travelling abroad as it all emerges. And it will be interesting to see how those policies impact demand to travel abroad at that point and whether the increased costs and inconveniences reduce demand much from what it would be without them or not. Clearly demand is lower this year, because it’s not just me that is choosing not to go abroad even if I can, but significant numbers, but I wonder how much further government policy will drive demand and if that might be one of its aims, as well as safety considerations??
Anyway, I hope the situation here keeps improving. Ultimately I suppose the situation abroad will be key in determining government policy. Of course we all hope these very high rates in some parts of the world start to drop...not just so we can have holidays but so lives in those places can get closer to normal too. And I’d guess most people are actually pleased to be guided by government about where might be safe to travel to, rather than having to gather their own info about those places and make judgements for themselves....although perhaps not everyone want S to be told by government, I’d think most feel safer choosing and going with the government guidance and restrictions in place, even if they impose extra cost and inconvenience.
I hope people can get some good holidays this summer. And I suppose mostly what this thread draws me to, is that I hope the government (more than indidividuals) is able to make some really balanced and sensible decisions about all of this. It’s their decisions which are key and people rightly will and have to be guided by them. If they say you can travel, you can and their judgement is it’s safe and fine for you to go. I’m happy with that. I hope they can balance all the competing issues and what’s happening in the world and make good choices. In the end it will be their policy which allows people to act or not and is responsible for outcomes from it. I think that’s what the thread and everyone’s thoughts have led me to....the Q isn’t so much about individual choice within a policy, it the policy itself. I can choose not to go abroad and others can choose to travel if allowed....all of us for different reasons. The real Qis what will be allowed.