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.

@likeamillpond you need to plan your holidays more wisely mate. Last time we went to Spain for eg we visited the Alhambra, bathed in a mountain lake, had a flamenco class and took a boat trip to North Africa. Flights and accommodation cheaper than a fortnight in Cornwall, even before 2021 prices. Also don't know if you'd noticed but there's plenty of poverty in the UK. And dogs that rip kiddies' faces off.

I want to go abroad too. I’ve got a holiday booked that was moved from last year, but I don’t feel I can go. I’ve got kids who won’t be vaccinated and I do worry that they could get it by being in touristy areas where people form across the globe gather, and bring it back to vulnerable people and fuel a growth in Covid in the autumn and further restrictions.

But I know I can go if it’s allowed. I just don’t feel comfortable with it. But lots of people clearly do. I asked, because in RL I haven’t met anyone or talked to anyone who plans to go this summer. They all want to go but have decided not to. Some won’t go anywhere but most seem to have booked or be looking at UK holidays. A couple have written off the cost of the holiday they now won’t get back because of various terms that were imposed when they had their holiday moved forward with extra value, rather than a refund. They’ve decided they’d rather lose the £3k or whatever it was than take the risk. I feel like that too. But clearly lots don’t.

The virus is just as likely to mutate in the UK. Say... Kent for instance.

It'll probably mutate to become as harmless as the common cold eventually, so perhaps he should speed things up by shooting off all over the place.

I'll travel anywhere that'll have me.

[quote SuziQuatrosFatNan]@likeamillpond you need to plan your holidays more wisely mate. Last time we went to Spain for eg we visited the Alhambra, bathed in a mountain lake, had a flamenco class and took a boat trip to North Africa. Flights and accommodation cheaper than a fortnight in Cornwall, even before 2021 prices. Also don't know if you'd noticed but there's plenty of poverty in the UK. And dogs that rip kiddies' faces off.[/quote]
Indeed.

I went to Turkey three times to do the Lycian Way in sections. Missed out on all the sunbed action.

Because life is for living. Not cowering away waiting for all the bad stuff, i.e. viruses, to go away. Covid is going nowhere. We need to start to learn how to live with it. Time to live again. Stop being so afraid.

I see both sides

U.K. holidays don’t hold as much enjoyment to me - I know others love which is totally personal

But in terms of mass holidays going ahead, I can’t be sure what the impact will be

Also extra rigmarole and PCR testing puts me off of it’s still quite high per person

Really hard! Because I’d love to have a holiday

@Eyevorbig0ne

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.

This almost brought a tear to my eye! Can't wait to travel again!

Ah, Turkey is awesome. Volatile af of course these days but there is sooo much to see. Of all different kinds of things! I spent part of my hol there in a cave!

@SuziQuatrosFatNan

Hoseasons are charging five and a half grand for a week in a fucking caravan this summer. That alone would entirely explain why people prefer to go abroad.

Wrong, this is just so wrong 😫

We want our family holiday to go ahead because it is something we had been looking forward to. Having fun, lots of swimming, snorkelling and diving. A much needed break for me and DH, warmth and sunshine and some real quality time with my children. I also find that a holiday leaves me refreshed and more energetic to get on with daily life. We are booked for June after being cancelled last year, doubt it will happen. Needed more than ever after the last 12 months.

[quote SuziQuatrosFatNan]@likeamillpond you need to plan your holidays more wisely mate. Last time we went to Spain for eg we visited the Alhambra, bathed in a mountain lake, had a flamenco class and took a boat trip to North Africa. Flights and accommodation cheaper than a fortnight in Cornwall, even before 2021 prices. Also don't know if you'd noticed but there's plenty of poverty in the UK. And dogs that rip kiddies' faces off.[/quote]
Done all that.
I've been all over. Whilst I dont dispute that there is poverry in the UK and there are some 'dangerous'dogs as you put it,
In this country I very rarely see dogs and cats wandering the streets with their ribs showing. Turkey.
Or live monkeys strung up outside people's houses in some sort of hammock devices. Carribean that was.
Or people in extreme poverty Their children foraging in bins and on rubbish tips. Mexico.
Last one ive seen that in quite a few places. All in places that on the surface are 'beautiful' and sunny.

I'm torn I want a family holiday but if that leads to school closures I don't!😆

I actually don’t have foreign holidays booked this year due to being pregnant and due mid summer - figured wouldn’t be likely to go ahead before I’m 8 months anyway, and then don’t know if I’ll want to go away with a newborn. But I’m normally the sort to go abroad on a monthly basis either with work or holidays or city breaks.

But for me the reason I would be going abroad this year is I don’t believe any variants won’t be dealt with by the vaccine. If there’s evidence for a variant that is vaccine resistant then I’ll be fully supportive of closing all borders, but until then it’s just a vague and tiny risk and we’ve put our lives on hold for long enough.

I like UK holidays but even pre covid they are expensive & often crap weather

I like holidays as much as the next MNetter, although I can rarely afford them and I can never make them a priority. So I've been a bit at people frothing about being entitled to go abroad.

BTW its a bit off topic in some ways, but I agree with @likeamillpond - I'd love to actually travel but the thought of what I will see in terms of human and animal suffering, and how difficult it might be to "ignore", does rather put the brakes on it.

I'm not going anywhere this year because I'm saving for a big trip that I hope to be able to take in 2022 (nothing to do with the pandemic, this was all planned ages ago). But I can see why people would - for an individual the chance that they, personally, will pick up a variant abroad that goes on to evade the vaccines, spread round the whole country and cause chaos and lockdowns is minuscule. Whereas the opportunity cost of not going on holiday is quite high.

It's like if you were offered £1000 in cash, but you knew that accepting it meant there was a one in a million chance everyone in the country will lose £50,000. If the whole population accepted the offer then the total risk would be very high, but for you as an individual declining means you lose out on a substantial reward and still only decrease the overall risk by a negligible amount.

Ah ok I thought you just had shit holidays. So is it more that global inequality will be solved by people having five grand holidays in pontins now?

So what, likeamillpond? I have been all over, too. I don't shit on other peoples' choices to travel abroad or how they do so just because of my own experiences. How odd, condescending and patronising .

To enjoy life I am guessing.

@SuziQuatrosFatNan

Hoseasons are charging five and a half grand for a week in a fucking caravan this summer. That alone would entirely explain why people prefer to go abroad.

CenterParcs £1k a day for accommodation and it's only restricted swimming that's free with that! Actually it was eight thousand pounds for a week summer holidays.

Eight grand........Jeepers
I thought Lego was expensive!

People pay it.

Tent in the garden guys? You can have anything you like in the Lego shop (including the death star)

Fuck me. I mean you could legit pay for your own tests and quarantine as well as bung a thousand pounds donation towards vaccine research and have a fortnight in Lanzarote with good spends for eight grand.

We have spent long enough confined to our home and garden, and if overseas travel is permitted we will take the holidays that we have booked, but all of the time we will also be taking the same precautions as we do at home - hands, face, space etc, as far as humanly possible. We have a UK trip booked, too, but not in school holidays. I think the UK will struggle with the sheer number of visitors this year even if foreign travel is permitted.

We managed 2 holidays last year, one early on, the other in the autumn. We took a test on arrival, and moved around that country using masks and sanitiser as we do here, as did locals and other visitors. If you choose carefully and act responsibly overseas travel should be possible, but not everywhere will be safe.

If there's something I want to do that's allowed under the rules then I am going to do it. Be it going to a restaurant, having my friends round for a BBQ or going abroad for a holiday. 🤷‍♀️

Went abroad last year, too, and that was at the height of all this and with no vaccines around. Not thinking twice about it this year.

We have booked to go away to the canaries in September, after the schools go back (no DC)

Reasoning : we will be staying in a self contained self catering villa and we will have both had 2 vaccinations by then. We have had our own struggles (outside of covid) this past couple of years and travel gives us something to look forward to, and quite literally, a change of perspective.

We will have had several short U.K. breaks before we go away (last trip abroad was October 2019) but U.K. holidays for me, never feel like a proper break.

I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin and swim in the sea.

If the law permits, we will be going.