That holiday destination list....

[ShamedBySiri]

As I haven't got spare cash for an overpriced holiday abroad I have been able to laugh at the list. Though I would love a trip to Portugal or Iceland, both places I have had great trips to in the past. But the rest of the list??? I've seriously wondered if the government are just trolling us now!

South Georgia anyone? I'm not sure if there is even any permanent habitation there? Obviously if you are the next David Attenborough and want to study the penguins I'm delighted that you should be able to pursue your career. And I love penguins. But it's not exactly a practical holiday destination for most of us.
It would probably take the best part of a week to get there for starters (and another week to return obv).

Where do you fancy going to on the list?
(Australia and New Zealand are out as they aren't letting us in).

UK closed borders...yet there are people flying in and out daily. Including 8,000 tourists a day. During a pandemic. Bringing new strains.

Essential to you, isn't essential to the country. It's a pandemic. Travel spreads new strains.

Many families have lost one (and sometimes the only) breadwinner. Permanently. One of the 150,000 dead.

It's shit having to change jobs...but better than being physically or mentally unable to work. Which is the predicament of those suffering with long Covid. They too have bills and rent/mortgage to pay.

Most countries have essential international travel going on. But some (the more sensible ones) have real quarantine too. As in airport hotel or quarantine coach to wherever the quarantine hotel is located. Not travelling from the airport often on busy public transport, spreading new strains as they go...and therefore prolonging the pandemic and causing ruin to all other non travel related businesses. These people, those affected by long repeated lockdowns (the alternative to border control), they too have bills to pay and roofs over their heads to keep.

@Tealightsandd

But surely that’s the point of the vaccine? I could understand it if people weren’t being vaccinated or tested but surely with vaccines and testing people should be able to travel relatively freely?
It was easier to travel last summer with no vaccines than it is now which is completely crazy.
And of course it’s tragic that all those people have died but at some point we need to start opening up. The entire works knows we are in a pandemic, we hear it enough times however we are never going to get to Zero Covid which is what many posters on here seem to want. I’d rather live my life, let my DH have a job and let my children see their extended family than live any longer in this semi existence where even leaving the house seems to require pre booking because of “Covid”.

Yes the vaccine is definitely the main way out. When people are actually vaccinated. Fully vaccinated of course. Partially vaccinated doesn't do enough to stop new strains developing and spreading.

Isn't it enough that we've already exported one mutated strain around the world? The UK strain is a major reason why things are currently so bad in India.

It's not as if it's that much longer to wait. We're doing well with our vaccine rollout.

Just checked - Tristan da Cunha has no airstrip and is a six-day boat journey from South Africa.

I’ve only got 15 days of holiday left this year. So that’s 12 days sailing, two days flying and one day on a beach, if I’m lucky.

Think I’ll give it a miss...

It doesn't really matter where our government allows us to return from. What matters is who lets us in without restrictions. So far, thats pretty much nowhere, so I'm not going to rush to book anything.

It’s also banned all visitors except supply boats and returning residents and even then there are testing and quarantine rules.

@Tealightsandd

The UK government has prioritised international travel above all else throughout this pandemic. Above lives, health, and all other industries.

"throughout the pandemic"? Sorry but no, that's simply not true.

There was a reluctance by some in Westminster to control the Borders March/April last year but after that - nope, no way has it been given priority above lives, health and other industries.

@AlecTrevelyan006

Just checked - Tristan da Cunha has no airstrip and is a six-day boat journey from South Africa.

I’ve only got 15 days of holiday left this year. So that’s 12 days sailing, two days flying and one day on a beach, if I’m lucky.

Think I’ll give it a miss...

Plus won't it be winter there for the next couple of months?

I don't think it will be beach weather, if there is a beach that is. You can probably get a similar experience by visiting one of the sparsely populated, more remote Scottish islands in November.

@ShamedBySiri

As I haven't got spare cash for an overpriced holiday abroad I have been able to laugh at the list. Though I would love a trip to Portugal or Iceland, both places I have had great trips to in the past. But the rest of the list??? I've seriously wondered if the government are just trolling us now!

South Georgia anyone? I'm not sure if there is even any permanent habitation there? Obviously if you are the next David Attenborough and want to study the penguins I'm delighted that you should be able to pursue your career. And I love penguins. But it's not exactly a practical holiday destination for most of us.
It would probably take the best part of a week to get there for starters (and another week to return obv).

Where do you fancy going to on the list?
(Australia and New Zealand are out as they aren't letting us in).

Of course they’re trolling is. They spent a week it two implying many countries would be on the list... in the run up to the election... then the day after the election they released this list. They over promised. I feel bad for the people they misled.

Travel was given priority way beyond April last year. Spain was a popular destination all summer hence the Spanish steak being dominant by autumn

We cancelled our holiday to Turkey for the second time in a year. The few destinations on the green list do not interest me as they don't have what we personally look for in a holiday (dietary requirements & religious facilities). I have both lost family members to covid & suffered from long covid which is precisely why I needed a break. IMO, the PCR testing after you return should stop variants causing outbreaks here and it does look like a very cautious reopening of travel to test the waters. Think I'll wait a few months then book somewhere green last minute.

Lol at people googling Tristan da Cunha Mumsnet never fails to entertain!

You can probably get a similar experience by visiting one of the sparsely populated, more remote Scottish islands in November

I have flights to Iceland in July that I booked last year. We are postponing even though it's on the green list because we are not vaccinated yet and also because I can't be arsed with the faff of masks and tests etc and stuff not being open I would rather not bother and just go another time.

Appyalpaca that is not correct. Travel to Spain was not permitted after mid July.

@Tealightsandd

But then surely they should let people who are fully vaccinated travel? And have a PCR test as well. I’ve had Covid already as has DH, we will both get our second vaccine shortly yet still no travel allowed.
The Government are constantly moving the goalposts which is what is frustrating for people who need to travel for business. If DH could say to his clients hold on a few more weeks, from July 1st I will be able to travel that would be fine but that isn’t happening.

Of course they’re trolling is. They spent a week it two implying many countries would be on the list... in the run up to the election... then the day after the election they released this list. They over promised. I feel bad for the people they misled.

If they aren’t aware that this government just spews out lies and tells people what they want to hear by now then there’s no helping them. It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

@Tealightsandd

Not that I'm keen on international travel this year, but the places on the list are perfectly good destinations. Iceland is amazing, Portugal has some lovely parts, and Israel has sun and beaches (don't know how cheap a trip there is). The other places would also be well worth a visit - although I question the morality of us potentially bringing the UK (or other) strain to very small countries that might lack the infrastructure or healthcare needed to deal with an outbreak. Unless they've all been vaccinated?

Plenty of good holiday destinations but can you imagine the whole UK choosing from such a small list this summer? Prices would be through the roof with such an imbalance of supply and demand.

@Appyalpaca

Travel was given priority way beyond April last year. Spain was a popular destination all summer hence the Spanish steak being dominant by autumn

The Spanish steak?

I thought they preferred jamon?

For those complaining that travel restrictions/testing etc still apply to the fully vaccinated, I'd like to point out that the vaccines sadly do not offer 100% immunity from the variants we know about, let alone those we don't. You can still catch and transmit covid to others. Whilst this pandemic is still running riot anywhere in the world, it is sensible to restrict travel. With restricted numbers of travellers it is much easier to police home quarantine. Travel for work is, in the main, allowed. Trouble is, people will bend the rules to suit. Anybody remember the bunch of "students" training as "ski instructors" travelling on the Eurostar? Which means the restrictions for genuine workers are all the more strict. Leisure travel and family visits just have to wait for now. I'd even go so far as to say foreign travel for a funeral should not be allowed. How can it be essential, when they're gone they're gone, you're not able to bring a dead person back to life, are you?

@StapMe

For those complaining that travel restrictions/testing etc still apply to the fully vaccinated, I'd like to point out that the vaccines sadly do not offer 100% immunity from the variants we know about, let alone those we don't. You can still catch and transmit covid to others. Whilst this pandemic is still running riot anywhere in the world, it is sensible to restrict travel. With restricted numbers of travellers it is much easier to police home quarantine. Travel for work is, in the main, allowed. Trouble is, people will bend the rules to suit. Anybody remember the bunch of "students" training as "ski instructors" travelling on the Eurostar? Which means the restrictions for genuine workers are all the more strict. Leisure travel and family visits just have to wait for now. I'd even go so far as to say foreign travel for a funeral should not be allowed. How can it be essential, when they're gone they're gone, you're not able to bring a dead person back to life, are you?

It's not about bringing a dead person back. It's about being with loved ones who share your pain and loss and who you can draw comfort from and give comfort to. I'd be devastated if I wasn't allowed to travel for a close family funeral.

I sympathise with those who have lost loved ones, and I see where you're coming from AMillionMilesAway. But all travel is a risk, and wherever we can avoid it we should. And yes I've got relatives abroad. If one of ours dies, we will suck it up and get over it from our home countries.

@StapMe fwiw I agree with you. This is the reality of policies that are for the benefit of large numbers of people, unfortunately it simply can’t be everything to everyone.

Ultimately the emotional issues have to take a back seat and sometimes knowingly curtailed because they work directly against the outcome trying to be achieved, in this case control of an infectious disease. Decisions have to be (and should be) made on facts not feelings. When we act on emotional responses we naturally disregard any consequences that arise from that.

There was a great programme years ago (I think it was called control room or something like that) that took a group of people and put them in charge of a theoretical emergency situation. There was one covering a hijacked plane, one covering riots from young people due to perceived inequalities against the older generation and one with a quarantined hospital due to an infectious disease. It was a fascinating programme watching these groups of people taking what they thought were the most humane options and dealing with the consequences of that. It really offered a different perspective.

I found one episode (and it’s called crisis command) if anyone’s interested - it’s a terrorism scenario