Support thread for those with family abroad

[Schulte]

Anyone interested in a support thread for those of us who have family abroad, and don't know if we can see them this year? I had started to feel all positive and optimistic about going back to my home country this summer to see my parents, but it's now looking far from certain and I'm feeling increasingly depressed.

I thought maybe we can cheer each other up and share the latest on border openings, how and where to get tests for travel, etc.

Anyone?

Good luck to those of you travelling!

I thought we'd got to a point where at least those of our family in the UK who could travel could come and visit us, even if we can't go back to the UK (not practical to quarantine with 3 young children, given the length of our possible visit, let alone the ridiculous additional testing costs). But then I saw that Belgium doesn't recognise UK vaccination certificates, so they'd count as unvaccinated, which makes it a no-go. And then the changes to France's status (which I don't fully understand, but they're not good, are they...) have made it even less possible.

I'm struggling at the moment. I really hoped that this summer, we might get to see people. I have a 10 month old daughter who's never met most of her family, I have a niece who's nearly 1 and a half that we've never met, my dad is elderly and in poor health and time is clearly limited for seeing him. I just want to go home for a bit. We're all double jabbed, mostly with the same vaccines, probably made in the same factories. It is insane, and utterly depressing.

Hello, Netherlands here...complete ban on UK travellers.
No end in sight for us and everything is just getting worse.

@cinnamonwoman

that's just rubbish. are you there or in UK?

I really need our Dutch friends to visit soon and bring my favourite cheese, it's been too long dammit!
(I choose to be angry about lack of cumin cheese because I don't have the energy to be angry about bigger things)

really sorry about your news

Good info on testing
www.theguardian.com/money/2021/jul/17/holiday-covid-tests-best-price-trust-time-provider

They recommend this comparison site
www.covid19-testing.org/providers

I am trying to work out if you need a PCR test to board a KLM flight. I just cannot tell 🤦‍♀️
Most annoyingly, Hungary accepts your first negative PCR test from before departure for test to release if it was in the EU. Not the UK. 😡 Thanks Brexit.

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba haha yes the cumin cheese is a particular Dutch delicacy! Unfortunately I think cheese (along with humans) are banned from being transported...but thanks to Brexit rather than COVID....

We are in NL and haven't seen family for a year, the uk is banned as there is a 'variant of concern', considering that now the delta variant is rife here I don't know how they can maintain that ban...and so we wait!

it's quite crap.
And I have to say the Dutch getting worried is very unnerving!

Eat some lovely cheese on my behalf.
hugs

Hi everyone

Thought I‘d join. Struggling with not getting back to Scotland. Flights were cancelled and have moved them to later in the year so hope that works.

So depressed about the whole situation

Come in and grab a cuppa @Howdidigetsoold. We’re all here to share your pain. Where do you live?

I have a question for those living in the Netherlands. Travelling back through NL will be fine for me and the DDs as we have German passports and will have been in Germany for nearly four weeks. But might they stop DH who is British, and will only have spent two weeks in Germany? I was trying to find some guidance along the lines of ‘if you’ve been in a virus variant country in the past 10/14 days’ but couldn’t...

The US CDC just updated its guidance for US travellers to the UK.

wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-united-kingdom

Level 4: Very High Level of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom

Key Information for Travelers to the United Kingdom

Avoid travel to the United Kingdom.

If you must travel to the United Kingdom, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel.

Because of the current situation in the United Kingdom, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.

I guess it was obvious this was coming, especially given that England has completely reopened now despite such high cases.

@Schulte I think the travel situation you have described should be fine.
You are allowed to enter NL to then travel on to other countries (as long as you stay less than 12 hours!), so I thinking leaving the country should be fairly straightforward.

they'll probably happily kick out anyone with a UK passport!!

I just took a pcr. I had 37.7 all day yesterday. I think it’s mainly cuz I was overheated but as I’m meant to fly on Saturday to see my family paranoid about everything. Praying it comes back soon I’ve taken 5 lfts and all negatives

Thank you @cinnamonwoman!

@EasterIssland that sounds stressful - fingers crossed it comes back negative! DD1 currently in self isolation but luckily only until two days before we are due to leave. DD2 still at school so keeping all fingers crossed. She's not allowed to go anywhere else this week!

Good luck @EasterIssland.

It made me realise I will have to find a way to delay my period or they will not let me fly. I always have a bit of a temperature.

@YoutubeZoom

Good luck *@EasterIssland*.

It made me realise I will have to find a way to delay my period or they will not let me fly. I always have a bit of a temperature.

My period is due in coming days as well

Something to look forward to.

I haven't read all the comments but we haven't seen my parents for nearly 2 years. They're in Canada and my girls are now 7 and 5, and I'm worried the young one doesn't / won't have any in-person memories of her grandparents. 😥

How is everyone?
I have spent the past few days chatting to airports and airlines. Although neither the Netherlands nor Hungary requires a negative PCR test, KLM will probably not let us board without one.
A PCR test in Amsterdam would get UK citizen DH out of quarantine, but the test site is not airside. We do not dare to risk him getting stranded in or deported from Amsterdam.
As multiple people reported that immigration control at Schiphol is lengthy for UK citizens, we rebooked our flights with a longer transit period. Flights must be empty, because it was so easy and not too costly.
DH is refusing to spend any more money on unnecessary PCR tests and decided to do test to release quarantine in Hungary.

im meant to fly tomorrow! have had a really anxious week with few problems... but hoping to be there tomorrow and see my family on sunday

all the best for all! hope you manage to see them soon

@EasterIssland Good luck!!!

My mom is hoping to fly from Canada on 30/7 and quarantine for 5 days at our house 🤞

My entire family are abroad. I’ve got a 17 month old and my dad hasn’t seen him since he left the UK to go home in June 2020.

I’m trying to muster up the courage to fly out, but terrified of taking covid to him. He’s 76. DP, myself and my dad are all fully vaccinated but toddler obviously isn’t. I’m also scared of him catching it.

Good luck @EasterIssland! Hope all goes well!

Good luck to all, I just realised I've blinked and missed 20 pages of this thread. It will be a long long time until I can see my family in aus but I've been able to get to France to see the other side of the family for the first time since early 2020. I was so incredibly anxious until we got past passport control in France, I was sure they were going to refuse us. My children were so so happy to see their grandparents "in real life". I feel we have to make the most of it as this could be the only visit that is possible this year, I will never take it for granted again. Best wishes to everyone else trying to get to their family this summer x