Summer Holidays - Right and Wrong?

[DadAManger]

Back in May I posted a thread saying we would probably not be able to go away again this summer (most of us anyway). This was before the Indian Variant/Open Sky Border cock-up.

At the time, I got a lot of messages of the `’you do you, I’ll do me”, “I’m going, no matter what they say”, “i have two trips to the US and two to Spain booked and I am GOING” variety and others that accused me of throwing those that worked in travel under the bus for even asking. String views, but understandable.

What are people doing now? Still going away and dealing with tests and quarantine in return? Been away already? Cancelled the lot because of Government rules? What’s happening?

We're staying at home this year. We normally have a holiday in the UK, in a holiday cottage. But there are so many people staying in the UK this year we've been priced out. So we'll have day trips close to home, and that will be fine.

We were planning to go - probably Portugal or other green list but after this week we have resigned ourselves to staying UK.
I have booked us Devon,Windsor and Norfolk.
If things are better we’ll go at October half term.

I live abroad in an amber country and haven't seen my parents for two years, I'm coming back this summer and will do whatever I need to in order to do so.

A trip to the UK is a holiday for us but realise we're in a different situation to others on this thread.

Absolutely agree @StarcourtMall

I wish everyone hoping to travel abroad well.

For me, Maybe a UK holiday.

MNers rant about excessive cost in UK & "everywhere in UK was booked months ago" problems constantly in early summer 2020 - yet we found somewhere nice in southern Britain with 2days notice (twice) last summer.

too many obstacles to going abroad. I'll see my family on WhatsApp & Facebook, instead.

Will be going abroad on summer

I love travelling and have missed it more than anything these past 15 months.

But I think I'll delay a bit longer before booking anything. Not because I'm worred about 'safety' or think it's 'selfish', but just because I'm not sure it's worth travelling with so many restrictions still in place, not to mention worrying about whether your destination will change to amber or red or if your flight might be cancelled. Hopefully things will settle down a bit soon enough. Mind you, I said that last year!

Waiting but planning to go away during the hols and self isolate for the 5 days when back.

No change here.

We have a UK holiday booked.

We also plan to wait and see if the Canaries or Greece Islands open up and book a last minute holiday there if possible.

We live in near a med resort which is currently amber.

We run a business looking after holiday homes.

Based on our current figures I'd say it's split equally 3 ways between our clients. A third of them are here or have been recently and they're happy to be tested and isolate when and if they go back to the UK. Equally there are as many who have no plans to come over yet because they don't think it's safe enough and the final 3rd is people who have delayed until September/October . Our friends and family fit into the latter category.

Here in Cyprus our figures are getting better but there's a couple of issues that could see them increasing again. And airlines cancelling flights for July.

We managed to go to northern Spain last August and plan to return this August too. My DH runs his own business and we'll make sure we're back in time that the DCs don't miss school due to quarantining.

Still not even considering going abroad. Am not in or from UK though if that matters.

No change. Off to France at the end of August and then hopefully USA in September, and a couple of city breaks towards the end of the year.

That's just under 3 months away and even my most pessimistic line of thinking can't fathom the restrictions being as they are right now. Just today France said it will allow Brits in that have been double vaxxed.

There will be a report in the next month that shows a massive drop off in deaths and hospitalisations despite rising cases, and hopefully by that time, the majority of the UK will be some way to being vaccinated. At that point, you'll start to see the government opening up international travel IMO.

Changed to a U.K. break much earlier in the year as it was obvious how this was going to go. Even the govt did say so.

I’ve put my holiday abroad off to next year.

My view is that it will depend on what the EU/EFTA does, because if they are all going to be able to holiday in each other’s countries with vaccinations/PCRs and no quarantine then the pressure will be on U.K. government to open up our travel industry too. Especially if we have one of the highest vaccination rates and low hospital admissions/low deaths. If latter changes, then the Indian variant will be blamed. It is important to find out how much of a real problem this Indian variant is and how much of a scape goat.

Our holiday destination was on the amber list, tour operator cancelled last week and it is now on the red list. We often have a week in North Norfolk in August but that went up in price significantly. Desperate for a holiday but not sure I will be rebooking until restrictions are eased.

No change. I’m going to Spain next week and will quarantine on the way back and do whatever it’s required. Visiting family and frankly I don’t care about the official advice not to go. Who knows when I’ll be seeing my family again otherwise.

We have moved ours again until next year. It sounds like too much messing around for me. My nephew was in Portugal last week for the CL final and his mate is now stuck over there isolating as tested positive before being able to fly back. I don’t want to take that risk for a bit of sun. In fact I was lucky as off last week and we went away in the UK and had a great weeks weather so happy with that.

Going abroad twice this summer if my flights depart. One to an amber country and another one to a green country.

Not planning to go abroad, even without a pandemic we probably wouldn't be as neither kids have passports and I think DH's has expired now as well.

We have a long weekend in Devon, week in Cornwall and two long weekend camping trips planned. Probably in total cost less than a week abroad, and far lower risk of cancellation.

I didn't have a holiday last year and I don't have any planned this year, UK or otherwise.

A shame since I enjoy going on holiday but it's hardly an essential.

I have flights to Mallorca booked that straddle the June 21st release date. Only going for 4 days, to see a couple of very good friends who live out there. We usually go for long weekends 3-4 times a year, it's my "happy place" and a short break really improves my MH. We can now go without testing or quarantine. I was hoping it would go on the green list before we go but that looks unlikely now. I've budgeted for testing on return and can wfh so quarantine isn't an issue, but DH can't quarantine so at the moment it's go without him or don't go. Will decide a few days before.

We’ve cancelled & re-booked our two abroad holidays for next year (3rd time lucky 🥴🥴). I don’t mind testing or masks etc but with two young kids, knowing there is quarantine at the end is a big no. Obviously, there was always the risk but we were ok with that. But not now it’s a definite thing!

U.K. holidays.. here we come. Thankfully, we’ve found a couple!

This ‘it’s not essential’ narrative has got to stop. Thousands of people, like us, have holidays from Spring 2020 (that I booked in October 2019) being rebooked for a 3rd or 4th time. I’ve got £3000+ tied up in these holidays & I’ll be damned if they’ll give us a bloody refund

I have flights booked to see my family in an amber country. I'm scrambling to see how I can fit the self isolation period within all the other obligations I have this summer. I'll explore every avenue before I give up.

I plan to follow all the rules while here and away like I always did, but I'm not worried about catching the virus and I don't feel guilty one bit for planning to travel abroad.

It's more likely for me to catch and spread the Delta variant whilst shopping, socialising indoors or sitting in a pub here in the UK than it is to do two flights on a plane for a total of two hours with masked people all of whom have tested negative. The country I'm going to has a much lower incidence of the Delta variant than we have here. All of my family abroad and most of my friends have been fully vaccinated and I don't plan to go to any parties or socialise outside that group anyway.