How likely do you think a school trip to the French Alps will be in February 2022?

[waheythisoneisfree]

Just that really.

I know it’s impossible to know. I’m just wondering if it’s really worth my while paying the deposit this week (£300) for a trip to France which will be for secondary school aged children. (I’m not rich by any means, my child has never been on a plane so she’s excited to have the opportunity to go but I wonder if I’m wasting my time on something that will probably not go ahead).

It really is too close to say! I assume you wouldn’t get the deposit back if it was cancelled.

I would not commit such a sum of money. I would not be surprised if the French had restrictions, or insisted on vaccinations which in the UK probably won't be available for your child.

Remember that the UK government has imposed travel sanctions on the French because of the EU stalemate on the NI Protocol, arguing about Beta variant cases which are largely in Reunion, part of France but in the Indian Ocean. Also that the French Presidential election is in early April 2022 and Monsieur Macron faces a challenge from the Republicains (centre right party of Sarkozy though he is not the candidate).

There’s some terms and conditions about it being cancelled or at least it being cancelled under DFE advice but it doesn’t seem to cover all situations

I’m interested in this too.

DC2 should have gone on the school ski trip to Italy in January this year but it’s been rescheduled until January 2022. Flying from Gatwick to Turin.

We’d paid most of it when all this started and paid the rest off as scheduled so that’s it a decision we have to make but I’d normally start looking for kit bargains about now and don’t know whether to or not.

My gut feeling would be that it's unlikely to go ahead, but really who knows. It's just with it being mid-winter I can imagine further restrictions etc.

If I couldn't pay it comfortably, I wouldn't risk it

Even if I could pay it comfortably, I'd only do so if I could get a refund if I decide the risk is too high. Which you probably can't do?! I don't think I'd want my DC going this coming January, so I wouldn't pay a deposit now.

Here’s the refund policy (hopefully)

To pay for the remainder it’s about a quarter of my disposable income each month until October 😬

No I wouldn’t risk that I’m afraid. It’s quite likely to get cancelled.

15% likely

We've had a school trip from Iceland moved from Oct 2020 to May 2021 to Oct 2021 to April 2022. They seem quite confident this time but who knows!

I think I'd risk it. Presumably the travel company would either move the dates or refund if there was a problem.

To Iceland. Not from.

I'd be more confident about Iceland than France. Other than a dislike of some of Bjork's songs I don't think we have had a quarrel with Iceland for centuries if at all.

What about refunds if your child has symptoms or actual covid...?
Weve lost 4d to isolation - in summer!

Also with contacts you or family could test positive as im not sute if kids will avoid isolating as a household contact.

Plus cover if dc does the same while on holiday

It’s not just COVID. Realistically, I would not be surprised if access to lifts this year is based on a pass sanitaire - either vaccination or clear test. But I would also ask the school Brexit related questions - if it is French run accommodation and instruction, fine but there may be issues if the school are relying on British based companies and instructors who may have underestimated the Brexit related challenges- for example it is no longer possible for UK schools to hire UK ski teachers not based in France. I would expect a lot of companies focusing on uk customers to struggle a lot this season.

There's a chance
DD is set to go to French alps next Easter. Heaven knows if she'll make it.

I am an optimist / like to bury my head in the sand, and even I don’t think it’s likely. I have a trip booked to the Alps early next year (rearranged from this year) and I am expecting it to be postponed.

@newnortherner111 - never heard of the Cod Wars then? Considerably less than a century ago!

I think there's a significant risk it won't go ahead. Covid is worse in the winter and also there's a lot of politics in the restrictions on travel to and from France. French are just introducing a system of you can't go into bars, restaurants, planes, trains etc if over 12 and not vaccinated unless you test daily at 49 euros a test coming in August. It could be our kids will get double vaccinated plus the required 2 weeks before Feb but not certain atm.

I generally wouldn't book any travel if you can't afford to lose the money.

No idea but I do think if it doesn’t go ahead then will things like that go ahead again? We aren’t getting any better than all adults who want it being vaccinated. If it doesn’t end now I really don’t know when it will. But I hope for all our sakes we can start planning things like this with the certainty that they will go ahead!

I wouldn't book for February, not a good month for this wretched bug and it will be a tough winter. Especially if you are signing away a large swathe of income.There will be opportunities for educational trips in the future.

It may ene when they give in and allow us to vaccinate kids and also maybe all adukts having had az may need pfizer booster

Unlikely to go ahead imho.

My son has a college trip to Disneyland Paris in March 2022. We have decided not to go because even if the trip went ahead what happens if he tested positive before coming home and was stuck in France.

I posted on here a good few months ago about DD's planned school trip (Year 6) to France. I was told by most people that I was being daft and a worry wart for not wanting to send her in September (2021).

It took a lot of pressure to persuade the Head to switch the trip to a UK venue. Which finally happened a few weeks ago. Now they're still going a fair old distance, but within the UK.

And of course that all depends on the virus situation at the end of the summer and on nobody testing positive before or during the trip...

I wouldn't be comfortable sending my child outside of the UK, without a parent, any time in 2021 and probably not in 2022 either.